Not Just a Bike Shop, A Destination
0:00In Wisconsin, we know how to make the most out of every season. And at Clover,0:044 secondsyou'll find life's best moments are rooted in nature, family, and fun. From farm fresh bites to sun soaked sandbars,0:1212 secondsyou'll find Clover has something for everyone. Join us as we tour the flavors, adventures, and traditions that makes Clover the perfect place to0:2020 secondsexplore. Hello and welcome to Discover Wisconsin.0:2525 seconds[Music]0:3939 seconds[Applause]0:4545 seconds[Music]0:5252 secondsTucked along the scenic Wisconsin River,0:5555 secondsClover blends small town charm with surprising experiences. Once a bustling stop on the Wisconsin Central Railroad,1:011 minute, 1 secondtoday Pver has grown into a destination full of surprises. Known for its scenic trails, thriving local businesses, and1:081 minute, 8 secondsdeep agricultural roots. Clover offers a perfect blend of relaxation and recreation. Wisconsin might be the dairy state, but in Clover, there's a lot more1:171 minute, 17 secondscooking up, and we're headed to Felts Farm to explore the plenty of Clover.1:211 minute, 21 secondsWhat's the history of this farm, and how did it develop? Farm's been here uh over 110 years now. It started in 1913 for almost uh you know 90 years of that we1:301 minute, 30 secondshad 40 50 cows, pigs, chickens and then we've kind of led to this. So this was kind of my way to get back into the family business. More of a agurism1:391 minute, 39 secondsdestination behind us there. You know we got corn fields, alalfa fields. We grow all of our own feed for the cows. We melt those cows, pump it right into a a1:461 minute, 46 secondsvat. We pasteurize it and make fresh cheese curds. So it goes right from cow right to uh to cheese right into your mouth. So, we do everything right on site, which I think is uh is pretty1:551 minute, 55 secondsunique, pretty cool. After you got to see some of the animals, you can come out and play on the fun farm, we've got about 25 different activities for kids.2:022 minutes, 2 secondsSo, anything from our giant jumping pillow, football, basketball, baseball games for kids, and then in the fall,2:092 minutes, 9 secondsyou can go through, we've got three different corn mazes. We've added the pumpkin patch, added a haunted maze. So, fall's really become a big time for us.2:162 minutes, 16 secondsPeople can come out, get to go right up to the barn. They're petting the calves,2:202 minutes, 20 secondspetting the cows. It's just nice to see families having fun, enjoying themselves. Well, it's a great summer playground.2:262 minutes, 26 secondsYou have the corn maze in the fall, but you have the store open and a lot of local vendors. There's candles in there. There's all kinds of things for gifts.2:322 minutes, 32 secondsAnd then obviously a lot of things to eat and drink. Well, I'd love to try those curds, fresh and deep fried. Can we?2:392 minutes, 39 secondsAbsolutely. Let's go try them out.2:422 minutes, 42 seconds[Music]2:452 minutes, 45 secondsClover is one of the largest carrot and potato producers in the nation, but its true impact is measured in community.2:502 minutes, 50 secondsAnd there's no place that's more evident than at the Food and Farm Exploration Center. So, it's just buzzing with activity down here tonight. What's happening right now?2:592 minutes, 59 secondsYeah. So, this is our first pick community events of the summer. Come on in. We'll give you bags. Harvest as many potatoes and peas as you would like. Our3:073 minutes, 7 secondsmission is to reconnect people with where their food comes from and those that grow it. people don't go back to the family farm like they used to. And3:153 minutes, 15 secondsso we want to be that community gathering place to give people a chance to dig in the dirt and pull a potato right out of the ground. So it's really to start peing young people's interest3:243 minutes, 24 secondsum and get them asking questions about how they can be involved.3:263 minutes, 26 secondsSo what can families do when they come visit here?3:283 minutes, 28 secondsSpend an entire day here. Start by grabbing a delicious lunch in our colorful plate cafe. You can go through the exhibits uh 60 of them. You can3:363 minutes, 36 secondslearn about optical sorting and a potato sorter. You can go in a cold storage facility and we have a kitchen lab downstairs. And then you can come out here and uh enjoy the beautiful grounds.3:473 minutes, 47 secondsYou can just really spend some quality time with your family. You can do an adult cooking class, make your own cocktail, perogis, tamali, spud of the3:543 minutes, 54 secondsmonth club. We have summer camps your kids can sign up for. We have special drop in.3:583 minutes, 58 secondsRight over your shoulder. I'm looking at the world's largest potato masher. What's up with that?4:044 minutes, 4 secondsCan you imagine getting that stuck in the kitchen drawer? That would be a a really impressive drawer. That'd be an impressive drawer.4:104 minutes, 10 secondsBut I've heard that's actually been used to mash potatoes.4:124 minutes, 12 secondsIt has. Yeah. Standing at um just under 39 ft tall. It is the world's largest potato masher. It's really a sight to see.4:204 minutes, 20 secondsAlexander, thanks so much for your time.4:224 minutes, 22 secondsAnd thank you. I'm going to keep exploring in here. Awesome. Have fun. Thanks.4:264 minutes, 26 secondsNext stop, we're headed to the farm at Rooted in Red, where family traditions bloom into unforgettable flavors and experiences.4:334 minutes, 33 secondsSo, I'm here with Michelle. We're at Rooted in Red just outside of Clover exploring the space because this is a beautiful event space and a cranberry4:424 minutes, 42 secondsbog. So, how did Rooted in Red get started and how did it turn into such a multifaceted business?4:474 minutes, 47 secondsYeah, so I am generation 5 cranberry grower. My great great-grandfather Charles Dempsey grew his first cranberry um in 1900 in central Wisconsin. So,4:554 minutes, 55 secondsthis is a 1938 warehouse. We processed cranberries uh here until the 1970s.5:005 minutesNow, we host weddings and we host um community events. We have band, we have food truck nights, farm dinner experiences here. We have had baby5:095 minutes, 9 secondsshowers, a lot of different opportunities for folks to come and experience community and experience the cranberry farm. Well, it's not harvest season right now,5:175 minutes, 17 secondsbut I'd love a tour. I would love to introduce you to my mom,5:205 minutes, 20 secondsJamie. She is the tour queen. And let's go talk to her right now. Awesome.5:245 minutes, 24 secondsI give tours all year. Um, this time of year, mid June to just past the Fourth of July, we're in full blossom. And when is the peak season when this is just a brilliant sea of red?5:335 minutes, 33 secondsUsually October. Some vine varieties we can actually harvest late September, but by that first second week in October,5:405 minutes, 40 secondswe're running with a full crew and you can see all of it. So we have about 80 acres of actual cranberry vines and we have about 26 beds.5:485 minutes, 48 secondsSo all these beds get flooded with water from the Wisconsin River. Cranberries rise. I mean it's quite an experience for people really. I have a passion for sharing about cranberries, about the industry,5:585 minutes, 58 secondsabout multi-generation farming. We have people come from every state. Um, and I really enjoy that.6:066 minutes, 6 secondsFrom farms and fields to flowing waters,6:086 minutes, 8 secondswhat's better than a Wisconsin sandbar party? How about one with a double-decker pontoon serving up food and drinks on the water?6:166 minutes, 16 seconds[Music]6:206 minutes, 20 secondsHow did this come about? First of all,6:226 minutes, 22 secondsdad and I built the entire boat, which was great cuz I learned a lot. But day-to-day operations on the weekends,6:286 minutes, 28 secondsmom and dad are in the kitchen frying up cheese curds, fresh cut fries. I'm out here, you know, taking up drinks. For as long as I can remember, people have been going to these sand bars, hanging out,6:386 minutes, 38 secondsrelaxing, you know, having a couple drinks on the weekend. And it just felt right us going to a sand bar to name it6:466 minutes, 46 secondsthe sand bar. On the weekends, it gets pretty packed out here. It's a really great time. It's just where people gather, hang out. We travel around. We6:546 minutes, 54 secondsgo down to Florida quite a bit. I've never seen anything like this. That's kind of what inspired this whole thing.6:596 minutes, 59 secondsIt's that tropical, laid-back atmosphere.7:027 minutes, 2 secondsThis place does make you want to have a little rum and a slice of key lime pie.7:077 minutes, 7 secondsWe do have key lime pie up at the lakehouse that we fly in from Key West from Kermits. It's a It's a little pie shop down on Elizabeth Street. Best key7:157 minutes, 15 secondslime pie. The Lakehouse Beach Club is an extension of the Sandbar on land. The only difference up there is we're 217:237 minutes, 23 secondsplus and we wanted to differentiate ourselves and create an environment where adults can come and just relax,7:307 minutes, 30 secondshave a cocktail, swim, float, listen to live music, and just feel like they're down in Mexico.7:357 minutes, 35 secondsSo, when are you open and how can people find you?7:377 minutes, 37 secondsThe Sandbar is open Memorial to Labor 11:00 a.m. till sundown or maybe a little later if the party stays, we'll7:457 minutes, 45 secondshang out. So, the only way to get to the sandbar is by boat. I always tell people that don't have a boat, just go get a kayak. You can get a kayak pretty much anywhere.7:537 minutes, 53 secondsHey, Zach, thanks for having me on here. Great talking with you. Yes, sir. Thank you for coming.7:577 minutes, 57 secondsCan you use a hand to pour me a beer next? You got it.8:038 minutes, 3 secondsSo, now we're on the banks of the Wisconsin River in Gleki Park. I'm here with Ross. Good to see you, Ross. Good to see you.8:088 minutes, 8 secondsAnd the Clover area is so great for paddling, fishing, all kinds of great water recreation. Why do you think this is such a wonderful place to come for that?8:178 minutes, 17 secondsThe Wisconsin River is just a glorious place to be on you, whether you're on a motorboat or just, you know, kayaks,8:238 minutes, 23 secondscanoes, pack a lunch and some adult beverages and you just make a day out of it.8:288 minutes, 28 secondsSo, if somebody wants to get out on the water here in Clover, where can they go around here to rent one and get in on it?8:338 minutes, 33 secondsUh, Wisco River Rentals, um, where you can rent pontoons, kayaks, that would give you an opportunity. We're8:418 minutes, 41 secondssurrounded by water, right? So, I can go 2 mi east and I've got three lakes I can put on. I can go 2 mi north and I've got8:488 minutes, 48 secondsa big lake. I've got Lake U. There's just so many places that that I can put in. So, it's it's it's paddler's paradise. I can't think of a better8:568 minutes, 56 secondsplace than Clover to to come and enjoy kayaking.9:029 minutes, 2 secondsFor my next stop, I'm headed to Falline Outfitters to try my hand at fly fishing. Look at that.9:099 minutes, 9 secondsOkay, this is it.9:119 minutes, 11 secondsOh. Oh, so this is Craig from Falline Outfitters and we're here in the Tomorrow River. Craig, this is the first interview I've ever done standing in a9:209 minutes, 20 secondsriver. How would you explain fly fishing versus, you know, typical fishing out of a boat? The bonus is catching the fish,9:259 minutes, 25 secondsbeing submersed into a stream, the moving water, putting the waiters on,9:289 minutes, 28 secondsactually being in the stream like we are right now. I mean, that's just why I think folks love fly fishing. I know that I do is it's just a different thing than sitting in a boat.9:369 minutes, 36 secondsSo, you're a guide and you bring people out fishing, but you do a lot at Falline Outfitters. What all do you do?9:419 minutes, 41 secondsYeah. So, we're really big in the educational piece towards the fly fishing. So, we teach people how to tie their own flies to take them out on the river like this. We teach people from the beginning to the end of how to9:509 minutes, 50 secondsbecome a fly angler from the casting to what type of fly selection that you're going to need. We also do outfitting with uh top clothing, camping gear,9:599 minutes, 59 secondshiking gear. So, we're kind of what I call a hybrid fly fishing shop. There's a plethora of different trout streams here in central Wisconsin that quite10:0610 minutes, 6 secondsfrankly people don't know about until now. Clover we is generally a great base camp for people to come and stay. All the trout waters are easily within 10 to 20 minutes from the Clover area.10:1710 minutes, 17 secondsPlethora of different streams as well.10:1910 minutes, 19 secondsUh different trout species. And we also have a really good smallmouth bass fishery here as well. And uh we're more than happy to show people, you know, the the wonderful fly fishing opportunities here in central Wisconsin.10:2810 minutes, 28 secondsSo, we talked about fly fishing. We're standing in the water already. I'm ready to try this. Can you show me the ropes?10:3310 minutes, 33 secondsI think we're ready to do this. Let's try it. Yes. Better. Little longer pauses. Excellent. Little longer punch. That was great. It's getting better.10:4210 minutes, 42 secondsDoes that count as a catch? There you go. Good.10:4810 minutes, 48 seconds[Music]10:5010 minutes, 50 secondsThere it is. Perfect spot. Oh. Oh. Oh.10:5810 minutes, 58 seconds[Music]10:5910 minutes, 59 seconds[Applause]11:0011 minutesRight. You going to get a picture? Perfect. That was a good cast, too.11:0911 minutes, 9 secondsSo, I'm here at Hostel Shop with Brianna. And first of all, tell me about this place because it's a lot more than a bike shop.11:1511 minutes, 15 secondsWe have been in business over 50 years now. Uh this is uh one of many locations that we've had in uh central Wisconsin here. We cater to not just traditional11:2411 minutes, 24 secondsbicyclists, but we also uh specialized in recumbent cycling and adaptive cycling. So, we want to be a place to welcome riders of all ages and all11:3311 minutes, 33 secondsabilities to explore the freedom and fun that cycling can offer. The system of trails around here is really impressive because you have mountain bike trails and you have road trails. The Tomorrow11:4111 minutes, 41 secondsRiver Trail is a great example. Tell me about that from here.11:4411 minutes, 44 secondsYeah, there's a lot of riding opportunities for everybody here.11:4611 minutes, 46 secondsThere's the Green Circle Trail, which is definitely a lot of familyfriendly stuff. Uh commuters in our area use it a lot. The Tomorrow River Trail is a nice11:5311 minutes, 53 secondsadventure kind of rural trail system. Uh limestone gravel. We've got something for mountain bikers out here too, uh with Standing Rocks County Park. Amazing12:0112 minutes, 1 secondtrails out there. And then for people looking for more of a road riding experience, we have some really beautiful county roads and stuff in the area as well. So yeah, when people are12:1012 minutes, 10 secondsmoving to a community, they want to look around and see what kind of outdoor activities there are and recreation for their families. So they have put increased effort in kind of improving12:1812 minutes, 18 secondsand increasing the recreational opportunities like cycling.12:2312 minutes, 23 secondsWell, now this is a good end to the trail. Yes, it is.12:2612 minutes, 26 secondsExcellent. Well, Brianna, thanks a lot for showing me the whole Tomorrow River trail segment. That was great.12:3012 minutes, 30 secondsAbsolutely. Hope you had a lot of Got time for a beer? I don't. I got to get back to work. So, all right. I'll have one. Awesome. Have one for me. I will. All right. Thanks.12:3712 minutes, 37 secondsSee you later.12:4012 minutes, 40 secondsYou know, after a bike ride on the Tomorrow River Bike Trail, it's great to end at OSO Brewing Company where they have over 30 beers on tap, great pizza,12:4712 minutes, 47 secondsand they've been hyping up the Italian beef sandwich, so I had to get both. Great way to finish the day. Cheers. Now, it's time to turn it up a notch,12:5512 minutes, 55 secondsand I'm heading to Standing Rocks Park to hit the trail. And what makes the trails here at Standing Rocks for mountain biking a world-class destination? Variety of everything. We have machine built, there's smooth,13:0513 minutes, 5 secondsthere's tall, four or 5ft uh tall BMS,13:0913 minutes, 9 secondsthere's jumps, and there's also the old school trails. And we we have something for everybody. How many miles of trails13:1613 minutes, 16 secondsare packed into this area? 23 into just over 400 acres. We maintain all the trails out here. And you have a variety13:2313 minutes, 23 secondsof other events and activities you can do here at Standing Rocks, too, along with the mountain bike.13:2813 minutes, 28 secondsYes. Um, we've got disc golf, we've got the dog park, we've got cross country skiing, we've got downhill skiing, we've got fat bike on the mountain bike trails13:3713 minutes, 37 secondsin the winter. Um, people walk, people pick berries. There's all sorts of things. We have three different levels of trails. We have the green, which is13:4413 minutes, 44 secondsthe easiest, blue, which is more difficult, and then black, which is most difficult. On the Green Trail, the Green Goblin, we just implemented skill13:5213 minutes, 52 secondsstations with little raised balance beams. You can have rollers that look like centipedes. You can have little rock gardens. You can have drops. We're14:0114 minutes, 1 secondtrying to teach riders how to progress gradually instead of all all of a sudden being thrown off a cliff.14:0814 minutes, 8 secondsAnd it feels like we're hours away from everything, but we're just minutes outside of Clover. Yeah. 10 minutes.14:1314 minutes, 13 secondsWhat is it about biking that keeps you so engaged?14:1614 minutes, 16 secondsUm, it's something that you can do for a lifetime. My goal is to get people out on bikes. It's a healthy activity to do and it's a great one for your body. It's14:2414 minutes, 24 secondseasy on your body as long as you don't crash. Ah,14:2814 minutes, 28 secondsthese are great trails, Scott. Thanks for showing them to me. No problem. Love to try disc golfing here next. That would be fun.14:3514 minutes, 35 seconds[Music]14:4714 minutes, 47 secondsFrom the trails to the track, we're switching gears and heading to the Golden Sands Raceway. What motivated you to purchase this track and run it?14:5814 minutes, 58 secondsSo, I raced here uh in a super late model capacity for many years and it really saddened me to see such a beautiful venue be dormant and the15:0715 minutes, 7 secondsability to bring short track racing to to Wisconsin nightites was was one tradition that we really wanted to keep going.15:1315 minutes, 13 secondsTwo laps to go as it come around the finish line. We race everything from super late models, prolate models, super stocks, pure stocks, all the way down to15:2115 minutes, 21 secondsBandelieros where a 8 to 14 year old can race. We race six-cylinders,15:2515 minutes, 25 secondsfour-cylinder stocks and mods. For our uh Eva Devastation events, um we do spectator racing and then uh we also host autocross events throughout the15:3315 minutes, 33 secondssummer where you can bring your street car and race against the clock, edge of your seat action. It's pretty awesome.15:3915 minutes, 39 secondsOur biggest goal is, you know, when all the racers come here, we treat everybody15:4615 minutes, 46 secondsthe same. Everybody's equal. And when the fans come here, we just want them to have a good time.15:5115 minutes, 51 secondsAnd that's basically what racing is in Wisconsin is one big family. It's a great night. You know, 3 hours of of family fun. You can come bring the kids,15:5915 minutes, 59 secondsgive the kids some food, and and watch some great racing.16:0616 minutes, 6 seconds[Applause]16:0816 minutes, 8 secondsNow for a change of pace. We're hitting the courts to check out the fast growing popular sport of pickle ball. So I'm here with Lynn here at Lake Pacqua Park16:1616 minutes, 16 secondsin Plover. Beautiful park. It's really expanded over the last few years.16:1916 minutes, 19 secondsIt really has. They've added the splash pad. They've cleaned up the lake so you can go swimming and kaying. They've added the music amphitheater, other facilities like shelters and kitchens,16:3016 minutes, 30 secondsand then of course the pickle ball facility. We've done state-of-the-art as far as fencing goes, lighting goes. We have shade structures. We put in the16:3916 minutes, 39 secondspickle ball party shed and when we host tournaments, we can do concessions and registration. So, we're really setting us up for some serious pickle ball. Let's try it.16:4716 minutes, 47 secondsLet's do it.16:4916 minutes, 49 seconds[Music]16:5316 minutes, 53 secondsLet's get it on.16:5816 minutes, 58 seconds[Applause]17:0017 minutes[Music]17:0517 minutes, 5 seconds[Music]17:1417 minutes, 14 secondsGood job on your first game. Sorry to chase my ball so far. First time. Excellent.17:2017 minutes, 20 secondsAfter a fun-filled day, it's time to grab a bite to eat and take a stroll over to the Colorful Play Cafe. What inspired you to develop the menu?17:2817 minutes, 28 secondsReally just trying to focus on local, be able to use stuff from the garden, the fields, greenhouse eventually.17:3817 minutes, 38 secondsHow do you keep things fresh, local, and seasonal?17:4017 minutes, 40 secondsObviously, what's in season, what's around, main grain bakery for all of our bread, Ruby Coffee for all of our coffee, espresso, espresso martini,17:4917 minutes, 49 secondscocktails, newis bacon. We go through a lot of bacon and it makes the whole building smell good. So,17:5517 minutes, 55 secondsfresh veggies from the other side of the building just outside in the fields.17:5917 minutes, 59 secondsYeah, you can learn a lot about food around here just from growing in the garden. Everything here on display at the center and then going to the cafe.18:0718 minutes, 7 secondsYep. It makes it kind of full circle.18:0918 minutes, 9 secondsYou can see where it came from and how it is and then you can go taste it yourself.18:1318 minutes, 13 secondsWhat's your most popular dish and what brings people back?18:1618 minutes, 16 secondsOur most popular menu item is our turkey club panini. So that has turkey, new cheese bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheese,18:2418 minutes, 24 secondsand a garlic ioli.18:2518 minutes, 25 secondsWe come here all the time. I love the atmosphere. The big windows here are beautiful.18:3118 minutes, 31 secondsYeah, it's just welcoming. It really is a awesome addition to the Clover area.18:3818 minutes, 38 secondsFrom biking rugged trails and paddling scenic rivers to racing under the lights and digging into farm fresh flavor,18:4418 minutes, 44 secondsClover is packed with adventure with a community that celebrates the outdoors and a landscape built for action. This is where active lifestyles thrive and18:5318 minutes, 53 secondsevery season brings a new reason to get out and explore Clover.Sync to video timeAllFrom the seriesFrom Discover Wisconsin
In this episode of Discover Wisconsin, join host Eric Paulsen as he explores the town of Plover, where down-to-earth hometown charm meets big-time outdoor fun. Experience the rich agricultural heritage firsthand at family-run farms, savor award-winning cheese curds, and dive into hands-on learning at the Food and Farm Exploration Center. Eric then hits the river for kayaking and sandbar fun before biking some of the area’s best trails and trying his luck at fly fishing. Along the way, he meets passionate locals who bring the community’s spirit to life—from disc golf enthusiasts to dirt track racers. Cap it all off with a stop at Colorful Plate Café for some delicious local flavor.
Chapter 1: Intro
0:00This city in central Wisconsin is always on point. Thanks to our underwriters,0:099 secondsThere's no place like Oconomowoc. Explore, play, shop, stay. Visit Oconomowoc. My father taught me that to make great bakery,0:1717 secondsyou have to do it the right way.0:1919 secondsONH, Danish Bakery, where Cringle Traditions begin Together. Doing good for 130 years.0:2727 secondsFor Con Bank, it's the natural choice for community banking Support for this program provided by Plum Media.0:3434 secondsElevating conferences and meetings with smooth stress-free production.0:4242 secondsFinancial support has been provided by our friends at Green Fire,0:4545 secondsa construction management company, the friends of PBS Wisconsin and the Friends of Main Streets. Thank you for watching.0:5454 secondsDo you know that it helps us if you engage with this show, it does go to our website.0:5959 secondsYou can watch all of our episodes, listen to our podcast shop on our store, or contact us.1:051 minute, 5 secondsWe'd love to hear from you Because these Are main streets. Something by the hometown speaks to me.1:131 minute, 13 secondsThere's no else I, the heart and communities right here on these main streets.1:261 minute, 26 secondsI am in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It's known for quite a few things.1:301 minute, 30 secondsIt's known for its university, university of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.1:341 minute, 34 secondsIt's known for a brewery that has been operating continuously since 1857 and it's certainly known for its ideal location.1:451 minute, 45 secondsSiemans Point has a population of 26,000.1:481 minute, 48 secondsIt's in the heart of Wisconsin on the East Bank of the Wisconsin River. And it is 110 miles due north of our state Capitol. Madison,1:571 minute, 57 secondsYou know, even on a rainy day, central Wisconsin is gorgeous.2:012 minutes, 1 secondWell, I happen to know that, uh, this area historically used to be, um, home to the Menominee people and they called this place point of land,2:102 minutes, 10 secondsYou know, then the logging began. Okay, so in 1839 is when George Stevens,2:152 minutes, 15 secondshe was traveling along the Wisconsin River and he is like, man, how do I capitalize on this logging industry?2:202 minutes, 20 secondsWell, he finds a natural point in the river and he's like, yes, that's it. We're gonna put a storage facility up. Well, Did you, did you know though to name this city?2:292 minutes, 29 secondsIt was a combination of what the loggers used to call,2:322 minutes, 32 secondsit was Steven's Post and what the Menominee people called it, which is point of land. So, you know Steven's Point.2:392 minutes, 39 secondsI know. I think that's such an awesome combo, but I did know that. It's also called the Gateway to the Piney. Well,2:442 minutes, 44 secondsDid you know that the Market Square is 1847?2:502 minutes, 50 secondsIt was established. This is the longest running farmer's market in the state.2:542 minutes, 54 secondsBut did you know that after 1860, um, 50% of all of the immigrants came from Poland? Did you know that? I did.3:023 minutes, 2 secondsAnd do you know why they came here? Yes. Go. Affordable farming land and jobs. And they really changed the cultural landscape of this city.3:113 minutes, 11 secondsYes, they did. So if you knew all of this, why am I here, sir?3:163 minutes, 16 secondsI'll tell you why you're here, because I love to have you here and we are going to Century World and you golf, and I don't,3:223 minutes, 22 secondsthat's really why I brought you here. Can We find more things that you don't like to do that I can do?
Chapter 2: Gamber Johnson @Gamberjohnsonllc
3:293 minutes, 29 secondsGamber Johnson actually started out in 1954, right here in Stevens Point. Yeah. We started out as a wooden furniture manufacturer.3:373 minutes, 37 secondsThis was the old cabinets that housed the, uh, turntables. Wow. But we've always been mounting technology.3:433 minutes, 43 secondsAnd then in 1970s, the company went from the living room to the vehicle where we were making wooden speaker boxes for vehicles Sure.3:523 minutes, 52 secondsAnd then docking stations for CB radios at that time. This is a typical application. If you need to take your tablet and,3:593 minutes, 59 secondsand do some work outside the vehicle, you press one button, slide it out, boom.4:034 minutes, 3 secondsWhen that technology advanced and you started seeing computers being mounted in vehicles,4:084 minutes, 8 secondsthe company just naturally transitioned into providing mounting systems and docking stations for, for those types of products.4:154 minutes, 15 secondsAnd what vehicles, um, need your product.4:194 minutes, 19 secondsAny truck that's going down the road that you see a computer in Yeah. Probably has Gamber Johnson equipment. Yeah. We provide all of the technology equipment,4:274 minutes, 27 secondsthe council boxes that you see in the vehicle.4:294 minutes, 29 secondsWe even provide the prisoner partitions and seats for police vehicles. Oh, you Do? So I don't know, John, if you've ever sat in the back of a police car, I hope not.4:374 minutes, 37 secondsIt's really none of your business. That's right. Jason, who are you? But if you, if you have,4:424 minutes, 42 secondsYou've probably seen through a gambler, Johnson partition and, and this is our equipment that you would see to, so all of our products are tested to a high level of vibration and shock.4:514 minutes, 51 secondsYeah. And making sure that the computer is held securely in the docking station so it doesn't become a projectile in the vehicle.4:584 minutes, 58 secondsSure. Where you see the direct view LED displays that are huge Yeah. Throughout a baseball stadium. We mount That's you guys. That's us. We mount that. Also.5:065 minutes, 6 secondsWe work with the biggest technology companies in the world. Samsung, Dell, Panasonic, gtech. Nice. Sure. Um, so when they come out with new product,5:135 minutes, 13 secondswe come out with the accessories. John, rugged, reliable, responsive. That's our motto. Yeah.5:185 minutes, 18 secondsWe have to be rugged in the, the environments that we provide product to. Military, public safety, um, reliable. Obviously it has to work all the time. Yeah.5:285 minutes, 28 secondsAnd then responsiveness being the fastest we can in the market to respond to our customer needs. How many people working here? About 150. 150.5:365 minutes, 36 secondsYep. How many pieces come out of here a day? Boy, it's thousands. That's A lot of product. It's a good day when I can visit a brewery.
Chapter 3: Stevens Point Brewery @pointbrewery
5:475 minutes, 47 secondsWe are at Stevens Point Brewery, the third oldest privately owned brewery in the United States. They brewed their first beer back in 1857.5:575 minutes, 57 secondsThis is the taproom behind us that's open year round and the summer beer garden.6:016 minutes, 1 secondThat's beautiful too, but just not on a rainy day like today. Here's a couple things you might not know. The iconic pointy head guy,6:086 minutes, 8 secondshe was a real guy who used to work here.6:106 minutes, 10 secondsSo real guy, but his head not really that pointy back during prohibition when all the other breweries were closing6:176 minutes, 17 secondsup, shop Point Brewery decided to start making soda or pop, if that's what you call it. And they continued to thrive.6:246 minutes, 24 secondsSome say their soda is just as tasty as their beer. One for me. One for you. You get the soda. Cheers, Alex.6:316 minutes, 31 secondsCheers. Cheers to you. Cheers to Point Brewery. Cheers. Drink up. Okay. Main Grain Bakery and Eatery. Hmm. Sarah.
Chapter 4: Main Grain Bakery
6:416 minutes, 41 secondsJoe, what cookie are you standing in front of? Oh, Our sugar Sprinkle cookie. Can you bring me one? This is two 50. Of course. Of course.6:506 minutes, 50 secondsPut it out by Bill. Okay. Can we talk about how this all started?6:546 minutes, 54 secondsYes. This used to be like an old music venue and our landlord graciously allowed us to kind of revamp it into a bakery.7:017 minutes, 1 secondSo me and then two other guys started this, kind of put our heads together, Here's the real story.7:067 minutes, 6 secondsAnd in college she would hold these parties where she would make like 20 pies really. And then have a ton of people over. And it was a pie party.7:157 minutes, 15 secondsSo I would spend all day baking and cooking and I would set up these really long tables, um, just in college.7:207 minutes, 20 secondsAnd I would invite everybody over and I would make, make them pay like 20 bucks a ticket to have dinner at my house. So, great. It was just, you know, three of us to begin.7:287 minutes, 28 secondsAnd now we have a staff of like 25 pie is where it all started. But we don't really make pies anymore. No. This is kind of like our bread area.7:367 minutes, 36 secondsSo at eight 30 every morning we divide our dough, we pres shape, and we shape our bread.7:417 minutes, 41 secondsSo this all hangs out. They sleep here overnight and then first thing in the morning we throw 'em in the oven. So For, 'cause they need time to do that, don't they?7:497 minutes, 49 secondsOgo time? No. Or do, do they need time from, from Ogo time. That's an herb.7:577 minutes, 57 secondsOh, I get it. Yeah. Okay. Anyway.7:597 minutes, 59 secondsWhat Better be here every day or people are gonna be mad at you. Our Oatmeal cream pies. We've had that since day One. Oatmeal cream Pie. I know. It's good that, that, sorry, it was just for the tv.8:108 minutes, 10 secondsYou don't have to air that, but you can. After CO we moved into what is now the eatery,8:158 minutes, 15 secondswhich was kind of available at the time. What's This Rustic white sourdough bread. We do have a bread slicer. It's one of our most popular O Asiago thme.8:238 minutes, 23 secondsAnd the Rustic white are probably our most popular, one of our main breads that we use for our sandwiches as well. All right. Here's my favorite part. The lemon table, because it's lemon week.8:328 minutes, 32 secondsWell, how's that work? We have our, like a special every week. So our lemon poppy seed muffin is our special.8:388 minutes, 38 secondsAnd then we have a lemon poppy seed dressing on our sandwich. And then we have lemon knee items here. So every week we kind of rotate it.8:468 minutes, 46 secondsWe find all the cute stuff and put it together. Do you want this to go? Um, please. Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you for coming. This was really fun.8:558 minutes, 55 secondsIt really was fun. It Really was. Yeah. I had a hoot. The light sandy soil in this area makes it perfect for growing.9:059 minutes, 5 secondsWhat If you think these only grow in Idaho, you are so wrong because potatoes are the number one cash crop in this region.9:169 minutes, 16 secondsIn fact, Wisconsin is the third largest producer of potatoes in the entire country. Look at this Stevens point. Totally put in the sp and spud.
Chapter 5: Food + Farm Exploration Center @explorefoodandfarm
9:289 minutes, 28 secondsWe started doing tours at the farm. The first year is four or five tours, and then it was 15 and then it was 30. And we knew what we wanted to do. We were having an impact.9:379 minutes, 37 seconds'cause more and more people wanted to hear the story.9:409 minutes, 40 secondsBut we had to move someplace where it wasn't on the farm and actually affected farm operations.9:459 minutes, 45 secondsSo we kind of decided to build a mini farm. This Beautiful facility started as a very small idea.9:539 minutes, 53 secondsIt was gonna be a shed with a couple of exhibits and A shed. A shed. Hello? A shed.10:0010 minutesAnd as they were talking to the community and their colleagues in the agriculture world, they said, we, we wanna get behind that.10:0610 minutes, 6 secondsYes, we need that. It grew and grew and grew until this $40 million plus Facility. Because of collaboration. Because of collaboration. Yeah.10:1410 minutes, 14 secondsPartnerships. That's right. Yeah. How long ago did the doors open? December 20, 23. Why is this important? We keep hearing, I don't know why we need farmers anymore.10:2310 minutes, 23 secondsWe just go to the grocery store for our food and for me personally, if you, you know,10:2710 minutes, 27 secondsif you don't understand something and you don't appreciate it, you don't protect it. Yeah. Our education team focus are the field trips.10:3410 minutes, 34 secondsUh, so we will have 250 field trips just this year. I'd like to do the sweet corn. Is that okay? Okay. Yeah. We have 60 interactive exhibits.10:4410 minutes, 44 secondsSo this is corn coming right from the field off the truck that people from ages two to 92 Yeah. Can be immersed in.10:5310 minutes, 53 secondsYou can ride in a combine and feel what it's like to harvest peas or potatoes or corn.10:5810 minutes, 58 secondsWe have a grocery store area where little ones and big kids alike can work on their mask skills.11:0511 minutes, 5 secondsWe have irrigation system because a lot of people have never been up and close.11:0911 minutes, 9 secondsYeah. And so you get to see actually how big it is and how it works. And then my favorite part of the entire facility,11:1511 minutes, 15 secondswe actually have four acres of demonstration fields where we get to dig our hands in the dirt and pull up the potatoes, peas, and corn and everything that we plant.11:2511 minutes, 25 secondsYeah. Look at that.11:2711 minutes, 27 secondsYou know, we'll have a chef doing a, a teaching class here and right in the middle of the class in the summertime.11:3211 minutes, 32 secondsNow he can go out and say, okay, go out and pick your tomatoes and your peas so they can see how food is produced. Yeah. Look at that. Look at that. Thank you.11:4111 minutes, 41 secondsYeah, you're welcome. Okay. Dinner on me tonight. You're the best. I know.11:4511 minutes, 45 secondsYou have to make that personal connection that it's critical to make that personal connection to we,11:4911 minutes, 49 secondsWe picked some potatoes in the field and I wanted to bring them to you in my favorite final form. Guess where these were grown? Oh bad.
Chapter 6: Hardware Mutual Insurance Companies Building
12:0312 minutes, 3 secondsLook at this incredible lobby of a building that was built in 1922. This was the headquarters to Century Insurance for 55 years.12:1212 minutes, 12 seconds1922 to 1977.12:1512 minutes, 15 secondsIt's still part of the Century Insurance family because this is now home to the customer service and operations teams.12:2212 minutes, 22 secondsFrom the outside, it looks like they're doing a complete remodel, but what they're doing is they are modernizing some amenities for the employees and they're maintaining the historic character of this building.12:3412 minutes, 34 secondsSo this important downtown Stevens Point,12:3812 minutes, 38 secondslandmark building, it's here to stay Right. Head out there.
Chapter 7: SentryWorld Golf Course @SentryWorld
12:4612 minutes, 46 secondsYou're driving. I'm driving.12:4812 minutes, 48 secondsI'll show you around. We'll have a Go Ahead. Trust me, this is a very unique, uh, property when it comes to golf courses.12:5612 minutes, 56 secondsIt's a, it's a parkland style course, Which means what? Very green, beautifully maintained lush grass,13:0313 minutes, 3 secondswhite sand bunkers, big trees, kind of framing the holes. Yeah. We have a lot of water on the golf course.13:0813 minutes, 8 secondsJust meant to feel like a walk or a golf experience in a well manicured park. Nice. Yeah.13:1513 minutes, 15 secondsJust the kind of the beauty of it, the maintained nature of it is different than what you see in a lot of golf. It's still a challenging golf course. Oh, hi.13:2513 minutes, 25 secondsI've wanted to play this course for so many years. Oh Good. Can I just say, I'm so glad you don't golf. Right. It's not a club. It's not a club. This,13:3313 minutes, 33 secondsIt is open to, um, it's a All of us' daily fee. Yeah. It's always been a daily fee resort style course.13:3913 minutes, 39 seconds1982 is when the golf course opened and John Jonas was the CEO of Century Insurance and he decided that he wanted to build a golf course,13:4613 minutes, 46 secondswhich was a little bit un unheard of for an insurance company to, to build a golf course, own a golf course.13:5113 minutes, 51 secondsHe specifically wanted the golf course to be a destination course that drew golfers from around the state, around the region, even around the country, uh,13:5913 minutes, 59 secondsto come visit Little Stevens Point, Wisconsin.14:0014 minutesSure. It's always been ranked as one of the top public golf courses in the state and even in the country. It's currently the 49 ranked, uh,14:0814 minutes, 8 secondspublic golf course in the country. There's no memberships here.14:1114 minutes, 11 secondsSo people can come reserve a tee time book and play and, and yeah.14:1514 minutes, 15 secondsStay at our beautiful inn and enjoy the dining at the restaurants.14:1814 minutes, 18 secondsI was talking with my sister and she was like, they have a 20 minute tee time. I had no idea what she was talking about. So to have a 20 minute tee time interval,14:2614 minutes, 26 secondswhen people come here, they, they really can't believe that There is nothing worse than, oh, should we let these guys play through? That doesn't happen here.14:3314 minutes, 33 secondsNever and truly. Every day somebody comes into the pro shop after their round and says, this was the best round of golf.14:3914 minutes, 39 secondsBecause I never saw the group ahead of me and I never felt like anyone was waiting for me behind me.14:4414 minutes, 44 secondsI just played and I felt like I had this entire course to myself, which is amazing When it comes to our hospitality and our golf experience.14:5114 minutes, 51 secondsWe put a priority on the experience.14:5414 minutes, 54 secondsI love when you don't wanna do We're we're going in the snack. Heck, Danny, can you make sure he gets me a brat? Yes. I would like onions, mustard, and crout.15:0215 minutes, 2 secondsHave Fun. Nice par. Alright. I don't think he's gonna bring me that brat. I don't.
Chapter 8: Urban Oasis
15:1115 minutes, 11 secondsThis urban oasis is a collaboration between Nordic Knight Sauna and Fields and Flora, which is a working floral garden.15:1915 minutes, 19 secondsNow, both businesses arrived here on Union Street at this location when it was in need of a lot of work. And boy have they transformed this space here at Nordic.15:2815 minutes, 28 secondsIt's all about heating and healing through different rounds of heat and cooling. I've never met Asana that I didn't like.15:3415 minutes, 34 secondsNicole, the owner says, I'm gonna sleep better and my mood's going to improve. Yay. For me.
Chapter 9: Schmeeckle Reserve @SchmeeckleReserve
15:4215 minutes, 42 secondsLet's talk about the connection between the Schmee Lee Reserve and the University of Wisconsin. Stevens Point,15:4715 minutes, 47 secondsSumm Clay Reserve is a 280 acre natural area that's actually part of the campus of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. So We're on campus right now. We're On campus. Right. It makes up, uh, over 70% of the main campus area.15:5715 minutes, 57 secondsVery few other universities that dedicate that much of their main campus area to undeveloped green space.16:0316 minutes, 3 secondsIt's just myself and one other person who are full-time staff. Everybody else are students. They're at the front desk providing information to visitors. We have a visitor center that's open seven days a week.16:1216 minutes, 12 secondsYeah. We have students that are maintaining about five miles of trails and boardwalks for the public to use. Are these two buckthorn right here?16:1816 minutes, 18 secondsYes, they are. Yep. This is glossy buckthorn and we have students that are doing ecological restoration projects as well, helping to control invasive species and then plant new native species as well.16:2816 minutes, 28 secondsIt's something we've been battling for at least the past 15 to 20 years. Hey, look at that. There you are. Nicely done. If we didn't do anything,16:3616 minutes, 36 secondsessentially shamika would be one species of buckthorn. So this is one of our prescribed burn areas. And what exactly is that?16:4316 minutes, 43 secondsA prescribed burn is an area where you actually set on fire the area. And what that does is it, uh, releases nutrients back in the ground.16:5116 minutes, 51 secondsIt gets rid of dead vegetation. Um, and it's all the way a part of resetting succession, uh, which is how you get, um,16:5916 minutes, 59 secondsmore diverse new plants to kind of come up And this area's been done. Yeah. This side has,17:0517 minutes, 5 secondsand then if you look over here, this side has it, it's so evident and it's amazing to see just how much of an impact that fire can actually have.17:1117 minutes, 11 secondsIt's kind of neatly really represents what the university is about.17:1517 minutes, 15 secondsThat idea that learning and engagement shouldn't just happen on campus.17:1917 minutes, 19 secondsRight. But it should happen outside the boundaries of campus too.17:2217 minutes, 22 secondsYeah. And Shae Reserve is one of those places where people come together, faculty and staff and students are learning as part of their university experience, but the public is coming in as well.17:3017 minutes, 30 secondsWe're able to provide programming and special events that help them to learn more about the natural environment around them. That includes a large amphitheater area.17:3817 minutes, 38 secondsAnd we have a Shakespeare program that happens with the community theater.17:4117 minutes, 41 secondsWe also have, uh, large community events called candlelight hike festivals in fall and in spring.17:4617 minutes, 46 secondsYeah. So we estimate, we have about 125,000 people that come through the reserve.17:5017 minutes, 50 secondsAnd a lot of people are coming here to enjoy the trail system, uh, to enjoy the diversity of habitats and all the wildlife. Oh, there's A farm Back here. Look at that. There's two, there's two of them.18:0018 minutesA lot of people actually come to Shme Lee just to see the deer. You're the star of this episode, sir.18:0918 minutes, 9 secondsFor the last 50 years, April is when the student run radio station.
Chapter 10: 90FM Trivia Headquarters
18:1418 minutes, 14 secondsWWSP 90 FM plays 54 hours of continuous What18:2218 minutes, 22 secondsJohn? John? I've got this one. Okay. 54 continuous hours of the world's largest trivia contests. Trivia. How's it work?18:3018 minutes, 30 secondsWell, 300 400 teams play together on the radio. Wow. And there's probably 15,000 players. So you're on a team? I am on a team.18:3918 minutes, 39 secondsWe've been playing on the same team for 48 years. What's that team called? Franklin Street Burnouts. Okay. It was before I was mayor.18:4718 minutes, 47 secondsHey. Before you were mayor. Have you ever Won? We have not, but we've got, uh, fourth place is our best finish.18:5318 minutes, 53 secondsIs that right? We've got a number of top 10 places. So A bridesmaid once Always. Yeah. Okay. Good to see you, mayor. Good to see you. Thank you.18:5918 minutes, 59 secondsThanks. We're at the hostel shop. You're thinking hostile. Is it a youth hostel? Why would they call a bike shop a hostile shop?
Chapter 11: Hostel Shoppe @hostelshoppe
19:0819 minutes, 8 secondsWell, back in 1974, the owners were involved with cross country skiing, canoeing cycling.19:1519 minutes, 15 secondsAny sports or activities that you did under your own power? When you get on a recumbent, you always come from the front. And when I traveled across the country years ago,19:2519 minutes, 25 secondswe stayed at youth hostels and we traveled by bike across the country.19:2919 minutes, 29 secondsAnd the hostel shop was all about doing activities that you powered. Okay. Feels even better. It's comfortable.19:3619 minutes, 36 secondsFeels even better once we start moving more. This Is a sizable operation you have here?19:3919 minutes, 39 secondsYes. We have 22 employees because It's not only selling, it's repairing and, Uh, it's selling, uh, repairing. We are known around the country.19:4719 minutes, 47 secondsWe're a destination shop and uh, we're huge with adaptive cycling. Adaptive cycling. Well, When you have physical limitations, you've had a stroke,19:5519 minutes, 55 secondswe can set up our recumbent trikes to work with them so that they can actually go out and ride. Whether it's one-handed controls. Come on, John.20:0520 minutes, 5 secondsLook at how pretty This is. We get people back doing activities. Yeah. From stroke survivors to people with ms.20:1320 minutes, 13 secondsThat's the whole reason that we sell bikes,20:1520 minutes, 15 secondsis we want people to be active and I want people to have something they can do through their whole lifespan. And that's what cycling is about.20:2320 minutes, 23 secondsDo bikes change much over the years? I wouldn't say every year, but disc brakes, electronic shifting. Eist, there's a lot of changes that have happened.20:3220 minutes, 32 secondsYou have a great trail here. Mm-hmm. That's called the, That Green Circle Trail. Green Circle Trail. You know,20:3820 minutes, 38 secondsit's grown from 23 miles when it first opened in 1996 to 27 miles. We've got some new additions coming up here in the future.20:4620 minutes, 46 secondsI'm on the Green Circle daily. One thing about the Green Circle Trail, I'm from southern Michigan near Ann Arbor,20:5120 minutes, 51 secondsand when I go back to bike, I have to drive someplace to road bike. I have to drive someplace to mountain bike here. I can leave the garage and I can bike.21:0021 minutesIt's a blessing to have. It's a treasure here. I just bought one. This is, Is it Life, jj?21:0921 minutes, 9 secondsThis is the best. Is it? This was really cool. Fun. Really fun. It's a great shop. Keep up.21:1821 minutes, 18 secondsCome on,21:2221 minutes, 22 secondsCheck it out. The WIAA all those years of playing high school sports back at Union Grove High School, I had no idea all the work that these guys did
Chapter 12: Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association @wiaawi
21:3221 minutes, 32 secondsto make sure that rural state fair and the competition at every school across the state was fair.21:3821 minutes, 38 secondsSo thank you. WIAA Word Father Fatz. I'm thrilled to be back here. Let's talk about your history.
Chapter 13: Father Fats & Chef's Kitchen
21:4621 minutes, 46 secondsSure. Let's talk about where you guys came from for sure. Before This, I basically started out at a culinary school and uh, ended up working with Chef Emer Lagasse.21:5321 minutes, 53 secondsYeah, you did. Worked with him. Yeah, it was great.21:5521 minutes, 55 secondsAnd so we spent 15 years kind of holding my chef skills under him. During that time, I met my wonderful wife, Leah. She was working out in Las Vegas at the same time.22:0322 minutes, 3 secondsShe's actually from Stevens Point. We met in Las Vegas, working together for Emerald. Uh, got married, had two kids.22:1122 minutes, 11 secondsAlways dreamed of having a restaurant.22:1322 minutes, 13 secondsAnd, uh, decided to move back to Stevens Point for our Family. It was really the Best thing. This is such a great community and I can't say enough about how22:2122 minutes, 21 secondsgrateful I am that we made that decision As a chef. It's great here. You know, there's such a huge farming community.22:2722 minutes, 27 secondsThis is some, uh, fresh mint right here that we just got from our garden from across the street.22:3122 minutes, 31 secondsBasically, I can get anything I want on a daily basis that's fresh. I can walk to the farmer's market every day. We take a walk and see what they have.22:3822 minutes, 38 secondsYou know, as the season grows, so does our menu with the, you know, the food items that we can get as a chef.22:4322 minutes, 43 secondsIt's awesome. You know, I really have everything that I need and that I want. We open up Father Fats with the emphasis on small plates, Chef's blank kitchen.22:5222 minutes, 52 secondsAnd then from there we decided to do Chef's Kitchen.22:5522 minutes, 55 secondsSo the whole idea with Chef's Blank Kitchen is at I, we get to put what the concept is in that blank spot.23:0123 minutes, 1 secondYou know, it's gonna be Asian fusion, it's gonna be Polynesian, it's gonna be Italian. What's the Concept today? Take a look at this. We have A free concert series in town,23:1123 minutes, 11 secondsso today is our Parkside menus. And Chef just said, why don't you go have a taste, John. I think that's what he was thinking. Right? Okay.23:1923 minutes, 19 secondsGet out of my way. We're doing A little, uh, mac and cheese, but we're kind of, uh, taking it to another level. Oh my God, this is so fresh.23:2523 minutes, 25 secondsYeah. Change it up, you know, each week and, uh, just have a ton of fun. It's challenging as a chef.23:3023 minutes, 30 secondsIt's pushes us, you know, as far as what we're trying to do and what we're all about. The thing with each concept, it's, uh, different execution processes from, uh, you know,23:3823 minutes, 38 secondsfrom the kitchen and from the front of the house. So we try to push the limits as far as, you know,23:4123 minutes, 41 secondskitchen wise, what we can do and what we're capable of doing without stressing ourselves out too much. Put that in our bowl Here. But It's been fun. It's been23:4923 minutes, 49 secondsreally fun. And we learn every time we do it, we Learn. And, um,23:5223 minutes, 52 secondsIt really is like opening into your restaurant every time we do it. Which is the, you know, the fun part about it. You know,23:5823 minutes, 58 secondsThis community adores you We're so grateful for that. We're so lucky. Yeah. It's beyond amazing. So couldn't ask for any more better support.24:0724 minutes, 7 secondsA great art project is happening at Stevens Point. It's a collaboration between a local artist, Mackenzie b Dash and a fabricator Andy Voler.24:1524 minutes, 15 secondsAnd what they do is they transform light poles.24:1824 minutes, 18 secondsThis one is called Fish on Strumming Along for the birds tooting our horn. This is the first installed in 2021.24:2624 minutes, 26 secondsIt's called Singing in the Rain. I think it's because Gene Kelly used to, okay, I am making stuff up now.24:3424 minutes, 34 secondsGene Kelly never lived here. What am I talking? I really love it here. Yeah, I could live here.24:4224 minutes, 42 secondsYou know what they call people who live here? No pointers. You'd be a pointer sister. We could sing like, I'm so excited.24:4924 minutes, 49 secondsHow about Steven's Point? And I just came hot About Steven's Point. Yeah. Come On. There's No else.24:5624 minutes, 56 secondsI around the heart and communities right Here. Rugged. Not you.25:0625 minutes, 6 secondsWell look at that. It's the WIAA. You look at it,25:1425 minutes, 14 secondsLean to the left. Lean to the right. Stand up. Sit down. Fight. Fight. And then I go like this,25:2125 minutes, 21 secondsThis side. Or I can go this side. Course. Yeah. These Are so hard. He was a real guy. Who actually, you, you.25:3225 minutes, 32 secondsI need a beer. I'm getting the third stink. That was a good one. Yeah, That was great. There's good television. Thanks to our underwriters.25:4125 minutes, 41 secondsThere's no place like Oconomowoc. Explore, play, shop, stay. Visit Oconomowoc. My father taught me that to make great bakery,25:4925 minutes, 49 secondsyou have to do it the right way.25:5025 minutes, 50 secondsONH. Danish Bakery, where Kle Traditions begin Together. Doing good for 130 years.25:5925 minutes, 59 secondsFor Con Bank, it's the natural choice for community banking Support for this program provided by Plum Media.26:0626 minutes, 6 secondsElevating conferences and meetings with smooth stress-free production.26:1326 minutes, 13 secondsFinancial support has been provided by our friends at Green Fire,26:1726 minutes, 17 secondsa construction management company, the friends of PBS Wisconsin and the Friends of Main Streets. Thank you for watching.26:2626 minutes, 26 secondsDo you know that it helps us If you engage with this show, it does go to our website. You can watch all of our episodes.26:3326 minutes, 33 secondsListen to our podcast, shop on our store, or contact us. We'd love to hear from you. Now I have to be creative walking across the street.26:4426 minutes, 44 secondsForget it.Sync to video timeAllFrom your searchFrom John McGivern's Main Streets
Stevens Point, Wisconsin sits on the east bank of the Wisconsin River, in the heart of the state. Stevens Point is home to UW–Stevens Point, a long-running farmers market at Market Square, and a brewery that’s been operating continuously since 1857.
John McGivern digs into the city’s roots—from Menominee history and the logging era to later waves of immigration that reshaped the community. The episode visits Gamber-Johnson, a Stevens Point company that evolved from wooden furniture to mounting and docking systems used in vehicles, including public safety equipment. At Stevens Point Brewery, the story moves from beer to soda-making during Prohibition and the real-life inspiration behind the “pointy head guy.”
Food and farming connect across multiple stops, including Main Grain Bakery and Eatery and a hands-on agricultural facility with interactive exhibits and demonstration fields. The episode also explores the city’s outdoor side at Schmeeckle Reserve, part of the UW–Stevens Point campus, and the Green Circle Trail. Along the way: a massive student-run trivia contest on WWSP 90 FM, adaptive cycling at The Hostel Shop, a changing weekly concept at Father Fats, public art that transforms light poles, and a look at a 1922 Century Insurance building and SentryWorld’s daily-fee golf course.