Welcome to the Tater Talk Podcast Page!
Introducing, Tater Talk, the Podcast about Apopka.
The Muscogee word “Ahapopka” means sweet potato eating place or people, the name of the Seminole village on Lake Apopka. “Tater Talk” is our fun ode to this place name and heritage. This podcast is an educational and historical resource where we sit down with local community members to interview them on their lives and experiences in our city.
Full episodes are available to watch on our YouTube (Apopka Museum) and Spotify (The Tater Talk Podcast) accounts. New episodes will be announced on our social media. Thank you for tuning in!
Latest Episodes Here!
Tater Talk Episode 9:
The Ustler Family, Founders of the Indoor Foliage Capital of the World
All Previous Episodes
Tater Talk Episode 8:
History of South Apopka
In this episode of tater talk we chat with local resident of unincorporated Southern Apopka, Francina Boykin, about the history of this community. From Mead’s Bottom to L.T. Hunt, the local “Black Wall St.”, and Michael Gladden Jr., this community has a vibrant history.
Tater Talk Episode 7:
The Civil War, Delk's Plantation, and Mead's Bottom
Join us for an educational discussion with Vice President of the Apopka Museum, Ms. Francina Boykin, about Apopka’s 19th century Black community and history. From paddling up and down the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run, to the establishment of a community from scratch at Mead’s Bottom, there are many incredible stories of hardship, survival, perseverance, and success in frontier Apopka. Please stay tuned for our next episode of the Black History Month Series.
Tater Talk Episode 6:
Dr. Williams - A Pioneer in Educational Achievment
For our second episode of the Apopka Museum’s Black History Month Series 2026, Joshua McMillan (host) sits down with Dr. Robert Williams, a lifelong Apopkan who is the first Black PHD Graduate from our city. Raised in the 1940’s and 50’s under Jim Crow segregation, his story of academic success in the musical field at Bethune-Cookman University along with his late brother’s success, Alonzo Williams Jr., who was the first Black City Commissioner in Apopka, constitute a lasting family legacy that inspires many young Black students today.
Tater Talk Episode 5:
Linda Lee - The Legacy of Lake Apopka's Farmworkers
In honor of Black History Month, we are sitting down with local prominent Black members of our community. In this episode Joshua McMillan (host) talks with Linda Lee, an advocate, artist, and member of the Farmworker Association of Florida. She has shed light through her voice and artwork on the Ecological Disaster of Lake Apopka and its human toll due to pesticide poisoning at the “muck farms”. Stay tuned for more episodes from this series!
Tater Talk Episode 4:
Lillie Mae King Harper 104th Birthday Interview
True living local legend: Mrs. Lillie Mae King Harper, the beloved Monarch of Plymouth, FL, a historic Apopka community. In collaboration with Beehive Lodge #779, Mrs. Francina Boykin had the privilege of interviewing Mrs. Harper on her 104th birthday. This remarkable milestone embodies grace, resilience, and the love of life. We invite you to watch this powerful testimony of Plymouth’s history and community. To sit in her presence is to sit with wisdom itself. A special thank you to Beehive Lodge #779 and videographer Demarcus Fry for making this possible.
Tater Talk Episode 3:
City of Apopka Commissioner Diane Velazquez
In this episode, Justin Baker, sits down with Commissioner Diane Velazquez, a trailblazing leader, the First Hispanic on the City Council dais, and a former NYPD detective, to discuss her journey and service to the community.
Tater Talk Episode 2:
Meet Francina Boykin, A Voice for Apopka
In this episode you will get to know our renowned Community Historian and Museum Vice President, Ms. Francina Boykin. From her childhood in Apopka, activism and education at the University of North Florida, and work in the Ocoee massacre’s research project she is someone that we can all learn something from as residents of Apopka.
Tater Talk Epsode 1:
Life in the Orange Groves
Welcome to Tater Talk! The Podcast about Apopka. In our inaugural episode Joshua McMillan (host) interviews his grandmother, a lifelong local, Susie Creech-Miller aka “Susie Q” on her experiences growing up in Apopka Orange groves in the 60’s-70’s.