One, two, three, four.

Get my shoes then out the door.

Five I'm alive, six, seven, eight feelin' great.

Nine, gonna shine, life is good I'm doing fine.

Ten, Gonna do it right then do it again.

Yeah yeah.

I look up to the sky with all the beautiful color but, there's more than just for me so gonna share it with another.

I got to show, to give, let out, I want to sing and shout.

Take a look and see A beautiful morning that turns into beautiful evening.

And together make a beautiful life.

And if you want see, then come along with me.

That's right.

Welcome to Experience Michiana.

And the show's producer, Kelsey Zimmern, who have a great show for you today.

As we get out and explore the Michiana area, there's always so much to see and do.

We're going to head over to Goshen, where a boat is hitting the water for the first time, and it was handcrafted by the kids over at Bashor Children's Home.

We're also going to find out about a talent show happening at Howard Park.

But first off, the South Bend Civic Theater's production of waitress.

We're back on one of my favorite stages here in Michiana at the South Bend Civic Theater.

Putting on waitress is starting tomorrow.

Yes, yes.

How long are you guys running?

Waitress for us at three weekends.

Yes, we're running July 11th through the 27th.

Okay, so for those people who have not seen waitress, which I'm one of those.

So I'm so excited to hear what this play's about because I've heard so much good things about it now.

Waitress has only been out for really like a handful of years.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a newer musical and, it's a story about a young waitress and expert pie maker, and it's set in a small southern town in a local pie diner.

And it's really the story of her coming home to herself and, discovering who she is and the community that supports her along the way.

I love that, yeah.

On top of that, it's written with music and lyrics by the brilliant and masterful singer songwriter Sarah Bareilles That's amazing.

Talk to me about that.

I mean, that's a big deal, right?

Yeah, it's really special to have somebody who understands music in such a unique way and how to use melody to craft a story, creating a musical where it's very clear plot points to follow.

She does a really beautiful job at it, especially with these more like dreamy moments when it comes to pie baking and things.

Would you agree?

Yeah, I, as an actor, this score is a joy to sing.

Yeah, it's expertly crafted.

Now, Karen, what is the role that you're playing?

So I'm playing Jenna.

Okay.

She is the young waitress, who has some hard circumstances in her life.

But through that, she is really kind and empathetic, and loving to the people in her life.

She's also, incredibly creative.

And just an expert pie baker.

I love it when you think about, like, your real life experiences.

Everything that you just said.

I feel like I see that within you.

Right?

Like, how do you pull that into your character?

Well, the the difficult circumstances are not something that, I have had to deal with in my life, those particular circumstances.

But I am a baker.

I have an amazing baker.

And much like Jenna, like I was taught, about baking from the women in my family.

Yeah.

So that's a special connection that I share with, like, it's almost like a therapy.

I know for those who are.

I'm so sweet.

But, like, bringing that into the stage.

How does that look?

How does that feel when you do that?

Yeah.

So for Jenna, she kind of pours her heart and soul into everything that she bakes.

She puts her emotions into these pies and actually names them accordingly to how she's feeling.

So it is a form of therapy?

For Jenna.

That's how she expresses herself.

Okay, now, this is a musical, right?

Yes.

Okay, so how many people do you have in the cast?

We have 23 amazing cast members.

Yeah.

Yes.

And there's everybody seasoned here at South Bend Civic Theater.

I mean, I would say that they're all seasoned in terms of their talent, but we have people that have been in only one show before in their life to people who have worked professionally in other states.

So it's really like a wide breadth of experience, but everybody brings a very unique talent.

And through their life experiences are kind of able to shape these real life characters, these real life diner patrons, in a very special way.

On top of that, everybody is very kind, which is really important to me to create like a human centered and safe working environment.

It's a huge passion of mine.

And I know in theater that's not always the case.

So, it's been really a joy to have a cast that is so kind and empathetic and surrounds each other with joy.

I love that, Karen.

Tell me about working with the folks here, and this isn't your first time on this South Bend Civic stage.

I know I've been in a few productions here.

It's my first musical here.

Okay.

At the South Bend Civic.

But working with the whole team has really been incredible.

From Ashley.

And it's.

I will say it's really special to, have a show about women that is led by women and told by women.

And that's so.

So, yeah, Ashley is our director, our wonderful, music director.

Rachel, a female crew I love that is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That is so powerful.

And I'm sure you see that come out within the stage, too.

Totally talk to me about the process of how you guys have gotten to this point.

Opening day tomorrow.

Oh my goodness.

It's definitely been a whirlwind.

I mean, in in our rehearsal process, we started out with really focusing on creating this human centered environment of making, this space really joyous and collaborative.

So we started out with making community agreements, which is essentially where we all come together as like the main creative team that's working with the cast, one on one, as well as all the cast members to create like a set of guidelines of how we want to treat each other, to make the most, you know, enjoyable space.

Yeah.

And from there it really blossomed into, like, how can we get collaborative about how we're crafting these people and making them as real as possible?

I think Jen is such a special character in particular in that way, because she is such a raw, messy version of this, like a hero in this story.

And she has so many beautiful community members that really uplift her along the journey.

Which is also an important thing for, I think, South Bend to hear, because it's such a wonderful place where I really do feel like people uplift each other in their community and support each other.

There are different things in South Bend, like the free fridge.

And then you're in the Midwest Community Center.

Yeah.

The free market at the.

Well, La Casa de Amistad, even like places that are joyous, like South Bend Civic Theater, Dance Society downtown, I feel like are all places that are really focused on creating community in a really special way.

Yeah.

And I hope that, like, this show can be a celebration and a love letter to those people that do that.

All the more reason for people to come and fill the audience right?

Yes.

How many performances do you guys have?

Oh my goodness.

Let's see it's Fri- is are you Friday, Saturday?

Sunday?

No, we have no okay.

Even more than that.

Yeah we are.

We have one more.

You guys gotta go to the schedule, check it out on the website.

Yeah, get your tickets.

You can also get them at the box office, too.

Correct?

Yes they can.

Okay.

Now we have to talk about the set, right?

I mean, just walking in, I feel like I am in, like a classic diner.

Yeah.

You like immersed in it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

What went into the thought process to make this functional for what you want to do on the stage?

Yeah.

That's such a great question.

Thank you.

So just barrack is our incredible scenic designer.

Amazing.

Yeah.

He's brilliant.

Oh, my goodness.

He has been such a joy to collaborate with.

And, he's created this space that's really immersive, as he said, where it's very malleable.

Almost everything is either on wheels or easy to move so that we can really have Jenna conjuring up these transition moments.

There's not really a blackout, per se, in most of our show.

Okay, it's really very much so.

She's on stage 24/7 through and conjuring the world around her.

And Jeff really made that dream a reality for us.

And, another aspect that was really exciting for us is that a lot of, Waitress Productions take place in, like, a 1950s diner.

Okay.

But the small town diners that we know and love are often more in like 60s.

70s is kind of where they've.

Yeah, okay, I feel that.

I feel that vibe.

Yeah.

Okay.

And so he wanted to create a place that felt like a classic small town diner.

And I feel he really achieved that with these warm colors and textures.

And I love all the markers on the ground.

Yeah.

You guys are building a large room, right?

You you have a great tech team that's going to be here tonight.

Yes, we have we have brilliant collaborators that we're working with.

Yes.

That's amazing.

I know for anybody who hasn't been a part of theater before, we always encourage you get out there, get on stage, get behind stage.

Like just be a part of it.

Be a part of the community that you're talking about, right?

Yes.

It's a magical experience for sure, I love it.

Well, thank you guys so much.

And I do want to point out to like there is a lot of content in this.

It is a musical.

There's a bit of drama in it too.

So is it PG?

I would say PG 13 for sure.

Okay.

So make sure that you guys are aware that to grab your tickets and we'll see you at opening night.

Thank you so much.

I'm here at Fidler's Pond in Goshen for something that happens every year, well over the last eight years.

It's a Bashor Children's home boat build and then launch.

And the kids from Bashor will be here a little later on this morning to launch the boat that you see behind me into this pond.

After over a year of hard work, I'm here with the three volunteers who make it happen.

I'm here with Christian Jay and Guy Jay.

You originally started this eight years ago.

So how did you get into boat building?

Is it something you do for a career, or is it just a hobby of yours or.

Yep.

It's it's, I used to build I'd probably done it about 20 years, and I used to spend summers in Maine, and I think, that kind of hooked me being on the ocean.

And, I've just enjoyed this and the some of the skill it takes to do it.

I had driven I live close to Bashor so I had driven by and and be, like, Sunday mornings on the way to church.

I would just have this feeling I'm, you know, you're supposed to be doing something there.

And, one Sunday, I had a, a I was part of trying to help them locate a runner someone had taken off.

And so, and and talking to them, I realized it's time to step up and see what see what we can offer.

So.

Yeah.

And so one of the best ways to volunteer is to mix your passion for what you already love doing with helping young children.

What kind of difference have you seen in them over the last eight years, when they actually do get to volunteer?

I, you know, they some of them have never used tools before.

Some of them have never had the opportunity to build something like this.

Some of them haven't been on the water before.

And, you know, to us it kind of blows us away.

But, you know, the environment or whatever their background is, we just try to give them that opportunity to, hey, this is what we do.

This is tools we use.

We try to let them use everything.

And, Hey, look what you can walk away with, you know, some accomplishment.

So.

Yeah.

Now, guy, you came in a couple of years after Jay started it.

It really gives the kids a chance to see that if they stick with something and be part of a group project, they can really have amazing outcomes too, right?

Oh, absolutely.

The the kids come in and and oftentimes they get to see the, the start of a boat when it's just the pile of lumber in the, in the pool barn where we work.

And then at the end they get to see something like this, that we've taken something that's not much and turned it into something that's great.

And we hope that's a lesson that they learn.

Yeah, that they may feel like they're not much, but in the end they can be something beautiful and cool.

Yeah.

Well, Bashor often talks about how, Bashor is almost like a cocoon for caterpillars turning into butterflies.

You know, you go in one way and then, you know, you hope you come out another way.

And and of course, these kids have had a lot of challenges in their early life.

And that's tough on them.

Oh, yeah.

I know you're passionate about really meeting them where they're at in terms of their emotion and just not nonjudgmental and just, you know, just helping them through that.

Yeah.

We just we just want to hang out with kids because quite frankly, Jay and I are getting old and it makes us feel younger and like we're somewhat relevant.

And they're like, oh, look at you guys wearing your new balance's now.

I'm just kidding.

Yeah, I look at it, we joke, he has four daughters.

I have a son and two daughters.

We mesh them up pretty good.

We want a second try.

Right.

So.

And, talking about sons and daughters.

Kristen, you're a son in law.

So, of Jay's where you kind of roped into this, or are you willingly doing this willingly?

I, it was about seven years ago when, basically, I was, I came to the family, and, and Jay, I saw what Jay and Guy were doing, and, I was pretty interested, and, yeah, I joined them.

And do you have kids yourself now as well?

Yes, I do have two kids.

Are you helping not to mess them up the way you're trying?

Are you learning from them or by you?

Yeah, yeah.

And so, what how do you feel helping these kids?

Like, what does it bring to your life to be around them and see the difference for it is teaching me a lot of things.

And, and, basically, you know, the way I feel, I mean, I feel blessed to be able to help someone that that sometimes doesn't have the same opportunities that, that we have.

And so, yeah, I mean, it's just honored to be able to help.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, our starting points are also different.

And one of the stats about basher that always it always hits with me is that these kids have often been to 6 or 7 placements before they get to Bashor.

So you think about this young person who has been abused or neglected or been through something just terrible in their 14 or 15 years of life, and they've bounced around to 6 or 7 places that can't deal with what they're doing.

Bashor is like a last resort for them, and and after basher, it doesn't get any.

There's no more level of excellence or Bashor And we talked about this right before we came on camera Jay, you said something and it hit me.

And it's kind of true is like there is one place I can go after Bashor And it's not a good place, is it?

They can end up in jail.

They could end up in, you know, doing, repeating the cycle of what they've gone through, which is.

And so these kids Bashor gives them the opportunities, not just the, the therapy and all the care that they need when they're in Bashor as residents.

But also then being able to be exposed to things like this out in the community, which also helps with their social skills.

I'm sure you see that too.

Jay with the their social skills and being able to be in a group and things like.

Sure, yeah, yeah, sometimes we, maybe have to tone it down a little bit.

They get a little excitable.

But yeah, I think actually a lot of times they, they, they mesh well.

They oftentimes walk in and they're very reticent to talk to us and even that and you spend 15 Saturday mornings with them hanging out all of a sudden you're not asking them a whole lot about their past, but they're volunteering and they're opening up.

And, you know, we get to know them pretty well over a period of time.

And that's that's just awesome for us that that God has allowed us to, you know, meet these kids where they're at.

Yeah.

Because they are his children too.

Absolutely.

And so and up until that point, maybe every adult they've met, maybe intentionally or or just otherwise have basically let them down in a way.

And so you guys are consistent to them.

Yeah.

And I love that.

So I love that you're down.

Jay can you tell me a little bit about this boat behind me?

Because, you know, when people think of a bash or boat build, I think they think more of some of the items that we have here, which, by the way, are so beautiful.

But they seem small in comparison to what you've done here.

I mean, what is this boat behind me here?

Right.

So this is, it's called a senile skiff.

It's a Scottish coastal rowing boat.

Okay.

Obviously, originated in Scotland, and they use it.

They do races around the island.

There's probably I think we're about the 45th one in the States, mostly by maybe some high schools and some coastal groups.

Yeah, community groups like rowing.

Why?

We we do one in Indiana in the middle of a cornfield.

We haven't figured out that's where we're at.

So, I had I had thought this would be a cool project a couple of years ago.

And, Sean Mccrindle, the president of Badger, came to me a couple of years ago and said that project you were talking about, it's covered.

We have a donor heard about what you guys are doing, and, they'd like to take care of that.

We also have a boat company in the in the county here that heard about what we were doing, and we needed a trailer.

So they provided that for donated that.

Wow.

Well, if it can handle the, the, the wakes and the, currents around Scottish islands, I'm sure I can handle fidler around here today with with.

Problem is, we have not gotten wet yet, so.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Today could be the first day.

Right.

And so as we mentioned, we're here right now with Christian Jay and Guy.

And of course the real magic happens.

But unfortunately, you know, because the kids are in the care of Bashor children's home, we can't show them.

But the real magic is going to be when the kids get here.

The atmosphere is going to really just, it's really going to go through the roof, right?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we will we will make sure they have fun.

Yeah.

Oh they will.

Well, thank you guys so much.

If you want to learn more about the Bashor boat build or get involved in any way, go to Basher Dawg.

But thank you for doing this.

I'm sure you get as much out of it as the kids do, but it's really important that we show them as adults and as believers in Christ that you've all spoken, that we really do care about the next generation.

That's all that matters, right?

All right.

We awesome.

Our lights are already set.

Right.

We got to make sure the next generation is set.

So I thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay.

I love when we can focus on the kids.

And this is a great opportunity to do that.

The Rising Stars youth talent show is coming up.

Cici thank you so much for joining me today.

Thank you for having me today.

This is like a new venture for you.

This is the first time we're doing something like this, right?

Yes it is.

Okay.

So tell me about the the performance itself as a talent show.

What age group is it for?

It's always from ages 5 to 15.

Okay.

And for those kids, I mean, you have a kind of a special, unique nest of what you're wanting from these kids, right?

Yes.

Talk to us about that.

We have a not for profit organization, so we work with all youth is all inclusive.

So basically we want the talent show to include all the youth.

So no matter what your talent is, whether they're singing, dance and art modeling, even if you're good in math, whatever your skill is, whatever the child think their talent is, we want to showcase that at Howard park.

July 26th I know I have some kids out there who are really good at long division, so let's get them.

Get this right.

Others do.

Yes, yes, because it all matters.

Yeah.

And this is all part of a broader organization too.

And you're originally from Chicago.

Yes.

And talk to us about bringing what you're doing in Chicago here to Michiana.

So I'm from Chicago and I work with all youth in Chicago from about 2020 to about now.

I started the organization, so I had the opportunity to train different children how to play instruments, how to sing.

I gave lesson guys love that.

In many areas.

I want to find our schools.

So we focus on educational arts.

So I wanted to bring a program here to South Bend, that will include all the children where they can feel included, because I'm noticing that a lot of the schools in general, they have lost their passion for the arts.

And I want to we channel that in our children.

I want our children to say, hey, we have somewhere we can shine on.

Absolutely.

Yes.

It is important to have something like that right to work off of.

And I know you have kids too.

Yes I do, right.

So talk to us about what it means, what it looks like for kids like yours.

What does that mean for them in the long term when they see I can do something cool?

So my five year old, he is artistic and I have seen my son go through a lot of things where a lot of people have excluded him because they didn't know how to work with him, or they didn't know that he had an issue.

So of course, when you meet a child, you don't know if there's something wrong.

But I've seen I've also worked with a lot of special needs children, and I see what the families go through.

I see how they're excluded from activities because they're different.

And so I want us, the community, to come together to say, hey, it doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what's going on.

You literally have a safe place of belonging and you can artistically express yourself.

You matter.

Yeah.

I mean, really, that's the story.

You matter.

You definitely matter.

Okay, so we're putting together this event.

When is it happening?

So it's happening July 26th.

And how we're part okay okay.

And what is the time frame that you're planning to shoot for here.

So you're welcome Jake.

It look like I guess so we're planning to start from 12 to 6.

So we have a good range of time.

And we're going to have all different acts in between and try to get some things going.

Well, yes.

We literally have six hours to literally showcase this entire thing.

That's amazing.

And registration is still open.

Yes it is okay.

How can people get registered.

So you can register a few ways.

For one, you can contact our email which is Prolific Arts 1122@gmail.com or they can call the number (815) 714-0166.

Okay.

And that's the best way to register for this.

Yeah.

And there is a registration cost.

Right.

But there's also opportunity for scholarship.

Yes there is.

Talk about that okay.

So we have a few people that have donated money for families that may not be able to afford the pre-registration fee.

So if you have a child or if you know a family that needs help or want to participate in a showcase, we literally want you to still register, okay?

Register your child no matter if you have it or you don't.

We have so many sponsorship opportunities available, I love that, and is there a limit to how many kids are going to be accepting?

So as of right now, I know like my family will be there for hours there.

Hey, like he just keep going kiddo.

Yes yes yes.

I mean as of right now, no, because we still have a lot of room for more kids to register, so we definitely just need kids.

But coming in, we really want to make this as big as we can.

And I love that you said like, this is an opportunity.

This is not a singing competition.

Per se.

This is not, you know, get up there and do a gymnastics act.

Those are welcome.

But like this is an opportunity for you to for the children to showcase like what they're all about.

What is their passion.

Yes.

I think that's so important to thank you I love I love what you're doing.

It's just so great.

It's so great.

And add on to that, I think you're going to have vendors there.

Yes.

Talk to us.

About what?

Like the afternoons going to look like it's going to be outside right.

Yes.

Okay.

So the event is going to take place outside in the park.

And basically we're we're still looking for vendors as well.

So they can also contact the same information.

However, we're looking for vendors.

We're looking for everyone to just come out.

So it's going to be family food, fun.

We're even looking to have games as basic, like a whole entire event itself, if that makes sense.

Yeah, it's like a fair like a fun fair.

Like a fun fair, I love that.

So probably are you going to have chairs out there or do people need to bring lawn chairs if they want to watch so they can bring them if they want to.

But I believe that we're going to have everything set up a place for everybody to say that is our plan, that is our goal, and that's where we're looking for it to have.

But hey, if you want to bring your lawn chair and be comfortable in your own set up for the day, yes, please, by all means bring it and then.

Do you guys have a rain date or is it rain or shine?

As rain or shine as of right now?

Okay, so we're hoping for good weather for that day.

We hope everything goes well.

And, you know, just talk to us about your originally from Chicago, right.

Coming here to Michiana.

What has that transition been like for you in regards to both the children's community but also into the art community?

So it's definitely been challenging, if I could be honest, because Chicago is so big, where you literally can do whatever you want, if that makes sense.

Like is is is a broad variety.

So I'm always used to getting people to participate.

I'm always used to getting people to sign up for things or, you know, and I guess because his home is so familiar territory.

So out here, I'm just trying to get used to the environment itself.

So however, though I think it's a great transition because sometimes you need to bring something new.

Yeah.

So the community.

So I'm used to getting participants up there but not out here.

So I'm looking forward to actually just spreading the word around.

Hey, I'm actually here to help children out no matter what that looks like.

And, honestly, this is just amazing.

I love any opportunity.

I have very talented kiddos too.

I know I have one kiddo who's going to be all about this.

Yes, she is like a singer songwriter.

Oh, that's right, I know she's going to be on this.

I think she's just amazing to like, talk to us about what your organization does because this is one avenue that you're talking about, right?

Yes.

So what is your organization do?

What is your mission.

So we're not for profit organization.

And our mission is basically to give the children a place of belonging and to give them a safe place.

And so our mission is to awaken the brilliance inside of all children.

It's all inclusive.

So this is a this is an educational arts program, again, where we work with special needs children.

We work with at risk youth, and we also work with diverse learners.

So when you talk about education, arts is literally dealing with like even audio record, even dealing with art history poetry.

Yeah.

Dance art, singing, literally anything that you can think of.

We basically give a variety of programs within one setting.

We're even expanding our program to even cause children to be able to record music and do photography.

So yes, we want them to start young.

I love it.

And so anything that they want to be, anything that they want to do, we're giving them that place and that space where they can come in and literally shine in that space, whatever it looks like.

These are the rising stars.

These are the rising star, rising stars.

It's coming out on July 26th.

Yes.

Right.

So make sure you bring your kiddos out for that.

Bring your family out to watch it, but get your kiddos registered for this.

Let them shine.

Yes, let them show their talents.

And again, what was the age range for the age range again is from ages 5 to 15.

Perfect, perfect.

All right.

Well thank you so much.

So you thank you so much.

I'm so excited for you for doing this.

Something like this is amazing for our community and for them to be able to come together and really showcase our incredible children in this community who are going to be our future.

Like, that's what it's all about.

Thank you.

I really appreciate everything.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In downtown Mishawaka at Iron Works Plaza.

There are some great things happening this weekend.

Tomorrow, Friday, July 11th from 530 to 830.

It's food truck Friday.

Grab a bite to eat and enjoy it right in the ball band biergarten On Saturday, July 12th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., it's time for Foam Fest, a fun event for kids featuring water slides, foam machines and more.

And finally, on Saturday, July 13th, the streets will come alive with the Mishawaka market.

Local vendors will be out selling fresh produce, handmade crafts and more.

Plus, there's an activity area just for the kids to play and explore.

Don't miss out on a weekend full of fun at Iron Works Plaza in downtown Mishawaka.

Well, that's it for this week's show.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Remember, if you're out exploring the Michiana area and you come across something that you think other people should know about, hit us up on Facebook and let us know all about it and maybe it'll be on our next show.

Thank you so much and have a great weekend, everybody.

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