Kenosha Community Media sponsors an evening with Garfield Goose and friends

by John Bloner, Executive Director, Kenosha Community Media

I spent my formative years watching WGN Channel 9 out of Chicago for “Garfield Goose & Friends,” hosted by Frazier Thomas. Dressed in uniform as the Admiral of the King's Navy, Thomas bantered over a castle wall with Garfield Goose and other puppets, including Romberg Rabbit. While the title character did not speak (at least for much of the series. He became mute when union rules dictated higher wages for speaking roles), he made his intentions known by clacking his tin beak. 

Garfield Goose's TV show ended in 1976 after a nearly 20 year run on WGN, but the irascible puppet lives on not only in memories of viewers, but also at the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communication, where visitors may wax nostalgic for him and for other TV celebrities, including Bozo the Clown, and Svengoolie. 

Why go all the way to Chicago, however, when Garfield Goose is coming to Kenosha? On Friday, September 17th from 5:30-8:00pm, Kenosha Community Media will present an evening with Garfield Goose & Friends at the Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Avenue. Cartoonist, designer, self-proclaimed pop culture maniac, and children's TV curator at the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communications, Jim Engel will provide an illustrated talk about everyone's favorite feisty fowl.   

During the 1970s and '80s, Engel co-authored the Bumbazine fanzine, named for a character in Walt Kelly's Pogo comic strip, and created Dick Duck, Duck Dick and Fandom Confidential for The Comic Reader. For Spotlight Comics, he drew the characters Mighty Mouse and Underdog. He's an avid comic book collector, amassing his collection over five decades, with impressive prizes, including the original cover art for Marvel's Avengers #53 and Jack Kirby's original art for Journey Into Mystery. 

Tickets for the Garfield Goose & Friends event are available online at the Happenings Magazine website, hap2it.com. Tickets are also available by visiting Frank's Diner, 508 58th Street; Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Avenue; and the Kenosha History Museum, 220 51st Place on Simmons Island. Tickets are $20, however, the early-bird price, available through August 31st, is only $15. Admission includes food, games, and attendance at Jim Engel's colorful presentation. 

Garfield Goose & Friends event is sponsored by Frank's Diner and Visit Kenosha.  On behalf of Kenosha Community Media, I thank them, along with Kevin Ervin, owner of Frank's Diner, and Donny Stancato from Happenings Magazine and the K-Town Connects podcast for their work in organizing this upcoming occasion.  

Check out Jim Engel's comic art at his website, jimengel.net. Get familiar with the Chicago Museum of Broadcasting Communications at museum.tv, and learn more about Frazier Thomas and Garfield Goose at chicagotelevision.com/frazier.htm.

Sun Prairie Media Center collaborates with The Parenting Game to produce a new TV series

Christine Bright, Founder of the Parenting Game hosts the new show on KSUN.

The Sun Prairie Media Center is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Christine Bright, founder of the Parenting Game, in a new series of programs imaginatively titled “The Parenting Game.” The 30-minute program is for any person desiring to foster a healthy relationship with a child and aims to provide information, resources, and actionable strategies.

Guests on “The Parenting Game” will share stories from their parenting journey and host Bright will help them share their wins and fails, recognizing that perfect parenting does not exist. The programs air on KSUN (among other times) at 1 PM and 10 PM Wednesdays and on 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio at 8 AM Fridays. 

Says Bright, “I have had the pleasure of working with differently abled children since I was in high school. I was drawn to children that were the ‘naughty ones.’ It seemed I had a natural knack for being able to handle their behaviors.” 

“My passion for helping children guided me to become a therapeutic foster parent which gave me invaluable training I still use. Working one-on-one with a child that had challenging behaviors brought me unspeakable joy. A deeper passion was ignited within me.” 

Bright is now a child care professional and family advocate for children with mild to severe behavioral issues, having trained with Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child. She works to help families navigate all the challenges that are a natural facet of parenting, teaching her clients fundamentals, skills, and actionable strategies that result in more positive interactions with their children. 

Bright says that doing “The Parenting Game” program with the Sun Prairie Media Center will allow her to share the strategies she has developed with larger audiences as an advisor and speaker.  

For more information on Christine Bright and The Parenting Game, go to parentinggamewins.com.  

“The Parenting Game,” as with all SPMC video programming, is available on KSUN at Charter Spectrum channel 983 (SD), TDS channels 13 (SD) and 1013 (HD), or streaming at sunprairiemediacenter.com and on the Sun Prairie Media Center app. On-demand programming is available on the website, app, and on the SPMC’s Roku and Apple TV channels. The podcast version is also available on the SPMC app.

Disabled American Veterans of Winnebago County bring "The Outpost" to Oshkosh Media

In the studio at Oshkosh Media Mike Hert and Adam Alexander shoot the first episode of “The Outpost.”

Mike Hert and Adam Alexander have stories to tell. But the newest public access show coming to Oshkosh Media’s Life TV (Spectrum Channel 2) isn’t just two military veterans chatting with each other. Hert and Alexander, members of Disabled American Veterans Ray H. Fuller Winnebago County Chapter 17 (DAV), have a mission to make the public more aware of the experiences of veterans in the Oshkosh community and the kinds of services available to them and their families. “As well as providing a platform for veterans to share their stories and experiences, we are hoping to use ‘The Outpost’ as a means of delivering news of the efforts and services provided by the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 17,” Alexander said.

The two recorded their first episode of “The Outpost” in late June (click here to watch). Hert and Alexander act as hosts and producers of the show, while Oshkosh Media staff provides technical support, including directing the show and helping to get content ready for each monthly recording. “We’ve known Mike Hert a long time because he provides commentary for our coverage of the city’s Memorial Day Procession,” said Oshkosh Media Operations Coordinator Jake Timm. “Mike and Adam are excellent people, and we are so excited to work with them to help bring their message to our community.”

The show will feature different guests on each episode, with Adam and Mike taking time to ask them about their experience in military service and beyond. The Friends of Oshkosh Community Media, a non-profit organization with the mission of supporting Oshkosh Media, is providing funding to the DAV to help get the show off the ground. “The Friends recognize the value and importance of the stories the DAV is going to tell,” said Friends of OCM Board President Joe Wiedenmeier. “The community, as well as individuals, will benefit from knowing and gaining an understanding of the stories and history the DAV will share.”

To watch the show on-demand or to find a schedule for Life TV, go to www.OshkoshMedia.org. Life TV is available on Spectrum Cable in the City of Oshkosh on channel 2 in SD and is streaming live in HD anywhere on the Oshkosh Media Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV channels, as well as on the Oshkosh Media website. On-demand episodes of The Outpost will be available on the Oshkosh Media YouTube channel.