Meet a man who drives a car/boat hybrid, an urban beekeeper, members of Madison’s Mounted Patrol and more…
Russ Cihlar’s pet project is part car, part boat… 50-50 surf and turf. He discovered his first Amphicar as a teenager and 10 years later had a dream about it. So Cihlar purchased the car from a Door County farmer and for 14 years tore it apart and rebuilt it. He’s been cruising the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and turning heads ever since. Join Russ on a tour of his storage garage where his military vehicles are displayed.
Meanwhile, Nathan Clarke has set up bee hives in other people’s backyards all over Madison. Find out what possessed a man who is allergic to bees to become a beekeeper… and what inspired him to scatter his bees throughout the city.
And… it may not be typical police work, but for Mounted Patrol officer and natural hoof care expert Ken Mulry, caring for horse hooves is all part of the job. And it symbolizes the special working relationship the five horses of Madison’s Mounted Patrol unit and their rider officers have to forge in order to police effectively on horseback. Whether out on patrol or working crowds at public events. Learn more about Mounted Patrol officer and natural hoof care expert Ken Mulry.
Our next story begins in 1939, when Paul Strnad sent a desperate letter to his cousin in Milwaukee in hopes the relative could help them emigrate from Prague after the Nazi invasion. The letter contained eight dress designs created by Hedy Strnad (Paul’s wife). They hoped their cousin could find a manufacturer for the dresses. Seventy-five years later, Hedy Strnad’s dresses are on display at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.
Hedy Strnad’s dresses are on display at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee in the “Stitching History” exhibit. Take a closer look with museum director Kathie Bernstein on a walk through the exhibit design concept and content.
Read this New York Times article for more on the Strnad family’s story and the research that has gone in to the exhibit. And be sure to check out the Wisconsin Humanities Council’s reflection on the museum’s effort to preserve the work of Hedy Strnad at the Working Lives Project page.
Finally, Mike Perry shares a bit of his unique, “clodhopper” Wisconsin life… this time, he describes how just about anything can be made better by putting wheels on it. Learn more about Michael Perry.
