John McGivern’s Main Streets

– John McGivern: I am on the shores of Lake Michigan in a city that embraces its Indiana Lake life.

[upbeat music] - Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos.

It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream, or a treat of a different kind.

Or slow down and relax.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing.

You just gotta see Greendale!

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the local flavor!

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin.

Learn more at InWisconsin.com.

- How to get more out of your Wisconsin Dells vacation?

Ride more rides, slide more slides, bite off more than you can chew.

Have more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

That's more like it.

Wisconsin Dells: The Water Park Capital of the World!

WisDells.com.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way.

O&H Danish Bakery, where kringle traditions begin.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely to many Main Streets.

We are committed to remaining true to the Heiser way: Do what's right for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We are happy to help.

- Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

'Cause these are our Main Streets Somethin' 'bout a hometown speaks to me There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here On these Main Streets - I'm in Michigan City, Indiana, obviously named for the lake, not the state.

It has a population of 32,000 people.

It's on the shores of Lake Michigan, north of Interstate 94, and smack dab in the middle of Chicago and South Bend, so it's 50 miles east of the Windy City and 40 miles west of the campus of Notre Dame.

Emmy, the location of Michigan City played a huge role in its early growth, and it's not just because of Lake Michigan.

– Emmy Fink: No, right here.

It started right here with Trail Creek.

This is where it began.

It was home to the Potawatomi tribe, but the early French explorers traveling along the creek, they found this land that's now Michigan City.

- And the rest is history.

- That's what they say.

I mean, Michigan City really had it all going on.

They had the shipping, they had the railroad, they had everything to really grow in those early days.

- So how did it start?

- Well, it started with a gentleman named Isaac Elston, and for $200, he bought this land sight unseen.

- 200 bucks?

- That's it.

- What happened to the chunk of land?

- Well, they did a lot of splitting into lots, a park, a marketplace.

Then all of that land was sold to the Michigan City Land Company.

They knew it was gonna be a perfect place for a commercial town and a beautiful place for a harbor, so then Michigan City was incorporated and then came the construction of the port of Michigan City.

- So Michigan City became a very important hub for industry.

And was it all based on water?

- No, there was inland industry as well.

Have you ever heard of a company called Haskell & Barker?

- No.

- They were the largest manufacturing plant in Indiana, making upwards of 15,000 freight cars every year.

- And all for 200 bucks?

- I know.

- Oh, I should've really invested.

- Right?

Except, hey, that's my money, hey!

– John: Okay, that's a mansion; it is.

It's called the Barker Mansion here in Michigan City.

You wanna know the history of Michigan City?

Google Barker Mansion.

– Michele Gustin: This is my first mansion and I love it.

I've fallen in love.

I get to go to work like this every day and see this.

This is spectacular.

– John: Yeah, when was it built and who are the Barkers?

– Michele: The senior John Barker came over to Michigan City at the age of 22 from Andover, Massachusetts.

- They were doing well.

- They were.

- Doing what?

- Ah, so they were in the freight car business.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

And then when his son took over, John H. Barker, that's when things really started to expand.

- Like Downton Abbey here in Michigan City.

- It is.

So this is where Mr. Barker would entertain the gentlemen.

- And how great that it's in this shape.

- So here is our drawing room again, the stamped ceilings, but here's something interesting you'll like.

There's John H. Barker's face.

[laughing] - That's a detail, they were like, "This is what we want.

Right here, Dad."

[both laughing] - And 90% of everything that you see here is original.

We're gonna go to the dining room and I have to mention that I love the fish plates.

They're not for everybody, but I love the fish plates.

I love this; this is a butler's pantry, and these are really a standout.

These are zinc sinks, German silver.

- This isn't a bad backyard, is it?

– Michele: No, I love it; it's pretty spectacular.

– John: It really is.

– Michele: Come out here and have lunch.

Yeah, weddings, planning to have a lot of events.

- Yeah; can I get on that list please?

- Absolutely, you get a personal invitation.

So welcome to the Haskell & Barker Car Company and the Legacy of Freight.

So right here, we say it right here in red and white.

The Haskell Barker Car Company was the largest employer, largest factory complex, 109 acres.

They were producing 15,000 freight cars annually.

– John: The anatomy of a box car.

- Yes, we just kind of wanted kids and even adults to see, oh wow, this is what it really kind of looked like.

And then we have our wall of the immigrants that came here.

- Germans, Poles, Irish, Russians, Swedes, Canadians, and Syrians came to work the many jobs brought by the factory.

- A true melting pot, yeah.

- True melting pot.

- So this is a 3D model to scale of the Haskell and Barker Car Company.

So this is where the mansion is, right?

– John: Here's where we are, right here.

– Michele: Right here.

– John: And all of the factory was right behind the mansion in 109 acres?

– Michele: 109 acres.

People love it coming here, and it's something they don't see every day.

– John: This is a destination spot.

– Michele: Yes, it is.

– John: For this town.

– Michele: I think this is the gem of Michigan City right here, absolutely.

- The Royals got nothing on Michigan City, at least here at the Friendship Botanic Gardens, who had their own connection to the Royals.

When they were starting to build the gardens in the 1930s, they were planning a pathway of nations, and guess what, a lot of European countries, they wanted to get involved.

The Queen of the Netherlands, she sent 200,000 tulips.

King George VI, you know, Queen Elizabeth's dad, he wanted to make sure the English garden was just right, so he sent in his own gardeners.

Michigan City, I think you're ready for a visit from William and Kate!

- I am walking down Franklin Street, which is in the middle of what's now known as the Uptown Arts District.

It's all these different businesses and these beautifully restored old buildings.

Like, you gotta love the pillars of this old bank building.

Here, let me go inside to see what it really... Yeah, take a look.

[laughing] Yeah, this used to be First National Bank, built in 1920, and I guess they loved the facade so much that they were like, "We're not throwing away those pillars!"

And I don't blame 'em.

[gentle acoustic guitar music] How long you been doing this?

– Regina Mitchell: Four years.

- Four years.

So what were you doing before four years ago?

- I'm still doing it.

I'm an occupational therapist.

- Good.

- Over 30 years.

- This is a side business?

- Yeah.

This is what I love to do.

- Good.

- This is my passion.

- Are you from this community?

- Born and raised.

- Born and raised in Michigan City.

Let's talk about how consignment works.

- So the process is they come in, they bring their items, and we take it in and we pull the best of what they have.

- Do you decide together what the price will be?

- Sometime, but not all the time because you might think that your stuff is worth a lot more.

- Right, is that usually the case?

- Yeah.

[John laughing] - Is a lot of your business jewelry?

- Clothes, jewelry, shoes.

There's things for your house, for decor, furniture.

- Could you pull these glasses out for me, please?

Oh no, they're prescription!

[both laughing] I can see better!

You have a collection of brooches.

– Regina: Oh, my gosh, yes.

So this consigner just came in last week.

- Love it.

- Can I tell you my favorite piece of art in here?

- Please.

- This one here.

- This guy right here?

- Henderson.

- Yes.

- Dean Henderson.

– Regina: Yes, yes, and these, of course, the lamps, you had to match 'em.

- And you did.

Come on!

- Listen... - We had a fridge and a stove that color as well.

[both laughing] - I was thinking about the coordination.

– John: And a lotta purses.

Take a look at these.

- Look, look, oh, my gosh.

- Oh, you gotta love 'em all.

- Yes, come on, look at the price on this.

- What is the price?

- It's 25 bucks.

- Shut up about that!

- I know, right?

- And name brands.

Do you get some name brands in here?

- We do.

- Do you have a Coach here now?

- I have mine.

[both laughing] - It ain't for sale!

Oh, my Lord.

- Yes.

- This goes on forever!

We're going into the furniture department.

It's about enough now.

We need to take a nap.

[Regina laughing] Come on, there's more.

- Yeah, there's more, check it out.

This is more of our discount room.

- These are handsome.

- Yes.

- Nice, very nice.

- Yeah.

It's displayed so well.

You need to know.

- Well, thank you.

We try.

I believe in consignment, secondhand, thrifting.

That's me.

– John: It's a good way to go; nice!

- Thank you, okay, make me look good.

[both laughing] - John: We will.

- With a location like Michigan City, shipping just made sense, so they built this lighthouse to help get the goods to shore.

Well, now it's a lighthouse museum and it's open to the public.

A woman named Harriet Colfax, she was the lightkeeper here for over 40 years.

A woman lightkeeper?

That was so rare!

In most cases, lightkeepers were actually appointed for life.

What a beautiful life she must have lived.

- I am at Sullair, a product of Hitachi Global Air Power.

You let us in your front door.

– Chad McKeever: Yeah, yeah, we welcome all kinds of guests.

- There you have it.

Sullair started in Michigan City in 1965?

– Chad: Yeah, it did.

Hitachi acquired Sullair in 2017 and has really just continued to solidify this company's place in Michigan City.

- So a product like this, how does it touch my life in a daily basis?

- Oh, this product will touch your life in more facets than you can imagine.

Anything that makes something, compressed air is needed.

– John: So it touches all of our lives.

– Chad: Every facet.

– John: No matter where we live.

– Chad: No matter where you live, yeah, yeah.

And we're a truly global company, so we manufacture products that are truly consumed and used all over the world.

- This color, has it always been this color?

Because as I said, I walked in here and was like, "Oh, now I recognize that."

– Chad: Sullair has had this staple color of green.

– John: It's a good green.

– Chad: It's a good green.

– John: Yeah, yeah it is.

– Chad: It looks good.

It complements the eyes and it's something that we wanna make certain that we're known for anytime you see Sullair Green.

- Thank the Lord, it complements the eyes.

- That's right.

- So there's always R&D going on in this?

- Oh, absolutely, yeah.

That's one area I won't be able to show you today.

You won't?

- Not today.

- Come on.

Did you hear Chad?

He said, "Get away from that door."

He won't let me in there.

[man bellowing] That guy yelled at me, too.

Wow, now what is this?

- So this is our fabrication shop.

A lot of the outside of the air compressor, that Sullair Green that you were looking at, most of those components are now manufactured here in this factory.

We built a factory here that outperformed each and every supplier that we work with in the fabrication sector.

– John: And quality is what you want.

– Chad: Absolutely.

It's really the employees that really drive Hitachi Global Air Power and the Sullair products that we manufacture.

– George Oudhuis: There's a lot of families in this place that are siblings and they bring their kids in, and it's great.

It's been a great 48 years.

I came in with real long hair and I don't know what happened to it.

[John laughing] It's here somewhere.

- And now your kid's here with a long beard.

- The old man has to get up earlier than him.

He's got one of the cush jobs.

- What's that about?

- I don't know.

[all laughing] - We've been here since 1965.

We see no place other than Michigan City felt like home.

- Indiana is known as the Hoosier State, but have you ever heard of the Hoosier Slide?

No, it's not a dance.

That's the Electric Slide.

What is the Hoosier Slide?

[bright music] - Well, you won't see the Hoosier Slide done at any weddings anytime soon because it's a sand dune.

Well, it was a sand dune.

You see, tourists would climb to the top of the dune and then slide all the way down to the bottom.

Well, you get the gist.

You know who else liked the dunes?

The miners because of all of the good iron that they found in the sand.

You see, they took that iron and they made blue glass, the glass found in blue Ball jars.

So in 1920, the miners just up and stole a dune?

That's just not very nice of them.

- Emmy, one of the most unique and coolest things about Michigan City, the dunes.

- I love 'em.

- Like, look at this dune.

You know what I heard about it?

- What?

- Moving.

– Emmy: You're right.

You heard correctly.

This is Mount Baldy, and yes, it is moving.

It's the tallest dune in the park.

126 feet above Lake Michigan water level.

– John: Do you know how fast it's moving?

Do we need to get out of this parking lot?

- No, about five, maybe ten feet per year, so no, we have time.

- It sounds like a science fiction movie.

- I know.

- So what makes it move?

- Well, I can't give away the ending of a good movie.

You might wanna come and visit and hear the story, but basically erosion.

So there's a certain type of grass that helps stabilize the dune.

Well, that grass has been destroyed over time by the hikers, so now the hiking routes have been rerouted, more grass has been planted, but they just can't keep up.

- So this is a hungry dune and it wants to eat the parking lot.

- It is hungry.

It's scientifically named a starving dune, meaning that erosion takes away more sand than what the waves actually bring back.

- I can't believe that its favorite food is parking lot.

[Emmy laughing] - It's hungry, but don't worry, don't be scared.

We don't wanna scare you off because the park officials, they're monitoring it, doing all the measuring, all the things, so come and see this great place.

Enjoy the dunes.

- Yeah.

- You don't have to go to the beach to see a sand dune.

I am at the Washington Park Zoo, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

This is an observation tower that's built in the 1930s on top of a sand dune.

Yeah, 220 steps from street level.

Anybody can go up.

Yeah, make the hike.

- Hey, I made it!

John, I'll throw my hair down Rapunzel-style and you can climb up.

- Maybe not.

- It's called Unsalted No Sharks.

– Linda Weber: Good morning.

- I love the name.

- Thank you.

- And the name is, let's tell them why you have the name of this shop.

- My sister and my brother-in-law live in Florida and he never goes in the water.

He said, "I miss Lake Michigan; I miss jumping in the water.

It's no salt, no sharks."

And I thought, "That's great."

– John: Brilliant.

- "Now it's ours."

– John: "Completely own that," she says.

– Linda: It's a licensed trademark.

– John: It's kind of brilliant.

And what do you sell to this shop?

- We sell beach life.

- Beach life?

- Yeah.

Memories of the lake.

The beach that you spend all your summer on, - John: So you're selling memory is what you're doing?

Yeah.

- We have everything.

- Let's look around.

- We have some Chicago stuff here because we have a lot of visitors.

We have women's gear.

My sister-in-law, Rose, makes all our candles, hand-poured.

There's Freckle Face, Lakeology, and Sweet Water.

– John: Clean water, give back.

What are we talking about here?

- So we, as a business, donate 10% of our annual profits to clean water initiatives across the country.

- It's a good way to be, isn't it?

- It is a good way to be.

I wanted to do something more than just sell t-shirts.

This is kind of cute.

She picks up all of the trash on the beach and then condenses it into jewelry, and then that's sand from our beach.

So t-shirts, long sleeve, short sleeve, crew neck sweatshirts.

You should pick a shirt.

- Okay.

- What size are you?

- Um... [Linda laughing] That's really none of your business, Linda.

[both laughing] Love this, I like what you're wearing.

- There you go.

It's got the shark on the back.

- Oh, that's so good.

- You look like you're ready to hit the courts.

[Linda chuckling] - John: It's really a beautiful store.

– Linda: Thank you.

– John: Unsalted No Sharks.

[upbeat surf music] - When we get a few minutes of downtime, one of my favorite things to do is find some cute places to shop, and here in Michigan City, Main Street is Franklin Street right here.

Tons of cute places.

You know, John's like, "Oh, be really careful with how much you shop."

But John's not here, and I'm not listening.

[bright music] - What a great neighborhood.

– Jim Kennedy: It is; it's beautiful, thank you.

- This is so different than the rest of Michigan City, isn't it?

– Jim: This part is, yes, it's unique.

– John: And how many homes are in this neighborhood?

– Jim: About 170.

- What would people be surprised about here?

– Erin Harrell: I think they'd be surprised that it exists in general.

It's Florida, it's the seaside, it's this all-inclusive resort that's just right here smack in the middle of Indiana.

- We're close to the beach.

- You are close to the beach.

And the beach is gorgeous.

– Jim: It is.

Most people don't believe how nice the beach is.

- Do you have renters who come back year after year?

- Yes.

- You do.

- A lot of times, as they leave, they go down to the Beachwalk rental office and book it for the next year.

It's very common.

- Gotta love that.

- Yeah, I do.

- People have been hounding down the door trying to book for next year while they're still here.

The sales is, whew.

– John: Look at you!

- You probably spend a lot of the days at the beach or the pool, or we have Lake Kai, which you have paddle boats, paddle boards, kayaks, and then there's basketball courts, volleyball courts, bocce.

– John: That's all part of this neighborhood?

– Jim: Yeah, it's all part of the neighborhood.

So there's tons to do.

Come on in.

- This is beachy, Jim.

[Jim chuckling] - Jim: Including the guest house, six bedrooms.

– John: Wow.

– Jim: Yeah.

- So you rented it in Beachwalk before you bought, and then you saw this big house on the corner and said, that's mine now?

– Jim: My wife saw the house and said, "I'd like to look at that house."

She's always right.

I never questioned.

Here, John, this is typically where the kids tend to congregate.

They're in here; you can hear 'em.

Here, let's go outside on the upper deck.

– John: What?

And here is where we bowl.

[laughing] - There you see we have some beachgoers.

- Look at this.

- This is the guest house, and so there's a bathroom up here and another bathroom downstairs.

How do you like those winding staircases?

– John: It's a golf cart community?

– Jim: It is.

Homes close together, white picket fences, porches, so everybody kind of talked to their neighbors.

– John: And as we drove in, I was like, "This feels so much like Cape Cod."

There's no sidewalks, people are walking to the beach.

It feels like the East Coast to me.

It's a nice little town, isn't it?

– Jim: It is.

They'll take me out in a box someday.

- That means he's serious.

- I'm staying.

- You are.

- No, I love it here.

- Michigan City High School is home to the Wolves, the big bad wolves.

And when I say big, I mean it.

They have the ninth-largest gymnasium in the country.

It's called the Wolves Den and it fits 7,300 people.

Ain't nobody huffing and puffing and blowing their house down.

[cheerleaders cheering] - What Michigan City summer tradition has been going on since 1877?

It's a hint.

[playful music] - Michigan City has one of the oldest and most loved city bands in the nation, and guess what?

You can see them play for free every Thursday in the summer right here in Washington Park, and today's Thursday, so I'm here early for a good seat.

[ending note] - We may be a little too early.

- I thought I had the right time.

Any minute.

- You know, these are my favorite segments.

We're at a restaurant.

[breathes deeply] Fiddleheads.

Why Fiddleheads?

- Aaron O'Reilly: Why Fiddlehead?

Well, it's Fiddlehead.

– John: Fiddlehead, that's what I meant.

[Aaron laughing] Don't look at me like... And how long have you been here?

- Eight years.

– John: And when you came here eight years ago, was it much the same as it is today?

– Aaron: No, very different.

– John: Really?

– Aaron: Very different, yeah.

– John: So were you the pioneer on the street?

- I wanna be a little more humble than that.

- Don't be.

- But for the downtown area, I would say I was the first of the new breed of people to come in and sort of try to change things, yes.

- And did you always wanna own a restaurant?

- Yes, from a young age, probably about 14.

- Let's talk about the menu.

What's on it and why is what's on it, on it?

– Aaron: Yes.

We are a new American restaurant, so we have pastas, steak, sandwiches.

We are very well-known for our pierogi as well as gluten-free items.

- So you said you're known for your pierogi, and what exactly is that?

- Pierogi is in the Polish community and Eastern European community.

It's like a dumpling, and it's filled with variety of things.

- In the end, all I really wanna do... What do you think?

Just taste.

- Eat, yeah.

- So far, I feel like I'm at home.

Just so you know.

This is a little butter.

What are your pierogis filled with?

– Aaron: Our pierogis are filled with a mixture of russet potatoes, our homemade garlic butter.

It has a lot of herbs in it.

It's kind of a secret.

– John: Did your mom make these?

- No, my aunts actually made pierogis, but I kind of changed the recipe a little bit to make it to my liking, the butter a little bit.

– John: And butter's important here, yes, Aaron?

– Aaron: Butter is the most important ingredient.

It's so important that that's what I changed in the dough recipe of my aunt's.

Well, I finally told her, and she wasn't very happy about it.

- She was mad?

- Yeah.

To me, it's delicious.

- So a pierogi is a Hungarian dish?

Polish dish as well.

- It's Polish and Hungarian.

Polish or Hungarian, yeah.

– John: How can you tell when they're almost ready?

– Aaron: When they get a little brown on one side.

– John: That one's good.

– Aaron: I flip them and then they go in the oven.

So they're in for three minutes in the oven.

So the butter is a little...

The butter is a tiny bit more brown than I probably would normally do the butter.

– John: These look delicious right here.

– Aaron: We garnish with sour cream, so we just do a little squirt and some green onion.

- That's really pretty.

I'm gonna put the whole thing in my mouth and you'll be like, "Wow, dude."

These are really delicious.

Thank you very much.

- Oh, my God, that's so good.

– Aaron: Thank you.

- I know what you're thinking: nuclear.

No, it's not nuclear; it's never been nuclear.

That is part of the Michigan City generating station, which is a coal and natural gas-fired power plant.

And what you're looking at is the water cooling tower.

Take a look now because after 2028, is gonna be torn down.

Remember I told you about the Hoosier Slide?

Yeah, that's the location of the Hoosier Slide right there.

[upbeat music] Michigan City, what a great surprise.

There's beaches and trails and entertainment.

- They have it all.

If you find yourself in Indiana, drive north, see it for yourself.

- I'm gonna call it a Midwestern must-see.

There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here - Here we go.

Are we ready?

- Blah, blah, blah.

[lips popping] - But let's try this again.

- What is my problem?

[laughing] [John laughing] - That's hilarious.

- Make it stop.

- Clear it in the bonus clip!

- What are you looking at?

My eyes are up here!

- That's one big bird.

– Lois Maurer: I guess you wouldn't make a very good eagle.

Jeepers.

- Is that a wrap?

Is that what you guys say now, "Is that a wrap?"

- You're welcome.

– Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos.

It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream, or a treat of a different kind.

Or slow down and relax.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing.

You just gotta see Greendale!

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the local flavor!

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin.

Learn more at InWisconsin.com.

- How to get more out of your Wisconsin Dells vacation?

Ride more rides, slide more slides, bite off more than you can chew.

Have more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

That's more like it.

Wisconsin Dells: The Water Park Capital of the World!

WisDells.com.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way.

O&H Danish Bakery, where kringle traditions begin.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely to many Main Streets.

We are committed to remaining true to the Heiser way: Do what's right for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve.

We are happy to help.

- Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

[gentle whirring] - Lois: Good news, the drone's okay and the gazebo's okay.

And the drone pilot's okay.

- Damn producers!

[Lois laughing]