On Tuesday night, February 7th, members of Congress from the House and Senate will hear a speech from President Biden about the State of the Union. Our Founding Fathers thought the annual speech to Congress was so important, they put it in the Constitution.

But what IS the State of the Union address? And what's it like to be inside the U.S. Capitol, sitting in the House Gallery, above the lawmakers and Supreme Court Justices and the cabinet? 

In this special bonus episode of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries, we take you to the State of the Union address where a mysterious bird disrupts the speech.

Want to know more about the history of the State of the Union address? Or the rebuttal speech? Check out our Facts Behind the Fiction blog.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysteries in the U.S. Capitol.

Kitty Felde is writer producer.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast is based on the book State of the Union, by Kitty Felde, published by Chesapeake Press. You can get an autographed copy of State of the Union, at the website Chesapeakepress.org. That’s also where you can find out more about the cast and crew of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries and a free download of the 56-page Teacher’s Guide to the book and the podcast just by signing up for our newsletter. Every week, that newsletter includes the facts behind the fiction in the Fina Mendoza Mysteries.

Cast:

Amy Solano - Fina Mendoza

Christine Avila - Abuelita

Steven Cuevas - Papa

Linda Graves - Claudia

Mark Bramhall - President of the United States