Page 95 – Wisconsin Life

They come on motorcycles, semis and buses to experience another transportation tradition. As the horn sounds, passengers with tickets in hand climb onboard for a maritime experience. The S.S. Badger is the only remaining coal-powered passenger ship in North America.

Businessman Moonlights As Aerial Dancer
Gallery
Businessman Moonlights As Aerial Dancer

The Arts

Businessman Moonlights As Aerial Dancer

Nataraj Hauser likes to do more than loosen up his tie after a hard day as a business analyst. Always a thrill seeker, the excitement of the flying trapeze led Nataraj to perform with Cycropia, Madison’s aerial dance collective.

Wood Carver Envisions Potential In Old Wood
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Wood Carver Envisions Potential In Old Wood

The Arts

Wood Carver Envisions Potential In Old Wood

Most every Midwestern farmstead or field has its share of weathered wood: fence posts, barn beams, scraps left over from past projects. Beyond the rough surfaces of these scraps, Dan Sullivan of Wausau sees potential.

Wisconsin Man’s Mission: Visit 600+ State Natural Areas
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Wisconsin Man’s Mission: Visit 600+ State Natural Areas

Food & Travel

Wisconsin Man’s Mission: Visit 600+ State Natural Areas

Josh Mayer likes to walk off the beaten path. “No trails, no signs telling you where you are or this is it, this is not it. Just GPS and away you go.”

Wisconsin’s First Female Brewmaster Crafts Her Way
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Wisconsin’s First Female Brewmaster Crafts Her Way

Food & Travel

Wisconsin’s First Female Brewmaster Crafts Her Way

Jamie Baertsch brews beer and she would say, “It’s a lot better than sitting at a desk all day.” If you ask Jamie how she became a brewmaster she will say “dumb luck.”

Wisconsin Life #304: “Boats, Brews & Boonducks”
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Wisconsin Life #304: “Boats, Brews & Boonducks”

The Arts

Wisconsin Life #304: “Boats, Brews & Boonducks”

A ferry boat captain, brewmaster and “boonduck” carver shares their stories in this episode. You’ll meet a collection of people who share their Wisconsin lives including Manitowoc native Kevin Diedrich. Diedrich always dreamed of a life on the water.

Young Actors Perform Shakespeare Plays
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Young Actors Perform Shakespeare Plays

The Arts

Young Actors Perform Shakespeare Plays

In a small church turned theater on Madison’s West side an unusual theater company presents some of Western literature’s greatest works. The Young Shakespeare Players puts on several of the Bard’s plays every year with casts made up entirely of youth aged seven to eighteen.

Prison Chaplain Tends To The Souls Of Inmates
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Prison Chaplain Tends To The Souls Of Inmates

Culture & History

Prison Chaplain Tends To The Souls Of Inmates

At Oakhill Correctional Institution south of Madison, one man has spent the past decade as chaplain, offering religious services to nearly 700 inmates. A native of Nigeria, Reverend Emmanuel Okoye works from a corner office in an A-frame chapel in the northeast corner of Oakhill’s 100 acre grounds.

The Winners Of Our Summer Life Photo Contest
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The Winners Of Our Summer Life Photo Contest

The Arts

The Winners Of Our Summer Life Photo Contest

The votes are in and we have our winners in the summer life photo contest. Thanks to everyone who participated and to the more than 1300 people who voted for the photos in our Wisconsin Life photo contest.

Ballerinas Share The Thrills And Challenges Of Their Art Form
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Ballerinas Share The Thrills And Challenges Of Their Art Form

The Arts

Ballerinas Share The Thrills And Challenges Of Their Art Form

On a summer afternoon, in a mirror-walled Madison dance studio, Rachelle Butler and Annika Reikersdorfer sit on the floor stretching their muscles before a practice session. Both are professional dancers with the Madison Ballet.

The Wiccans Of Barneveld
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The Wiccans Of Barneveld

Culture & History

The Wiccans Of Barneveld

Wicca is a pagan religion that taps into the magic of nature. At a church outside Barneveld, wiccans have formed a community that dates back four decades. Seth Jovaag introduces us to one of their leaders.

Senior Softball Players Still Enjoy The Old Ballpark
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Senior Softball Players Still Enjoy The Old Ballpark

Sports

Senior Softball Players Still Enjoy The Old Ballpark

Bob Ruhland has spent a lot of sunny summer days on a baseball diamond. “I played ball all my life basically.” And he’s not ready to give it up yet. “You gotta love it.

Wisconsin Life #303: “Chasing Dreams”
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Wisconsin Life #303: “Chasing Dreams”

The Arts

Wisconsin Life #303: “Chasing Dreams”

A hall-of-fame trap shooter, a busy senior softball league and two friends who collect bobbleheads are featured in this episode. You’ll meet a collection of people who share their Wisconsin lives including a Lodi man named Fritz Thistle.

Collectors Dream Of Creating National Bobblehead Museum
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Collectors Dream Of Creating National Bobblehead Museum

Wisconsin Originals

Collectors Dream Of Creating National Bobblehead Museum

Phil Sklar and Brad Novak have known each other since middle school. They are both sports fanatics and now they will also be business partners. The two UW-Milwaukee grads are set to open the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee in the summer of 2016.

Artist Captures Wisconsin Landscapes Using Chinese Painting Technique
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Artist Captures Wisconsin Landscapes Using Chinese Painting Technique

The Arts

Artist Captures Wisconsin Landscapes Using Chinese Painting Technique

Sitting in her home studio, painter Charlotte Fung Miller seems to have everything within reach: rolls of rice paper piled in a cupboard, water colors and brushes gathered on her counter and two wide windows looking out into the trees around her house.