Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
[music] >>Lori: It's really fun for us when we are
just out and about in the community. Maybe here in Charleston and someone says, "Oh,
love you show! Went to that place that you guys were at!" So, it's, that's what's really
fun for us. I love that part. >>Kate: And I think that's one of the best
parts because, you know, we're doing something that people thoroughly enjoy and we're hearing
back about that. And I love that people can go and do and see what we see because that's
the best part about our job is the people we meet and the things that we see. So, being
able to share that with that many people is it's really great.
>>Kate: I've learned more than I've ever thought possible. You think you know everything about
your area. "Oh, I've probably seen that. Oh I've been there. Um, I'm familiar with that."
Not true at all. [laughing] When I started here I thought, "Oh, yeah this will be hard.
I don't even know what I'm going to come up with. We've already been, or seen or done..."
And it's just not true. I mean, I've learned about people, that's the best part is meeting
the people that we've met... I've learned about people that I would have never would
have found had it not been for this show. I've learned about places that I thought I
knew about the beaten path and being off of it, [laughing] but I didn't until I went here.
I mean, places you can't get to with a GPS. That's what I'm talking about. That is Heartland
Highways. >>Lori: I came here from Minnesota so I didn't
know where anything was. You know, I got this job at WEIU and what a great way to learn
about where you're going to live. They said, "You're going to do a travel show." And so
I discovered all these places as a, you know, a new Illinoisan and Minnesota has a, there's
an added "Minnesota nice..." Well, I think "Illinois nice." That's what I've found and
people are so incredibly kind and generous and welcoming. You know, when you think about
it, we go to people's houses. They just sort of let us in [laughing] and um, their just
their genuine people and talented people. And so I've learned really about the people
and that there is a culture here that is different than other places. I always like the journey
to get there. Just to see like, you know, you see these towns on a map and now you're
driving through them. Um, you know, when we went down to New Harmony that was a little
bit like the like the year of it trip and we talk about anything and we will sometimes
we find interesting things in the country side or in towns or funny signs or stuff like
that. >>Kate: Sometimes we stop and take random
pictures. [Lori: Yes, we do] We have we have a secret thing called the random [laughing]
picture file and it's just, you know, it's not stuff we share on the show because it
doesn't have anything to do with the stories, but it's stuff we find interesting that we
kind of take and put pictures of back and we call it the random picture file.
>>Lori: Yeah. >>Kate: It's the That's Random File.
>>Lori: Yeah, and the trip back from New Harmony I have a friend named Ellen and one named
Shelia. Well, I found a sign that's called Ellen Field and then I found another sign
for a bar called Tequila Shelia [laughing] so I took those pictures and sent them off
to my friends. >>Kate: You're getting to see things that
you may have otherwise passed by on the highway or on the back road or maybe you can't even
find the back road [mm hm] until we tell you were it is, so I think for the viewer, they're
getting to see real people just like them and maybe even in their community and they
get to see and share their story just like we do. Um, because, you know, what we're putting
out there is everything that we saw. You know, we're putting it out there for them and I
think that's a real benefit is having something that's this hyper local...
>>Lori: Right. >>Kate: ...right in their own community.
>>Lori: Well, and when we do pieces that are historical in nature... We've done different
things on the history of Eastern and there's a, you know, there's people that have lived
in this area forever that might not know that there is a dog buried on our campus and we,
so we hope that people, yes they learn to appreciate people, places in their backyard,
but they'll also learn a little bit about our history and were we've come from and,
you know, and where we're going. >>Kate: One time we flew on trapezes.
>>Lori: Yes! >>Kate: I actually froze climbing up the ladder.
[laughing] I hate to even admit that. I got about half way up and I was like, "I can't.
I can't." >>Lori: We have been put in, you know, we
have been able to experience things that we otherwise would not have. Like um, the trapeze
at the ISU Circus. We did some rock climbing; we went water skiing and wakeboarding.
>>Kate: We been on the Underground Cave. >>Lori: Yeah. I forgot about that.
>>Kate: Yeah, I mean its stuff you just forget about it. It's so numerous and then it pops
back up. But we've done so many things that we're so grateful to have the opportunity
to do, but lots of memorable moments. Even the ones that aren't, you know, something
we're physically doing, some of the people that we talk to, that we get to meet. You
know, we met Charlie Dukes over in Georgetown and his museum and his story are incredible.
>>Lori: We've been on for twelve years and we know that, you know, we lost people that
have been featured on the show and I heard this story about, this was the Mueller Museum
and we did this back in Season 1, and shortly after the story aired, the woman that we had
interviewed had passed away. And I heard, actually it was when we went back to the Mueller
Museum to do a story on the new museum, that the gentleman there said, you know that her
father is still alive and he has Alzheimer’s and he can't really remember anything, but
he has that show with her on it and he can remember her from that. [laughing] And when
I heard that I got pretty chocked up. >>Kate: Well, he watches it over and over...
>>Lori: Yeah, over and over again. >>Kate: ...and I mean, to have done something
that is that special to someone, I mean, it's unmatched.
>>Lori: And, you know, it does. For some of these people maybe it was there dad was a
collector or an artisan. I mean, it is a visual record of, you know, something that their
loved one did and you know. So, it's, it's, it's hard to see those people go, but it's
great that, you know, we were able to capture them and tell their story.
>>Kate: My biggest fan really is my grandma. So...
>>Lori: She is your biggest fan. [laughing] >>Kate: She, she watches all the shows and
she really enjoys them and well, she'll call and we'll chat about, you know, what story
she saw and what she liked about that story. And um, my best friend and her husband have
always been probably my biggest fans too and so they like to watch and they go to some
of the places that they want to go some of the places. They're asking me for more information.
So, it's really fun to know that families can catch up and watch it and then, you know,
see again what's right there in their own backyard.
>>Lori: My whole family had come down from Minnesota, my sisters and their husband and
we were at a local restaurant and the waitress, {laughing} this is, I don't think anything
of it anymore. The can say [Kate talking] "Oh, I watched this show over the week." Or
the waitress is like we know who you are and we love the show. My sister, my family was
like, "WOW!" [laughing] I was a little embarrassed but I mean.
>>Kate: It happens. I mean, that's not something I think about very often is that people do
know who we are... >>Lori: Yeah.
>>Kate: ...on occasion and I think they laugh. I mean, we're out together.
>>Lori: Yes. >>Kate: We're actually good friends so we
go out to lunch a lot or we'll go out to dinner or shopping or whatever and people, "Oh, oh,
I watch your show!" [Laughing] I never, ever think of myself like that so it’s like,
“Oh, thanking you so much!" It's like I'm doing something that touches you. I think
that's what touches me... >>Lori: Yeah.
>>Kate: ...is that we're doing something that touches other people, so.
[music out]