one, two, 34.

Get my shoes on at the door.

I'm Lapchick.

seven They feel great.

I'm gonna shine after I do it, I'm gonna do it.

But do they get a look at this guy with the beautiful color about the weather?

Just for me to not share it with another?

I got to show to give that out singing show.

I'll take a look and say a beautiful harmony that's earned your beautiful, easy and together make beautiful light.

And that's you wanna see the come along with me?

That's right.

Well, I think it's officially Halloween season, especially here on Experience Michigan, that we have a great show for you this week.

A lot of things are happening this week, and so if your schedule was clear, we're about to fill it up.

first off, Kelly is talking to the twin City players in Saint Joe, Michigan.

They have a Halloween show that they're putting on.

Opening weekend is this weekend.

I also was able to check out the Pie Artemis Zoo, which you might be able to see the leopard behind me.

Roaming around the Potawatomi Zoo is having their xulu.

one of my favorite events here in Michigan.

I love that.

Make sure you check it out.

It is this weekend only.

first off, though, we're going to be checking out Dave, who was able to visit Lynch's Enchanted Gardens.

They also have some spooky things happening, as well as some pumpkin picking You don't want to miss this.

Check it out.

You know, I've driven by Linden's Enchanted Garden so many times, and this is my first time stopping in.

Mark, I'm sorry, it's my first time stopping in, but I'm glad that for the first time I got a tour with you.

It's so nice to have you here.

Thank you.

No, I appreciate it, and I know that you've got so many things here that we're going to check out.

But first of all, and it's all to eat a very important local nonprofit.

What exactly are we doing here?

Well, this is something pretty crazy, pretty fun, something we've been doing for over 20 years.

It's a pumpkin bowling bowling with pumpkins here, and it is a charitable event, and 100% of the proceeds goes to benefit aid based out of Bristol.

Yeah, it is a great nonprofit.

I've done work with them.

I've met with them and I really like them.

So, so well How does this work?

We come in and give you a couple of dollars or how does this work?

It's $2 as ball until your bears.

OK, all right.

Here we go.

What happens if I get a strike team who will set them up, then we'll do it again.

OK. Wow.

It was really close.

You're really good at.

See if you can get a spare here.

OK, here we go.

Harry Oh, not too bad.

So people give $2 that goes towards aid.

This is one of the things that we're doing here.

But what else are we going to go and see because I see a train outside?

And you know what?

That is the most popular thing at this time of the year.

It's called our pumpkin patch express and for like six 99 kids of all ages hop on board the train and it takes them out to the pumpkin patch and they come back with pumpkin and big smile.

Did you hear that kids of all ages?

Let's go.

All right, so we're on the train right now.

So where does the train go around here and how many stops are there?

Well, there's only one stop at this time of the year, and that's at the Pumpkin Patch Express.

But we've got nine acre facility here and we do a tour of the whole entire property.

And it's a narrative train, right?

Yeah, no.

It is that it's really beautiful right now and have families of all ages and children of all ages can go on this right.

It's all about creating memories.

This is the most beautiful fall day as well.

It doesn't even feel like Fall feels a little bit too warm, but I'm sure you're not complaining.

We are not complaining, very blessed for the type of weather we've been having.

Absolutely.

So where are we now?

Well, we are in the most furthest back corner of the whole entire nine acre garden center.

This is our pumpkin maze.

And if you're a little younger, you'd be crawling through that hole.

But once you get my age, I take the shortcut around here Part of me kind of wants to do it, though.

Well, go ahead.

Give it a try.

All right, I'm doing all right.

Woo.

I like it.

So once you get back here, you get to choose your favorite pumpkin and then hop back on board the train .

I like it.

In fact, if I hadn't been able to bowl with this one, I think I would have got a strike.

I think he would have knocked down a lot more pins with that one there.

These are emus and you want me to actually feed them out of my hand.

Absolutely.

And out of all the emus, these are probably the tamer stories around Are you just telling me that?

So I'm not nervous.

Well, you shouldn't be nervous because they're incredibly friendly, are they?

Yes, they are.

What made you get these out of all the animals in the world You know, they are almost a prehistoric looking bird.

They're amazing and these are actually a mated pair here, and they are very happy living here at our home and garden center.

And you know, the closer you look at them, you see, they're striking their actual looks and they're really beautiful.

Actually, as I look at them now, they're kind of cute.

They're just a little bit smaller than an ostrich.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

It was an answer.

The first one, I thought, that's how you know, this one is very interested in.

My bracelet, they love colorful things.

And actually, he's won some love and they love to have their neck.

Oh wow.

And if you watch there.

There you go.

If you watch their eyes, sometimes their eyelids will close because they almost go into a trance.

I'm really shocked at how friendly there.

Oh my guess, I was never, ever hurt you.

Brady, I was expecting the impact of all of it.

They're very gentle.

And they're they're very curious as well.

There you go.

They don't get an awful lot of tension because they're a little intimidating because of their size, but I always tell all of our guys just to reach in there and share the love.

It's my first time ever in my life touching an emu So out in the wild, you would not want to approach them because they actually can kick forward and with that center toe.

They can do a lot of damage, but these have been raised since I've been a little Texan.

Absolutely love being around humans.

This is Rosebud.

Oh, I love that name.

And Rosebud has been a resident here for 14 years.

Oh, wow.

What's the average age the donkeys lived, too?

Oh, that's a great question.

Not long enough, but I honestly don't know.

I mean, did you know that some donkeys have a cross on their back?

I do now what that's right.

You know what?

There is a story that goes that ever since Jesus wrote on the back of a donkey, there became a cross on O on their backs.

Now, not all donkeys have the crosses, but we thought it was a pretty cool, pretty neat.

That's beautiful.

So we have a donkey with a cross on the back.

That is very beautiful.

What a nice, symbolic way of looking at it.

And hey, you know, am I prepared?

How did you even have the idea at such a young age because you've been in business since 1982?

That's right, sir.

What?

What made you think of this?

You know, so many people choose different careers.

What made you think?

You know, this is what I want to create.

You know, when I was in elementary school, my best friend, my buddy, his family actually had a nursery and a garden center, and we would hang out together after school.

The school bus would drop me off at their house, which was also the business, and I was free labor.

I like the smell of dirt.

I like getting my hands dirty.

And that really planted a seed at a very young age.

And you know, that's the kind of atmosphere you're trying to create for families.

Now here we are.

I love it.

But the school bus drop you off and come on in.

So what are we doing right now?

This is called gemstone mining, and if you haven't mined for gemstones, it's a lot of fun and it's really easy to do.

So what we have here in front of us, it's called a sluice.

And this is the way they used to mine for gold and the miners would set this up.

And what you need is a source of running water.

And we give all of our guests a bag of dirt, which is actually called rough.

And there's actually some things that are hidden in your eyes.

So I'm going to give you half of it and I'm going to tak the other half here.

Well, and so this is these are pans and we're going to rotate them around.

And actually use these.

These are handles here.

And so what you do is put that down in the water and back and forth motion.

And because there's a screen underneath there, all of that sand and the whole fine particulates all that is going to the bottom and we are going to see what gets exposed after that.

Do you know what that is?

It looks like a bone.

It does look like a bone.

It's actually a shark's to gather some shark's teeth in here.

I wish I knew all my fossils, but know this is loaded up with all sorts of really cool things.

And if you're like me and you don't know what those are, we actually have an identification chart right around the corner so you can I.D.

them.

You can see that that's a fossil of Thomas and they'll say, Yeah, yeah.

I think what I've really realized on after meeting you here today is that you never want to give up being a child.

Oh, because we're not used.

It's I mean, this is the best thing because we get so serious as adults.

It's fun to just play in the dirt and play in the water, and exactly life's too short.

Inside, and this is just as magical as outside, to be quite honest and looking around, I feel like you can come in here ten times and still not even see everything.

Well, that's actually the goal.

We changed the displays constantly, and if you would come in a week later, it looked totally different.

Right now, we're doing a major transformation.

We're going from far until Christmas, and we've got our big Christmas open house events coming up the first weekend in December.

And of course, the main man himself stops by here so kids can come saving free photos with Santa.

Just simply bring your own camera and we collect candidates.

So every person that's in the photo please bring handed for them and we donate them to our local food pantry.

So it seems like giving back keeping a childish kind of at heart to make sure we don't take life too seriously.

Those two things are really important for you.

Here's our business motto.

I love it.

Well, thanks so much for having us here.

I've really enjoyed it.

And actually, I can't wait to bring my own wife here just so we can have a look around and and get ready for Christmas.

Awesome.

All right.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

And.

Hello.

Hello, is anybody home?

Hello.

Well, I guess we're not here yet, but glad that you guys are, because today we're going to find out about a theater company that has 89 years of history.

And we're also going to find out is there really such a thing as The Haunting of Hill House?

Not to tell you before I got here, I thought, Oh, come on, please.

That is definitely not true.

But now that I'm here, I don't know, guys, I got to be honest.

I'm not quite so sure.

What I can say is this experience will definitely be once in a lifetime, but I can't guarantee that you're going to leave here in your right mind.

Oh, or at all by somebody about to get here real quick.

They've got to get hit real fast.

While I am really excited to be here on the set of The Haunting of Hill House with Julia, Laura and Andrew, I have to be honest with you guys.

I'm a little scared, freaked out here.

So before we start, I just want to know everybody alive.

You all got a pulse, right?

I don't have anything to worry about so far.

So far.

So far.

Well, like I said, we are so excited to be here and this is actually our first time.

And Andrew would like to start with you because you are the president of the board here and directors and you've been here for 89 seasons I'm sure there's a lot of history here.

Oh, there is there.

There's we're one of the oldest continuously running community theaters in Michigan.

As as you said, we've been doing this for 89 years, started out of people's homes and then performed in a number of different locations for a while In the forties, we were in Benton Harbor for a while.

We were by Red Arrow Highway and then in the eighties we we bought this building, which was a barn, and the members converted into a theater, and we've been in it ever since.

For 89 years, there had to have been a lot of highs and lows.

Oh yeah.

Interviewer There were points where they had trouble getting royalties.

At one point they had to change the name of the theater and reorganize to get out of some royalty troubles .

There have been moves from different locations, never enough storage, but we've had tremendously successful years that have had massive audiences So it's been great and I'm sure that 89 years, I mean, you must have great support from this community.

Oh yes, yes, the community is wonderful.

The whole theater is entirely volunteer run.

Everyone who works here, everyone who helps usher or sell the tickets are all volunteers.

So we really depend on our community to support us to raise money.

So they've been fantastic.

That's wonderful.

And I'm sure Julia and Laura that you both are so excited and thrilled to be able to bring the haunting of Hill House here.

And Julia, you're the director.

Tell us a little bit about your career and what brought you here.

Yeah.

So I actually grew up in twin city players, and I left about ten years ago to go to college because I got a Bryan Swagger scholarship from twin city players.

And so through many misadventures, they were going to put on The Haunting of Hill House.

And I was like, That's one of my favorite players.

This is the time.

So ten years later, I'm back trying to give back what they gave me.

And it's been a wonderful experience.

I also work with Haven Theater in Chicago doing their social media management, and I've worked with other various theaters in Chicago.

But it's just wonderful to be back home now.

And you know what else is wonderful?

When I read a little bit about this to see a lot of of the women, so many women are part of this production and also to have a female director.

Nothing against male directors.

Do, you know, love all of them?

But but we don't see female directors as often.

Yes, as a female director.

It's always been kind of my duty.

I feel to bring in other female creators to any project that I put on, and I specifically work with companies that only have inclusion in their statements and twin city players.

IS is working really hard to start bringing in all of the diversity and inclusion they can to help bring multiple messages to the stage.

And I wanted to be a part of that and the women we have just in this production, it's been so astounding the creativity, the workmanship and it's it's an.

To work with women, there's definitely a different vibe.

And I think the more people get used to that, the more people will lean into it.

I totally agree with you.

Tell us a little bit about this haunting play.

Oh, well, it is.

first off, it's a labor of love.

This play that Shirley Jackson, she wrote the book and it was published in about, I think, 1958, 1959.

And it is a beast of a play.

My actors can attest to that.

The the words, the scares.

It is a wonderful piece of theater that I feel isn't quite done enough.

It is done in movies.

It's very cinematic.

And the Netflix show, if anyone's seen that they should come see this play because it has all the esthetic of that different storyline.

I want people to know that live theater, it's life theater It won't be the same thing you saw on screen.

If anything, it'll be a bit better.

I totally agree with you and Laura, you are the lead in this place.

Is what has it been like for you?

It has been such a crazy ride.

Eleanor is such a role that challenges me as an actor.

She's so, so dimensional.

She's just this well-rounded, absolutely crazy character who who falls into the house and just it's been really, really fun discovering all about Eleanor and just discovering more about myself as I discover Eleanor.

How did you do that?

Because I have read often people that sometimes are in shows and movies that are kind of like this or, you know, a character that's maybe a little dark or somethin creepy that you know, it takes it takes a lot of work to get into that character.

How was it for you?

I think it was pretty challenging for me because, you know, she is, she is.

She ends up unfortunately killing yourself.

So I was like, God, I really have to, you know, be careful not to sli too far into the mind of Eleanor in my personal life.

So I really try to keep a firm line of what's on stage and my personal life, because especially with a role like this, you don't want to cross the line too much.

And I think with a role in a play like this, we start basi basics with research, research, research, research.

I'm a dramaturg as well.

So everyone, even those who auditioned, get a dramaturgical packet with as much information as possible about the characters, the script, the plot, the author, so that when they come in, they have the knowledge to put forth not themselves, but what they want to portray.

It's very I'm a heady person when I direct everything's about intuition and the knowledge that you possess.

And I like to instill that with my actors and my design team.

And by the way, this is wonderful.

It's they have done I could have hoped for.

So thank you, Bill Bartlett and Juliet Gottlieb and Cindy J.K..

They are truly masters, and I have to thank my assistan director as well.

Rene Wright.

She has been my right hand, and I could not have done this play without her, either.

They've all been such a team to bring this to life, and they've really taken care.

You have to take care of your actors with something like this We do have trigger warnings in the programs about suicide and we have the suicide number and any hotlines that they might need, just because this is dramatic stuff and we want to take care of our audience as well.

So that's wonderful because it is it is a great play and is busy.

Is it a psychological thriller?

Yes, I would classify it as such.

And so it does bring up some, some issues, but it's really wonderful that you are taking that opportunity to to talk about a subject that that's very sensitive, but people also need to know that there's help with that.

Yes, it's one of those.

That's why I love theater.

You know why this play now, this play with everything going on, I feel like it's the perfect time to really dove into how people are feeling and taking care of their mental health.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Now when is opening night?

Is it this Friday?

It is this Friday.

We'll be ready.

We'll be ready.

Yeah, we're looking like you're ready and then you're ready.

It's we're almost sold out for opening night.

So if anyone wants tickets, get them now.

It's it's turning out to be a great turnout for so far for TCP.

second show of the season.

Great.

And how can people get tickets?

They can go online to our website, twin city players, dot org.

And we have a link there to buy tickets and you can order them online at $1 for adults, twelve for seniors , I believe ten for students.

All right.

Well, thank you so much, guys.

I enjoyed being here, break a leg and come and see the haunting of Hill House, if you dare.

Well, it's time to grab the broomsticks or the superhero cape, whatever you have, but it's time for you.

But one of my favorite things to do in the fall here in Michigan.

We're at Potawatomi Zoo today, and I have with this Josh, who's the executive director here.

I'm so excited that you guys are able to put this on today.

I know I can't have.

We cannot even believe that it's already time for zero boo.

But yeah, so we're excited.

It's bigger and better than ever.

That's why I went out.

We were standing out here next to the big pirate ship.

This archery trail.

Yeah, we've been pretty creative this year.

I mean, everyone, the zookeepers, our maintenance team, they've all jumped into the Halloween spirit and been decorating the zoo and getting all ready for this event this weekend.

OK, and now with it coming up this weekend, I know you're not open during the daytime hours, correct?

Yes, we put all of our energy and resources like everyone.

Staffing has been such an issue this year, so we are going to be closed Friday and Saturday for the zoos.

We're only opening at 4:00 for the event, so that advance going to be from four to eight Friday, Saturday and then on Sunday it's two to five .

And that's that little sea bed that we kind of cater that more to the smaller kids that the train kind of calms down a little bit and all ages, but you kind of have more of a scarier tone and then more of Premiere Halloween.

So kind of we're known for our scary train ride, so it's our Halloween train ride.

Our team does a great job.

I decorated the whole train track and there's characters out on it.

But yeah, on Sunday, though, we do kind of calm it down just a little bit for those little little ones, OK?

And for those who want to ride the train, what is the price for the attractions?

Because that also changes a little bit too.

Yeah, so $5 for the train rides and then $3 for the treat bags.

Candy is a tremendously expensive, as you know, and every event that's at the zoo.

We are nonprofit.

It is a fundraiser for the zoo, so members are free to get into zoo bill.

But it is $3 for that treat trail and a treat bag.

And then with your regular general admission that gets you a treat bag with your general admission.

And we're standing on the treat trail.

And I mean, I can see this is already set up quite a bit here.

Yes.

And we got we've got all kinds of characters coming.

We've got Cinderella coming on Sunday.

We've got that storm troopers coming from Star Wars and all kinds of characters coming.

So it's it's going to be a pretty amazing event.

That's awesome.

Is there anything that you're doing different this year that maybe that you hadn't done in the past?

Well, I mean, last year, we, you know, we'd always had the trails around the zoo, and that's what I used to write And you know, it's different now.

We're trying to change the experience.

And I know people sometimes miss that.

But we had 13,000 people over a weekend doing that.

And you would have to stand in that line.

You couldn't get in very slowly.

People didn't really like that and that you were trapped, basically.

So we really tried to open it up and have that freedom that you can walk around the zoo, you can ride the train.

If you want to ride the train, you can come to the treat trail If you want come to treat trail, you can see some of the animals that are out at night.

So it just gives you a lot more freedom than just being stuck in that line.

Yeah, and I know people it opens at four, but there's always a line ahead of time.

When should people get here once the best time to come?

You know my earlier, the better.

I mean, like I said, it is a shorter event, so it's four hours.

This can be four to eight.

So but you know, it is kind of neat to be here at night, thoug that's the one thing.

So it's going to be like four or five.

So I mean, I almost Typekit.

If I was going to come, I would come when it gets a little bit later because I think that experience I'm at, this pirate ship is going to be lit out there, smoke.

The train ride even has a lot of lights and everything, so I think the experience will be a lot better when it's a little darker.

But and you know, the weather's been so wonderful I know it's going to be a little bit colder this weekend, but it's a lot more animals out right now in general.

Yeah, we were still open for a few more week.

We were commenting.

Zuber is not really about the animals, it is about the event because usually this time of year, it's so chilly that a lot of the animals aren't out.

But I think this year you're going to be able to see the tigers, the Amur leopards, you know, some of those animals that typically may not be out because it's a little cooler.

You know, we still have the monkeys out on the islands.

It's the latest we've ever had them out.

So let's what's helping us.

The weather just keeps it going the way it's going.

I was here the other day and I feel like I had a one on one moment with the Lion.

Oh, did you?

Yes, it was very intense and I got some great photographs staring at me with those beautiful eyes.

But there is still a lot to see here.

And you guys close for the season October 31st, but you still have other things going on through the winter season.

We do.

Yeah, and we everyone's so excited.

Unless you've lived under a rock and haven't heard the news, we are bringing drafts to the pod.

A lot of.

They're almost here as far as they're coming right when we close our eyes, but it is a good time because it does allow them to acclimate, they're going to need some time, right?

Like you're right.

So right after Thanksgiving, our gift of light start.

So that's going to be our big light festival across the zoo.

I can't make any promises, but we're hoping if everything goes well and they acclimate well, that that'll be the first time that visitors will be able to go into the barn and see the giraffes.

That would be wonderful.

Before we open next season, and this also relates, one knows the hours, what are the days fo So there was a run on the weekend, so those can be Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Check out the website for the exact time and with the website, by the way, Potawatomi Zoo forge perfect timing it dot org and that starts the weekend after Thanksgiving, so that last weekend in November will be our first gift of lights and it'll run through that last weekend in December.

And I love just being able to even drive by it.

But you can still take train ride to the wintertime because the yeah, unless we get a huge dumping of snow, then we can.

It will definitely have the train rides go on with some lights around the train and everything So well, there's so much here, and I think you guys even have some classes available to redo Yassuo for fall classes If you check out that website again, Potawatomi Zoo dot org, you can see what some of our fall classes are.

And yeah, there's a there's always a lots going on.

And then I think we're even with the drafts coming and have more winter days this way.

So look for in January, February, March that we'll try to do some more.

That was weekend winter days.

Come see the zoo, hopefully see the giraffes because I know everybody has been waiting for the giraffe.

I, we are so excited and it just looks beautiful what you guys are putting together.

What else do you have to do to get ready for the tour?

So they are, like I said, they're coming in three weeks in the barn itself is getting really close to being done, getting materials.

It's just been like anyone doing construction right now.

So there you'll see these white temporary doors on it.

So there's a glass door is supposed to be coming, but we're getting it all buttoned up for the giraffes.

But then all winter long, we're going to be working on that second phase.

So it's going to be the feeding platform, the outdoor landscaping, all that crap.

That's bronze sculpture coming in.

But it should all be good and going for April first and we open next year.

That is so exciting.

Well, I can't wait for it.

And of course, I'm getting my costume ready for Zulu this weekend.

Going to bring my kids on out for it and grab a treat bag while we're here on the treat trail.

I'm so excited to have this happening again this year.

Absolutely.

I'll be here all three nights, so I'll see you when I'll see you walking around here and.

Don't forget, if you are heading out to the Potawatomi Zoo, the cut off time is a little bit ahead of time before they actually close at 8:00 p.m., So you want to make sure to check out their website for all the details.

We're so glad that you joined us today.

Hopefully, you're feeling the Halloween spirit.

I sure am And of course, we'd love to hear more about your holiday plans and ideas as we'll be sharing those here on Experience Michigan.

You can tag us on social media with the hashtag Experience Michigan, and we'll be sure to check those out.

Thanks for joining us.

Experience Miss Gianna is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County and the Indiana Arts Commission, which received support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts .

This WNIT, local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.