- John McGivern: I am in the city in Minnesota best known for one particular product.

- Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way. O&H Danish Bakery, where Kringle traditions begin.

- At We Energies, we believe communities are stronger when we all work together. For more than 40 years, the We Energies Foundation has supported charitable organizations across Wisconsin. Together, we are creating a brighter future.

- Twenty-minute commutes. Weekends on the lake. Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities. Not to mention all the local flavor! There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin. Learn more at InWisconsin.com.

- From the Green Circle Trail to Point Brewery, you'll find more fun in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

- Looking to bring life to your Wisconsin Dells getaway? Bring your family, bring your friends, bring an extra suit, and bring on the water parks. Summer in Wisconsin Dells. Bring it on! Wisconsin Dells, the waterpark capital of the world. WisDells.com.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely at many Main Streets. Heiser itself has been in the community for over 100 years. We have worked hard to achieve the American dream, and now it's your community's turn. We are here to help.

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos. It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream, or a treat of a different kind, or slow down and relax. Ask anyone who's made memories here. We'll all tell you the same thing: You just gotta see Greendale!

- Announcer: Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

§ 'Cause these are our Main Streets §

§ Something 'bout a hometown speaks to me §

§ There's nowhere else I'd rather be §

§ The heart and soul of community's right here §

§ On these Main Streets §

- Welcome to Austin. Are you thinking Texas? No, it's Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota. Or Spamtown, USA. Why? Because it's the home of Hormel Foods. Hormel, here, it's a name you will hear a lot of. Austin has a population of 24,000. It is the largest city in Mower County. And it's about 30 miles southwest of Rochester. And just a stone's throw from the Iowa border. So the reason we came to Austin this season is because of the SPAM museum.

- Emmy Fink: Mm-hmm.

- John: But we found out very quickly that there is so much more to do and see here.

- Emmy: I mean, one could say, John, there's more than meets the eye?

- Wow.

- He's not impressed.

- No, no, no, keep your day job.

- This is the day job.

- Okay, well, keep it then. Yeah; the name Austin. Was it Austin Hormel?

- That would be a good story, except that would not be a true story. So we're not gonna tell that on this show.

- Okay.

- But let me introduce you to the real guy. His name is Austin Nichols. He was the first European settler to come here in the mid-1850s. He came looking for land and a place to hunt, and people followed. And then of course, the Cedar River, that really helped to grow this town because mills were built on the water and they made things like flour and lumber for this growing community.

- But the name Hormel has gotta be. . . It's everywhere in town. So what's that history?

- Yes, so that comes from George Hormel. So he was born in Buffalo, New York. Then went to Chicago to work at a slaughterhouse, then became a fur trader, and that's how he found his way to Austin here. The story goes, him and his business partner, and they had a $500 loan. They bought a small butcher shop. And a few years later, he bought out the business partner, made it his own, and well, you see what took place.

- And he seemed to know what he was doing.

- I mean, big dreams. A small butcher shop to this?

- John: Yeah.

- Emmy: Hormel Foods? Stunning.

- Austin.

- Austin.

- Love it. Everybody knows SPAM.

- Savile Lord: Everybody does.

- Everybody, yeah.

- Everybody comes through those doors with this kind of starry-eyed look. Austin was started by an entrepreneur, George Hormel. He started with one worker, and here we are, 133 years later, as a globally-branded food company.

- John: Dinty Moore is theirs?

- Savile: Yes.

- John: I had no idea. Do they still can hams like this?

- Savile: Yes, they do.

- John: They do?

- Savile: Yep, yes. 

- John: Did you say cooked in the can? Did you say that?

- It is 100% cooked in its own can.

- John: How does that work?

- So it is cooked in a six-story pressure cooker. And it takes about two and a half to three hours to fully make and then to fully cook.

- How many SPAM cans tall am I?

- Savile: Yes, 21 and a half.

- Wow.

- Savile: 22. 22 and a half.

- John: So the first can of SPAM came when?

- 1937. We got SPAM, from the SP from spiced, and the AM from ham, from this original can.

- John: SPAM. 

- Savile: SPAM.

- I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was raised by an Irish Catholic woman who boiled everything.

- Yeah.

- So we got boiled SPAM, just so you know.

- Ooh.

- John: I wish she had fried it a bit.

- Savile: SPAM is sold in 47 countries.

- John: That's amazing. 8 million-plus cans a year. 

- 8 million-plus.

- John: In Hawaii alone.

- Sevile: Yes. China, South Korea, Latin America. She is singing about all the cool ways you can make SPAM. Who doesn't love a little spammy?

- This is regular; this is what we all know. Tocino, they make it for the Philippines. Teriyaki, bacon, hickory smoke, jalapeño. I'd love that. Maple, this is their newest. Look at this. It's like candied meat.

Come on! I'm working here. You ready? Here we go.

- Savile: Keep going.

- Nineteen seconds. One can, 8 million to go. And that's just for Hawaii.

- We don't have a restaurant in here. Very purposeful. There are 12-plus restaurants in Austin that serve SPAM. So we send them out into the community to spend their money, truly helping us support the community in which we live.

- And that's the real definition of all boats float.

- Yes.

- This is Leo, my helper today. Here we go. That's a good one.

- They're both good, aren't they?

- Well, I'm not really sure. Should we try another one?

- Do you want the whole platter?

- Another day and another dream come true. I'm a SPAM-bassador, and these are the SPAM-ples that I'm serving today. And you have SPAM-tastic days.

- If you get here to Austin, you cannot miss this photo op. This is Buffy the Cow, and she is a big deal. She lives the good life here at the Mower County Fairgrounds. And she's basically like the unofficial mascot. So she used to live on the roof of a local dairy until that building sold. And then she found her forever home. She got a little makeover. And she is good as new. But follow me; here's the real photo op. Underneath. Everybody does this, I promise. 

[camera clicks]

[cow moos]

- John: I am standing on the stage at the beautiful Paramount Theater. It was built in 1929. It was built as an atmospheric theater. And this atmosphere is "Spanish villa under the stars.”

[gentle showtune music]

§ Shout Hallelujah §

§ Praise His holy name §

We're sitting on stage at the Paramount Theater. And we're talking about the Austinaires?

- Kalle Akkerman: Correct.

- John: You're the choir director for them. Is that the high school group?

- It is, that's what I call the flagship of our music department at Austin High School. Yep, one of the top auditioned choir.

- John: These weren't high school kids.

- Kalle: These are not high school kids.

- No, no, who are these?

- These are the alumni of the Austinaires.

§ Praise His holy name §

§ Praise His name §

- John: I haven't been to church on a Wednesday in. . .

[Kalle laughing]

So it was good. You brought me to church.

- Kalle: Oh, good. 

- And have they been around a while, the Austinaires?

- The Austinaires have been around going on probably 60 years.

- John: Sixty years? How many in the choir?

- Kalle: Generally, it's about 24.

- John: 24?

- Kalle: Yep.

- John: And do you have to limit it?

- Kalle: Yes, rigorous audition process.

- Wow, and do you try to get them involved when they're freshmen so that you've got a stable of—

- Yeah, we work hard in recruitment even at fifth grade. We do a elementary school tour at the end of the year and perform for all these kids. And literally, all of my senior kids say, "I remember seeing them come to our school and I wanted to do that."

- John: "I wanna do that."

- Kalle: Austin is what we've always called a choir town. That's the big ticket item for everybody in this community, is to get to go see these kids perform something that they love, that they're passionate about. And you get to see a side of those kids on stage that you don't get anywhere else. And that's what opened me up as a musician. And now I get to help my students do the same thing.

- John: That's great.

- Kalle: Yeah.

- They say that Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, and two of those lakes are right here in Austin. But they're different. Why?

[quirky music]

- Almost all of the 87 counties in Minnesota have at least one natural lake. Mower County, where we are, they're just a little bit different. Their two lakes, which are East Side Lake and Mill Pond, they're manmade. Not that it makes them any less enjoyable.

- I am in front of the historic Hormel house. I know what you're thinking. "John mispronounced Hor-mMEL." No, Hor-MEL is the company. Hormel is the family. It was changed by the marketing department because they thought Hormel sounded too German. It was back in a time when sounding too German just wasn't good. When George Hormel arrived and began his legacy of Hormel Foods, he lived in this house with his wife, Lillian. They bought this house in 1901 for $3,000. 

They loved to decorate. So they have materials and decorations from Europe. They put those columns in front of the house and raised the roof line. And the historic Hormel house is open to the public, and it's something that you really need to see. So when you are in town, they talk about the Hormel family and they talk about the Hormel company. Now, you know. Good tidbit, yes?

So it's the Hormel Institute. And it's a study of what here?

- Dr. Robert Clarke: So we do what we call cancer plus. We study cancer, but we also study those things that affect cancer risk or affect outcomes once you get cancer. 

- John: And has that always been the study here?

- Dr. Clarke: No, no, no. What we started doing initially was studies on food, food chemistry, food science, preservation.

- John: And did George have anything to do with this?

- Dr. Clarke: He did.

- John: George Hormel?

- Dr. Clarke: He created the institute and gifted it to the university.

- Is a research of this size typical for a city of this size?

- Dr. Clarke: It's very atypical. And if you were to look over there, there's a Fortune 300 food company world headquarters. That's pretty unusual for 26,000 people in a city too. And you've got both. You will get to see a microscope that we have here, which is pretty unique.

- Bob, where's the microscope? Come on. Is that it?

- That's it.

- John: And what's it called?

- Dr. Clarke: Cryo-Electron microscope. This is as close as they're allowed to get when they're collecting data.

- Are you collecting right now?

- Yeah, right now, yes.

- Yes. 

- Yeah, who's the best collector here?

- We're all. . . We're all a team.

[John laughs]

- Dr. Clarke: And it allows us to look at the structure of individual molecules right down to the individual atoms.

- There's only one here in Minnesota.

- Right, and you're working on it.

- Dr. Luke Hoeppner: Curing cancer is, like, an incremental process. So I don't think, like, one day there's going to be a sudden cure for cancer. But, like, over decades of research, people make progress. And as a basic scientist, my job is to understand mechanisms of cancer.

- John: Is there research going on right now that you're excited about?

- Dr. Hoeppner: There's a drug, and it's quite effective for the first year or two. But then unfortunately, a lot of patients develop resistance. We're investigating how that resistance occurs so that we can prevent or overcome it. 

- So your hope and dream is to what, as far as work goes?

- Make the world a better place by improving human health.

- Yeah.

- Dr. Clarke: I'm hoping that this place becomes recognized for what it is: a world-class biomedical research institute in a small rural city in Minnesota.

- Just so you know, I was very excited that I could come because I got to wear the coat.

- Yes; you look good in it.

- That's how simple my life is, okay?

- Wonderful talking with you.

- I really respect what you do. Thank you so much.

- Have you ever wondered what you could do with 20,000 forks? Well, you could make "The Big Fork," which is what this is called. We're outside the Hormel headquarters. This is called the People Plaza. And all of their employees donated a fork and then an artist put this together. Isn't this beautiful? It's a tribute to the food that powers our world and the people who make it, right here at Hormel. One more awesome photo op right here with the big fork.

[camera clicks]

- I grew up on the east side of Milwaukee and on the 2900 block of Oakland Avenue, there was Sedida's Meat Market. This feels exactly the same. So the sign outside said Knauer Meats. How long's it been around?

- Mark Knauer: They came over in 1886.

- And did they start a meat market in 1886?

- Yes. Austin originally had about 40 meat markets.

- Forty?

- Mark: We are the last one.

- John: You are?

- Mark: We are. 

- John: So your dad was part of this business? His dad was part of this business?

- Yep.

- And his dad as well.

- And the great-great-grandfather.

- Wow. Jake is the next generation. You've been here how long?

- Jake Bos: 20 years.

- 20 years, yeah?

- Yes.

- So did you know his dad?

- I did, yep. His mom and his dad; I worked for 'em both.

- I guess you have to sell this here, don't you?

- Yes. 

- Do you eat SPAM?

- Once in a while.

- You do? Okay.

- Yes, yep, on occasion.

- John: And what do we have here?

- Chicken, pork, beef. This time of year, we sell a lot of stuff for the smoker. Tri-tips have kinda taken off this summer.

- John: What is a tri-tip?

- It's kind of a triangle cut. It's kind of by the sirloin. The fresh meat case.

- John: It's gorgeous. 

- Jake: This is all cut to order. We grind and wrap all of our own hamburger every day.

- John: If you were to go home and make something, what's your favorite? Ribeye?

- Ribeye.

- John: Ribeye.

- Yeah.

- And whatever that rim is on the. . .

- The cap. That's the ribeye cap. That is that nice cap that you're talking about there.

- John: That's the best part of it.

- Yeah, beautiful. Throw it up on the scale here.

- What is this guy?

- Jake: That is a old-fashioned Toledo scale.

- John: You have to look straight on, don't you?

- You have to look straight on.

- Okay.

- You see that one there?

- Yeah.

- That is exactly one pound.

- One pound?

- It's a 16-ounce ribeye right there. 

- That's nice.

- Yep.

- And who's your source? Is it Minnesota?

- All upper Midwest beef. My wholesale supplier's up out of Minneapolis. They buy from all around surrounding areas.

- Yeah.

- So this is our famous beef jerky, and this is made in ten-pound batches. People buy it, send it as gifts. I've had it sent all over the world. First time trying. . .

- Mmm.

- Liking our beef jerky?

- Taste is great.

- Yeah.

- You want a hunk?

- I'm okay.

- Okay.

- Thank you though. Some mornings, some days, it's my breakfast and my lunch. And we also have meat bundles. So somebody will come up and say, "I want my whole meat for the month. Gimme this variety box here." This has got 40 pounds of meat in it.

- John: You can't just come in and get this?

- Jake: Yeah, we have it all ready to go right now.

- John: Oh, you do?

- Yeah.

- What time do you open on Friday? [laughs]

- 9 o'clock.

- Okay, good. Yeah, that's great.

- Yep.

[upbeat music]

- If you love bicycles, then ride yours over here. This is Rydjor Bike Shop and Museum in downtown Austin. They're celebrating 50 years this year. It's the place in town to come for a new bicycle, to get yours repaired. And if you don't have to do either of those, come in anyway, 'cause it's a great, great museum. That's it. It's the 1962 Sears Spacelander. Got it for my First Communion. Love that. Received Jesus and a bike. Rydjor Bike Shop and Museum. Great place.

[upbeat music]

We're at a place that everybody knows in town. It's called Tendermaid. It's got some loose meat sandwiches, doesn't it?

- Sara White: Sure does.

- John: When did you take charge of this place?

- Sara: 1997. I grew up in Austin. This was my husband's dream to own the Tendermaid, so it was when we were childhood sweethearts. So we'd drive by back in the day and he'd be like, "That's gonna be Whitey's Tendermaid someday." And I would laugh like, "Oh, that would be the greatest thing." And then later on, it became reality. 

- John: And it's been here since when?

- Sara: 1938.

- John: 1938?

- Sara: Yes, a gentleman came from Iowa and he stood on all different intersections in Austin. And this was the busiest intersection in 1938.

- John: Do you know a lot of people who come in here?

- Sara: Yep, we're like, "Here comes Bruce." "Let's get his burgers ready."

- Employee: We already know.

- Sara: Yup.

- Oh, what's this little guy right here?

- Pretty warm, hot. So this is our bun warmer.

- This is your bun warmer?

- That warms our buns. 

- It's a room of loose meat. Look at this!

- Sara: Look at that steam. This is the original cooker that was built in 1938.

- Is it on a hill, like?

- It's built on a slant. As it's cooking, we move it up. And then we can put another raw one down here and cook it.

- Oh, you can.

- And move it up. Cook it and move it up. And then you. . .

- More?

- Sara: It's like you went to Tendermaid school.

- John: How's that?

- Sara: Yep.

- John: Pickles?

- Sara: Yeah, that's plenty.

- John: Very good. This goes on top?

- Yeah, that goes on top. And then set it in the middle. And then the wrapping is super-duper important. Not just super; it's duper important.

- You're scaring me right now.

- I know.

- John: This way? Or underneath?

- And then. . .

- And then over.

- Yes, 'cause you don't want it to, like, fall apart when you pick it up.

- Not bad. I hope we don't get busy, 'cause I'm gonna be scared. 

[all laughing]

- Sara: People are looking for places unique to the area instead of a chain or a fast food. They want a family-owned restaurant. I have no doubt we'll see a hundred for sure.

- John: Right. To you girls.

- Thank you.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Cheers. This was really fun. 

- Sara: Good.

- John: Thanks for letting us in.

- Sara: It was fun for us too.

- Hormel is not the only famous name that came out of Austin. There's another name that everyone in your family, every generation would know this name.

[quirky music]

- Everyone knows John Madden! That's right; he was born right here in Austin in 1936. And that guy has done it all. Football legend. Super Bowl-winning football coach, Emmy Award-winning commentator. There's the Madden bus. My husband told me all about the Madden video games. Boom! John Madden!

[gentle upbeat music]

- Austin has a great art scene. And an indication of that art scene is this place right here. It's Austin Artwork Center. Three floors of all kind of art. On the first floor, there's a store where you can buy works from local artists. Second floor, there's a rotating gallery. You can take a painting class. You can take a pottery class. So when you think of Austin art-wise, there is something for everyone. 

[gentle music]

We're at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

- This is the Jay C. Hormel. So this is George's son. You know, we talked about George earlier in the show. And this is really how this nature center all began. He planted the very first tree on this property back in 1927. There are now over 200,000 trees.

- It's amazing. So the city is known as Spamtown, USA. And do you know what it used to be known as?

- I sure do.

- What?

- Pearl City.

- Pearl City.

- They used to harvest freshwater clams and mussels out of the Cedar River. It was like the big thing back in the late 1800s. Then, not so much, because everyone came looking for pearls.

- 'Cause they called it Pearl City.

- Exactly.

- People came from everywhere. 

- You can't advertise all the goods, right?

- You can't.

- People will come. But also the river pollution. It really just wiped out the population.

- Is it coming back, or what's going on?

- Yes, the DNR is working super hard on trying to bring these mussels back. They're tracking them; it's so cool.

- But you can't be digging around for clams or mussels on the Cedar River.

- That's right, you heard it right here. 'Cause it is illegal in Minnesota to collect live mussels. Don't even think about about it. 

- John: Don't even think about it.

There is a lot to do on your own. But the staff can help you as well because the staff can take you maple syruping.

- Emmy: Yes, you can go look for monarch butterflies.

- John: Honeymaking.

- Emmy: Oh, yes.

- John: There's a covered bridge. There's a watch tower in the middle of this property. Emmy, how much does it cost?

- It's free. It's all free. 

- Zero.

- Free parking, free admission.

- John: So are you gonna hike the trails?

- Emmy: Yes!

- John: You are?

- Emmy: Yes, we're gonna go together.

- John: The ten miles?

- Emmy: Yes, come on.

- John: No, I'm not really sure I can, no.

- He's gonna be sorry.

- Yeah, oh, I'm gonna be so sorry.

- This is such a neat thing about the nature center. They have these power track chairs. Check them out. If you have any mobility issues, this is what you wanna use. And you can use them for free. I told you, the track chair. Handles any terrain; you missed out!

- Okay, now I am sorry. See ya, Em.

- I'm off to explore!

- I am on Main Street in Austin on a bridge that spans the Mill Pond. And on this bridge, they have an initiative called the Pillars of the City. Each year, three people past or present are nominated. And those people who gave so much to the city of Austin are honored with their image and their story on the pillars that span this bridge. Like Miguel, right here. 

We're in the park. What park are we in, Miguel?

- Miguel Garate: This is Rotary Park.

- Rotary Park.

- This is one of the Oaxacan community park.

- So Oaxaca is a city and a state in Mexico.

- In Mexico.

- And there's a large population of people from that city and state?

- What I love about them, they're very humble people. They're very giving people.

- John: Let's talk basketball. Can these guys play some ball? [John laughs] Wow!

- Miguel: When they start playing basketball and then we make an announcement, people say, "Miguel, I'm pretty sure you made a mistake; soccer." I say, "No." Not only the guy, the girls too.

- That's not typical in Mexico though, is it?

- Of course not.

- No.

- Soccer is our number-one game in Mexico.

- John: So the tournament, this is an annual event that you do?

- Miguel: Every year. And then what is amazing, I have people from North Carolina and people from Iowa, from Wisconsin. They bring income to our communities.

- John: Nice.

- And what happened is that not only we do basketball. In the morning, we had the ribbon cutting. The mayor come over here, 8 o'clock. And then from there, we go to church. And we have a service in church with music, and the church is packed.

[mariachi music]

And then we start walking from church all the way here. And then in church. . .

- John: It's more than just a basketball game?

- Miguel: It's more like a celebration. And then this event is not only for fun, it's like a fundraiser. All the money they get together, they send it back to Oaxaca.

- John: You know you're gonna end up on a bridge there.

- No, no, no.

- You will!

- It's amazing that the fundraiser is for a good cause.

- Yeah.

- Miguel: When I retire, I would like to have a little house in Oaxaca. I love the culture, I love the food, and I love the people.

- This is Austin High School. This massive school was originally built in 1869. And of course, there has been a few additions. Now here's the part that I'm just not so sure of. So they call themselves the Austin Packers to honor Hormel's history, like a meat packer. Except maybe nobody told them there's only one kind of packer. A Green Bay Packer, says the girl from Wisconsin.

[upbeat music]

- So we came because of Hormel and because of the SPAM museum. But come on, we found a lot of stuff, didn't we?

- We found art, we found food, we found music. But we really found a fabulous sense of community.

- We did.

- That's what I like.

- It's great. 

- And did you forget your hat?

- Excuse me?

- Come on!

- No, I'm wearing SPAM socks, yeah.

- You show 'em to me!

§ There's nowhere else I'd rather be §

§ The heart and soul of community §

- Emmy: Oh, no. Oh, Gail! We're just gonna milk 'er while we're under here.

- Oh, my God. It's mini pearl.

[all laughing]

This is more fun than I've had all week.

- See ya. [John laughing]

- Can you cut right there?

- Lois: That's good.

[hands clap]

- Announcer: Thanks to our underwriters.

- My father taught me that to make great bakery, you have to do it the right way. O&H Danish Bakery, where Kringle traditions begin.

- At We Energies, we believe communities are stronger when we all work together. For more than 40 years, the We Energies Foundation has supported charitable organizations across Wisconsin. Together, we are creating a brighter future.

- Twenty-minute commutes. Weekends on the lake. Warm welcomes and exciting career opportunities. Not to mention all the local flavor! There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin. Learn more at InWisconsin.com. 

- From the Green Circle Trail to Point Brewery, you'll find more fun in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

- Looking to bring life to your Wisconsin Dells getaway? Bring your family, bring your friends, bring an extra suit, and bring on the water parks. Summer in Wisconsin Dells. Bring it on! Wisconsin Dells, the waterpark capital of the world. Wisdells.com.

- Heiser Automotive is honored to help John McGivern and his team arrive safely at many Main Streets. Heiser itself has been in the community for over 100 years. We have worked hard to achieve the American dream, and now it's your community's turn. We are here to help. 

- Wisconsin's picture-perfect historic downtown Greendale isn't just a great backdrop for photos. It's the perfect place to experience history, get a treat for your furry friends or for yourself, grab some ice cream or a treat of a different kind, or slow down and relax. Ask anyone who's made memories here. We'll all tell you the same thing. You just gotta see Greendale!

- Announcer: Thanks to the Friends of Plum Media and to the Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

- So happy we came to Austin. I finally found a store that sells furniture for my grotto. Brick Furniture. No napping on that couch.