Around the Corner with John McGivern

t instrumental music) This is Western Wisconsin. I'm in Monroe County, in a city called Sparta. (bright instrumental music) -

Patron

Cheers! (person laughing) Welcome to Sparta! - Thank you. Do you know any models? I know one, the person who modeled for that statue. You know him, too, do you know who it is? (bell ringing) (laughs) Here he comes! Hey, John. - Hey, John! Thanks for modeling that statue. (laughing) -

John G

You're welcome. (laughs) My 1890s self. -

John M

It's nice, a relative right there. -

John G

I could never do a handlebar, guy's got me beat. -

John M

Oh, there you go. We're talking Sparta today? - Uh-huh. -

John M

How did this place begin? -

John G

Pretty much a transportation story, John. Okay. - We're in the very rough, driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin where it was pretty difficult to travel back in the early years. The easiest routes were along long, flat stream valleys, the La Crosse River right here and the Beaver Creek very close by. They provided water power but also road beds, so you had a north-south road here back in 1849, and an east-west one followed two years later connecting La Crosse with Portage, and they were really crude by today's standards, but where they crossed, that put Sparta on the map. -

John M

So did it grow up pretty fast? -

John G

Not at first, and when it did, it was, again, because of transportation. Wisconsin had two major rail lines, one that became the Milwaukee Road and the Chicago and Northwestern. They were fierce rivals, they hated each other. Is that right? - And they met right here in Sparta on their way west. Milwaukee Road got here first back in 1858. They took the easy route along the La Crosse River, and the Northwestern did it the hard way. They came straight through the hill country between here and Elroy back in 1873 that gave 'em a 32-mile shortcut, but it was really hard to build. Why was it hard? Rough terrain. - Okay. Steep grades, and they kept on finding springs that undermined the railroad tracks. But the biggest pain was the tunnels where the grades were too steep. They had to drill right through the rock. So they did that three times. Tunnel Number 3 is the longest at nearly 3/4 of a mile, and it cost them a million dollars to build, which was a lotta money back in 1873. But that new route let the Northwestern compete head to head with the Milwaukee Road in this region, and where they met here in Sparta, it made the town a rail hub and certainly was part of their economic prosperity. -

John M

What else was goin' on here? -

John G

You had Fort McCoy. Okay. - 1905, the U.S. Army began to use the McCoy Ranch just east of town for artillery practice. Pretty soon they bought it, and they kept on adding land until today they have almost 100 square miles. So it's the biggest base in Wisconsin, and it's been a major local employer here for more than a century. What happened with the trains? The Amtrak still uses the old Milwaukee Road line. They do. - But the Northwestern railroad, the last train there ran back in 1964. And then what happened is, the state of Wisconsin had the amazing foresight to buy the entire right-of-way for $12,000 and turn it into a bicycle trail. It was the first rail trail in the U.S. Today there are 22,000 miles of rail trails. Wow. - And it began right here in Sparta, so it's still a transportation story, but now it's the two-wheeled variety. And good biking. - Great biking. Elroy-Sparta Trail is just a pleasure. Well maintained, it runs through a pretty country, pretty small towns. The high point's probably the tunnels. You have to have lights on in all those tunnels, and on a hot day in summer, it can be just heavenly inside those cool tunnels. And because Sparta was a rail hub, it's also a bike hub. You connect here with trails going to La Crosse and up the Mississippi. Population here? - About 9,700. -

John M

And our location? -

John G

We are in a city covering about seven square miles on Interstate 90 about 30 miles east of La Crosse. And I have one more question, if you don't mind. - Sure. Can you tell me who Ben Bikin' is? Yeah, he's the brother of Will B. Bikin' down in Illinois. Will B. Bikin'. (laughs) - That's him. -

John M

It's so good seeing you. You're going, you're off. -

John G

I am, oh yeah, it's too wet this morning. I'll go out on the trail this afternoon. Good, thanks, John. (light instrumental music) We are inside Fort McCoy. My World War II Army veteran father would be so happy that we're visiting here today. Is this a base that people come to for an extended period of time? This is what we call a transient training base, so we've pushed 156,000 service members through here from all service, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marines. Even the Coast Guard if they wanna be able to come here. And we look for those opportunities for Total Force training. (lively orchestral music) Usually the units will come to us, and they will say we wanna come to Fort McCoy and do training, so we help them then design their training. So this is an engineer unit. This is part of what their unit mission is is to be able to build facilities. -

Jared

From a soldier perspective, we have some of the best and most modern ranges in the country. We have 60,000 acres here, yeah. -

John M

And their regular stay is for how long usually? -

Jared

About two to three weeks. Two to three weeks. - Yes. -

John M

We're in a simulator. -

Brad

We're in an IMAX-type theater. So what we have here is four simulators, and they're all in separate rooms. However, they're all tethered together and linked together, so each of the crews inside will see the other three vehicles as an avatar vehicle. We wanna make sure that the infrastructure that the soldiers have the ability to train on is realistic and it's challenging and it can replicate what they might see in combat. -

Soldier

You're at nine o'clock. -

Brad

This is where you get your crew startin' to work together. -

Jared

We can accommodate all kinds of training, from your lifesaving to the combat functions. -

John M

This is a medical simulation training center. -

Trainer

What we have here is a patient who suffered significant trauma that is unresponsive. -

Brad

Because the more you do it, the better you get at it. No doubt, no doubt. - So it's not to come here to fail, it's to come here to learn muscle memory and get better every time-- Absolutely. - You do it. Fort McCoy is responsible for the training readiness of any of our Army forces. -

John M

Where are we standing? -

Jared

So this is our Commemorative Area. Great. - The focus here is World War II. There are 73 pieces of equipment here, mostly focused on yesteryear. Yeah. - We have World War II buildings and dining facilities and sleeping quarters in there that the public can go through. You know, we are open to the public as well. As the son of a World War II veteran, Army, I wanna thank you for your service. Thank you. - And thanks for the time today. (calm instrumental music) We're in the middle of almost-- Nowhere. - Nowhere. (laughs) -

Tom

We're in the middle of nowhere. -

John M

Thank you. (laughing) -

Tom

Well, this is our farm. We've lived here for 24 years. About 10 years ago, we started Plastron Molding Corporation which now has evolved into AMS Micromedical, and we do medical machine work, primarily our own line of dental implant which we market and sell called Implant-One. Implant-One. - Implant-One. -

John M

So it's all dental implants. -

Tom

Every component that has to do with dental implants, all of the tools, surgical kits, drills, all the parts and pieces. Right now it's milling a hexagon-type shape into the bath, and then they'll come out looking just like this. There's a small milling that we're going to do under the microscope. - Under the microscope. So how long does it take to make one of those from the bar? From the bar, four minutes and 32 seconds. Four minutes and 32 seconds. Yeah. - It looks very engineering to me. - It is. Is what it looks like. - It is. It's a very, very specialized field, so we're fortunate to have the group of people that we do. How many people work here? -

Tom

Oh, I think we're at 19 at the moment. -

John M

19. What are you making? I am making the tops for the Micro -- Catheter. - Tines. -

John M

Do you prick your finger ever on those? No, they're soft. -

John M

Oh, they're soft! Here, feel that. Are they gonna poke me? - No! Oh, okay! (all laughing) Do you remember last year in Platteville we went inside the lead mine that is now a museum? Well, here we're at an active sand mine, so we're not gonna go in, but every year, here in Sparta at this sand mine, 1.9 million tons of sand is hauled outta here. Every two to three days, 100 rail cars full of sand come outta here for industry all over the country. Sand mine, Sparta. I'm in Sparta, and guess what I found? The birthplace of Ben Bikin' and all his relatives. (lively polka music) It feels like Toy Story 5. -

Rob

This is called the graveyard. They look old from the outside, but everything on the inside is gel coated-- (speech overlapping) - So these the molds of everything that you've done. These are the molds of everything from the people past before me that were sculptors. -

John M

So FAST means what? -

Rob

Fiberglass, Animals, Sculptures, and Trademarks. -

John M

So fiberglass Bucky Badgers? Yes. - All over Madison? Yep. - Those are yours? -

Rob

Yeah, we just did those. Made out of fiberglass. - Made out of fiberglass. -

John M

My first meeting you was in Hayward. Yes, yes. - In the mouth of that Muskie. Yeah, the Muskie was, that was made here, and it was made probably I think in maybe the '70s or so. A smaller version of a Muskie? Yep, this is actually a walleye. -

John M

Competition-wise, are there a lotta these companies? -

Rob

There's, no, we're actually very unique. There's not many places that do what we do. A lotta people that are doing this, they actually do it in foam. -

John M

Fiberglass, is it much more durable and much, it's bigger now? - It's bigger, faster, stronger. (John M laughing) They're getting a product that's gonna last for lots and lots a years. That's great. - Yeah. They don't rot or they don't, you know. -

John M

Nothing'll break these down? -

Rob

Nothing will break these down. Really. - Nope. -

John M

Are you ever surprised at what somebody's lookin' for? - You know what, I think I used to be. - Really? (laughs) -

Rob

But I don't think I can get shocked anymore. It's two wrestlers, this is 14 inches tall, and they want it 14 foot tall. This is actually a traffic cone that-- -

John M

This thing's gonna last awhile, isn't it? -

Rob

It's gonna last a long time. Wherever it is, if it's in Wisconsin or if it's down south, or whatever. It's, you know, repainting it periodically is the only thing, but the actual product will last. So those guitars are all an art piece. I think those are gonna go to California. (calm guitar music) -

John M

Let's talk about how this happened. -

Matt

Would you like to go back to kinda the beginnings? I do, yeah. - All right, my dad is always thinking out of the box. He says, "Son, I just know there's a better way "to make acoustic guitars." And so I engineered it and designed it and built it, and he was onto something, from the ground up, just decided, I'm gonna make the neck different. We put the sound hole, of course, in a spot that's not in the center. We allowed more of the body to be functional. Then you've got a larger diaphragm which is the top, basically, and the whole body actually resonates and puts out sound. The guitar sounds more like what a grand piano to an upright piano sounds like. -

John M

How long does it take you from start to finish? -

Matt

From start to finish is about eight months. -

John M

How many people do you have building these? -

Matt

As far the wooden guitars, we only have two. I make all the binding by hand now. We don't build high production. Yeah. - They're just really, really unique, one of a kind, super high detail. Look at that as an example. - This is really, it's remarkable. - Tree of life. Yeah. - I produce about four a month is what I'm shooting for. -

John M

And the company does how many a year? Under 100. - Under 100. -

Matt

And then, of course, the carbon fiber, we have a few more people back there doing that. -

John M

And the advantages of carbon? -

Matt

There's no humidity issues with it, none. - No? So you can pull this out, and it'll probably stay in tune, and it'll-- We could, yeah, we could go to Hawaii, then we could go to Phoenix, Arizona. It's so durable. I've never had a carbon guitar. (calm guitar music) Acoustically, it's got a very big sound. It's still going, just so you know. You have a different business as well. Yeah. - That has nothing to do with guitars. - Not really, but kind of, if you think about it. - You're a bow maker, right? - Right. -

John M

You employ a lotta people out of Sparta. -

Matt

Yep, over 300 people. It's next door, actually, Mathews Archery. -

John M

Which is the largest-- -

Matt

Yeah, bow company in the world. In the world. - Yeah. The connection, really between bows and guitars is they are both stringed instruments, if you think about it. - Right. So this is my problem doing the show. (lively guitar music) Every time I go into these places, I'm like, I want that, I want this, crap. Did you know that Wisconsin only has 12 remaining soda fountains in the state? And Sparta has one of 'em right here. It's called Ginny's Cupboard. Do you know what this business has in common with 15 other businesses on Water Street? That's right, it's owned by a woman. Half of the businesses in downtown Sparta are owned by women, which is something we haven't heard in other small communities that we have covered. I had a phosphate. Ask your mom, she'll tell you what it is. We're at a place called the Quilt Corner. So let's talk about quilting. I started quilting when I was in my 20s, and long story short, we're here. We started out real small. We opened with how many bolts? 17. - 17 bolts of fabric. -

John M

How many bolts of fabric are in here today? Thousands. - About 1,000. About 1,000 - Mm-hmm. -

John M

Who comes here, and what happens here, and do you teach quilting, do people teach you? All of that. (Connie and Crystal laugh) -

John M

Is it all of that? Yes. - We have classes, weekly classes for beginners, or they come in when they need certain help on a project. (machine humming) - I know. We have clubs, so our most successful club has about 150 members. - That's-- And they come here once a month. And all Sparta area people. No, no, no. - No. From where? - Oh, Minnesota, Eau Claire. - The Madison area. -

John M

Here's what I don't understand. Somebody then brings you their quilt-- Yes. - And then what do you have to do with it? I quilt it, so people- So they don't really quilt it? The make it, they make the top. That's called piecing. That's piecing. - So they piece the quilt, so they cut up all their fabric, they sew it all back together, and you get this really cool design. And then the stitching that's on top that holds it all together is called quilting. And so I have designed what the customer wanted on the quilt, and it does it by itself. (lively instrumental music) How does it know? I told it what to do. - You told it what to do. And then that machine I free-motion. You can do any design on there you want. Whatever you can draw, you can quilt. Wow, I think you need a machine, too. -

John M

I am on a construction site with four of The Five Shovelmen, which means I'm the fifth shovelman today. Honorary shovelman. - Talk about what you guys do and what you've built here in Sparta. Did you build a bandstand? Don't tell me you built a bandstand. Yeah. - He did. Yeah, he did. - Oh, did you? (laughing) Well, it started with the Beaver Creek bridge which is downtown Sparta, and it just kinda caught. The next one followed with The Pointe bridge, and the one behind me is the fourth one-- Yeah. - The Mary Morrow bridge. It's probably our proudest achievement 'cause everything is from hand. The whole thing is held together by these wood pegs. -

John M

So does the city hire you as a company to do this? -

Reinhard

No, this is all volunteer. It's all volunteer. - Yeah, it's all volunteer. The most unique part of this group, though, is there aren't any rules and that the city trusts us, and that's huge. We even built a bridge as a sign to the city. I don't know if you saw that from Highway 16. -

John M

This isn't a bridge today. What are you guys workin' on now? We're working on a bathroom that's much needed here. Yeah. - In this park. Since 2005, we've had this band shell, and it attracts quite a few people on Wednesdays. -

John M

What a gift to the city, they have you guys saying, we wanna do this, and the time spent is time that you give to the city. -

Reinhard

Yeah, but it's also an expression of our creativity. -

Shovelman

We're building something that's gonna last us beyond our lifetimes. - Right. -

Shovelman

And that's something for the future. Yeah. - And that's what's really cool about it. Okay, we're on the banks of Beaver Creek and the La Crosse River. These guys are fly fishing. Bill and Skip, you should've seen what they've caught so far. Nothin', just so you know (laughs), but it's good fishin' out here, they say. You know what else it's good for? Kayaking, canoeing, and did you know, that if you got on the La Crosse River right here in Sparta, you could take it all the way to the Mississippi? And you only have to portage one time in West Salem, all the way from Sparta to the Mississippi. (lively bluegrass music) So we could not come to this community without talking to Eddie. Why are you known as Fast Eddie? Because in the old days, I could get their money very fast. (laughs) Is that right? So you had a liquor store and a tavern? -

Eddie

It was a tavern, a liquor store, a convenience store, and gas pumps. And then I started the Foxhole Pub, which is a bar-restaurant. Okay, we're not here to talk about your liquor store, but we're here to talk about Spring Haven Game Farm. - Haven Game Farm. Yep. - Because that's what you're doin' today, aren't ya? Right, I had tons of waterfowl, every kind of bird, and I had the donkeys and the emus and the wallabies, the wallabies, the alpacas. And we just did that and had a wonderful time. And then we kinda had to, because of a health problem, sell the bulk of everything. But now this afternoon, I'll find out if, on my 2 1/2-year cancer checkup, how good I am, which I hope I'm good. - When they say you're great, what's gonna happen? - Then I'm on my way to Macon, Missouri, to get my giraffes. -

John M

Why a giraffe? -

Eddie

They excite me because they are becoming extinct. -

John M

How big's your property? And you've got enough room for your hobby to continue? -

Eddie

Oh, yeah, I got 48 acres. -

John M

You're good, so you have four wallabies. We saw some donkey on the property as well? -

Eddie

Yep, I have 10 donkeys. -

John M

You have 10 donkeys. These things are the best thing in the world for farmers with calves. They'll go after anything to protect them. -

John M

Here they come. They're very wonderful, and they're good pets. Oh, they're good pets. - Yeah. -

Eddie

10 donkeys and four alpacas. -

John M

That's a lotta work. -

Eddie

Yeah, but it's fun, it gives you something to get up every day to do. Okay, people say I don't suffer for my job. Just so you know, I am standing in alpaca grazing... alpaca crap is what I'm standing in! And just so ya know, these are my new Cole Haan shoes. (John making crying sound with lively bluegrass music) I am in front of Sparta High School, home of the Spartacus. (horns trumpeting) Is that Hercules? The Sparta Spartacuses, the Sparta Spartacuses. What do you think their mascots would be in Sparta? That's a Spartan, isn't it? It is. - And these are some Spartans behind us. - They are. Yeah. - And very little mystery and what I was gonna talk about today, John, is this a wrestling town. It's very, very proud of the program that they do. Jared Rickert is the head coach here. Seven years as a coach, three years as a solo head coach, he went to school here, wrestled here. I've been wrestling since I was in kindergarten. -

Mike

Yeah, and your family, come from a wrestling family? Yep, we're rich family background in wrestling. A long line of wrestlers in this town, long line of successful wrestling in this town. They're Division 1, smaller school in Division 1, compete in the Mississippi Valley conference. He believes in a few things. One, you come into the program with high expectations, and through the youth program here in Sparta, wrestling program, they get that. 100 kids in the youth program, 35 or so in the high school program here. He takes his kids all over the state to find the best competition so they're ready when the qualify for state. Holmen is the team, now, last year just won the conference. They don't like Holmen much. They don't. - No, big rivalry school. Yeah. - And you can't get in. When they wrestle here at home against Holmen, it's a great atmosphere. -

John M

Yeah, and these guys are doin' some warmup exercises? - Yeah, they want you to put singlet on and join 'em. I've got one on under all this. Yeah, I thought that. (laughs) You're not surprised, are you? No, I'm not, at all. - So that's all right. I'm glad we're talking wrestling, 'cause I came equipped. Thanks, John. - Thanks, Mike. (whimsical instrumental music) We are on the Sparta-Elroy Trail. We're at Tunnel Number Three. 24 miles that way is Elroy, 10 miles that way is Sparta, and we've never seen anything like this before on our show. This tunnel goes for 3/4 of a mile, and as long as you have a flashlight, you can enjoy that tunnel. -

John H

In its heyday, there were more than 50 freight trains that passed through this tunnel every day. Yeah. - And about six passenger trains, too. -

John M

When did the trains stop comin'? -

John H

The last trains came through about 1965. Some very enterprising people thought, hey, this would be a great place to have a multiuse trail, and it was the first multiuse trail that was constructed in the United States. And is it family bike-riding, or do you have to be a skilled cyclist to do these? No, this is a real family activity. Because it's a railroad bed, it's at the most a 3% grade. Oh, nice. - And so you don't have to worry about climbing hills. Yeah. - Or all of that. So you'll see people on the regular bikes, you'll see them on tandem bikes. You'll see people with the little bike trailers behind 'em. And so it's very accessible. All in all, the system of trails is over 100 miles long. -

John M

And people come here not just from our state to do this, do they? Oh, absolutely not. - They come from all over. -

John H

They come from all over the United States and other countries. The DNR estimates that the trail's used by about 100,000 people every year. And not only biking, but there's quite a bit of people who run and hike on the trail. The only restrictions are no motorized vehicles. Okay. - No horses. No. My favorite intersection in Sparta, it's right here, Historic Four Corners. It's because of the four historic buildings on each corner. Look, the U.S. Post Office, then on to the Sparta Free Library, then Masonic Lodge, and the oldest of all, the Monroe County Courthouse. Historic Four Corners. We're on the second floor of a building that used to be-- A Masonic Temple. - A Masonic Temple. It's kind of a perfect place for you guys, isn't it? - It really, it really is, and the building is gorgeous. -

John M

This is the Deke Slayton Space & Bicycle Museum. Space and bikes, yep. - Together. Absolutely. - And how did that happen in Sparta? Well, it's kind of a wonderful story. We have bikes here because Sparta is the Bicycling Capital of America, and then we're also home to Deke Slayton, who was one of America's very first astronauts, part of the Mercury 7 group formed in 1959. And we combined the subjects together, and we do a progression of transportation starting with bikes, going onto planes, and into space. Oh, good, yeah. - And the Wright Brothers did own a bike shop before they invented the plane in 1903, so we can make it work. (laughs) -

John M

No, it all makes sense, doesn't it? -

Alli

It does, it does, yep. -

John M

How many bikes in your collection? -

Alli

We have about 100 on display, and then 300 total. Well, the first bicycle was invented in 1818 in Germany, and we have a wonderful replica of it. And it was made to replace the horse. -

John M

Do you have a 1962 Schwinn here? -

Alli

I'm sure we have one in our collection somewhere. (laughing) Yeah. - We've got some one-of-a-kind bikes. So this bike is actually originally a Huffy, and they had a lawnmower added to it. We're all about the progression of transportation and how people have changed and evolved and invented these amazing bikes to fit their needs and to fit their environment. So this is the Paratrooper bike. Part of their equipment was this folding bicycle. Are there other bicycle museums around the world, yeah? There are other bicycle museums, but there are no other bike and space museums. Yeah. - So we definitely hold that title, for sure. This is our piece of moon rock. Only one in the whole state of Wisconsin. -

John M

This is so great to have this here. -

Alli

Oh, yeah, it's such a great piece. And this is what he wore in 1959? This is the original, this is what he wore in 1959. He was actually slated to do John Glenn's mission to be the first American to orbit the Earth. -

John M

His real name isn't Deke, right? -

Alli

Correct, his real name is Donald Kent Slayton. -

John M

Oh, D.K. Yes. - Deke. We drove a little bit outta town. You're right down the road from Sparta. -

Neil

Three miles south of Sparta. -

John M

Three miles. You know what a cotter pin is, of course. -

Neil

Yes, I know what a cotter pin is. -

John M

And why did you call this place that? -

Neil

That was my dad's nickname. Cotter was his nickname. -

John M

So it's a tribute to your dad. Yes. - That's nice. -

Neil

We have food, great food. We host events, local wine. These are Wisconsin wines, most of 'em? - Not all of 'em. Not all of 'em. -

Neil

Local beer, lots to choose from, gift shop. We try to do a lotta local items. -

John M

Yeah, oh, there we go. Far and wide they come, don't they? -

Patron

I just one of Neil's famous Bloody Marys, and I have to say, it's the best Bloody Mary I've had anywhere, any time. We tried to make this kind of a destination-type place, especially being a small town like Leon. Yeah. - You can't count on the regular business to stay open. So we try to get people from outside of the area to come in. So you're havin' a beer? Yes, I am. And are you havin' a local beer? Yes. - And what is she having? Outboard from Milwaukee Brewing Company. Oh, that's nice. When people come in to eat, what do they usually have? -

Neil

Our Reubens are kind of our signature. Buffalo chicken nachos, my guacamole. Your guac? - Yes. -

John M

Yeah, and staff-wise, how many people? -

Neil

I'd say about 15 to 20, somewhere in there. Varied, it depends. - And are you ever looking for help? We're always looking for help. Need a good waiter? Absolutely! Yes, it is the Bicycling Capital of America, but Sparta is home base for so much more. Here's the deal, you (laughs) have 30 seconds to tell us why Sparta, Wisconsin, is the best place in the world to live, work, and play, and Mayor, you can start now. (timer dings) Okay, it's a great city. I lived in it all my life, and I love it. I love the people, they're hard working, energetic, and very friendly. A lotta people that retire at Fort McCoy choose to live in this area just to be able to be comfortable with that setting. Yeah. - We have a great golf course, two miles of trout stream within the city limits. Yeah. - It's just a friendly, welcoming place for anybody that wants to come. What is else goin' on here? Well, we have a Butterfest every year that's quite a festival, we have four days of-- Five, four. - A really special parade and a beer tent and things like that, a carnival. And it's just great. (upbeat instrumental music) One thing about wallabies, wallaroos and that, wherever they are, they crap. They (laughing). - They have no toilet. It's 71 tons of twisted (laughing). 70, 70 tons. - 70 sons of, 70 tons of twisted steel. - 70 tons of twisted steel and sex appeal. - Okay, that's enough outta you, okay? (laughing) -

Brad

That's enough confusion for one day. (light instrumental music) -

Announcer

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Ernest C. and Florence M. Schocke Fund, and by the David A. and Nancy E. Putz Fund. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation, inspiring philanthropy, serving donors, and strengthening communities, now and for the future. -

Announcer

Michels Corporation, serving the energy, transportation, telecommunications, and utility industries. Michels, constructing North America's infrastructure for our future. -

Announcer

We Energies Foundation and Wisconsin Public Service Foundation are proud to support public television. Together, we create a brighter future for the communities we serve. ATC moves electricity from where it's generated to communities where it's needed. American Transmission Company, helping to keep the lights on, businesses running, and communities strong. (water babbling) (birds tweeting)