- Announcer: The following program
is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
- Angela Fitzgerald: Coming up on Wisconsin Life:
Meet a Milwaukee curator
showcasing art throughout the city.
- Welcome everyone.
I will be your guide today.
- Angela: A forager unearthing the wild world of mushrooms
in Bayfield. - Forager: Whoa!
- Angela: The family behind a famous fiberglass graveyard
in Sparta,
and a Windsor woman helping to rescue squirrels.
That's all ahead on Wisconsin Life.
[bright music]
- Announcer: Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by:
the Wooden Nickel Fund,
Mary and Lowell Peterson,
the A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family,
the Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
UW Health,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
[people cheering]
[drumline drumming]
- We're in Milwaukee celebrating Juneteenth!
I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald,
and this is Wisconsin Life.
The festival is held each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
in the historic Harambee neighborhood.
[groovy music]
- Happy Juneteenth!
- Angela: Juneteenth has been celebrated since the late 1800s
and continues to be a day to remember
and celebrate Emancipation Day every June 19.
A day to commemorate the end of slavery,
honoring the lives of those who have sacrificed
in the pursuit of freedom and equality.
All while celebrating Black culture and heritage.
Hosted by the Northcott Neighborhood House
since the '70s,
the celebration in Milwaukee begins with a parade,
an opening ceremony,
and a day of fun, food, music, and community.
With designated areas and activities for kids,
teens, veterans, and seniors, there's something for everyone.
I'll parade more around the festivities here later,
but now, let's head out around the state
for our first story.
We head up north to Bayfield
to forage with an amateur mycologist
on the hunt for fungal finds.
[jazzy music]
- Arne Martinson: There are thousands of different types
of mushrooms in Wisconsin.
It's an incredibly diverse area.
My name is Arne Martinson.
I am a amateur mycologist from northern Wisconsin.
A mycologist is someone who studies mushrooms.
Beautiful Amanita muscaria.
This is kinda, like, the most famous mushroom in the world.
This is the mushroom emoji in your phone.
I love mushrooms.
I've spent the better part of my life studying
and trying to understand them better.
My property is a great spot for mushrooms.
Welcome, everyone.
I will be your guide today.
What is a mushroom?
Mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungi,
so they're essentially just the reproductive part of fungi.
And, of course, there's many delicious ones,
many poisonous ones.
Now we can get in the woods and find the good stuff.
Some of 'em turn bright colors when you cut 'em open,
some of 'em bleed milk
and all sorts of crazy, crazy features.
[jazzy piano music]
- Forager 1: Wow! - Forager 2: Oh, that's pretty.
Is that a...? - Arne: It's a web cap,
a Cortinarius.
These are cool.
These are little coral mushroom.
They're beautiful,
and they come in all different colors.
- Forager 3: Love the coral mushrooms.
They're so cool.
- I have a hundred favorites.
The amethyst deceiver is a beautiful purple mushroom
that only stays purple right after the rain.
It's one of those things that people think
is in the rainforest or in a far-off place, but no.
There's, all these things are right here in Wisconsin
and they're incredible.
You know, there's so many vibrant colors
and things that you would not expect to find
in amongst the leaves in the Northwoods.
This way, sorry for the mud.
It won't be that bad.
This is one of what we call the waxy caps,
and it's not eaten at all.
In fact, this one's a PYP mushroom.
So, make you "Poop Your Pants."
You don't want this mushroom.
But all the waxy caps are super florescent,
brightly colored, orange or yellow or red.
We're about to be moving into sort of a rare environment
for this area,
which is a cedar hemlock swamp environment.
And so, we'll see really unique mushrooms there.
There's a moment where it just kind of clicks for 'em,
where they realize, like,
"Oh, I've ignored an entire kingdom on this planet."
And suddenly, they open their eyes and it's really wonderful.
- Forager 3: [gasps] Whoa!
- Arne: Oh, here we go.
These are parrot mushrooms.
And if you guys like, we can take a photo of them real quick.
So that is the black parrot mushroom,
and super sought after by mushroom nerds for its beauty,
and rarely seen because it's so hard to see 'em.
There's always a surprise.
Every single day, I find something
that just blows my mind out in the woods.
It's very cool.
[blue jay calling]
This is a fantastic example of the eastern destroying angel.
But this is one of only two deadly mushrooms
we have in Wisconsin.
And if we extract it kinda carefully from the base,
you can see... - Forager 4: Whoa!
- Arne: ...this beautiful, beautiful mushroom.
- Forager 5: Oh, my gosh!
- Arne: Isn't that just, like, gorgeous?
Extremely poisonous though,
so we can leave it behind. [chuckles]
I had someone the other day tell me
that they never looked at mushrooms until my class,
and now it's all they do out in the woods,
and they saw a salamander for the first time.
Ooh, you got a little newt, look at that!
Beautiful.
This is a salamander or a newt.
Have any of you never seen one of these before?
- Forager 5: I've never seen one of these.
- Forager 6: Never seen one. - Forager 5: Really?
- We talk about the plants, the wildlife.
You really get a sense of, you know, the whole ecosystem.
I just love every minute in the woods.
It's a dream job to be able to be in the woods
and to be showing people things that fascinate me.
I love watching people experience things
that bring me joy as well.
[relaxing music]
- Angela: Next, we return to Milwaukee to meet a curator
showcasing a variety of art around the city.
Phoenix S. Brown is a curator,
helping other people share their story through art.
- Phoenix S. Brown: As curator, my responsibility
is to program the gallery spaces.
I coordinate artists, I develop exhibitions,
I help run creative programming
in response to the art that's on the wall.
Very powerful piece by...
- Angela: Phoenix works in this space, Gallery 507,
at the Bronzeville Center for the Arts.
- This organization was started by artists,
which is really exciting.
I'm also an artist,
so I love learning about how artists make their work.
- Angela: This artistic hub,
located on Milwaukee's north side,
is rooted in art, culture, and African-American history.
- Phoenix: Bronzeville is a cultural overlay
of, like, a few neighborhoods here in Milwaukee.
Black residents have been here since the early 19th century,
so the neighborhood is really known
for Black cultural production.
- Angela: In addition to her work
in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Phoenix has curated work
in some of Milwaukee's most prestigious mansions.
- Phoenix: At the turn of the 20th century,
this was considered the Gold Coast.
There was a lot of wealthy families building mansions
along this corridor.
This home was the homestead
of Sarah Ball Allis and Charles Allis.
They were industrialists,
and Charles Allis was the president of Allis Chalmers.
- Angela: The Allis mansion
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As curator, Phoenix would find contemporary artists
searching for a temporary place to showcase their work.
- The room that we're in right now is called the French parlor.
On this wall, we have a lot of French oil paintings
that are, like, beautifully framed.
Everything is original to the collection.
And then also in the space, we juxtapose contemporary art
next to, like, the historic works.
- I'll just hand you one, and then I'll take the other one.
- Phoenix: And our previous exhibitions
have kind of responded to, like, people who identify
as LGBTQIA here in the community and people of color,
so thinking about critical issues of identity
and hierarchies of power and feminism.
- Angela: When Sarah Allis passed away,
she had one last wish for her art collection
and this Tudor-style home.
- Phoenix: In the will, she dictated that
whoever runs the home
must inspire, delight, and educate with the collections.
- Angela: For three years, Phoenix was that person
honoring Sarah's wish.
- Phoenix: This place is special.
It's like a gem of historic relevance
that I think people often overlook,
and it holds a lot of Milwaukee history.
- Angela: At the same time
Phoenix was overseeing the art collection at the Allis,
she was helping reclaim another piece of Milwaukee's past
a short walk away at Villa Terrace.
- Phoenix: It was the original home to Lloyd and Agnes Smith
of the A. O. Smith Company.
Villa Terrace was constructed in 1924.
The inspiration for the villa came
when the family went to Italy.
It kind of appears as though
that you may be on the Mediterranean Sea.
- Angela: Preserving the vestiges of power and privilege
was not lost on Phoenix as she curated the mansions.
- Phoenix: These are two homes that were owned by white people.
So, like, finding ways to make those accessible
to our largest populations here is really important.
Welcoming communities in
that may have never felt welcomed before
'cause it is intimidating.
You don't really know what's possible for yourself
unless you see someone that looks like you
doing the same thing.
And luckily in my life, I've had people who are people of color
in these sorts of positions.
- Angela: Every place Phoenix works,
representation and access are at the center of her mission.
- Phoenix: They are the first two Black men
to be on a baseball team and be brothers.
This is important to me
'cause it feels like I am giving a platform to people
that haven't had it in the past.
And sometimes, it's best for people of color
to tell their own stories, you know?
That's, like, a privilege that we don't always get
in this sort of sphere.
I think it just really emphasizes the impact
that he's had on the Negro League baseball league
here in America.
And I think it's important to keep telling these stories
and hold these stories so Milwaukeeans in the future
are able to learn about where we came from as a city.
- Angela: The art sphere Phoenix creates
is welcoming for all of Milwaukee,
whether that is at a mansion museum
or in the heart of Bronzeville.
[Phoenix chuckles] - I love curatorial.
Curatorial is amazing,
and it's a privilege to be in these roles.
And I just love working with artists.
It brings me joy.
But then also, it's kind of like,
people just doing really cool stuff. [laughs]
[bright music]
- I'm finding my groove at Juneteenth in Milwaukee
with the Northcott Neighborhood House,
diving into the action from lively music to local flavors.
[groovy music]
While exploring, I met up with Reginald Jones,
who shares a backyard with the festival.
- Reginald Jones: Back in the mid-1950s,
my parents bought a house
about 300 yards from where we're standing.
- Oh, wow. - So I'm literally at home.
Well, what's important about this
is we'll find that research does justice to history.
And Juneteenth Day specifically
commemorates the end of chattel slavery
in the United States.
We do know the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863,
but unfortunately, the men and women
who were still held in bondage in Galveston, Texas,
had no clue that system had ended.
[cheers and applause]
As you can all see, the streets is teeming with people.
I'm glad they made it down.
And what's unique
about the Milwaukee Juneteenth celebration,
it is one of the longest-running and largest celebrations
in the entire nation.
- Angela: A celebration that's been welcoming folks of all ages
to come together.
Including longtime attendee Rosalind Baker.
What was it like when it was first starting?
- It was nice.
Well, we thought it was wonderful.
'Cause you know, it was some packed,
but nothing like this.
When I came back from North Carolina last year
and I saw this, I said, "My God!
[Angela chuckles] "This is so wonderful!
It's beautiful!"
And this is where I sit when I come
so I can see everybody go past.
[groovy music]
- Angela: From shopping to games to delicious food,
it's all happening
at Milwaukee's Juneteenth celebration.
[applause] [indistinct conversation]
Now, we head to Sparta,
to meet the family behind a fiberglass graveyard
crafting larger-than-life creations.
[gentle music]
- Becky Lakowske: People have no idea what they're looking at.
It stands out just because it's not something you see
everywhere, every day.
- Ryan Lakowske: Our mold graveyard has become
an unintentional attraction to a lot of people.
This weird oddity of a field
that has a bunch of skeletons left over from projects.
There's a lot of life left in that graveyard.
I'm Ryan Lakowske, and this is my wife Rebecca.
We own FAST Fiberglass. [hammering]
We make a lot of fiberglass animals
and statues of all kinds.
And waterpark slides,
or anything that the industry calls for.
[television static] - We found a clue
in our mystery about where these big critters come from.
- Becky: The beginnings of FAST really started
in the late '60s, early '70s.
That's where the whole idea had started.
The business switched hands to another owner two more times,
and then in 2020, Ryan and I purchased the business.
[equipment buzzing]
One of the cool things about having a business
that is well established and well known
is there are a lot of notable projects
that have already been done.
[bright music]
- Ryan: One of the most recognizable projects
that FAST has been involved with
is the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
up in Hayward, Wisconsin.
A lot of people have seen the pink elepant.
That's a big known one.
- Becky: The Paul Bunyan in the Dells
is another one that people recognize,
especially for its size.
We have products that have gone all over the United States.
- Ryan: 30-foot eyeball, that was in Chicago for a while,
and dogs balancing taxi cabs on their nose in New York.
The company's had a past history of quite a few cool projects.
But we're doing our own thing now too,
and we got a few cool ones under our belt.
Some of the current pieces we're working on here
is a nine-foot dog that we're making for service vet dogs.
We're making a Santa sleigh golf cart.
We're hoping to get that in the parade this year.
We just finished up a shark.
It's for a car wash down in Georgia.
And you drive right through the mouth.
- One of our bigger, more notable projects that we did
was a flamingo that's at the Tampa Bay airport,
and this was one where we worked with an artist on it.
It's a 26-foot flamingo neck, as well as the feet.
An airport has hundreds of thousands of people
that view it, so it was a fun way
to really get our name out there.
- Some days, it feels like playing, you know?
It feels like, you know, you can take other people's ideas
and dreams and try to turn 'em into reality.
The main thing that we've changed since owning the place
is we've brought a lot more technology into it.
A lot of the custom jobs that we do now
are done through the computer,
so it eliminates a lot of the trial and error.
- Becky: So, Ryan and I have three kids.
It's been really fun as they get older
to see them become more involved and more interested.
They're able to learn how a business runs
and be able to see where they can fit into it.
After school, they run over and check the catalog box,
and if it's empty, they go get catalogs
and they put it in the box.
As our oldest is now 12,
he's becoming more and more interested in the business,
and it's really fun to watch him grow and learn.
He is really into technology,
definitely takes after his father.
- See that? - Nice.
- Instead of it being so tight, it turns into a big, wide one.
- Becky: So he's been learning a lot of the computer programs.
- Dexton Lakowske: Some skills that I've gained in school
goes directly to what I do here because it's like,
science, engineering, math, and technology.
- They find where they fit in here
and what they can do, and they really enjoy it.
[child grunting] - Okay.
- Becky: It's a pretty big space for kids,
and what kid wouldn't just absolutely love it here?
- Get that laid out then
and just start putting the black down?
- I think I would.
The rest of the team too, I mean,
honestly, they're starting to feel like family too.
The years of experience that they all have under their belt.
They've been a part of this company before we owned it.
They've taught me so much.
I couldn't do it without them.
Of course, I want the company to grow.
I want it to be here for the kids.
The most important part to me
is the business itself is still running.
And it's still taking care of not only our family,
but the family of all of the employees
and people that we have here with us.
- Becky: FAST has built a good name over the years,
and it's not only our job but responsibility
to keep that going.
[bright music]
- Angela: For our last tale,
we meet a wildlife rehabilitator in Windsor
giving squirrels a second chance.
[playful music]
It's not every day someone gets to feed a baby squirrel.
- Holly Hill-Putnam: They're pretty awesome.
- Angela: But in Holly Hill-Putnam's world,
it happens six to seven times every day.
- I'm a volunteer for Wisconsin WildCare.
- Angela: Holly is a home-based wildlife rehabber.
- Holly: My particular specialty is squirrels and bunnies.
I do both.
But I do a lot of chipmunks.
It's absolutely a labor of love.
[playful music]
- Right now, I have 36.
I have a lot of rabbits.
I don't know my exact count.
I think I have 19 rabbits.
I'm not positive.
These are two little guys
that were just brought to me yesterday.
They were found on a sidewalk.
They're only about two days old.
They're doing really well.
- Angela: It takes a special person
to volunteer as a wildlife rehabber.
- You have to be incredibly dedicated.
I've had to turn down lunch dates,
I've had to not take vacations,
I've had to, you know, make personal sacrifices
because I need to take care of my guys.
- Angela: The feeding schedule for these little critters
keeps Holly hopping.
- Holly: Your day starts very early.
[microwave beeps]
And our job is to stabilize them and get them trained
so that they will eat from a syringe.
Yeah, so he's scheduled to get 11.6 ccs of formula.
If you have 30 animals and they each take 10 minutes,
I mean, that's a lot of time that you're spending
on one feeding.
And you have to do up to six or seven a day.
- Angela: When she's not actually feeding animals,
Holly is restocking and preparing their food.
[nuts rattle]
- This is our sunflower seeds.
We like to use the striped sunflower seeds,
which are much better nutritionally for the animals.
- Angela: They eat a buffet of greens, veggies,
fruits, and nuts.
- All the chopped up fruits and vegetables are stored in here.
Got watermelon, celery, and apples.
Carrots for the bunnies.
They'll eat pretty much anything.
We have some greens to top it off.
Okay, well, let's take the food out for the chipmunks.
[bright music]
I just released a bunch of chipmunks last week.
I love to watch the chipmunks pack their little cheeks.
- Angela: Step into Holly's backyard
and step into a wildlife sanctuary.
- Holly: This is our pre-release pen.
We wanted them to get used to the sights and sounds
of being outside.
[airplane engine roars]
We put them out here to basically wild them up.
They live in a nest box.
Just take that box out of their cage and move it out here.
They live in the box as long as they'd like to
until they build their own nest.
So many things to admire about the animals.
Besides being incredibly cute,
they just have such great personalities.
They're fun to work with.
They're really fun.
I feel like we owe it to the animals to help them.
I mean, we keep encroaching on their space, you know?
Every time we build a new mini mall or a condo.
- Angela: So day after day and night after night,
Holly volunteers to take care of these little ones.
- Ah, it's always hard to let 'em go.
I can't help it, I always get teary when I let 'em go.
It's much harder on the mom than it is on the baby.
[chuckles] So...
[playful music]
I'm running on very little sleep.
I'm looking for some clothespins to hold my eyes open lately.
- Angela: And Holly wouldn't have it any other way.
- Incredible satisfaction.
I mean, it's just, it's just a joy.
And it just makes my spirit soar.
I feel like I'm so blessed
that I found something that I love so much
and that I feel like I'm doing something so worthwhile.
You gotta do what makes you happy.
That's how I spend my money.
You gotta spend it on things that make you happy,
so I spent a lot of it on squirrel food. [laughs]
So...
[squirrel nurses]
- It's a rainy close to this year's Juneteenth in Milwaukee.
I've had an amazing time here
while getting to know people from around our state.
To find more, visit WisconsinLife.org.
Check out our social channels, or share with us
by emailing stories@wisconsinlife.org.
Until our next festive adventure,
I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald,
and this is our Wisconsin Life.
Bye!
[drumming and singing]
- Emcee: Yes, it is so beautiful to see all you out today.
The young people, the elders.
Everybody say "community" on the count of three.
One, two, three! - All: Community!
- That's what it's all about.
[bright music]
[cheering]
- Parade Guest: Happy Juneteenth, everybody!
- Announcer: Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by:
the Wooden Nickel Fund,
Mary and Lowell Peterson,
the A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family,
the Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
UW Health,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.