What was life really like in South Bend 100 years ago?

In this episode, I sit down with local historian and author Aaron Helman to step back into 1926 South Bend - a year full of change, contradictions, and everyday moments that still echo today.

January’s edition of Aaron’s website, The South Bend News-Times, features six stories from that year and we use them as our roadmap: from industry and public health to music, sports, and local characters you may have never heard of. On the surface, the stories couldn’t be more different, but as you’ll hear, they’re deeply connected.

Together, we explore what these moments reveal about daily life in our area a century ago, the challenges people faced, the ways they coped, and the small details that bring the past to life.

Aaron has a rare gift for digging into local history and sharing it in a way that’s thoughtful, accessible, and genuinely funny. If you enjoy stories that help you see South Bend a little differently, both then and now, this one’s for you!

Check out the articles we discussed and MANY more at

https://southbendnewstimes.com/issues/

Learn tons about our local history from Aaron’s books. Check them out at:

https://www.aaronhelman.com/

Aaron also hosts and narrates a local history podcast called “A Bend in Time” Available wherever you get your podcasts or at the link below:

https://www.historymuseumsb.org/see-do/a-bend-in-time/

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Thank you to the Portage Township Trustee's Office for sponsoring this episode! Thank you to Jason Critchlow and his team for ALL that you do in our community!

Check out their website and Facebook below and discover ALL that the Portage Township Trustee's Office does to meet our community's needs!

https://portage-township.com/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1786tvftXK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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ALL of our audio podcast episodes are also on YouTube! Check out our channel! Be sure to like and subscribe! Link below!

You Tube Link: https://youtube.com/@RoundtheBend574

Be sure to follow Round the Bend Now and Then on Twitter: @roundthebendpod

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roundthebendnowandthen

To contact the show, you can email at roundthebend574@gmail.com or message on Twitter or Facebook.

For current & historical pictures and commentary on the South Bend & Mishawaka area, follow @roundthebend574 on Twitter.

The main intent of this episode is simple: To honor heroes. Specifically, the heroes that served our country: Our United States veterans.

This past Saturday, November 15th, 2025, I was humbled to be a part of a Hometown Heroes event that was held at the Indiana Dinosaur Museum. The main purpose of the event was to spend a full day to come together as a community and honor and celebrate the courage of our veterans.

As a part of the day's festivities, we recorded an episode of Round the Bend Now and Then, right in the middle of the Indiana Dinosaur Museum. I was honored to interview three local veterans to shine a light on their service and also learn more about what we can do to support our nation’s veterans.

I want to thank Bill Krueper, Victoria Molnar, and South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski for sharing their stories. As you’ll hear in the interview, their stories of service may vary, but they’re still the same: All three of them served our country, like millions of others out there, and they ALL deserve our thanks and gratitude.

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INvets: Founded by veterans for veterans, aids in transitioning to civilian life, focusing on job placement and finding the right community for veterans and their families to ensure their success and happiness.

https://www.invets.org/

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Battlefields to Ballfields: Empowering veterans to transition from military service to community leadership through sports officiating excellence ​

https://www.battlefields2ballfields.org/

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Stop22: Reducing Veteran Suicide through Education, Legal Support and Community.

https://stop22.org/

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ALL of our audio podcast episodes are also on YouTube! Check out our channel! Be sure to like and subscribe! Link below!

You Tube Link: https://youtube.com/@RoundtheBend574

Be sure to follow Round the Bend Now and Then on Twitter: @roundthebendpod

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roundthebendnowandthen

To contact the show, you can email at roundthebend574@gmail.com or message on Twitter or Facebook.

For current & historical pictures and commentary on the South Bend & Mishawaka area, follow @roundthebend574 on Twitter.

This episode is a special one in that I meet with my father, Joel Emery, as he shares his memories from growing up in 1960's River Park.

Over the years, my parents have shared multiple stories about growing up in River Park - a neighborhood on the far east side of South Bend, IN. Their stories mirror what neighborhoods were like at that time in our country, absolutely bursting at the seams with kids - kids born in the tens of millions after solders returned from World War II: The baby boom.

I’ve always planned on doing an episode about River Park, as there is SO much local history involved in its story. But it would take several episodes to really be able to tell the complete story of the neighborhood so I thought it would be neat to interview my dad and focus on just a slice of its history, growing up in River Park in the 1960s.

Thank you dad for your time and memories!

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Thank you to the Portage Township Trustee's Office for sponsoring this episode! Thank you to Jason Critchlow and his team for ALL that you do in our community!

Check out their website and Facebook below and discover ALL that the Portage Township Trustee's Office does to meet our community's needs!

https://portage-township.com/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1786tvftXK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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Thank you to the Mishawaka Historical Museum for sponsoring this episode! If you're a fan of our content, you'll be a fan of the museum! You'll experience the most comprehensive collection of artifacts and historical background all specific to Mishawaka!

Give them a visit at 121 S. Main St. in Mishawaka, just south of the Lincolnway and Main St. intersection. Check out their website to learn more!

https://mishawakamuseum.org/

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Thank you to M/T Box Computers for sponsoring this episode! Check out their website below to learn more about what they can do to fit your small business's technological needs!

https://www.mtboxcomputers.com/

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ALL of our audio podcast episodes are also on YouTube! Check out our channel! Be sure to like and subscribe! Link below!

You Tube Link: https://youtube.com/@RoundtheBend574

Be sure to follow Round the Bend Now and Then on Twitter: @roundthebendpod

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roundthebendnowandthen

To contact the show, you can email at roundthebend574@gmail.com or message on Twitter or Facebook.

For current & historical pictures and commentary on the South Bend & Mishawaka area, follow @roundthebend574 on Twitter.