Lake Wobegon’s most famous resident drops into Van Wezel

For more than three decades, Garrison Keillor entertained NPR listeners with stories laconic humor and music as host of “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Keillor turned over the show’s on-air reins to Chris Thile earlier this year, but he’s apparently not ready to retire to his home on the fictional shores of Lake Wobegon just yet.

He’s traveling the country, entertaining audiences with his dry wit and folksy charm. He’ll be at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota on Tuesday.

Keillor’s name is inextricably linked with “A Prairie Home Companion,” and even though he’s no longer the host he still remains involved as the show’s producer.

But he does a lot more than the radio show. He’s a prolific newspaper columnist, a poet (he specializes in sonnets) and a recording artist. Over the years, he’s earned a lot of prestigious honors, including a Grammy Award and a George Foster Peabody award.

He still appears occasionally on “A Prairie Home Companion,” both at its Minnesota home base and on tour, but his Sarasota appearance is a solo show. You’ll no doubt hear a lot of the same kind of folksy wisdom that has earned Keillor such a devoted following over the years, and you’ll probably hear some of his endearingly off-key singing. But don’t expect to hear the phenomenal Americana musical guests that often spark his radio show.

Details: 8 p.m. Dec. 13, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $46-$61. 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Lake Wobegon’s most famous resident drops into Van Wezel."