West Orange/Essex County History Podcast “Roads of Home” w/ Joe Fagan Launches on Apple and Spotify

West Orange Historian and Public Information Officer Joe Fagan is hosting a Podcast called “Roads of Home” with his producer, Pat Kelly, known as “PK.” The podcast idea came about when the two met earlier this month to discuss the history of certain areas in West Orange - for example - Rock Spring, Crystal Lake and the West Orange cable cars. The dynamic of a 5-generation town historian and a relatively new resident clicked and the two decided to put the conversation on proverbial tape.  The podcast is being featured on Apple, Spotify, Google and wherever else podcasts are found. 

Fagan shared, “The Roads of Home podcast will be a weekly journey into local history. Listeners will experience the journey as everything old becomes new again to teach, enlighten and guide us on the road of our own self-discovery as a people.” He continued, “To better understand who we are and from where we came, because every tomorrow includes a little piece of yesterday.”

Fagan also noted that history is like “meeting an old friend who knows who we are, tells us what we want to hear and leaves us to visit another day.” He characterized history as “politely reminding us of the best of our potential while constantly inspiring us to what we can and should be.” Fagan noted that some may say history is dead, but “I can feel its beating pulse and encourage listeners to tune in and hear for themselves as together we discover the roads of home."

PK added, “The podcast is conversational in nature. We will start with a goal of covering certain landmarks, people or stories, but inevitably veer off into various talking points that might not always be in line with the episode,” He stated that the three initial topics are scheduled to be Eagle Rock Reservation, Crystal Lake and the Shillelagh Club in West Orange.

He also said that he and Fagan will determine after the first three podcasts if there’s enough interest and support to continue, adding, “This is a passion project for us, but it takes a lot of time to put together, so we will see.”

“Roads of Home” debuted last week with an 18-minute or so teaser/trailer where people can hear what the show is all about as well as the first episode discussing Fagan’s history with Eagle Rock Reservation. “We really would love for everyone to give a listen and see if it might interest them. The podcast will be educational, informal and ‘attempt’ to be funny at times,’” reported PK.

Episodes are slated to be released each Thursday. See www.roadsofhome.com for additional information and to listen to the podcast.  OR find Roads of Home on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.