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Explore local stories, Made in Wisconsin

August 25, 2021 Samantha Nash Leave a Comment

It’s been a long year since March 2020 (What’s that? A year and a half?!) and many of us have stuck closer to home than usual. PBS Wisconsin is no exception — we’ve had the challenging, sometimes frustrating, but also fun task of producing television from our dining rooms-turned-offices-turned-classrooms since the start of the pandemic, and with this has come a renewed appreciation for the places we live. 

During this time, we launched three brand-new digital series! Quick Fit with Cassy helped us stay active and moving, despite the couch being more accessible (ahem. . . it’s. . . right there!) with more time at home. Let’s Grow Stuff gave us a reason to go outside and connect with nature in our own backyards. And Why Race Matters provided vital context for the complex discussions about race happening in communities around Wisconsin and the nation. 

Although we couldn’t gather in person, our virtual Garden & Landscape Expo brought together more gardeners than ever before, including many folks unable to attend in the past. For nature lovers with a less-than-green thumb, Wisconsin Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas gave a spotlight to the beauty of our state from air, land and sea (well, lake). The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show went virtual, too, in 2020, where we celebrated the life of our wonderful friend, Nancy Zieman, following it up with the release of a biographical documentary Nancy Zieman: Extraordinary Grace. Our first experiment in hosting a virtual Quilt Show was so successful, in fact, we’re bringing it back in two weeks — please register and join us Sept. 9-11, 2021!

Pre-pandemic, we followed students from around the state to Port Washington to film their celebration of the art of vocal performance for A Cappella’s New Note, a special released in 2020 that gave us a welcome glimpse into the “before times” of pre-pandemic in-person, live performances. Wisconsin’s talented young musicians applied their creativity to the imperative of social distancing — they played solo to their webcams and blended together in post-production harmony for the WSMA High School State Honors Virtual Performances. When the class of 2020 missed out on the chance to commemorate their achievements at in-person ceremonies, Celebrating Wisconsin’s Graduates highlighted the accomplishments of some of that cohort’s bright rising stars. 

This time has demonstrated the richness and resiliency of our Wisconsin communities and underscored the value of programming and digital content that can bring people together even when we are far apart. In this spirit, we are excited to announce the launch of Made in Wisconsin, a page dedicated to stories of local life, from Ashland to Zion and everywhere in between, all streaming on-demand. 

In this new space, you’ll find the latest episodes of your favorite broadcast and digital series, along with specials, interviews, extra segments and behind-the-scenes footage. You can also check out past shows and specials you might have missed (or are ready to re-binge) in a weekly rotation of featured videos.  

Fall premieres are almost upon us, with many shows and specials returning in October: An all-new season of Wisconsin Life and an Around the Farm Table special will premiere on October 7, and Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Stevens Point debuts on October 25. Tune in for new episodes of University Place during the month as well.  

You can visit the Made in Wisconsin page to explore more, we hope you’ll come back often to connect with stories from across the state.