I was driving down Lincolnway West the Colfax Campus where the Charles Martin Youth Center and the Colfax Cultural Center are located when I noticed a block party taking place at a one-story building across the street. I decided to stop and see what was going on. I soon learned that Rudy Rodriguez, a photographer, videographer, and Washington High School graduate put this event together at the building where his business is located. Rudy is an entrepreneur at heart who had many irons in the fire. Things came together when Rudy decided to turn is passion of photography into his business. He now owns Rodriguez Productions and R Studio, which is the creative space for a variety of artists, as well as an event space. With all that Rudy does, he finds time to give back to the community. Rudy will talk about his why on this episode of The Many Hats Podcast.

The rodeo comes to town on Aug. 1. This will be a first for South Bend when the Midwest Invitational Rodeo visits the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds. The rodeo features Black rodeo performers, and that will allow the people in our community to see a little-known part of Black history. Several activities will take place before the cowpokes take center stage. Here to talk about the mental health awareness work that will be done at the rodeo are the Rev. David Buggs and his wife Dr, Larissa Buggs, who is a board-certified psychiatrist. Please welcome them to the Many Hats Podcast.

Voracious is defined as someone who has an insatiable appetite. It’s an adjective often used to describe someone who like to read, and it describes my next guest on this installment of The Many Hats Podcast. Kathy Burnette has been a voracious reader since she was a young person growing up in the Inglewood neighborhood of Chicago, so it should not be surprising that Kathy owns The Brain Lair Bookstore on South Bend’s near Northwest Side. However, Kathy would say that the arc from Inglewood to the Brain Lair was not linear. True, Kathy has worn many hats that qualified her to become a bookseller, including elementary school teacher and middle school librarian. However, owner a bookstore was a distant dream until she concluded that the challenge of getting literature that told diverse stories could only be addressed if she became one of the people who addressed it. I’d like to welcome. Kathy Burnette, owner of The Brain Lair bookstore to The Many Hats Podcast.