Mark Espinoza has lived in Elkhart for 20 years. He is a Keyes, OK transplant and actually grew up in Bakersfield, CA. Mark's family visited Oklahoma when he was around 15 years old. When they got to Keyes they noticed a unattended bicycle in the road. A week later when it was time to go home, they saw that the bike remained untouched. They saw this as a sign. In California, the bike would have been stolen in a matter of minutes. They liked the feeling of the small town.
Around the time they were scheduled to hit the road, their car broke down. They took it as a sign and decided to plant roots.

Mark started visiting Elkhart while attending school in Keyes. Like most small town communities, when people from neighboring towns came over to party on the weekends, they were usually met with opposition. This was normal for small towns back then. Eventually he warmed up to the crowd. He met his future wife a month before he graduated high school. They were married a few months later. They planted in Elkhart and have lived there since.
Mark talks about the Doric Theatre. He feels like there isn't a ton of patronage in town. He expresses sadness in this. The Doric is a special place. A safe, fun place to pass the time in the zip code.

Mark was close to his father. An average Joe, grape farmer. His father found peace in the small things. Working hard, raising a family and enjoying a few beers at the end of the day. His father's health had deteriorated but not to a lethal level. It was actually a random injury gone wrong that took his life. Mark lost his father in 2001, leaving behind a great legacy in fatherhood.
Fast forward you 2020, Mark is a police officer. With all eyes on cops in today’s political climate, Mark feels he does his job honest and fair. In a town where everyone knows everyone. Mark is arresting people that he knows and cares for. He feels like his friendly and respectful approach makes these transactions pretty pain free. He enjoys being an officer and admits he would not like to work anywhere else.

Elkhart generally takes care of their own. Mark talks about how amazing the community is at coming together via fundraising and direct support. He really is passionate and loves this town.
As a hobby, Mark recently started singing on Facebook live. He started on his personal page but eventually started his own group with like-minded singers. In just one week his group has exploded to over 800 members. Check out one of Marks sets in the FB group "Dixieland Delight Entertainment-Music" Mark even has a few original tunes under his belt.

We discuss how we aren't the only Elkhart persona's online, how we love that so many people who were at one point associated with Elkhart are putting content out into the world.

Mark brings up my old band "Spit Wish" and my face turned red. We talked about how we started renting the round tops at the fair grounds. We threw metal shows to some surprisingly large crowds. It's weird to say that my best gigs happened in the middle of nowhere.
Mark and Kayla have gotten a lot closer through Covid. She now helps him produce his live stream and keeps up with the members and fans.

Mark is a pretty simple guy. He goes to work, raises his family, and of course, enjoys a few beers. The apple didn't fall far from the Tree. He is crushing life and loving it.

This is a Back Home Media production, recorded and produced in Phoenix, AZ.

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