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Episode Guide

Season 3

People in High PlacesPeople in High Places
Meet John Nelson who repairs clock towers in many churches and Town Halls around the region. Canopy Access Associates is an Amherst-based company which builds canopy walkways both locally and in tropical rainforests around the world. Founder Bart Bouricius, is actively involved in the design and construction of the walkways, which are used for research and eco-tourism. George takes to the skies with Pioneer Valley Balloons in Northampton, MA
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No Place Like HomeNo Place Like Home
Join George on a tour of Lamson and Goodnow in Shelburne Falls, MA, to see how they make some of the finest kitchen cutlery in the world. Then meet Paul Laccinski of GreenSpace Collaborative, Sidehill Farm in Ashfield, MA. Paul is an expert on straw bale construction: homes that use bales of straw, covered by cement, for insulation. We'll also meet Barbara Perman, founder and Director of Moving Mentor, Inc., a company that provides moving management services and relocation assistance to senior citizens.
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How Technology Effects How We Get AroundHow Technology Affects How We Get Around
We will meet Josh Kerson of Sunderland, MA, who is a Hampshire College graduate. Josh has developed an electric assistive recumbent tricycle. We will also meet Justin Carven of Greasecar.com in Easthampton, MA, who has developed a fuel kit for diesel engines that enables them to run entirely on vegetable oil. Word about his product spread following a 10,000 mile trip across the country. George also visits the Space and Aeronautics division at Hamilton Sundstrand in Windsor Locks, CT.
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Keeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up Appearances
We will visit Honey Bunnies Fashions, a Springfield-based store that specializes in Brazilian and exotic clothing. George pays a visit to Clark's Corvairs, the world’s largest supplier of parts for the discontinued Corvair automobile, located in Shelburne, MA. We will also meet Canine Design, a dog groomer from Chicopee, MA.
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Food From The Region
There are many different types of food that comes from the region that we live in. In this episode we will meet Tevis Stites Robertson owner of Crabapple Farm, an organic vegetable & beef farm in Chesterfield, MA. We will also visit West Stockbridge, MA and the Charles H. Baldwin and Sons Company, who have been making pure vanilla extract for over 110 years. Finally, George will meet John Reid, President of Bioshelters, Inc. There we will learn how they creating a sustainable agriculture using fish and herbs.
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Sombody Has Got To Do It
George goes in search of the jobs that not many of us want to do but someone has to. George visits the Bondi’s Island waste water treatment plant to see how they treat the millions of gallons of sewage they receive daily. We will also meet Paul Vacchina, the only full time inspector (also known as the ‘sealer’) of weights and measures in western Massachusetts. He’s been on the job 11 years, making sure scales, gas pumps and other instruments that weigh and measure are up to standard! We'll also follow April Tiuszcz, a plumber from Ludlow, and see how she does her job every day.
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You Asked For ItYou Asked For It
We get a lot of letters and e-mails telling us about unique people doing interesting things, so we put together a show that highlights some of the best viewer requests. George visits Cowls Lumber in Amherst to see how this family business not only produces lumber but educates the community about the process as well. We'll meet Fred Beeden, owner of Just Soap in Florence, MA, and see how he makes soap using a bicycle. We will also visit The Masters Collection in Somersville, CT, who founded the process by which fine art reproductions are made and meet Gregory Panjian and John Leo. The company has been in Connecticut for 30 years.
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People Who Work With Animals
Many people doing amazing things with animals and we have managed to find a few. We will meet a woman who left her corporate job to publish the Western Mass Horse Whisperer Magazine, a magazine geared toward the horse owner or enthusiast. We will also meet a Chicopee woman who makes gourmet dog treats. Finally, George will spend the day with a dog trainer in Westfield.
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Organized Chaos
Some people's jobs are more chaotic than others and tonight we will meet a few. We'll meet George Parks, director of the UMASS Minuteman Marching Band, and see how his enthusiasm and passion gets passed along to his students who in turn pass it along to the audience. We will also meet a Juggler named Joel Harris and see what it takes to keep it all in the air. Finally, George spends the lunch hour at the White Hut in West Springfield flipping burgers with owner E.J. Barkett.
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Helping Others Play Sports
To participate in an athletic activity you need the support of a lot of people, tonight we will meet a few. Ray Fagnant is the northeast scout for the Boston Red Sox; learn how he helps some people realize their dream of playing in the major leagues. We will also meet Djata Bumpus, an ex- boxer who now shares his knowledge of the sport with others at the Pioneer Valley Boxing Center in Northampton. Finally we hit the slopes at Berkshire East to find out what it takes to run a local Ski Area.
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Spiritual Life
There are many things that can play with our psyche, from new forms of medicine to un-explained phenomena. Beth-Ann Latsko is an East Longmeadow woman who had a life changing experience and now is a practicing Reiki Master. Then we'll meet Rose Diamond, a Feng Shui practitioner from West Springfield. Finally, we will visit the Center for Cultural Evolution in Colrain and find out what goes on up there.
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The Arts
George goes out in search of people who do some unique art work and some of the more unique places to find it. First stop is Washington, MA in the Berkshires to visit with Carol Lew, a unique artist, who will do something creative and unusual when you send her a picture of your pet. Next we visit the Holy Oak Tattoo Parlor and discover the secrets behind getting a tattoo. Finally George spends the day with Richard Criddle, Director of Fabrication and Installation at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams.
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Old to New
We will meet artist J.D. Logan, who brings an old style of painting to his art work. We will also meet a piano restorer in Springfield who completely rebuilds and maintains some of the most beautiful pianos you have ever seen. Finally George will visit Allegra Farm in East Haddam, CT and see how they restore antique carriages and sleighs and see some of the unique things that they get used for.
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All in the Family
There are many family-run businesses in the area and some have been around for years. George and the Making It Here crew head out in search of some of the more unique ones. We will visit Platz Percussion to see how this father and son business of making African drums operates, then we visit Richardson's Candy Kitchen in Deerfield and talk with owners Kathy Williams (daughter) and Barbara Woodward (mother). Finally, George pays a visit to Thomson Canoe Works in Shelburne Falls to meet Emily and Dylan Schoezel. The Schoezel’s are husband and wife canoe builders and wood boat restorers.
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Tasty Treats
George visits Harmony Springs Beverages in Ludlow to learn how they have made old-fashioned gourmet soda and seltzer water for over 50 years. We will also visit the ice cream cake department at Friendly Ice Cream in Wilbraham to see how they make and design some of those delicious ice cream cakes. We will also spend an early morning at Chmura’s Bakery in Indian Orchard and meet some of the people behind the tempting creations that come from this 100-year-old bakery.
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In Performance
Many people have jobs that put them in the spotlight or help others obtain this goal. George and the crew go out in search of people whose jobs are all about performing for others. We will meet Priscilla Kane Hellweg, Artistic and Executive Director of the Enchanted Circle Theater, recognized as one of the finest educational theater companies in New England. We will also introduce you to Darryl Moss of Poetry Joint Entertainment. George sits in during a recording session with Robert Honablue, owner of One Sound Place in Springfield, MA.
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Keeping Us Safe
We depend on some people to keep us safe in our daily lives. Many times these people are unrecognized for the work they do. George and the crew go out in search of people who have jobs that help keep all of us safe. We will see how the Springfield Police K-9 team operates, then we will introduce you to safety consultant Milton Jacobs and George spends the day with Mark Lewandowski, the Deputy Director of Training at the Connecticut Fire Academy.
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