- We are in the largest
city in Dodge County
 on Highway 33, also
 known as Front Street,
 this is Beaver Dam.
 (upbeat music)
(girls singing)
 Hey, we're in Beaver Dam,
 so there is only one place
 we could meet John Gurda.
 Guess where?
 Yeah, the dam.
 Hey John!
- How ya doin'?
 - So we're in Beaver
 Dam, I see the dam.
 Now where are the beavers?
- Their descendants,
John, are still swimming
 around here someplace.
 - Oh they are.
 - But it was human
 dams like this one
 that really began things here.
 When the first white
 settlers came back in 1841,
 they found high
 ground all around us,
 and it was at the
 foot of a huge marsh.
 And a little river kinda
 left the marsh right here
 and just downstream
 were a few creeks
 that beavers would dam, which
 is where the name came from.
(water rushing)
 The water power is what those
 Yankee settlers were after,
 and they put their first
 dam right here back in 1842.
It took a year for
enough water to back up
 to drive machinery,
 and all the land here was
 so flat that the dam created
 a lake that was more
 than ten miles long
and only five feet deep.
 So there are places
 you can almost
 walk across Beaver Dam Lake.
 - [John M.] Yeah.
 What industry came
 up below the dam?
 - They began with
 the necessities.
So first of all you had
a sawmill for lumber
 and a gristmill for flour.
 The surprising thing is where
 Beaver Dam went from there.
 There were some really
 ambitious industrialists here
and they built two more dams
downstream almost like beavers,
 and each one had its own
 town with its own industries.
 And you had the cotton
 mill right here,
later on a shoe factory.
 And downstream were plants
 that made farm machinery,
 Monarch stoves, iron castings,
 and lots of other products.
 And some of those
 got really huge.
There was one malleable
iron plant here
back in the early 1900s
that had 1500 workers.
 That's more than most
 Milwaukee plants had.
- [John M.] Wow!
 So this was a factory town?
 - Not entirely, John.
 Dodge County has
 really good farm land,
 so Beaver Dam, as the
 county's largest city,
 became an important
 trading center for farmers,
and it also developed some
important farm-based industries,
 especially cheese making
 and vegetable processing.
 - And did they use the lake?
 - They did.
 It's a little ironic that
 a dam built for industry
 was creating a lake
 used for recreation.
This is the 16th largest
lake in Wisconsin.
- [John M.] Wow!
 - [John G.] And
 early years it was
 a lot of excursion steamers
 and whole fleets of canoes.
 Today it's still
 great for boating.
 Because it's so shallow,
 winter kill can be a problem,
but there's still
excellent fishing here.
 - Education in town?
 - One of the major
 landmarks here
 is an unusual private school.
 Back in 1855, the baptists
 founded Wayland Academy
 as a college prep school.
 Still here, still a
 college prep school.
 Now it's non-denominational
 and it has students
from a dozen states and
almost 30 countries.
 And it's campus really
 resembles some of the colleges
 we've visited, like a
 Ripon, or maybe a Beloit.
 - [John M.] Is that right?
- [John G.] Yup.
 - Let's talk today's economy.
 - Most of those old
 industries are gone.
 The cotton mill here
 is now apartments,
 but I'm pretty sure Beaver
 Dam's the only place
 in Wisconsin where you
 will find a cheese factory
 across the street
 from a foundry.
Talking about the Kirsh Foundry
 and the Kraft
 cream cheese plant.
 So you have two mainstays
 of the Wisconsin economy,
 dairying and manufacturing,
they're still mainstays
here in Beaver Dam.
- [John M.] Population?
 - [John G.] About 16,000.
 Little over a half German,
 but also 8% Latino.
 - [John M.] And the location?
- [John G.] Pretty easy.
We are in south-central
Wisconsin,
 about 40 miles
 northeast of Madison
and about 70 miles
northwest of Milwaukee.
 - Yeah, it seems like a pretty
 little town, doesn't it?
 - It really is, it really is.
I've enjoyed being here.
 - Thanks John.
- See ya, John.
 - There's a great
 story in Beaver Dam.
 McKinstry's Home Furnishings,
 which is a furniture store
that has been in
business for 161 years.
 It's the oldest
 family-run business
 in the state of Wisconsin.
 And what did they
 sell 161 years ago?
 Two things: cabinets
 and coffins.
 I guess it was all
 about storage, yeah.
 Water Technology Incorporated.
 What are we talkin' about?
 - We are aquatic planners,
 designers and engineers,
 from back yard to water parks.
 We are a full-service
 aquatic construction company.
 So we specialize in
 swimming pools, water parks,
municipal recreation facilities.
 This is kind of a model Y.
 This design with the
 two different pools
 in two different
 areas is very popular.
 We have this
 competition pool here.
 - [John] Yup, that's
 the leisure pool
 with the lazy river?
 Hey guys!
 I'm going in in a minute.
 - So Neuman Pools was the
 original company that started.
 All right, and
 Neuman Pools started
 as a swimming pool contractor.
 - This was your dad
 that started this?
 - This was my dad.
 My grandfather, he
 had a plumbing shop,
 and my dad and my
 uncle all grew up
 in the plumbing business.
 - [John] Here in Beaver Dam?
 - [Chris] Here in Beaver Dam.
 - [Nick] So this is where
 the vision and the program
will be pulled together.
 The sizing, the capacity,
 pool architecture,
 all focus on water, the pools,
 the entertainment element.
 - [John] Is there a typical
 project for you guys?
- I wouldn't say there's
anything typical.
So you look at, you say,
 "This is a very
 simple pool," right?
 It's a rectangle.
 We just draw the rectangle
 and put it on there.
 But to hit the right
 standards for competition,
for programming, and for
the needs of the coach,
 for the needs of a university,
 this is a very complicated
 pool to put together.
 So we have people here
 who are specialists
 in sports swimming.
 - [Chris] Because of
 the amount of theming
that goes on with it, is
you have to figure out
 how to structurally and safely
 make these projects work
 to match a theme.
 - [Nick] And the two
 must work together.
So whatever gets dreamt
up or envisioned,
 has to be engineered.
 - [Chris] It doesn't
 matter if it's
 a back yard swimming
 pool or a water park.
 They're all important
 to us and they all get
 the same attention and
 they all go through
 the same process.
 - [Nick] I think it's the
 magic when you see a project
 go from paper to an
 engineering set of drawings
 to full construction, like
 watching that transition,
 really gives you the
 bug and the passion
to stay in the business.
 - [Chris] I think that we
 build fun and entertainment.
 That's what we provide
 to all of our people.
 - We never got past the
 blow-up, just so you know.
(Chris laughing)
So John Gurda, he found the dam.
 Look what I found.
 The beaver!
 - Oh was sewing as a kid.
 You can see I've
 got my Badger stuff.
 Mike's right here.
 - [John] In one of your coats.
- Yup, in one of the coats, yup.
 (zipper unzipping)
 Here we go.
And those are individual squares
 all squared together
 like a quilt.
 (marching band music)
 - [John] Can you tell a
 story on how 27 years ago
 it started for you?
- [Lois] Mike was
looking for a seamstress
 because the gal
 that he had before
wasn't getting them done
in time for the band.
And so I had done my daughter's
 and a couple of her friends'.
 They asked me and I said no,
 I didn't wanna do it, y'know.
 So then the following year
 we had the same situation,
 and I said, "Well
 okay, I'll try.
 "It's just hemming pants."
 Just hemming pants?
 - [John] Right!
 - And then in spring
 he came and he needed
 a new sequined vest.
 I've never worked with sequins
 before, y'know (laughing).
How am I gonna do this?
 He says, "Oh, you'll learn."
So I learned on the fly.
 I have sequins flyin'
 all over this joint.
 And this is all embroidered.
I lay it all out
on the computer.
 - Wow, look at this.
 - The back alone took
 four hours to sew out.
 And I think this one has about
 12 or 1500 crystals in here.
 Yeah, I make the
 tuba covers also.
 - Oh you do.
 - Yeah, yeah.
And so they signed one--
- Who was making
them before you?
- They didn't have any.
 - They didn't.
(both laughing)
 (marching band music)
 - [John] How long was
 Mike in that position?
 - [Lois] Fifty years.
 - [John] Then he retired.
 - [Lois] Yeah, yeah.
 And when he retired I said,
 "I've done it for
 27, enough is enough.
"I'll retire with him."
 - [John] Was it a
 great relationship?
- [Lois] Oh yeah, yeah.
 I had fun working with Mike.
 - [John] Did he say,
 "This is what I want."
 Or did you draw
 something up and say,
 "This is what I think
 you should have."
 - [Lois] No, we
 always collaborate.
 - [John] You did.
 - [Lois] Yeah.
 - [John] How long
 did this take you?
 - [Lois] I probably have
 about a hundred hours in.
 - [John] A hundred hours?
 - [Lois] Yeah.
 - [John] Each coat?
 - [Lois] Yeah.
 - [John] This is your
 plain and simple?
 - [Lois] Yeah.
 This is his final jacket.
 - [John] Oh it is?
 - [Lois] Yeah.
- [John] So last season
was your last at UW
 for the marching band?
 - [Lois] Yes.
 - Are you missing it already?
 - You know, at first
 it didn't affect me.
 But it hit me at the first
 home game all of a sudden.
When I saw the band out
on the field I thought,
 "Oh, my kids are out there.
"I didn't do nothin' this year."
 It didn't hit me
 until then, y'know.
 I'm so doggone busy with so
 many other things, y'know.
 - I thought you were retired.
 - Yeah, I'm supposed to be.
(both laughing).
 - This is a great alleyway.
Each of these
characters have a story.
 Yeah, I'm gonna be him today.
 That's John Gurda!
 John Gurda, rule number
 one, where's your helmet?
 We're at the home of
 Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
 This is Kraft.
Before camera rolled I
was shocked to find out
that it's not from Philadelphia!
 - [Beth] No, it's not.
- [John] It was not made
in Philadelphia first.
 - No, it was actually,
 cream cheese was invented
 in New York, and Philadelphia
 was actually just a brand
 for top-quality food products.
- [John] Long history
Kraft has here in this--
 - [Beth] Oh yeah,
 yeah, 91 years.
 - [John] 91 years,
 that's remarkable.
- [Beth] We have trucks
that deliver our milk
 and our cream from
 our local dairy.
 It runs three shifts, 24 hours
 a day, seven days a week.
 - [John] How many
 people work here?
 - [Beth] A little over 200.
 And there's a lot of
 dedicated employees here.
 - I've been here 40 years now.
 I run the pasteurizer.
The cream comes from
the silos in the intake
and it'll come up here.
- Do you get cream
cheese for workin' here?
 - Goes through our pasteurizer
 at a high rate of speed.
 Goes zippin' through
 these coils here.
We might have a sample for you.
- Do you think?
- Goes to the tank and it's
separated into the cream cheese
 in probably 18 hours.
 Take the sample off of here.
 We take it inside
 kind of a snapshot
 of where it is right now.
 The old experienced guys
 used to be able to taste it.
 - Really?
 - And tell if it's--
 - That's not what
 we're gonna do though?
 - We're not gonna do that.
- Okay.
 - [Jim] Put that
 underneath the spout there,
 do a little math
 on the calculator.
 - It says almost done.
 - That was (laughing).
 - Here we go.
You can see it's good,
I think it's doin' well.
 - No, I think you're
 almost done here.
 - Oh you think so (laughing)?
 We are in packaging.
 And you have been with
 this company how long?
 - Forty one years if I can
 make it til October 12th.
- Is this where we pick 'em up?
 - Yes, we're gonna
 put in the shippers--
 - [John] The shippers.
 - That's the case
 that the cream cheese
 bricks go into.
 We're like family down here.
 - [John] How nice.
- I get to work with my
brothers and sisters,
 I love it.
 - That's really nice.
 It just stamped it up.
 - [Lois] And then
 the date goes on.
 - [Beth] The amount
 of local dairy farmers
that we impact and the
financial impact it has
 on our community, we're glad
 to be here and be part of it.
 - Wow, this is like candy.
 - Mm hmm.
 - Yeah, you can
 just eat it with a--
 Who needs a cracker?
 - Nunatak.
 No, it's not what
 you're thinking.
It's a Greenlandic term
that means "landmark".
 Could be a term that
 means gathering space.
Inside an old depot,
good coffee, it's cool.
 This is one of 17
 murals you will find
in downtown Beaver Dam.
And these murals reflect
important people,
 places, and things in the
 history of Beaver Dam.
 And they were painted
 by the Walldogs.
If you don't know the Walldogs,
you should Google them.
 - I love this kind of morning.
- [John] It's kind of a
bit of heaven, isn't it?
- [Ruth] It is a bit of heaven.
- [John] We're talking
with Jim and Ruth Metz.
 This is your home on the lake.
- [Jim] And I used to
bicycle along this road
 dreaming about maybe
 someday havin' a place here.
 - [John] You were in medical
 school, went to vet school,
 and then you decided you were
 gonna move to Beaver Dam?
 - I was just a
 solo practitioner,
 so I was on call 24
 hours a day, 365.
 Then I met her at
 the clinic, so.
 - He couldn't afford to hire
 me, so he had to marry me.
- Is that right?
Is that how it works (laughing).
 It seems to have
 worked out just fine.
 - It has.
 - We'll just go out,
 we'll get in the boat
 and we'll just cruise
 along the shoreline.
 Maybe take a beer with
 us and drink a beer slow.
 We just love this community.
 We would recommend any
 young family to come
 and raise their kids here.
 Good location for us.
 - [John] What is Animart?
- [Ruth] Animart is a
company that we started
that has veterinarians.
 But we became a
 distribution business.
- [John] We heard that
you're really committed
 to making sure that
 downtown continues
 and becomes better and lives.
 Can you talk about
 your commitment?
 - [Ruth] We realized Beaver
 Dam was having its problems,
 and the best thing we
 could do for the long term
 of our business is to
 focus on the community
and see where we can
help with the downtown,
to make sure that Beaver
Dam continues to be
 a good place to grow a
 business, raise a family.
Now we own Ooga Brewing Company.
 - [Jim] We did it really
 because we had done research
 and craft breweries are
 one of the best catalysts
 for downtown revitalizations,
 and we didn't have
 a craft brewery
 and people had been
 talking about it.
 So it's like, okay.
 - [John] It brought some
 business downtown, didn't it?
 - [Jim] Oh yeah, absolutely.
 - [Ruth] We have a
 great beer garden,
so it's a nice place to gather.
So it's already been a catalyst.
 - Beaver Dam has been so
 smart in reuse of property.
 This used to be a cotton mill,
 and there's a shoe factory
 on the other side of town,
 both are now residential.
 Reuse, revitalization.
 Smart.
 We are at Wayland Academy
 with the Head of
 School, Joe Lennertz.
 So it was really rare
 back then to have
a coeducational boarding
school, wasn't it?
 - Absolutely, yes.
 We're the only non-religious,
 non-military boarding school
 in the state.
 So it is a pretty
 rarefied atmosphere.
 This is the underclass
 boys' dormitory.
 - [John] And it's a
 beautiful, beautiful campus.
 - [Joe] Thank you very much.
 We take great pride in it.
 We were founded by the local
 baptist community in 1855.
 - [John] Is there a
 religious affiliation now.
 - [Joe] No, we're
 nondenominational right now,
 but we still have a chapel.
 We meet in here for assembly
 every Monday morning.
 We're college preparatory
 and the curriculum
 is really based on
 the liberal arts.
 Meat and potatoes, a lot
 of writing, a lot of math,
 a lot of language,
 all kinds of things
 that really need to get
 the kids to the next level.
 - [John] When you
 graduate what's your hope?
 What are you gonna do?
 - I'm thinking about something
 to do with literature
 because I love writing
 and reading a lot.
 - [John] Where do you
 think you'll go after this?
 - I really don't know, but
 I know Wayland is definitely
gonna help me get to that point.
- [Joe] It's a
graduation requirement.
 Actually they have
 to be accepted into
a college or university.
 - [John] That's called 100%!
 - That's 100%!
This is another one of those
main areas that students cross.
 - [John] Student population?
 - [Joe] About 190.
We're a boarding and day school.
 - [John] Where are
 your students from?
 - [Joe] All over the place.
We have students
from five states
and then 27 different countries.
 - From freshman to junior
 year I was a day student,
but I'm a prefect now so
I live on campus mostly.
 - I'm pretty much
 gonna miss the friends
 that I made here and the
 faculty friends that I made.
It's really hard for me.
 - [Joe] The benefit really
 is not what actually
 goes on in the classroom,
 it's what goes on on
 the playing fields
 and what goes on
 in the dormitories,
 in the cafeteria,
 meeting people,
 building those kinds
 of relationships.
 Come to Wayland
 and meet the world.
 - [John] In Beaver
 Dam, Wisconsin.
 - [Joe] In Beaver
 Dam, Wisconsin.
 - We are in Swan Park.
 This park was donated by Dr.
 Swan, who owned it since 1876.
 He was a homeopathic healer.
 And in this park there was
 a lagoon and a boathouse
 and a bathhouse and
 a beautiful pavilion
 reminiscent of
 what it looked like
when he built all of this stuff.
It's really an incredible park.
 - [Linda] We started in the
 popcorn business in 2002.
 We've been full-time
 popcorn peddling,
 my husband for 18 years and
 myself for about 14 years.
 - Hey welcome!
 What are you havin' today?
 A large Beaver Dam blend?
Sure, oh it's the best.
- We have the coated creations.
 Blue cheese is
 fun, bacon cheddar.
 These are all of our popcorns
 with chocolates and nuts.
 My husband was a chef and
 I was a restaurant manager.
 We were introduced
 to kettle corn
 and we ate the
 whole six-foot sack
 and we just said,
 "Why not do that?
 "We're tired of the
 restaurant business."
 Back here is where
 all the magic happens.
Most every day we have
some form of production
 that we're doing.
Sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
 - And what you just put in
 there is going to cover this?
 - Yes.
 And then the popcorn goes in.
Not every single kernel
will be coated the same.
 So our caramel, our cheese,
 most of our savory popcorns,
all of those are recipes
that we developed.
 But as this starts to cool
 down, it'll get louder
 as I'm moving this around.
 Do you like warm caramel corn?
- Sure, care to join me?
(Linda laughing)
Yeah, hold on one
second, I'm almost done.
 No, I'm not new here.
She called you a pop
star, do you love that?
 - I love it.
 - [John] That's good!
 - It's the best job ever.
 - What do you generally do?
 - I package popcorn, seal
 'em, and stack the shelves.
- Are you ready?
 - [Linda] But we have
 people that come to us
 and they are like, "We
 have had kettle corn
 "all over Wisconsin.
 - I usually have
 'em down here, yeah.
 I moved it, hold on.
 - [Customer] I don't
 know what you do,
 but yours is the best.
 - Great to see you.
I'll be here next time.
 Beaver Dam blend, thanks.
 I have two sisters,
 Colleen Mary-Margaret
 and Maureen Mary-Margaret
 and we go places.
There are places that
remind me of my sisters,
like this place,
Twisted Sisters.
 No, not because of the name.
It's because the shop
is so nice, that's why.
Mm hmm.
 - [John] Michael,
 we're in Beaver Dam.
- [Mike] We are.
 Home of the Golden Beavers.
And we're talkin'
girls' basketball, John,
 and it's one of my favorite
 stories of the year.
Tim Chase took over this
program 15 years ago
and the first three
years they won 9 games.
In fact the second year
they didn't have a win.
 And boy, things
 have changed, John.
 Three straight
 state championships.
They're only one of five
schools in the state,
 in the history of the State
 of Wisconsin, the girls' side,
 to win three in a row.
It's just an incredible
team to watch.
 They start it on
 the defensive end.
 They don't have a player that
 averages more than 14 a game,
 so everybody participates.
 They have no cuts.
You want to come out and
play, come out and play.
(crowd cheering)
 - 'Cause you talk
 about feeder programs.
 Is there a feeder
 program in this?
 - There is, and the
 whole community.
 And it started with Tim
 going to the grade schools
 and doing shooting camps.
- Good.
 - Because when he got here,
 they could play a
 little bit of defense,
 but they had a
 hard time shooting.
 - [John] How big a school?
 - [Mike] A thousand kids.
 - [John] Division?
 - [Mike] Two.
 Last year had six
 division-one players on it.
 Three have graduated
 and moved on,
three are still in the program.
 And last year they were ranked
 number 10 in the country.
 - [John] Do you think they're
 gonna do well this year?
- I do.
 I think they're
 gonna do really well.
They're used to winning
now and they understand
 that the bullseye's
 on their back.
 But three years in
 a row is incredible.
- Well we wish 'em luck.
565
00:18:01,947 --> 00:18:01,747
- Yeah, you bet.
 - Thanks Mike.
 - Thanks John.
 - Good story.
 I am excited.
 I'm here at the Beaver Dam
 Area Community Theater.
I'm here to see a show.
Guess what show I'm here to see?
 Annie.
 ♪ It's a hard
 knock life for us ♪
 - [Scott] Our mission is
 to provide performing arts.
 - [Annette] It started In
 1964, this is our 55th Year.
 - [Scott] We wouldn't be here
 today without the passion
 and the dedication of the
 people that came before me.
 - [John] Did you have any clue
 that this is where
 it would end up?
 - We had no clue, but
 we always had faith
 that it would
 continue and build.
 And we wanted this, of course,
 but it was subconscious at
 that point in time (laughing).
- [John] Was it?
 - [Annette] Yeah.
 - [John] That's how
 dreams come true, though.
 - [Annette] Exactly, yup.
 ♪ N-Y-C ♪
- The people that love
theater are coming here
 and they're auditioning and
 they're being part of it.
 You can just see the passion
 and the drive and the joy.
 (upbeat music)
 - [Rick] We chose
 this over a year ago
 and we've been workin'
 on it non-stop.
 I like to push
 for a family feel,
and I think Annie struck
that right to the T.
 ♪ N-Y-C ♪
 - It's definitely
 a work of passion.
I was up back there
pounding holes in a wall
for the light booth a year ago.
And I'm like, "This is
not gonna be a theater.
 "There's no way."
 And then we walk into this.
It was such an honor to
direct a show in this.
It's fantastic.
 - [Scott] This was a Catholic
 school and this was the gym.
We had to do some major
improvements and changes
 in order to make it work.
- [John] This facility can touch
 any professional
 theater anywhere.
 - [Rick] We have all of the
 technology that comes with it,
the light system, sound system.
 Everything that you could
 ever ask in a theater,
 we've got it.
 - [John] It could not have
 been done without the support
 of this community, I'm sure.
 - [Scott] We've raised a
 little over $2.9 million,
and it was all privately funded.
 ♪ It's a hard knock life. ♪
 - [Annette] We are really
 assured that we are
 going to be a magnet to
 help redevelop the downtown,
 or revitalize the downtown.
- [Scott] It's a
facility that should be
 providing joy for generations.
♪ Life ♪
 - This is the Dodge County
 Historical Society and Museum.
 It was formed in 1938.
It was formed really to
preserve anything about
 the pioneer days and
 the very early history
of Beaver Dam and Dodge County.
Beautiful old building,
the old library.
 Do you know what's in Beaver
 Dam while I'm in Beaver Dam?
 The Dodge County Fair.
 - This is prime real estate.
 This is where
 everybody wants to be.
I started in ops, the
operations of the fair,
and it's kind of like
an addiction, you know?
 I just wanna be
 part of a fun event.
 We sit on about 75 acres.
 - [John] And planning-wise,
 what's the toughest
 to really make sure happens?
 - [Dale] Getting
 good entertainment.
 Trying to get a good
 value for the people,
something that's popular
and yet affordable.
Fifty thousand attendees
is our average.
 Our record is about 55,000.
- Howdy!
 - [John] So you've been coming
 to the Dodge County Fair
your whole life?
 - [Kennedy] I have,
 my whole life.
- [John] Is it a blast?
 - [Kennedy] It is.
 So this is definitely a new
 way to experience it though.
 - What kind of
 responsibility does
 the Fairest of the Fair have?
- During this week of the fair,
 we have to just
 promote the fair.
 Get out there,
 talk to the people.
 Incorporate the
 youth and just try
 to really educate people about
 what the fair's all about.
 These are the
 regular beef steers,
 the beef cow that I've been
 familiar with for
 my entire life.
 I showed beef cattle
 for seven years here.
It's definitely a special thing,
 and I'm really looking
 forward to supporting
those new youth that are
taking the place of us
 who have aged out.
- [Dale] These youth
exhibitors, they're the experts.
 - I have these ones, I
 got seconds on these.
 This guy got seconds.
 - That's a chicken?
 - That's a chicken, yeah.
 - [John] What kind
 of chicken is that?
 - It's called a Light
 Brown Leghorn Bantam.
 So what you look for is
 like the dark golden hackle.
- [John] If you're showing
poultry, is it always chickens?
 - Nope, poultry consists
 of chickens, ducks, geese,
 pigeons, all kinds of stuff.
- [John] Do these end up
being like pets almost?
 - Almost.
 See, some of the chickens
 here are designed for meat,
 some are designed for eggs.
 Most of the chickens here
 are designed for exhibition,
 for showing purposes.
 - [John] What are
 you looking for?
 - When I'm lookin' at him, I'm
 looking for broken feathers,
 feather color and
 that stuff too.
I was also looking at eye color.
 - So it won.
 - Yup, so now he'll
 go up for best bantam.
I won a couple years ago
with one just like this,
 so hopefully I do
 well, same breed.
 - And is this guy gonna win?
 - I have no clue.
- We're hopin'.
 - Hopin'!
 - Okay this is pretty cool.
 This is called the boardwalk.
 The only way to
 get from Beaver Dam
 to Edgewater Park without
 leaving Beaver Dam
 is to take the boardwalk.
Unless I took the lake.
 I could have gone, I guess
 I coulda done that too.
We're at Palenque Bar and Grill.
 So what does Palenque mean?
 - It's a temple, temple Mayan.
That's why I picked the
name because my father
he been there many, many times.
 - Oh good.
 - He got a lot of friends--
 - So in honor of your dad?
- Yeah.
 This is traditional
 Mexican food.
This is ceviche.
 This is one of those
 traditional dishes in Mexico.
 Everything is fresh.
 - [John] Is this a
 family-run operation?
- [Andres] It's family-run, yes.
- [John] Who else
works here family-wise?
 - My mom, my brother, my
 sister, my brother-in-law.
 Okay, this is the
 hot sauce, tomatillo.
Tilapia tacos, it's
tilapia, grilled tilapia
in a flour tortilla with
a pico de gallo too.
 (slow jazzy music)
 Yeah you eat it the right way.
Avocado salad, is good.
 - And I love the fact that
 this is not a fried tilapia.
 - No, is grilled.
- It's grilled.
 All of this furniture,
 who did this for you?
 - Hand made.
 All of the tables and chairs
 come from Guadalajara, Mexico.
 Chimichanga Acapulco.
 Three meats inside,
 chicken, steak and shrimp.
 - Oh, full of that?
 - Full of that with
 cheese sauce on top.
 And this is the best
 dish of the house.
This moca hete date back
for a hundred years ago.
 - [John] What is a moca hete?
 - [Andres] It's a unique dish.
 It's a stone bowl with
 this chicken, steak, shrimp
mixed up with a poblano
sauce and cheese sauce.
 - Is this really hot pepper?
 - Mm--
 - Hot enough?
 - Hot enough, yeah, exactly.
 Steak.
- [John] Shrimp.
- You like spicy sauce?
 - Little bit.
 - Try a little bit.
 - Mmm.
 I could eat this whole thing.
Beaver Dam sure got their
slogan right: life here is good!
 We are here with
 Mayor Becky Glewen.
 How are ya?
 - I'm great.
 - Good to see ya.
 - Good to see you too.
- So we love your town.
- Oh, thank you.
 - And we have a job for you.
 You have 30 seconds
 to tell us why
 Beaver Dam, Wisconsin is
 the best place in the world
to work, live and play.
 And Mayor Becky,
 you can start now.
 - John, Beaver Dam is a
 beautiful, welcoming community
centrally located in
what we feel and believe
 is the triangle of opportunity
 between Madison, Milwaukee,
 and Green Bay on Highway 151.
 We have so many great
 things happening here.
 New hotel, lake front condos,
senior and multi-family
housing being built.
As well as new business
start-ups happening.
 We actively recruit
 new entrepreneurs
and innovative people
to come to our community
 to bring their talents here.
 We are the best place in the
 world to live, work, and play.
 - [John] You are
 done is what you are!
 - [Becky] No, no!
 - I'm excited, I'm here at
 the Beaver (clearing throat)
 (laughing)
- [Director] All right.
(John laughing)
 - Y'know I can hear him, I
 can hear him just giggling.
 - I was there, that was good.
 - You wanna know
 how many work here?
 I'd like to say
 about half of 'em.
(John laughing)
 - Beaver Dam's been a
 great town to visit.
 - And we wouldn't be able
 to visit here without
 the incredible support
 of our underwriters.
 So underwriters,
 thank you so much.
 - Thank you.
 - [Female Announcer] The
 Greater Milwaukee Foundation's
 Ernest C. and Florence
 M. Schocke Fund.
And by the David A.
and Nancy E. Putz Fund.
 The Greater Milwaukee
 Foundation: inspiring
 philanthropy,
 serving donors, and
 strengthening communities,
now and for the future.
 - [Male Announcer]
 Michels Corporation.
 Serving the energy,
 transportation,
 telecommunications,
and utility industries.
 Michels: constructing North
 America's infrastructure
for our future.
 - [Female Announcer]
 WE Energies Foundation
 and Wisconsin Public
 Service Foundation
 are proud to support
 public television.
 Together we create
 a brighter future
 for the communities we serve.
 - ATC moves electricity
 from where it's generated
 to communities
 where it's needed.
American Transmission
Company: helping to keep
the lights on, businesses
running, and communities strong.
