[Opening music: Leftover Salmon]

Robert Chase:
Leftover Salmon on the Trail 103.3. I'm Robert Chase—

Tommy Evans:
Hey, are you ever going to make coffee when I come in this early, Robert?

Robert:
Yeah... Have I ever made coffee? Ever? In 20 years?

Mike Smith:
I’ve never seen him drink coffee here. He has a full breakfast at home.

Tommy:
What time does the first egg hit the frying pan for you?

Robert:
About 3:30 AM.

Mike:
Wow. Still a slice of ham?

Robert:
Switched it up. You don’t know me.

Mike:
We just know a full breakfast is happening while the rest of us are waiting for coffee at work.

Tommy:
I usually just grab a breakfast burrito I made the night before.

Robert:
So, moving past breakfast...

Mike:
We’re here kind of spontaneously this morning—nothing planned—but it’s worth noting: just a few minutes ago, 9:13 AM passed, which marks exactly 20 years since The Trail signed on. July 2nd, 2005. 9:13 AM.

Robert:
I have no recollection of it... but that’s because I wasn’t here yet! I didn’t arrive until the end of August 2005.

Tommy:
Oh! So you weren’t even in town?

Robert:
Nope. And it was before streaming, so I didn’t even hear it remotely. I did check in with the man in charge—Dave Cowan. I assume he was on the mic that day. Not sure, though. Do either of you remember listening?

Tommy:
I wasn’t. I just assumed it was you!

Robert:
How old were you then?

Tommy:
Let’s see… I would’ve been about 11 or 12.

Robert:
You’re excused.

Mike:
Well, I was certainly an adult—or trying to be. Still trying.

I’d love to say I heard the magical sign-on moment, but I can say that in those first days and weeks, I tuned in with glee. It felt like the soundtrack of my record collection, but also included new artists I’d never heard. It was that eclectic mix from day one—and still is.

Robert:
You came on board in 2007?

Mike:
Yeah—sometime that fall. I remember playing holiday tunes. I brought you a cassette of me on the air and said, “Here’s my demo,” and you were like, “I have no way to play this.”

Robert:
[Laughs] I think I found a cassette deck eventually. But it was J.J. Quinn who said, “This guy might work.”

Mike:
She called me, and I pulled a U-turn across town and came right over.

Robert:
And you stuck. That’s a good word—you stuck.

Mike:
Yep. Still here.

Robert:
Well, happy anniversary to us. And we definitely wouldn’t be here without our listeners. Thank you for 20 years of loyalty.

Mike:
Absolutely. So much gratitude. And thinking of the greats like Dave Cowan, J.J. Quinn—and everyone who’s contributed, whether on the mic or behind the scenes. The station is a sum of its many parts.

Tommy:
So many characters. So many stories. And we welcome everyone to come celebrate with us—Thursday, July 24th in the park. The Josh Farmer Band will be playing.

Robert:
Plus, we’re giving away the 20 for 20—20 pairs of tickets to 20 local events. You can sign up at both Trailhead locations. Big thanks to Todd Frank and the crew over there.

Tommy:
Happy anniversary, Robert.

Robert:
Right back at you, Tommy—and you too, Mike.

Tommy:
My Trail anniversary is August 29th—the first time I cracked the mic. That night, Pearl Jam played the Adams Center. I left the station and went straight to the show. I remember thinking, Yeah, this is gonna work out.

Robert:
Here’s to 20 more years!

Mike:
At some point, it turns into elder abuse...

Robert:
May already have. [Laughs]

Mike:
Tommy Evans, thank you.

Tommy:
Robert Chase, thank you.

Mike:
And thank you, Robert.