Around the Corner with John McGivern

For this one episode, we let our "talent" choose content. Historian John Gurda wanted to tell you about one of his favorite places on earth, Seminary Woods. Sports guy Mike McGiven couldn't choose between Milwaukee King High School baseball and the Running Rebels, so we did both. And John McGivern is FULL of ideas, so we had to narrow his list to food, classics and "who knew?" segments. We only allowed two food choices (not the 10 he originally suggested!): Mr. Dye's Pies and C-viche. This episode's Milwaukee classics are Summerfest, the SV Denis Sullivan, Foamation, Inc. (a.k.a., the Cheesehead Factory), and Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. And the "who knew" ideas that we loved include Olympus Group Mascot Division, MATC's Dental Technician program, Yellow Wood Gear and Cobalt Glass. We love Milwaukee County. Mayor Barrett, get ready to come up with a different 30 seconds for next season because we may do this every year from now on!

As John said, if the Fox Valley were a state, Appleton would be the capital. Not only is it the largest of the cities in the Fox Valley, Appleton's a large city - period! Energetic, busy, vibrant, loaded with friendly, smart people - it's our kind of place. This is the first - and only - time we'll ever say, John got to: shoot the Bratzooka at a Timber Rattlers baseball game; fence with a medieval long sword champion; sit in a 3 million dollar private jet; turn and open a 100 year Fox Lock by hand, all by himself! Yes, John gets special access so you may not get to do those things, but you can eat and marvel like John did at Lombardi's Restaurant. You can shop at Eco Candle and Urban Evolutions. You can stroll the beautiful grounds of Lawrence University, have Henry shine your shoes, and eat the best comfort food ever at the Cozy Corner Café. And, of course, at the Houdini Museum at the Castle, everyone can escape (Get it? Escape? Like Houdini... Ha!). From now on, in the Around the Corner book, "A" is for Appleton!

Before we showed up in Middleton, we thought this city was started as a suburb of Madison. Wrong. When we got here, we thought that Middleton was divided into the industrial part and the neighborhood part. Not so wrong, but both parts completely impressed us. And after we found the Mustard Museum, we knew we were spot on! There are tons of places to work in Middleton and John got into some really neat ones, like ETC (Electronic Theater Controls), Standard Imaging, Morley Airplane Company, and Springs Window Fashion. Topped off by a visit to the doll hospital at American Girl, the industrial side of town was an eye-opening whirlwind! And the living is good in Middleton, too. John learned how to play cricket (not really --- he still doesn't know the rules), held backyard chickens and rode the Metro Transit while talking to welcoming residents. He played board games, helped clean and ate great Chinese food with some Middleton entrepreneurs. We left with thoughts of kind people, successful businesses and ... mustard. Never thought we'd say that! Thanks, Middleton!

Havenwoods is one of those neighborhoods in Milwaukee that we've always known. We just didn't know it had a name --- or so much industry --- or so much positive energy --- or a bona fide forest! Lots of people know this neighborhood as home to Growing Power and Westlawn Gardens. Model train enthusiasts know this area because they know WMK Walthers, famous US manufacturer and distributor of model railroad equipment. Restaurants and culinary companies know about Havenwoods because they buy Kallas Honey and Dang That's Good soda. Hmong Americans know this community because of the Milwaukee Asian Public Market and because this neighborhood is home to the largest Hmong population in the state. And now John knows where to find Milwaukee Job Corps, TMJ Innovations, Court Lanes and the only urban forest in Wisconsin. It was a joy to meet everyone in this revitalized area who helped us get to know Havenwoods!

Everything about Viroqua feels welcoming, community oriented, interconnected and organic! Lots of driftlessness in this area --- Driftless Café, Driftless Books, Driftless Angler... But we were more than happy to drift in and out of some great places in and around Viroqua, like Ewetopia, B&E's Trees, Jaali's Dollies, and Second Cloud on the Left organic farm. We met cowboys, farmers and fisherpeople (did you catch that, Geri? Fisherpeople, not fishermen!), shop owners, a chef, a surgeon and a grown man who asked us to call him Spanky! How will we ever top that?!? John has been begging that we feature Viroqua and the Kickapoo Valley for 6 years. We should have trusted him sooner because we loved every minute. (Well, except for the 20 minutes that hail storm lasted. Yikes!)

John came up with a new name for Mayville, this wonderful community in Dodge County Wisconsin, by accident. He couldn't help but think of Mayberry, what with the sheriff's car and the charming, old downtown buildings. So the combination of the "May" and the "berry" came out as Merry, and a "ville" is really a town, right? So John's new name for this idyllic community was born: Merrytown! Believe us, it's easy to be merry here. Sweet Ginger Vintage, the wonderful old buildings and historical sites, VFW Bingo, harness racing and the Mayberry Sherriff's car all harken back to a simpler time. Big companies like Mayville Limestone Quarry, MEC and Metalcraft energize this area. And the Natural Way, Open Door Coffeehouse, Flyway Clay Slayers, the Mayville High School Show Choir and Fit 4 You Bootcamp all brought smiles to John --- for different reasons. See? Mayville could be Merrytown because it really describes this charming place very well.

When John said, "Let's get straight to the point," we're so glad we took him literally because Stevens Point earned tons of brownie points! Everyone in this fabulous city pointed us to a great episode, and stayed on point throughout with their pointed remarks. Point Brewery was an obvious (and great) choice, and you can't talk about Stevens Point without pointing out the trivia contest. But we are so glad when we can point to the not-so-obvious community stars, too. What do governors for dams, wheelchairs, potatoes, toys, tea, women's clothing, Father Fat's food, Iroquois raised beadwork and art paper have in common? Yep. All pointed out in this episode. But it's pointless to continue with our list because after watching this episode, you will completely get the point. Stevens Point IS the point!

Brookfield and Elm Grove are only 15 minutes west of Milwaukee. The idyllic, small village of Elm Grove is surrounded by Brookfield on three sides. It has a "downtown" that is charm itself. John made art, visited private properties and an Irish Pub. Brookfield is large, has a lot of subdivisions, tons of shopping and good food. We spent time at the police department (by choice, not circumstance), at Brookfield Square and with the girls of the Glacier Hockey. We know people in both communities --- lots of people --- who have already said, "Why didn't you just choose Brookfield?" or "Elm Grove deserved its own episode!" Here's the truth: It was just easier to include both Brookfield and Elm Grove than to drive through or around one or the other. Look, we love you all, and we love you equally! (Seriously? You thought we'd chose one and not the other? Please!...)

Manitowoc is a city on the eastern shore of Wisconsin, north of Sheboygan and south of Green Bay that John McGivern LOVES! No, we mean it. Visits to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and exploration of the SS Badger were the beginning of his enchantment. Then he was introduced to beach glass, reminisced with an Evergleam Christmas tree collector, and explored Jagemann Stamping and Briess Malt and Ingredients Co. He had a Diet Coke with Kathie at the Stage Door Pub, made a belt at Leatherwerks and checked in to Dead by Dawn --- not sure that he would ever check out! But the cherry on the top was provided by Beerntsen's Confectionary and Cedar Crest Ice Cream! Yum! What's not to love? Fair warning to those in Manitowoc: Don't be surprised if some day there's a Manitowoc mailbox with John's name on it. By being so inviting, you asked for it, Manitowoc!

A pastor, a rabbi and a Nepalese chef all walk into ... Mequon and/or Thiensville, every day! As do the pharmacy students and staff at Concordia University, a hardware store owner, consignment shop owners, a catering company family, a village president and a mayor. And for four days, John joined them. He also met people who shared their metal cutting business, a rice paddy, the fish ladder and their music. So what do you get when you cross Thiensville with Mequon? Too much to shoot in four days... And that's no joke!

So, Caledonia and Wind Point cover a lot of ground in southeast Wisconsin. This big area is home to big animals (like Libby's horses and Jo Don Farm's camels), and big companies (Norco, for one), big bugs (grown at the SC Johnson Institute of Insect Science for Family Health --- yikes!) and a big Wurlitzer organ (under a small house --- no kidding!). It's also home to people with big talent (especially Bill Reid and Sherry Lou) and places of big beauty (the Wind Point Light House and The Prairie School, just to name a few). There's big fun to be had (surfing and kickball), and you can satisfy your big taste buds (at Sebastian's). Yep. Caledonia and Wind Point are a big deal!

In the southwest corner of Wisconsin you will find a city that is symbolized and memorialized with largest "M" in the world --- Platteville! Huh? Why not a big P? Turns out that the M is for "mining" which is how this city came to be. Platteville's past is truly interesting, but it's the present that made memories for John. He played sheepshead, pitched horseshoes, thought about climbing to the top of the M, visited an Amish tobacco farm, toured the most beautiful mansion in town while talking to a parrot, ate gooseberry pie at the Owl Café, and envied Kip as he flew his PPC (Powered Para Chute). AND, John met Tud - completely Wundoemus! By the time we left Platteville, John completely embraced the M, which he said is his stamp of approval on this wonderful town. Approved (and loved) by McGivern!

Everyone who works on this show loved Menomonie --- and that's sayin' something! It's situated in the northwest quadrant of Wisconsin, in the northernmost part of the driftless area, and it's gorgeous --- to everyone! Crew members who love the rural areas loved it because we covered 4 farm stories - an Amish farm, an agri-tourism farm, a trout farm and a 4th generation family farm. Those who love busy, small, American downtowns loved it because there's a lot to do in Menomonie --- food, quaint shops and the most beautiful Center for the Arts of the season. The people who like college towns were thrilled to find UW-Stout, the only polytechnic college in the state. And those of us who like big manufacturing stories (especially John) were thrilled to get inside Cardinal FG and see glass as long as three football fields! Menomonie: a place with something for everyone to love, and a great end to our 7th season!