John McGivern’s Main Streets

– John McGivern: This Chicago suburb is home to more Frank Lloyd Wright buildings than any other city in the world.

[ascending string music] - Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- 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.

- 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.

– How to bring generations together: Start by splashing together, maybe go a ride together, see stuff together, or do something different altogether.

Wisconsin Dells: Come together.

The waterpark capital of the world: WisDells.com.

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

Heiser itself has been in the community for over 100 years.

We have worked hard to achieve the American Dream, and now it's your community's turn.

We are here to help.

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

It's the perfect place to find unique gifts, spend time with a friend, enjoy a perfect brandy old fashioned, learn about the past, and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing: You just gotta see Greendale!

[camera snapping photo] - Announcer: 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 rather be The heart and soul of community's right here On these main streets [upbeat rhythmic music] - I am in the village of Oak Park, Illinois, which is home to 55,000 people.

It's eight miles straight west of Chicago.

And what connects downtown Chicago to Oak Park is the Eisenhower Expressway.

The Green Line of the L runs straight through town.

And the boundaries, Austin Boulevard on the east, Harlem Avenue on the west, North Avenue on the north, and Roosevelt Road on the south.

Oak Park.

[gentle ascending music] When I think of Oak Park, I think of Frank Lloyd Wright.

– Emmy Fink: Mm-hmm.

- And I think of Ernest Hemingway.

But there is more that we can learn about this community.

- Well, can I introduce you to another two people that are also very important?

- Sure.

- Mr. and Mrs. Kettlestrings.

- The Kettlestrings!

- So they were a couple from England, and they really put Oak Park on the map.

- Okay.

- In 1835, Joe and Betty, don't they just sound lovely?

- [laughing] I love 'em!

- They opened up this bed and breakfast.

One room and two meals, what do you think that cost?

- Two meals and a room?

- Yeah.

- Two bucks.

- 50 cents.

- 50 cents.

- What a steal!

- It's good.

Growth, how did this community grow into what it is today?

- Well, the Great Chicago Fire really had a lot to do with that.

So at that time, 1871, after the fire, people were like, you know, "Maybe the suburbs, they do have something to offer."

The population grew from 500 to 5,000, just like that.

- And culturally, the same as it was?

- Very, very different.

So there were so many churches in this area that the city's nickname was Saints' Rest.

- Saints' Rest.

- Oh, and Prohibition, they banned alcohol sales here for, like, over 100 years.

Up until really World War II, it was very conservative.

Now, it's very liberal.

- And a great place for great architecture.

- Mm-hmm, absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Do you wanna go look-- - Can we go see some of that?

- Come on, let's go.

- Do you know where we're goin'?

- This is the Unity Temple.

It's gotta be one of the most iconic buildings in Oak Park.

- And it's considered to be the first modern building in the entire world.

– John: Hmm.

This was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, obviously.

[laughing] - Yeah, so in 1905, this was the Oak Park Unity Church.

Except that original building, it got struck by lightning and it burned down.

- Oh, Lord.

- And then, Frank Lloyd Wright was selected to build a whole new church.

– John: So it burned down.

– Emmy: Mm-hmm.

– John: Is that the reason he chose concrete to build the next church?

– Emmy: That makes sense, but no, it came down to money.

$45,000 was all they were working with on this big project.

I mean, this place is huge.

– John: Yeah.

– Emmy: Concrete is cheap, and he knew he could reuse those molds for different areas of the building.

- This had to be so different for a church back then.

- Oh, it was, and that's exactly what Frank wanted.

- So was the congregation happy with his work?

- Oh, they were so happy.

It was said to be a monument of genius and a masterpiece of architecture.

And it was one of eight Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

- Is this still a church?

- It is; it just has a longer name.

It's the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and don't ask me to say it again.

- Oh, I'd love to hear it though.

No, it was good.

It's a mouthful, isn't it?

- It is.

- Yeah.

So there are a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright homes in town.

- Okay.

- So I am gonna leave you because I'm gonna go look for my forever home, at least the home of my dreams.

That's what I'm gonna do.

- Well, I'll stay here and I'll pray for you.

- Okay, see ya!

Since 2010, Oak Park has commissioned artists to paint murals on this viaduct.

This is the viaduct that runs straight through Oak Park and carries the Green Line of the L-train.

Their hope is that in the future, they will have art covering the entire span of Oak Park, from Austin Boulevard on the east to Harlem Avenue on the west.

I would like to be part of this initiative.

[paper rustling] Oops, does anybody have any tape?

[warm rhythmic music] You have no idea how much I love glass, and how people who know me and have been to my home, they're like, "He's at a glass place?

He's gonna love this."

– Maia Stern: I like that.

That's really cool.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- We do three main types of glass here.

We do stained glass.

We also do what's called fused and slumped glass.

And then the last type we do is kiln-cast glass, again, that you-- - John: Say it again for me.

- Kiln-cast glass.

– John: I made you say that again.

[laughing] - Yeah, it's a bit of a mouthful.

- [gasping] Oh, my Lord, it's cool!

- But, like, don't melt your camera.

[John laughing] When I was about 12, I was lucky enough to go to summer camp that had it, a studio.

- Oh, how great was that?

- Yeah.

- At the age of 12?

- Yeah, a little kid.

- At a summer camp?

- Mm-hmm, yeah.

- So that summer camp must have been really the introduction to what became life then.

- Yeah, it was critical.

- Wow; how great is that?

So you went to art school then?

- I did, I did both undergrad and graduate school for glass specifically, yeah.

- And now you're in Oak Park, Illinois.

- I am.

- With a storefront.

- Yeah.

It is a long time coming to find this exact space.

I've known since before I started graduate school that I wanted to have my own studio, and I knew that it was almost certain that I wanted there to be a teaching element of the studio.

All right, so this is what I kind of Easy Bake Ovened for us today.

- And the trick to cutting glass is what?

- We're about to go all the way through it.

- We are?

Good.

- Yeah.

So I wanted to find a way to have a space where I could share my love of glass, my education, and, like, get people into a media which is traditionally pretty closed-off.

It doesn't have a lot of ways for people to get into it.

So finding a community, kind of storefront-type space seemed like the perfect avenue.

And it's as easy as that.

- It looks way too easy.

- Let's give it a go.

- [laughing] Okay, thank you.

- This area has a lotta glass, like, the Midwest has a lotta glass.

And then Oak Park specifically, you know, saw the Frank Lloyd Wright, his students, the older homes, there's so much stained glass in the homes.

- Hello.

[both laughing] - So, especially with how much of it's in this area, they come in, whether it's just because they are excited about stained glass and they wanna see what they can do.

Then they realize once they're here, "Oh, there's all these other types of glasswork."

Really nice, good job.

- Oh, my Lord.

– Maia: That was great.

- Okay, we're not gonna try it again though.

[Maia laughing] - So the business part is definitely more of, like, the work side than the passion side for me.

So for me, one of the big things I wanted was to find multiple streams of revenue.

So I have classes, I have members, I do restorations and commissions, and then I just make my own artwork.

All right, let's see how it fits.

I think so.

- It's pretty good.

- All right.

- Yeah, look at that.

- So we are now doing what's called running a bead.

The classes are my favorite part.

- Oh, yeah, really?

- Yeah.

So I love the teaching, I have a great group of people here, we have all different formats of class.

Beautiful line.

Let's do one last thing.

You guys can see some light going through it.

To me, that's where I wanna spend pretty much all my energy, all my time doing.

- What if you had gone to a horse camp?

Do you know what I mean?

[laughing] - Maybe I'd be having a very different life right now.

- [laughing] You would be!

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

[both laughing] - Now around these parts, there's something called the Oak Park Strategy.

It's a national program promoting racial diversity, and the movement began back in the '60s and '70s with the encouragement of integration.

So the local housing center worked with local realtors to show home buyers all areas of the community, not just areas based on the home buyer's race, which was really uncommon.

So look at you, Oak Park, making racial integration successful right here in the suburbs.

Keep up the good work.

[gentle acoustic music] - John: How long have you lived here?

– Kalki Tesfaye: We've lived here since 2017.

- 2017?

- Yeah.

- Great neighborhood?

- I love it.

- And did you know the city before you moved here?

- No, we were just looking around.

- [laughing] You were?

- And you know, I came from Oakland, Oak Park, something similar.

[laughing] No.

- [laughing] Right.

– Kalki: But the diversity was what brought us here.

– John: So you came from Oakland, California.

- Yeah.

- And before that, where were you?

- Born in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

- In Ethiopia?

- Yes.

- Yes, and what was the city?

Addis Ababa, the capital city.

- And Ethiopia is known for its coffee, yes?

- It's, yes, the birthplace of coffee.

You know, the goat finding the beans and eat jumping beans, there's a whole book about that.

- Oh.

[laughing] - Yes, I know.

– John: And you have a coffee shop?

– Kalki: I have a coffee shop called Addis Cafe.

You see the relation?

Addis is the capital city of Ethiopia.

- There we have it.

- It also means new.

- New.

- Yes, so it's like New Cafe.

– John: And it's more than just coffee?

– Kalki: More than just coffee, more a community space.

– John: It's a community gathering place.

- Oh, very much so.

- Yeah.

And it's, how far from work do ya live?

- If you walk fast, maybe seven minutes.

- And what time do you open up in the morning?

– We open at 7: 00.

- Are you usually there?

- I am there.

I love it because I have, I call it my morning crew, my customers-- - Yeah.

- That wait for me there.

Hey, Chris.

- How are you?

- Good, how are you?

He brings my coffee all the time.

Cheers, Mr. Austin!

– Chris: I'll be there later, I got a package for you later!

- Like, that's community right there.

- Yes, it is, it is, exactly.

- The commercial district of your neighborhood.

- Yes.

– John: So this is like your downtown, right?

– Kalki: We have our south side downtown, very diverse.

It's beautiful, we love it.

Here we are, welcome to our cafe!

- Thank you so.

- Yes.

Hi, my dear.

Good, how are you?

– Customer: Good.

- Hi, guys.

The coffee's me, it's all me.

- Yeah.

- Hi, Tesfaye.

- Hello.

- I've known him since I was a kid.

- Yeah.

- Yes, yes, from back home.

- Do you need help with this or are you good?

- I got this.

See, now you come into my territory.

- [laughing] Yeah, okay!

- In Ethiopia, you do not make coffee and let it sit.

You serve it fresh.

Traditionally, you know, you wash, and roast, and grind, and make the coffee.

That's why it takes time.

And in that moment, you know, people have conversation, you know, talk about their day and what they need to do.

If it's business, the same thing.

It's very traditional.

- Yeah.

- So I make sure I'm serving what I know and I make sure that, you know, people get what I love.

- And I'm gonna tell ya that it looks like it's workin'.

- I think so.

This is a whole community; that's what I love it, you know?

– John: Yeah.

– Kalki: I see the faces and I know them.

It means a lot to me.

– John: That's so nice.

– Kalki: It is.

- I mentioned at the start of this episode that Oak Park has more Frank Lloyd Wright buildings than anywhere else on Earth.

Do you know the number of Wright buildings here?

[playful music] - There are 25 buildings that have been designed or renovated here in Oak Park by Frank Lloyd Wright.

We have his home, the Unity Temple, and then 23 private homes.

John is never gonna be able to choose just one, and he certainly is gonna find none of them for sale.

[bright acoustic music] - John: We're in Oak Park, so of course we're at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.

– Mark Scott: I don't know if you've ever had the experience of standing in front of a Frank Lloyd Wright home or building, but sometimes you can't figure out how to get into the place.

He calls it his path of discovery.

He makes it an adventure even gettin' into one of his buildings.

- Sometimes, it just irritates people though.

- Maybe it's irritating.

[laughing] His first 20 years were spent here in Oak Park.

He really used this home and studio as a laboratory.

- Your mother is Frank Lloyd Wright's daughter.

– Nora Natof: Yes.

- And she grew up in this house?

- Yes.

I was maybe 12 or 13 years old.

The first time I met him, and I was sort of in awe.

My mother had given me many instructions of what I shouldn't do.

- What you shouldn't do.

[laughing] - Yes, what I shouldn't do.

– John: Like, were you used to your grandfather's architecture?

Like, did you-- - Nora: No.

– John: No, and wasn't it-- - Nora: I really never understood he was famous even.

– John: You didn't?

No.

- You know, in a Victorian home, it would be window and then wall.

Here, it's a continuous band of windows here, which he called his light screens.

He's connecting outside and inside spaces.

The other thing he starts doing here are built-ins, and you see the first two here in the couches.

You can see all the rooms here on the first floor at the same time.

So the rooms are decorated the same way to make it look like one continuous space.

- And he didn't call it open concept, did he?

- No.

- No.

- No, that came on HGTV later on.

But yeah, he's doin' it here.

We have here, one of the first examples of recessed lighting.

And then he starts puttin' in this wood strip coursework on the ceilings, which would become a characteristic of Prairie-style homes.

This is the first time he's doing a two-story building where it's all open in the middle with the balcony going around the outside.

And eventually, this will turn into the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

– John: Sure.

- At least I always felt my grandfather, he was less than perfect, but he contributed so much-- - John: Sure did.

- To the world that he lived in that you could forgive him for a lot of his behaviors.

- And he sure believed in his plans, in his architecture.

He was a great salesman around all of that as well was he not?

- Oh, he could be a charmer.

- Could he?

[laughing] - I mean, a charmer.

He knew how to talk to the client, he knew how to sell what he was doing, and he was in charge.

- Mm-hmm.

- The client didn't really realize he was in charge sometimes, [laughing] but they usually found out relatively quickly.

- Do you think people were like, "This is beyond modern," and "Who can live like this?"

- Well, yeah, I'm sure they did.

And I'm sure there were people that walked in and they said, "I love this, this is cool," and other people saying, "This is a crazy house.

This is like the fun house at the circus," you know?

[Mark and John laughing] [bright acoustic music] - I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but it's so great to be in a metropolitan area that has such great options for public transportation.

Come on, the L, the elevated train?

If you haven't ridden one, you need to come to Chicago just to be like, "I'm takin' a ride on the L!"

[train whooshing] [gentle acoustic music] Yeah, you're in luck if you have a sweet tooth in this town because there's bakeries, and there's ice cream shops, and there's candy shops.

And there's pie in there!

We were talking about sweets, and what a place to end up in.

– Michelle Mascaro: Yeah, well, I'm glad that you did.

- So what kinda pies are always on the menu, and what are people lookin' for?

- Yeah, we always have apple, we have chocolate every day.

We have buttermilk chess, raspberry chess, lemon chess, lemon lavender chess.

But our triple berry for 4th of July is really a hit.

– John: Can we talk about your mission?

– Michelle: Sure.

– John: And why you started it.

– Michelle: Sure.

So in my family, my oldest child who's 25 now, Emma, she has a intellectual disability.

And one of the concerns for people who have children with disabilities is where they'll work.

You'll find your best workers, your hardest workers in that group of people.

– John: Yeah.

– Michelle: And so we decided we would do a business that would employ people like that.

My philosophy is everybody needs to learn how to have a job, no matter who you are.

And we figured, well, we'd do something in cooking 'cause that works.

And it just came to me, "Let's do pie," so here we are.

And it works out; it's really great.

- And is Emma still working here?

- Emma does not work here.

- What do you mean she doesn't work here?

- [laughing] She's a normal kid and she doesn't wanna work with... "I don't wanna work with my mother."

And so, these are our Granny Smith apples.

– John: Granny Smiths.

– Michelle: Yep, and they go through a peeler, and then we smash them and that takes the core out.

And then every one is cut and made into little chunks.

– John: Incredibly organized and detailed, isn't it?

– Michelle: It's very organized and everybody knows exactly what the job is.

– John: Yeah.

- I love working here.

I was very grateful that Michelle offered me the opportunity to work here.

– Michelle: And they're really proud of the product.

I'm proud of it, they're proud of it.

– John: Good for you.

– Michelle: We all work together to make the very best product.

– John: A pie at a time.

– Michelle: A pie at a time, that's right.

– John: I love that I had a choice here.

– Michelle: Yeah, we do hot mini quiche every day.

- I chose the lemon because I'm on a diet.

[laughing] - And we've got ham and cheese mini quiche.

- This is delicious.

Mmm.

- Thank you.

- And just so you know, you're gonna go to Heaven.

[Michelle laughing] - Michelle: Yay!

A little bit of pie will help.

[John and Michelle laughing] - Ernest Hemingway fans will find this interesting.

He was born in this house in 1899, and then continued to live in Oak Park until he was 18 years old.

He wrote for his high school newspaper, and he gave credit to the woods and the prairies just west of Oak Park for really inspiring his love of nature that you find in his writing.

So moral of the story, never underestimate the impact of what's all around you.

[low rhythmic music] - John: We're on Oak Park Avenue at a place called Maya Del Sol.

Is this the, like, downtown of Oak Park?

– Anan Abu-Taleb: Well, Oak Park has multiple business district.

To me, this is the best district in Oak Park.

– John: I bet it is.

[laughing] That's what I would say if I were you.

– Anan: We take pride in setting up a nice space for them to share and create memories.

So when we feel the joy of seeing someone enjoying themselves, and being with their family, and being with their friends for a couple hours, happy, it's very rewarding for me and for the staff.

You have to love people, and we do love people.

- You have a large space here with 175 seats, and another 200 in your-- - Anan: Patio.

- The patio's gorgeous.

– Anan: This is probably one of the best patios, not just in Oak Park, but in the city.

And we seat almost 200 people, and it is so much fun on a beautiful night.

And I'm telling you, Chris Ramirez does a great job with his team.

I do as little as possible.

[John and Anan laughing] - John.

- Chris, I'm John.

- Hi, John, how are you?

- Good to see you.

- Nice to meet you.

- How long you been here?

- 10 years now.

Just try to keep Anan's vision on the ground level.

– John: Is summer your busiest time or?

– Chris: Most definitely.

– John: It is.

– Chris: We more than double in capacity with the patio.

And when you go back there, you don't feel like you're in Oak Park anymore.

– John: Let's talk menu.

– Chris: Sure.

– John: Concept-wise, what is it?

– Chris: So we're a Latin fusion concept.

We like to bring different flavors, South America, Central America, Spain, and then putting some twists on American classics.

– John: Hey, Chef!

– Chef: Hey, how are you?

- What are you makin'?

- I'm gonna show you how to make the roasted shrimp.

We like to combine some flavor, so Asian flavor with Mexican.

- Oh, sure.

This is you recipe?

- Yeah.

This, we're gonna put into the fire so they're roasted.

- Get 'em a little brown?

- A little brown.

As you can see, they're nice and roasted.

- Is it one serving?

- Yeah.

- Oh, it's beautiful.

- We're just gonna finish it with a little pickled onions right here, and a little parsley right here.

- Look at this.

Oh, that looks beautiful.

Your chef was great.

Gorgeous shrimp cooked brilliantly.

I'm just gonna grab one if you don't mind.

– Chris: Please, dive in.

Get a little bit of smoke from the chipotle.

In the center is black rice.

– John: Black rice, nice shrimp.

Just a tiny little bit of heat.

If this is any indication, we'll see ya later.

- Very good.

- [laughing] This is great.

- Very good.

– John: This is beautiful.

– In unison: Cheers!

[low rhythmic music fading] - Oak Park is often associated with Ernest Hemingway, but he's not the only famous author that lived here.

Do you know the name of the other famous author that called Oak Park home?

And I will give you a hint: Two Disney movies were based on his work.

[playful music] - We are standing in front of the house of Edgar Rice Burroughs!

[Tarzan yodeling] Heard of him?

He wrote Tarzan and John Carter.

You've heard of Tarzan; are you thinking, "John Carter?"

Well, both of those books, they were turned into Disney films.

And John Carter maybe wasn't the biggest of blockbuster hits, but they always say the book is better than the movie.

- Most people associate Oak Park with Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie style architecture, but it has some incredible Art Deco architecture as well.

This is the Medical Arts Building.

It was designed by Roy Hotchkiss.

And when it was completed in 1929, this was the tallest building in Oak Park.

Another great Art Deco building, the post office.

Take a look at those windows.

Bronzed horses, and wagons, and trains, all to honor the history of the postal service.

It was completed in 1936, designed by a man named Charles White.

And I will give you one guess as to who Charles White studied under; one guess.

[bouncy rhythmic music] You guessed it.

What are we servin' here?

- Frozen custard, yogurt, and Dole Whip.

- Hole in the Wall.

'Scuse us here.

- Oh, here we go.

[John laughing] - Owner: You take a look around, 40 feet deep, 10 feet wide, 400 square feet.

– John: That's what you have here.

– Owner: So it's truly a hole in the wall.

– John: It is; do you wanna get by?

- Yeah, I'm so sorry.

- Oh, sure, come on.

No, you're good.

- It used to be a gangway between two buildings.

It was built out over the years, and it's been an ice cream, frozen custard shop ever since.

– John: How long ago was that?

– Owner: We traced the history back about 60 years.

- And we have learned to jockey around each other 'cause that's what we have to do to make it work in here.

- And we're makin' TV.

- Yes.

- That's what we're makin'!

- How do ya like workin' here?

– Allison Brand: It's awesome.

So Julia has been one of my friends since sixth grade.

- And you're working together?

- Yup.

- How great is that?

- Yeah, it's pretty fun.

– Julia Dawn: And then when Allie texted me and was like, "Hey, my parents bought Hole in the Wall," I was like... And then she was like, "Do you wanna work there?"

And I was like, "Do I wanna work here?"

Like, I didn't even have to ask my mom, I was like, "I'm in."

I would work here my whole life if I could.

- It's a lotta responsibility 'cause when I'm not here, these kids are the managers; they run the show.

– John: Customers, do you know a lot of them?

– Owner: We get a lot of multi-generational families that come in.

Grandparents, kids, and their grandkids.

And not a day goes by where somebody doesn't come in and say, "This place looks like it did when I was here 60 years ago, as a kid."

- Is there something that you sell a lot of?

– Owner: Dip top cones are probably the biggest seller.

- Yeah, that's the biggest seller.

– John: Is that right?

– Owner: Along with the super sundaes, the brownie bottom.

- Let's have him make a brownie bottom; let's get outta their way.

- I'll get outta your way.

- You let me know what to do.

- So the brownie bottom is a unique sundae because you get to put the toppings on the top and the bottom.

So you're gonna start with a little scoop of hot fudge.

- Just a little?

- Yeah.

Then you're gonna grab the brownies.

All right, now, we're gonna head to the custard machine, get some ice cream-- - Of course we are.

Excuse us, we're working.

- Sorry.

– Julia: That's perfect.

– John: Oh, good.

– Julia: Plenty of room for the toppings.

- Did you hear?

Perfect!

[Julia laughing] - Julia: Now same thing on the top, so you're gonna do one more scoop of hot fudge, more brownies.

This is where we like to load it up on top.

And then we're gonna top it off with some whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry.

Wow, that was a really, really good job!

- Not so bad, was it?

- Yeah, that was great.

- I practiced at home!

No, I didn't.

[both laughing] - So when people come in and say, "This place is the same as it was 20 years ago," that's, like, the biggest compliment somebody could give us.

– John: You're winnin'.

– Owner: Yeah.

– John: This is really cool, congratulations.

– Owner: Thank you.

– John: Yeah.

- We love to tell you about famous alumni when we visit communities, and this high school, oh, they take the cake for their list.

So of course, Ernest Hemingway went to this high school.

But also Cecily Strong, the woman from Saturday Night Live and the Verizon commercials, comedian Kathy Griffin, hip-hop artist Ludacris, the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta.

I hope I'm saying that right.

And Ray Kroc, the gentleman who bought McDonald's from the McDonald's brothers, and then turned it into the biggest fast food chain in the entire world.

I mean, ya gotta wonder, who's the next big name to come outta that door?

[bright rhythmic music] - Emmy, for a city that has so much going on at once, I am struck by their strong sense of community.

- I think the people of Oak Park, they know they're someplace special.

And when you have that, there's an extra sense of hometown pride.

- Sure.

- Have you chosen your favorite house?

- Well, I have it narrowed down to my top 15.

- Oh, you're kidding me.

Oh, you're gonna be here a while.

Well it's been fun, Oak Park, but I'm going home.

[laughing] There's nowhere else I'd rather be The heart and soul of community's right here - This is the viad... Ooh, that's a hard word for me.

- Carter?

– Producer: Yup.

- I'm losin' it.

- Pies!

[laughing] - Producer: Yeah, that's good.

- Here we go, here we go, here we go.

- Do I look good?

Emmy?

– Producer: Go ahead.

[all laughing] You did it!

- I was like, what did I... [producer laughing] - You guys, ugh!

[John laughing] - That's why they call it work, John.

- Cut!

- Very good.

- Cut!

– Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- 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.

- 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.

– How to bring generations together: Start by splashing together, maybe go on a ride together, see stuff together, or do something different altogether.

Wisconsin Dells: Come together.

The waterpark capital of the world: wisdells.com.

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

Heiser itself has been in the community for over 100 years.

We have worked hard to achieve the American Dream, and now it's your community's turn.

We are here to help.

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

It's the perfect place to find unique gifts, spend time with a friend, enjoy a perfect brandy old fashioned, learn about the past, and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

Ask anyone who's made memories here.

We'll all tell you the same thing: You just gotta see Greendale!

– Announcer: Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

- I'm leaving, okay.

- I'm gonna go ride your curtails, skirttails, whatever you-- - Skirttails!

- Coattails?

Yes, coattails!

- Skirttails is right.

– Producer: Emmy, we said don't talk about that.

[John laughing]