This week on "Wisconsin Life": Meet a co-founder of a motorcycle ride that attracts thousands, an artist and her world of creations. a big Frank Lloyd Wright fan and his tiny tributes, and a mother who has a wild encounter in the woods. It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life." Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. I'm Angela Fitzgerald and welcome to "Wisconsin Life." Today I'm at the Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in Forest County. The track is in the town of Crandon and sits on 400 acres of land with more than one-and-a-half miles of track. Off-road racing involves modified vehicles that race on unsurfaced, rough terrain. Racers can reach speeds over 100 miles per hour. It's an intense form of racing that has become a local phenomenon in the Northwoods. It's hard to believe that it was started in 1970 by off-road enthusiasts who were inspired to bring these races to Wisconsin. I'll get a chance to learn more about that history and take a ride around the track later on in the show. But first, we rev up the engines and head to Pine Bluff in Dane County to check out a motor tradition that also got its start in the early '70s. It's dawn on a Sunday morning.
birds chirping, flag flapping
All is peaceful in the small community of Pine Bluff. It's the kind of quiet found in rural places like this.
playful rock music
And that's all about to change.
throttle revs, ignition catches
high-pitched "burrrrrooom vroom"
booooorrr rrrr
Every first Sunday in May and October, motorcycle lovers descend on Pine Bluff. It's called the Slimey Crud Caf Racer Run or the Crud Run. And it's an event that draws thousands. It's a gathering of people
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motorcycles and cool people. It's really gotten to be kind of just a... you know, a little motorcycle Woodstock.
engine growls
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You can see just about anything ever made in the world here. We've had priceless bikes that guys will bring up in trucks from Chicago from museums. They would just take them out and park 'em just so people can look at 'em. So it's kind of almost like a roving museum. Beautiful. It all began with a gang formed by University of Wisconsin grad students in the early '70s. They called themselves the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang. It was a mixture of youthful whimsy and a true passion for bikes. I'm officially the gang enforcer. I don't know what that means, but... Randy Abendroth was a later gang member and co-founded the Slimey Crud Run in the early '90s. It grew from a couple of dozen aficionados to a sprawling mass of people and bikes. But even though this event is now enormous, there's one thing you won't see here. There are no banners, you notice? Nothing. We won't allow it. We don't want corporate sponsors. We want it to be a home-grown people event.
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This is so much fun.
driving electric guitar rock
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meat sizzling
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This gallery of chrome and leather resembles a tailgate party but the Crud Run is, after all, a run. It includes a trip northwest to the small community of Leland.
easygoing acoustic music
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Here, you can have a summer sausage and cheese sandwich at Sprecher's Bar. Maybe wash it down with a root beer. Many grown-ups opt for something stronger. But this day isn't just about the destination. It's also about getting there. You can take a very beautiful country ride on the backroads from here to Leland and never really get on any major highways. Peter Egan has been coming to the Crud Run since the beginning. For decades, he was an award-winning magazine journalist for Cycle World and Road and Track. He often wrote autobiographical stories about rides like this one. Where we are now, going west, is the beginning of the Driftless Area. From here, north to La Crosse, along the Mississippi River I think is some of the best riding in the world. It's beautiful countryside. The red barns and the hills and winding roads and rivers. It's just-- This is one of my favorite places to ride. For Peter and so many others, the Slimey Crud Caf Racer Run is a little slice of motorcycle heaven. A community gathering. A gearhead's dream. A sublime ride through the hilly countryside. It's a homegrown event that seems perfectly made for Wisconsin. I've never seen anything on this scale. I don't know why. I can't picture it happening anywhere else. A sense of community is something found throughout Wisconsin. On the road and in a city like Milwaukee, where an internationally-known artist is embracing her community roots. Enter Milwaukee's Lindsay Heights Neighborhood and you'll find abandoned houses, vacant lots and sometimes violence. Along with a house at 18th and Wright where Evelyn Patricia Terry grew up. Some people have told me that they wouldn't come to this area. Like people who moved to Mequon or someplace, they may not come. So I didn't mind coming to the neighborhood, I think because I just felt that I'd be OK. The sign on her front door says it all. "Be Nice or Leave." Evelyn has a point and isn't shy about putting visitors on notice. I'm excited about that sign.
chuckles
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I want one on the back door, too.
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I just don't want anybody coming up to the door and thinking they should come any farther.
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And for good reason. Inside is Evelyn's gallery, brimming with folk and fine art. When I was doing these pieces, the abstractions, I was in love with this guy. He was in love with somebody else. So I started making these lines across a picture and then scribbling the excitement of being in love. So it came out of my own personal feelings. It wasn't like I was copying anybody. It just showed up one day. The same can be said about her foray into art. An opportunity just showed up one day. I was never encouraged to go into art. Instead she was encouraged to go into home economics. Then I did, but I couldn't stand home economics.
solemn music
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I cried all the time. Just on the way to school, I cried. Trying to go to UW-M, I cried. It was miserable. A recipe for failure or the first ingredient to success, when Evelyn's artwork caught a teacher's eye. So she said, "I think you're an artist and you might think about it." And I said, "Oh, my mother would kill me." And I said, "You can get a degree for drawing?" And she said, "Yes, you can get a degree for drawing." And I was like, "Where is that?" Evelyn's path to drawing and painting began at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. I went in, it was like heaven. Like the world opened up. I'll always say, "It was like things going off!" Evelyn recounts that story at a neighborhood gathering. So I had to go home and tell my parents. My father, he said, "If you do that, "you're going to be a drug addict or something, hanging out on the corner." And I said, "That's not a prerequisite for art."
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My mother, she just kind of gave up and said, "Whatever, it's your life." Despite her mother's pessimism, art became Evelyn's escape. I could always make art and disappear into a realm that was separate from whatever was happening around me that was horrible. I could just slip into that and be OK. Evelyn's journey became eye-opening, in more ways than one. When I was going to UW-M, we never learned anything about African-American artists. I was trying really hard to be great because I thought I was the first African-American artist on the earth. I mean that's a big thinking. A teacher told us one day to go to the library, look up an artist and write about them. So I was looking through all the art books in the library and it said, Negro Artists in America. I was like, "What?!? "There are other artists that are black? I'm shocked." That discovery motivated Evelyn and allowed her to dream of what she could achieve. I just remember when I first won that $1200. "Wow," I said. "This can pay off."
chuckles
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And that was exciting. My mother said to me, "You did it once, you can do it again." Four decades later, Evelyn's artwork includes more than 400 public, private, and corporate collections around the world including Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport. The one at the airport is called "Giving Gifts." And it's about the gifts that each culture brings to share with the world. Of course, I wanted to be rich, but I knew I wanted to be an artist. I had no idea if those two things could ever match up. So the name of this book in a series of books that I'm producing is called America, Guests nWho Came to Dinner (and Stayed). In 2014, Evelyn was named Milwaukee Artist of the Year. Some came from prisons, but they came and are here. Her in-home gallery is a testament to her success in that neighborhood, challenged with a reputation and the zip code 53206. When they write about 53206, it's written about mostly highlighting negative things that happen here. Despite the crime problems, after spending most of her life in this neighborhood, when you ask Evelyn about her legacy here, she'll give you a modest answer. I'll think about it after today and see if there'll be something I need on my tombstone.
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"Evelyn lived here on 18th Street."
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Or maybe it should read... "Be nice or leave!" I'm in Forest County exploring the off-road raceway in Crandon. I was told that if you want to understand the backstory behind how the races and racetrack began, you need to catch up with track president Cliff Flannery. We started 49 years ago and we started out east of Crandon and we run 25 miles out that way through the woods and farm fields and everything else, till 1984 when we purchased this property here. Then we grew to-- We're almost 400 acres today. Cliff knows the history because he was a part of it. It's been quite a project and it's been really supported and done by the community. I mean this has been a community effort here to make this place what it is today. And for me to feel that the community is behind me and put me into the hall of fame, Off-Road Hall of Fame, it was great. Cliff recognizes there's something special about this type of racing. Off-road racing is someplace where you're going to come and you're going to see dirt fly. You're going to see mud fly. You're going to see people going over jumps, 150, 200 feet, flying through the air with a 5,000-pound pick-up. You're going to see wrecks. I mean, they're going to bump and it's a little bit rougher. It's just a little bit rougher racing than what you're used to, but good racing. The kids love it. Powerful motors, high-flying jumps, and top speeds. Who couldn't resist a trip around the track? Hey, Adam. - Hello. So what should we expect from today's race? High speed and a lot of fun. Hang on tight. Slide right on in. - Okay.
revving up
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high RPMs, then shifting into next gear
fast, jaunty hard rock
high-pitched engine noise
low-pitched noise
heavy medal thunder
engine roars Mmmmmrrrrrr
voo-oorrrrrrrr
engine purring
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Whoo!
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How was that?
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That felt like a rollercoaster ride. Oh, my goodness.
Adam laughs hard
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Thank you for that. Anytime I get to be in this truck, I love it! Now, we shift gears to a much quieter setting in Janesville to meet a retired architect with a big love for Frank Lloyd Wright. We moved in in June of 1977. Ron Olsen, a retired architectural draftsman, designed this scale model of his Janesville home, right down to fine detail on the front door. We've lived in this house for 40 years. His unique designs include an exact replica of the house where his wife Judy grew up. Lot of good memories. Ron also created his childhood home along the shores of Delavan Lake. I've always enjoyed drafting. I might work 15 minutes on something and not get back for a day or two. But I might sit here at the drafting table for two or three hours at a time. These miniature masterpieces are intricate, meticulous in detail and only the beginning. We've always liked Frank Lloyd Wright homes so we travel to see them. We went down to Illinois and saw Pettit Chapel. I'd been retired just over a year, I think. And she said, "Why don't you make a model of the Pettit Chapel in Belvidere, Illinois?" So he did that and, oh, I love it. It was the first one, I think, that he'd done. And then I said to him, "Oh, that's really, really nice. I love it dearly, but would you please make Fallingwater next?" So that was my introduction to building the models and it's just grown from there. There's Fallingwater. Ron drew inspiration from nature and the simplicity of Wright's designs, many on the National Register of Historic Places. We finished our tour of Fallingwater. We walked down the stream a little ways and I found a rock that was little bit larger than a hockey puck. And when I built Fallingwater, Judy had mentioned, "What are you going to use for the waterfall?" I said, "Well, I wasn't sure yet." I think I'd made the water out of Saran Wrap and glue. I happened to be sitting at my desk and saw that rock and I set that in place on the model and it fit perfectly. So, some of Fallingwater is with the model of Fallingwater. Creating these structures to scale is no easy feat and takes hours of research. There's photographs in books and magazines all over the place that show the plans but you have to find all the exterior elevations of the house. So, that's what takes the time. The construction elements are designed from scratch to match real life. I try to get color photographs, of course, and get as close as I can to the color of the actual building. And then, I just begin from there, measuring out, cutting the pieces. Glue 'em together. Plenty of glue holds everything together.
Roofs
sometimes I've cut little slices in paper to show shingling. The details don't end at the door. Ron's hope is to mirror the original landscape, just how Wright had envisioned. I used moss that I find out in the yard. Dried sedums that can turn into bushes and trees. So, I try to landscape as close to the photographs that I have but all the landscaping comes right from our yard. Ron's latest recreation is his largest ever. I'm working on Wingspread right now. That looks pretty good to me. It was the home of the Johnson family. And until just a few years ago, I think members of the family still lived there. It's now been turned into a conference center. Judy and I went and took photographs all around the building so I could start this model. The collection spans the American architect's iconic career and has grown to nearly 30 replicas. I'd been looking for a home for the models. I thought, "I'll just take the bull by the horns and contact Mr. Johnson." So I wrote a letter. "Mr. Johnson, I'll keep this brief. In retirement, I built scale models of Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Mr. Johnson, as in the SC Johnson company in Racine and home to the last Frank Lloyd Wright office building still in use. They were very, very interested and wanted to accept my offer. I was just thrilled. It was-- I mean, we cried, both of us, because it's exactly where they should be. The historic landmarks are now housed in Fortaleza Hall as part of the SC Johnson permanent collection. As you walk in there, the first thing you see is the research tower that Wright built for Johnsons. It's just right inside the doorway. And it just takes my breath away. I put a photograph of Judy and I, our children and grandchildren up in the very top floor of that. Now nobody can see that. It's just a lasting thing for our family to know that they're included in one of our models. For Ron and Judy, the delight is in the details. So pretty. - It's not just a flat wall. I've set back windows where they should be and I put doors in where they should be. Viewing the models is just like being in front of the real house. They're just terrific. Large photos of some of the actual houses are on the wall behind the model. So you can you can judge from one to the other how accurate the model might be.
indistinct conversation between Ron and Judy
Judy Olsen
Romeo and Juliet. So, that's been a thrill for me to know that people from all over the world can see some of Wright's work in miniature but it looks like it should. And in this moment, it's hard for Ron not to contemplate what Wright might think. He was quite critical of a lot of things but I think he'd be pleased to know that somebody's trying to preserve some of this. It's been a terrific experience. Yah, it's just been a great adventure of love of these models for him and sharing it with me. And my name is on them. That's incredible to see too. Ron Olsen's name is now etched for eternity right alongside famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It's just nice to think that I put something someplace that people will see for a long, long time. There are some lessons that stick with you for life. Writer Carol Dunbar in Douglas County shares a lesson from nature.
birds chirping, waterway flowing
Judy Olsen
I never used to think much about the environment. Don't get me wrong. I liked nature, but from a distance and out of my way. And then, twelve years ago, as I pushed my two children in their stroller, a mother bear lumbered out from the woods. She came from my right and crossed the road not ten feet away, the soft pads of her feet the size of dinner plates. I stopped behind my stroller, my two children, ages three and three weeks, sleeping inside. Then, again from my right, two cubs tumbled out into view, sensed my presence,
mild distress squeals
Judy Olsen
then plunged back into the foliage. The mother bear from the side of the road turned, sniffed, and rose on hind legs to her full height. The sight of her magnificence sent me sinking to my knees. Not three days earlier, I had called the DNR and asked them what to do about the bears plundering our bird feeder. "Black bears are nothing to worry about," he said. "The only time they're dangerous "is if you get between a mother and her cubs. You don't want to do that."
We were all in a fairly straight line
the mother bear to my left, the cubs to my right, and me with my sleeping children in the middle. I had given birth only twenty days prior and this bear had also just given birth.
heartbeat
We were all in a fairly straight line
The moment sharpest in my mind is when we made eye contact. It was like finding a stranger across a room who shared your experience and your reaction. So, the connection was instant. She wasn't just a bear. She was a mother who knew I had my young with me, just as I knew about hers. And she didn't like the situation one bit more than I did. Instead of a complete freak-out, a sane and tempered reasonableness rose through me. What I am sometimes capable of when at my best. I saw that our stillness was our only way of communicating. And so, it seemed to me, that we agreed as mothers, not to move. We kept vigil. That bear stood at the edge of the road and I crouched behind my baby stroller. Over and over, the cubs came out, squeaked
tentative cooing
We were all in a fairly straight line
and high-tailed it back into the brush. Finally, a car came along and the mother bear ducked away. I saw my chance. Using the car like a shield, I sprinted home with my stroller. I never saw those bears again. Our encounter could have ended any number of ways had that mother bear and I not struck an agreement that day. One that, for my part, I'm still trying to uphold. I no longer assume that what the beaver, the bat, or even an ant is doing isn't just as important as what I am doing. I feel a deep sense of loyalty to my environment. Not just because I want to save it, but because I think it just might save me. What a discovery! An internationally-known off-road racetrack right here in Forest County. If you would like to learn more about the Crandon International Raceway or the stories you've seen today, visit WisconsinLife.org. We'd love to hear about your "Wisconsin Life" so send us your ideas at [email protected]. Until we meet again, I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald and this is our "Wisconsin Life."
engine roars
rumbles
varooom
throttles down, gurgles
We were all in a fairly straight line
Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
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