RB-012 The Eviction of Pa and Ma Skunk

This is classic tale of home ownership gone very, very wrong. Try putting yourself in the place of the family in this story as they try to rid themselves of one terribly stinky problem.
A tall Texan by the name of Arnold Flemming and his family fall in love with and buy a home near Goose Lake. The home is a dream home for the Flemmings until they discover that there is already a family living under the house, a skunk family, who want to turn the Flemmings' dream into a nightmare. The skunks drive the Flemmings out of their new home and ruin the Flemming's belongings. A neighbor calls Ranger Bill, Stumpy, and Gray Wolf to get rid of the striped home wreckers. Bill can only guess how to drive out the skunks. Several attempts to evict the skunk family fail. Will Bill be able to find a way to get the skunks to leave the area?

Pick your favorite Ranger Bill episode

The Ranger Bill Fan Club is working to find the most popular Ranger Bill stories. We post 10 Ranger Bill shows each week or so in our Episode Survey to see which you enjoy the most. We are currently surveying episodes 21-30. Click on our link to our episode summary page if you can't remember the story for an episode. Then vote on your favorite episode or episodes from that list. We will keep you posted on which shows are your favorites.

Congratulations Trailwise Readers

Congratulations those of you who participated in our Trail Dangers Survey. 61% of you correctly picked Falling as the number one danger to hikers and campers. Here is how Backpacker magazine rated our five trail dangers:
1. Falling
2. Heart Attack
3. Cold
4. Avalanche
5. Bears
You might be interested to know that water is nearly as big a danger as falling. Drowning and injuries from rapids, floods, and water falls hurt almost as many hikers each year as falls do. Also Bees are a greater danger on the trail, especially to those allergic to bees, than bears are. Bears may be powerful and dangerous, but they tend to avoid humans unless those humans risk hiking in heavily bear-populated areas.

RB011 Death's Half Mile

Bill, Stumpy, and Gray Wolf try to help Bruno Allen and his son Eric save lives at Death's Half Mile, an extremely dangerous stretch of road. This roadway contains a sharp curve, a narrow bridge just past the curve, and a railroad crossing that comes out of a narrow valley. The half mile sees about three accidents each week. Government and rail officials can't seem to find the money to put up any kind of lights or other warning signals. What can Bill do to protect drivers there?

Knotty Pine Gazette - January 23, '09

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and it is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph. 2:8-10

I think Ranger Bill would agree that this would be an excellent theme verse for the program. Bill, Stumpy, and Gray Wolf are Christians who are saved solely by the love of God through the blood of Jesus. And the new life that comes from faith in Christ has a new nature that produces good works that give Jesus all the glory. Simply Ranger Bill and we love because Christ first loved us.


Winter Loosens Grip
According to the weather service, the weather in and around Knotty Pine and the Big Pine Forest should be easing somewhat and returning to more seasonal temperatures and snow fall for the next few weeks. That is good news for road crews, including forest ranger plows, who have been working just about around the clock trying to keep most major roads open. With record snows and temperatures hovering around zero, plows have been unable to keep many of the side streets and back roads cleared even with help from Ranger Bill Jefferson's crews assisting with the road work.

Fighting Cabin Fever
Cabin fever affects many residents of the tri-county area, if not the entire state, this time of year. Most cities in the area have organized volunteers to deal with the effects of being shut in during these winter months.
Knotty Pine's Meals on Wheels have been bringing groceries and hot meals to elderly and handicapped city residents. Drivers stop to chat with residents as well as to deliver food. Often this human contact is more important to and needed by citizens than even a hot meal.
The mayor's office and several churches in town have organized entertainment nights. Family friendly movies; dances; visiting choirs; as well as amateur nights with comedians, singing, and bands of all kinds; are all scheduled for this winter. Weather permitting, there will be at least one astronomy night. People are encouraged enjoy the telescopes provided by the Big Pine Astronomy Club and bring their own telescopes as well. The city is offering lost-cost trips to Canyon City and Central City, weather permitting.

Prayer for Our Leaders
Beginning tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 24, Chief Ranger Bill Jefferson will be leading, not one, but three prayer breakfasts this week. The focus of these prayer events will be to pray for our national leaders, especially our presidents. Ranger Bill will begin each breakfast with prayer for our new President Obama that God will lead and guide the president to make decisions that are in line with His holy will. Ranger Bill also will pray for now former president George Bush that God will give Mr. Bush new purpose now that he is out of office. Ranger Bill also wants to thank God for blessing us with a godly leader like Mr. Bush. Finally Ranger Bill will focus prayer for our country that we as a nation live according to God's will and that Jesus would be preached to everyone in our country and to the world. Ranger Bill will hold other breakfasts on the following Wednesday and Saturday. They will be held at Knotty Pine Church in their multi-purpose room. The food will be served by the ladies of KPC lead by Agnes "Mom" Jefferson.

Survivalist Rescue
Famed TV survival expert Todd Stiner literally dropped in on Big Pine National Forest earlier this week by helicopter. With permission from Chief Ranger Bill Jefferson, Mr. Stiner jumped from an army chopper onto the slopes of Old Baldy to survive three days and nights with nothing but a small backpack of survival tools, a canteen of water, and a two-man camera crew. Using nothing but his marine survival training and his wits Todd travels around the world competing against extreme climates - jungles, deserts, wilderness, even on a raft adrift in the ocean - and shows how the experts survive these dangerous environments.
Todd had explained his plan fully with Ranger Bill. Todd and his crew were to start on Old Baldy, climb down to the Shady Valley, then hike back to Ranger Headquarters. Ranger Bill having had marine survival training himself agreed to Todd's trek with the stipulation that all three men carry GPS units in case of emergency.
Unfortunately for Todd, the record-heavy snows and cold created icy conditions on Old Baldy. near the end of the team's decent, one of the crewmen slipped and fell, breaking his leg. Mr. Stiner radioed for help. Because of the location of the men, a helicopter rescue was not possible. So Bill and his team drove, hiked, and then climbed to the Stiner team's position. The injured man Allen Ramsey is reported in good condition at Knotty Pine Hospital and should be released in a day or two. Ranger Bill has given Mr. Stiner permission to come back to Big Pine with the condition that he, Bill Jefferson, join Todd on his next attempt at Old Baldy.

Ranger Bill actors on The Sugar Creek Gang

Many, if not all, of the actors who worked on Ranger Bill also played in other programs. The following is what I found from the Geocities page below:

"The series was narrated by Miron Canaday who played an old Bill Collins remembering the adventures of his youth. Some of the other voices were Jon Gauger as young Bill, Gisli Bjorgvinsson as young Bill, Randy Paradise as Poetry, Kim Rasmussen as Dragonfly, Flo Schmid as Little Jim and Mrs. Collins, Rex Brenner as Old Man Paddler, Larry Moran as Barry Boyland, and Larry Shackley as Big Jim. Click on the picture of Larry Shackley (on the Geocities page) to listen to a two minute clip from "The Lost Campers."


http://www.belovedbooks.com/page/page/1567900.htm

http://www.geocities.com/rmannor69/scg/scg-series-av.htm

http://www.educationforthesoul.com/scg/

You can order books, tapes, videos and CDs from Beloved Books and from Education for the Soul links. The gentleman with the Geocities site is a fan of the stories and has assembled an impressive list of information about the gang.

RB-010 Hit and Run

Two young hot rodders, Reuben and Smitty, are driving around the town of Big Pine. Sam Potter; an elderly, well-known resident; steps out in front of the boys. The car hits Sam and Sam dies. The boys are scared and run away and hide.
Bill and the fellas arrive just after the accident and investigate. Meanwhile some of the men in town find the boys and want to lynch them. Bill saves the boys and jails them. Bill must now gather evidence to determine if the boys hit and killed Sam. See what Bill finds at the scene of the accident and from Sam's doctor who examined Sam's body.

RB-009 Bim, The Dog

If you are an animal lover and especially if you're a dog lover, you'll love this story about a mutt dog, Bim. Bim goes far above and beyond the call of duty with his loyalty and bravery. Bim fights snakes, guards his injured masters, goes to war and protects Bill and his fellow soldiers during WWII. And what is even more interesting is that everything that Bim does came from real-life stories of dogs protecting their families and masters.

Some of the Ranger Bill staff

At the end of RB116-"The Deadly Laundry Basket" and from some information that Ed Ronne sent us at the start of the New Year, this is what we know of the RB staff other than the actors:
Writers-
Charles Erkhart
John Rowan
Directors-
Jim Grant
Charles Christiansen
Music-
Dick Anthony
Organist-
Ralph Colburn
Announcer (also various voices including Ranger Ralph)-
Walter Carlson
Sound Effects provided by-
John McCombe, Cooke Labs, Stanford, Conn.

Our link to "Ranger Bill on Wikipedia" will provide you with even more information on men and women who worked on Ranger Bill.

New Alphabetical Episode Listing

Many of you have asked for an alphabetical directory of all the Ranger Bill shows. I finally put one together. Just go to the LINKS box on the right-hand side of the page. The very first item in those links is now that alphabetical listing. Please let me know how you like it. Let me know if you'd like any changes or additions to the information. This list only covers the Ranger Bill episodes that we have audio for. I don't yet have a list of all the Ranger Bill scripts that Moody Audio now has. I will create a separate directory for scripts as I get that information from Phil at Moody Audio.

Dick Anthony-author of the Ranger Bill theme song

Hi Dave,
Thanks again for your note. Sorry, but I never did take part in the Sailor Sam series. But I have another item of interest for you.
I just got off the phone with Dick Anthony, a wonderful musician with whom I worked with at WMBI for many years. Dick is still active in the mucic ministry playing the organ and piano at a large church in Forth Worth, TX. I asked Dick if he ever took part in Ranger Bill. Dick told me he wrote the theme song for Ranger Bill!
I may have told you before, but John Mendell was our sound man. So, these are some items that might be of interest to you and the club.Do have a great New Year!
Warm regards,
Ed Ronne

RB-008 They Called It the Jinx

Tom Farris is the new foreman on a bridge project over 1200-ft deep Dead Man's Gorge. The men are afraid that Tom is jinxed because he pushes his men too hard which causes accidents.

Knotty Pine Gazette - New Years Day 2009

Happy and Blessed New Year!!!

Yes, it's true. 2009 is here. New Years Eve was celebrated throughout the region and the state with many cities offering family-oriented entertainment. Here in Knotty Pine, the city brought in the New Year with food and music. Around the town square, the stores and restaurants remained open, providing food and shelter for celebrants. Local churches gave out free coffee, donuts, and hot chocolate.
Citizens gathered around the clock tower at City Hall and counted down the last minutes and seconds of 2008. The mayor called out the final countdown and offered everyone a "Happy 2009." Then the mayor flipped a switch which set off a fireworks display on the north end of downtown behind Josh McIntosh's blacksmith shop. All of Knotty Pine's churches began ringing their bells. Fireworks, hand bells, and shouts of "Happy New Year" rang out around town at the stroke of midnight.
Ranger Bill Jefferson closed the evening's festivities with a short prayer and blessing. Ranger Bill and his men were fortunate to be available New Year's Eve. They have been busy feeding the wild animals all over Big Pine National Forest and Big Prairie, as well as assisting local road crews.


Bitter Cold and Snows Grip Region

Most of the state and especially the tri-county area are in the grip of severe winter weather. Heavy snows and deep cold have hit the area several times in the last few weeks. As much as ten feet of snow has fallen in upper elevations in the last two weeks alone.
Road crews have been working around the clock to keep roads and highways plowed. Ranger Bill Jefferson has again offered the assistance of his men and plows to clear the streets and free trapped and stranded motorists. Ranger Bill as before brought out his biggest equipment for the job. Knotty Pine residents thought they were seeing double when, not one, but two Big Brute plows cleared Knotty Pine downtown roads.
Ranger Bill tells the GAZETTE that government funding was adequate this year to purchase a second Big Brute. Also the state purchased two Little Brutes, slightly smaller versions of the Big Brute to clear the state roads in the county. State legislators approved the purchase to stimulate the economy and because of the need for more road equipment. Testimony from Ranger Bill was critical to that approval.
As mentioned in the article above, Big Pine rangers have been busy for weeks feeding everything from long-horn sheep in the mountains to buffaloes on the prairies. Rangers have delivered bails of feed by truck and in air drops. Those air drops used small planes, large military transports, and all sorts or helicopters, especially the rangers' flying banana.

Knotty Pine Business Up
The recent snows have been good for Knotty Pine and the tri-county area in general. All ski lodges in the area report brisk business. The Big Six Lodge, largest in the area reports average to above average room occupancy. All of its ski runs and trails are crowded. Lodges and ski runs are trying new methods of attracting skiers, including organizing bus tours from Central City and Junction City. Area stores and restaurants report a nice bump in business from skiers.

It's Snow Blessing
Rangers Stumpy Jenkins and Gray Wolf tell the GAZETTE that the cold weather and late 2008 snows will be a 2009 blessing for farmers and ranchers in and around Canyon County. The rangers explained that in recent years, the warm weather and lighter snows of previous years have reduced the snow pack on area mountains. Warm weather has also caused heavier than average spring flooding and shallow or dried-up rivers in the heat of summer. December snows appear to have replaced much of the depleted mountain snow pack. If temperatures remain in the average range for the remainder of the winter, Ranger Gray Wolf says spring flooding should not be a major problem and summer river levels should be adequate to water herds and crops.

Happy 2009 from Ranger Bill, all the rangers in Knotty Pine, and the Ranger Bill Fan Club!

Greetings from Ed "Gray Wolf" Ronne, Sr.

The following is a note I recently received from Ed Ronne that I thought you would enjoy:

Hi Dave,
I can help you out a little about Walter Carlson. Yes, Walter was the announcer on Ranger Bill for most of the time when I was on the show. Walter was my supervisor at the station. He also read the news. I, also read many newscasts during the day. For seven years I also was the host of the "Music Room", a one- hour classical music program. I cannot remember the names of other parts that Walter played on the show, but they were many. The organist was Ralph Colburn. I saw him last year during our Ranger Bill reunion at WMBI. Hope this helps. Give your fans a special "Happy New Year" from GrayWolf and may you and your family have a most blessed New Year!
Warm greetings, Ed Ronne, Sr.
P.S. I was not the first "Gray Wolf" on Ranger Bill. Bill Pearce, the soloist and excellent trombone player, was "Gray Wolf" before I came along.