- This week on "Wisconsin Life":
A dancer finds her groove,
a couple cooks up a tasty tradition
a hobbyist with an unbelievable collection,
and a church in an unexpected location.
It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life!"
? ?
- Funding for "Wisconsin Life"
is provided in part
by Alliant Energy,
Lowell and Mary Peterson,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
- Hello, and welcome to "Wisconsin Life."
I'm Angela Fitzgerald.
'Let the games begin!' because I'm at
the Special Olympics Wisconsin State Summer Games.
This event takes place every year in Stevens Point
and brings together athletes from around the state
to compete in 57 different athletic events
in track and field, swimming, and soccer.
Special Olympics Wisconsin
is celebrating their 50th-anniversary
providing year-round sports training and competitions
for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Their work extends to offering free health screenings,
leadership opportunities, and educational programming.
The State Summer Games is a three-day event
that kicks off with an opening ceremony.
- [chanting running cadence] ? Law en--force--ment torch run!
- Lighting of the torch.
[crowd roars cheers and applause]
And a parade of athletes.
Then, it's off to the races!
A unique aspect of the games
is the unified sports teams
where competitors with and without intellectual disabilities
join together for track and field relays.
We'll learn more about that program
as we continue exploring here later on in the show.
But first, we leave the games
and head to Verona,
where a dancer and her teacher
work to make the art form
more accessible.
- We'll have preparation,
and then demi plié, demi plié,
grand plié.
- When I first did ballet,
I was probably four and it was regular ballet.
I did it with my best friend.
We're all, like, twirling around
but we're having the times of our life.
When I was four, my special needs kicked in.
And...
I mean, you don't really know how you're going to dance.
- My mother put me into dance
because she didn't think I was very coordinated.
I do remember that I was about four or five
and I remember being in my very first dance recital.
I never really stopped until I had
a life-threatening illness.
It's the first time
movement had ever been taken away from me.
It gave me insight, I feel,
into what others experience when they can't move.
As I was recovering, I thought,
"Oh, I'll just join some accessible dance classes
and I'll start getting some of that core strength back."
I was very surprised to find that,
at least in the Madison area,
there really weren't any accessible dance classes.
And that was one of the reasons why
later on, I decided to start one.
- It took a while for us to find wheelchair ballet.
I mean, it took, like, years and years.
When we found it, we were, like, overjoyed
and we wanted to do it, like, immediately.
Watch me, please.
- An accessible dance class is very much like any class.
The teacher comes.
They show the step.
They help the dancer feel what it's like on their own body.
Is it okay?
- Yeah, kinda hurts. - Kinda hurts?
I don't want it to hurt.
So do it as close to that as you can do it
without having it hurt.
Every person is limited
by their own body structure.
Dance really lends itself to meeting everyone
where they are, at their own ability.
- And tendu.
- Is your tiara touching the ceiling?
Little more, little more. Yeah!
- She's much more than a teacher to me.
She's a friend that I get to hug every week
and a person who I can laugh with and dance with.
She doesn't think it's sad that we have special needs.
She makes it an opportunity to make us stronger.
- Arms in front, even a little more.
Yes, look at that.
That flamenco attitude, yes!
Here we go.
First, we had our classical ballet dance.
We had a Broadway-style dance.
This year, we're learning flamenco.
- ["Al Padre Santo de Roma" Paco de Lucía] ? Lalola
? Lolalo
- iiOlé!
Tanya came in and choreographed a piece
for Mari.
- What you want to think of with Spanish dance
is that you want to really stretch out your arms.
- Mari: It's different from the other dances that I've done.
It's really fun to, like, just be...
sassy in the dance, I guess.
- When you have your arms down,
you want to stretch your arms away from your body.
And you tell me if there's anything I'm saying
that doesn't work for your body.
[clapping along] - ? Lalola
- iiOlé!
I think that's pretty good.
Now you just need to really... - Practice.
- Wheelchair ballet, it's such a gift.
It changed my life. - ? Lalola
- Going back to the first year, the feeling,
it didn't mean that I had special needs.
It meant that I could do something amazing
and I didn't have to be ashamed of anything.
I didn't feel all lost because of my special needs.
I felt hope.
- She likes to say that she just really loves dance.
That it's in her heart and soul.
And I think it really is.
- Let's go.
[backstage murmuring]
- Okay, guys, time to clear the stage.
- That's my favorite part of ballet
is the performances.
It's terrifying, but...
I love it with all my heart.
Okay, I'm so nervous.
- It's stunning.
I don't know what else to say to you.
You know this dance so well.
Just have fun.
? ?
- All that year that I've been working,
it all comes down to this moment.
And after it, you feel so relieved and so happy
because you've done your best.
You've done your dance and it's amazing.
- It is yours. You own it.
[flamenco cante]
- ? Lalola
- Even though I had special needs,
I could do something so incredible
that not a lot of people can do.
And that just made my heart really fill with joy.
And that, I don't have to be a girl
known as "a girl in the wheelchair."
I can be known as the girl who can dance very well.
I'm Mari, the dancer. It's part of me.
- ? iiOlé!
- audience: Whoo! [applause]
[cheers and applause]
- Now, we catch up with a couple whose family traditions
are influencing the taste buds of Madison.
[mellow guitar strumming]
- Ángel: Yo crecí en una granja.
Y siempre cuando cocinaba mi mamá,
siempre me daba hambre porque
este olor es auténtico
y te hace que te dé hambre
y que comas.
- Cuando empecé a cocinar
tenía ocho años.
- Yo aprendí desde los diez años
cómo manipular las tortillas,
cómo ayudarle a mi mamá.
A saber lo de las tortillas porque nacimos en una granja.
Con nuestros padres, todos son granjeros.
- Leticia: El cambio para Estados Unidos
fue muy duro porque
la tortilla para nosotros es indispensable.
- Ángel: Para nosotros...
Así realmente,
con la necesidad de
buscar buenas tortillas.
Este, las tortillas de maíz en el mercado
se hacen sin el germen.
Y le agregan un poco ya ahora
un poco de cal
y tienen un sabor de tortilla.
Pero se quiebran
y tienen y les adhieren
preservativos
para conservarlas.
- Decíamos, "Chines, que estos no hago nada."
Compramos otra. "Chines, esta tampoco."
Las hacíamos de la harina.
"No, es que tampoco."
- Nosotros empezamos
a traer algunas semillas de California,
y algunas semillas de México.
Y mi esposa dice, "Oye,
"Y no sería bueno sembrar este maíz
y hacer nuestras propias tortillas?"
Y yo dije, "Fabuloso, eso está perfecto."
Es una buena idea.
[pájaros trinando]
I do some tricks sometimes.
Lo que es el azul
son partes que
extrajeron de Oaxaca, México.
[chasquidos]
Okay, you want to start setting up.
[el encendido se engancha, bielas del motor]
Y las empezamos a sembrar en algunos
jardines comunitarios.
- Leticia: Y yo emocionada.
No importa. Yo trabajo.
Yo lo que quiero es comer algo
que me guste,
algo que me sienta bien.
- Ángel: Fueron tan ricas nuestras tortillas
y las empezamos nosotros a
ofrecer a algunos familiares a amigos
y dicen, "Oye, están tan ricas que deberían de vender."
So this would be a pack of tortillas. Ready.
[música]
Morning, how are you today?
We have very delicious tortillas.
Se llama Tortillas Los Ángeles porque
primero porque tenemos
una pequeña relación con los ángeles.
Mi nombre es Ángel y mi hijo es Ángel,
entonces mi esposa decía,
"Bueno, vamos a llamar Tortillas Los Ángeles."
Tenemos clientes que
han estado desde que iniciamos nosotros
y compran cada Domingo ya sus tortillas.
She's my best customer.
Esta tortilla es auténtica.
Y lo auténtico siempre
siempre lo va a buscar las personas.
- Leticia: Me siento muy feliz
por ellos para que lo prueben.
- It's very delicious! - Yes, they are.
- Y me da gusto que se lo lleven
y siempre pienso,
"Espero les guste."
- Thank you.
Y mi esposa dice, "Oye, estamos vendiendo más.
"Sabes qué?
"Vas a tener que buscar
más tierra para sembrar."
[tintineo]
iiSí! - Estamos traendo algo que nació
del centro de México,
de mucha tradición.
La receta es la misma.
Procesamos el maíz con cal,
plantamos el maíz
y yo le llamo algo auténtico.
? ?
Okay, just pass
and make a taco.
It's like a small buffet.
Mi hijo el mayor, sí, porque él...
lo enviamos a México para prender español dos años.
Y sus abuelitos siempre les aban tortillas muy ricas.
Y ahora él dice, "Oye, estas son igual."
Entonces manejan la misma costumbre
y sienten lo mismo que nosotros.
Y eso me da mucho gusto.
? ?
- The activities are well underway here
at the State Summer Games in Stevens Point
hosted by Special Olympics Wisconsin.
I've been weaving my way through the events,
learning about the organization
and meeting some of the athletes competing here.
- Set. [fires starter pistol]
- The start of a race.
The sound of a crowd.
The win of a medal.
- Announcer: In first place, we have Jyana Noll.
- Jyana Noll: Thank you, Wisconsin!
- There is nothing else like
the Special Olympics Wisconsin State Summer Games.
This event sees nearly 1,500 athletes
compete each year.
Marquis Garner is one of those athletes
who was forever changed by the organization.
How did you get involved with Special Olympics?
- 2005, you know, I was kinda' depressed.
Didn't have much to do.
You know, had trouble fitting in with mainstream society.
So, in high school, I wanted to do Special Olympics,
but because of transportation problems,
I wasn't able to sign up right away.
But when it was available, I signed up.
It's a blessing because I made a lot of new friends.
And so, like, when I compete with my teammates,
that's like my brothers and sisters, so it's nice.
- Very nice.
So what are the sports that you compete in?
- Basketball, track, bowling.
And now this year, I'm just trying a new sport: bocce.
So, I look forward to it 'cuz I'm always trying
to expand my mind and do different things.
- Another focus of the games
is the Healthy Athletes Program.
It offers free health screenings and education for competitors.
Special Olympics Wisconsin board member
and former athlete, Martha Hill, advocates
for athletes' health and well-being at the event.
- It is so important
that athletes stay healthy
and be healthy
and live healthy lifestyles
throughout their whole lives.
- Can you tell us more about what Healthy Athletes is?
- Healthy Athletes' offers free health screenings,
such as opening eyes,
fit feet,
special smiles.
It's amazing.
- What is the impact been that you've seen?
- The impact that I have seen is that a lot of athletes
are so joyful and they love being in Special Olympics.
They enjoy it.
It changes their lives.
It changes their families' lives
and opens their eyes.
And people understand people with intellectual disabilities
and my mission as an athlete leader
is to be a voice for other athletes
and to advocate
on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities.
[cheering]
- A vision shared with many
who participate and volunteer here.
[applause]
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
- The energy and inclusiveness found here is inspirational.
Next up, we travel to Darlington
to find a collector
who preserves his city's past
in a big way.
[gentle acoustic guitar]
- Darlington's got a great, great Main Street.
It's got a beautiful courthouse at the top
and a river at the bottom.
[ignition cranks, engine starts]
- Along this historic street,
you can find life-long resident Ted Thuli
driving what he describes as,
"one step above a horse and buggy."
- This 1927 Franklin Limousine.
This came out of Mountain City, Tennessee.
- It's just one of his many collectibles.
- I guess when I was a kid I started getting this stuff.
We'd go to auctions and anything that was left over
and went for a nickel or a dime I'd grab,
and it just evolved from there.
- "Evolved" would be an understatement.
- 1895 facades, that's off of a local business.
I've been in most every building in Darlington,
basements, upstairs.
They'd be in and out of different hands
and I'd go in and buy up anything I could.
- Collecting has become way more than a hobby.
- It's an addiction definitely.
Motorcycles, cars, and stuff.
Ya', it's bad.
- Ted is so good at something he describes as bad
that he caught the attention of some TV executives.
[" American Pickers theme song"]
- Was on American Pickers , 'ya. They bought stuff.
- I see you got your porcelain Goodyear sign up there
with the winged foot.
- That one, $300.
- $300? - Complete.
- How about $200? - I should've started higher.
[laughter]
The TV show's cool.
American Pickers was neat.
- It was also in this small town that Ted's father set up shop.
- I own Darlington Dairy Supply with my brother, Tory.
It's a family business Dad started in 1958
in Darlington here downtown.
- Years later, downtown is where
Ted launched his first big adventure.
- My thoughts really, "Darlington needs a draw."
- Visitors to the Thuli Family Creamery
are greeted by a prop from the movie Jaws ,
another one of Ted's collectibles.
Across the street,
construction is underway on another pet project.
- The Driver Opera House is a flat floor opera house upstairs.
It was built in 1876, I believe.
Last used in '58 maybe.
- He notices something workers discovered under the stage.
And Ted can't resist the chance to investigate.
- Oh, this is one of the original
Badger State Mineral Water bottles.
Would have been one of the original sodas here,
made in Darlington.
I've been doing that for 'ya since I was a little kid.
- As a kid, Ted got his first real job
in this historic downtown gas station.
- When I turned 16, I started working here.
Pumped gas, checked oil,
washed the windshield.
Mostly tell people how to get to Yellowstone Lake.
That was a big thing.
And then I bought it.
- Ted helped renovate the gas station
into a new brewery
serving coffee in the morning and local beer at night.
- Ahh!
I want a destination.
Sit in the beer garden right on Main Street in Darlington.
You hear the traffic.
You see the sights and you know,
just kind of imagine
what this place was like 150 years ago.
That's awesome.
- Ted has made a name for himself
at the Darlington City Council. [jovial laughter]
- I'm probably the loud guy
that they hate seeing coming.
Don't get rid of history.
People know that, but somebody's gotta voice it.
Somebody's gotta stand up and say that.
- Even with all his ambitious plans,
Ted had one more surprise for the city.
[chuckling] - Our house.
I bought that property from the city.
- Visitors are greeted
by columns acquired from a Missouri courthouse.
His house is a story in and of itself.
- I ended up buying a cooling unit
that was Swiss Colony's up in Madison.
- You heard right.
He lives in a former cheese cooler
rebuilt around his collection.
Step into his house
and you will step back in time.
- The entryway to the house
is an old gas station that was in Darlington.
The Standard Service Station was built in 1929.
When you walk into the house,
it would look like you're coming out
the front entrance to the gas station.
We've got a 1942 theatre that was in Darlington.
I went in and asked the owner, Jim, if I could buy it.
He gladly sold it to me for a $100.
The whole facade off of that
is on the second story of our house.
- This unique house
was Ted's ticket to even more TV appearances.
- Ya', we've been on HGTV on three different episodes.
["HGTV reZONED theme song"]
- Welcome to Schaum Heim.
That means "foam home."
- So, what's the motivation
behind Ted's obsession with collecting and preserving?
[record player needle scratching across album]
- Yeah a lot of people ask that.
My wife asks that. "Why 'ya doing this?"
I don't know. It's a passion.
It's a respect for
what other people have gone through.
I mean, I love Darlington.
Most of the stuff when I was growing up is gone now.
Hopefully, people look back and say, you know,
"I'm glad Ted Thuli saved this or that."
That's what I would hope.
I might buy things and turn them into something
but it takes everybody to make this community turn.
? ?
- Our final story takes us to De Pere,
where an unlikely pair of neighbors
work to raise the spirits
of their patrons.
- The neighborhood pub.
One of Wisconsin's favorite places to get together
for friends and fellowship.
On Dickinson Road in De Pere, the Chicago Street Pub and Grill
is a hopping, happy hour spot.
[chattering]
There's a saying that
Wisconsin has more bars than grocery stores,
but this may be the only one that shares their building
- ["Because He Lives" Bill Gaither] ? God sent His son ?
- ...with a church.
- ? They call him Jesus ?
- The only thing on tap at New Hope United Methodist Church
is hymn practice. [singing hymn]
Pastor Rebecca Rutter
is a Wisconsin native.
She's served at a number of churches around the country,
but none quite like this.
[bouncy synthesizer music]
- The district superintendent called me
to let me know about this appointment
and he said, "Oh, and by the way,
New Hope is sharing a building with a bar."
So, I thought, "Well, this is a fun thing." [chuckles]
- One building,
two very different tenants.
The pub and church share the building and the parking lot,
but otherwise, have separate entrances
and maintain mostly opposite schedules.
Pub manager Austin DeCleene
says his customers often find it humorous.
- Yeah, you would never think that those two things
would be right alongside each other.
Usually, they're on opposite sides of the spectrum,
whereas here, we do well together.
- Especially considering the history of the Methodist Church.
Founder John Wesley was a staunch opponent of drinking.
- And so he really emphasized abstinence from alcohol.
[buzzer alarms]
And the Methodist movement in the U.S. was similar
in that they were part of the prohibition movement.
- Today, the Methodist Church preaches moderation,
so New Hope isn't pushing prohibition.
So, while churchgoers have a spot to spend Sunday afternoon
praising the Packers,
bar patrons are always welcome
to walk over and give church a shot.
[singing hymn] ? Oh, my soul ?
- Instead of worrying about their differences,
these two unlikely neighbors
have learned to celebrate their similarities.
- We do well together.
We definitely complement each other in a lot of ways.
- We're both places that are welcoming to all people.
We're both places where people feel connection
and a sense of family, and while
they feed people and quench thirst in a very physical sense,
ya' know, we do that spiritually
and so, in a way, there's a lot of overlap.
- And that's a sermon that should raise everyone's spirits.
[laughs] - It does seem to fit together pretty well, doesn't it?
- With church and a bar right by each other,
you can't get any more Wisconsin than that.
That's for sure.
? ?
- I've had a blast learning about this great event
and meeting the athletes that make it all possible.
If you'd like to learn more about Special Olympics Wisconsin
or the stories you've seen here,
visit WisconsinLife.org.
And as always, we want to hear from you.
Share your Wisconsin Life with us by sending an email
to WisconsinLife@wpt.org.
I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald,
and this is our"Wisconsin Life."
Bye.
- Hey!
- crowd: Whoo!
- [encouraging cheers]
- Good game, good game.
- Go, go, go, there we go!
[cheers, applause]
- Whoo!
Thank you!
- Next Division 39.
- One, two, three!
Team Milwaukee!
- So I see you're wearing a medal here.
- Right. - What sport did you compete in?
- Bocce. I'm sorry-- Whoa! [laughs]
- That's alright, we were just talking about bocce.
Sorry! That was a blooper. [laughter]
- Funding for Wisconsin Life
is provided in part
by Alliant Energy,
Lowell and Mary Peterson,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.