Local Librarian’s Podcast Explores Amusement Parks — and a Troubling Chapter at Chicago’s Famed Riverview
Cary, IL — January 23, 2026 —A Chicago-area high school librarian is using a new episode of his father–son podcast to explore the city’s beloved amusement parks — and to confront a disturbing piece of history that many have forgotten.
Hersey High School librarian Bruce Janu has released Episode 17 of Songs in the Key of Dave, a storytelling and music podcast created from weekly conversations with his father, Dave, who grew up in Chicago. The episode centers on amusement parks – first Disney, of course, but then classic Chicago-area attractions such as Riverview Park, Kiddieland, and Santa’s Village — places that loomed large in mid-century childhood memories.
As with previous episodes, the conversation begins with nostalgia: family outings to Disney World shortly after it opened, and Kiddieland, Santa’s Village and Riverview. The podcast explores the sense of wonder those parks created for generations of Chicagoans. But this episode takes a deeper turn when Bruce learns, during the recorded conversation, about a racist and dehumanizing exhibit that once existed at Riverview Park: the dunk tanks that Chicago journalist Mike Royko called “racist” in 1964.
“I had never heard about it before,” Bruce says. “It stopped me cold and I instantly took out my phone to fact check. We were talking about roller coasters and childhood joy, and suddenly I realized there was a part of this history that was deeply uncomfortable — and important not to ignore.”
Rather than editing the moment out, Bruce chose to leave the discovery in the episode, allowing listeners to hear the realization unfold in real time. The result is a conversation that reflects how family storytelling can surface not only warmth and nostalgia, but also difficult truths.
“That’s really what the podcast has become,” Bruce says. “It’s about memory — not just the parts we like, but the parts we need to reckon with.”
Songs in the Key of Dave is built from weekly father–son conversations recorded across 1,200 miles, with Bruce editing the discussions and pairing them with carefully curated music selections. Many episodes focus on Chicago and the northwest suburbs, drawing from Dave’s experiences growing up in the city and later raising a family in Mt. Prospect. Recent episodes include discussions about Chicago winter weather and a chance encounter with Marlin Perkins at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Bruce’s professional work mirrors the podcast’s mission. At Hersey High School, he is building an archive to preserve school and community history, and he is also producing a documentary film, Ginny & Juel, about a daughter whose mother performed in the 1920s all-female jazz band The Ingenues.
Episodes of Songs in the Key of Dave are available on demand via Mixcloud.
Listen:
https://www.mixcloud.com/
More information:
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About the Podcast
Songs in the Key of Dave is a music-driven storytelling podcast recorded between The Villages, Florida, and the Chicago suburbs. Blending memory, family history, and curated music selections, the show offers a heartfelt look at life across generations — often told over a weekly glass of wine or other adult beverage.
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