Wisconsin Public Radio - Chapter A Day

Chapter A Day
Celebrates 75 Years in September 2002
With A Tour of The Feuding Founders

Jim Fleming, Norman Gilliland & Karl Schmidt

1927 was an exciting year. On May 20, Charles Lindbergh left Roosevelt Field on Long Island to begin the first solo flight across the Atlantic. On September 30, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run on the final day of the season for the New York Yankees. Also in September 1927, in Wisconsin Harold B. McCarty pulled a book from his briefcase to unknowingly begin one of the longest-running radio programs in history. Harold McCarty's book led to another...and another and another.

This fall Chapter A Day celebrates its 75th Anniversary.

As part of the 75th anniversary celebration, Wisconsin Public Radio is planning a statewide tour featuring three Chapter A Day readers in The Feuding Founders, a dramatic presentation of the letters of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

The Feuding Founders tour begins September 3 at the Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield, ends September 26 in the Senate Chambers at the State Capitol, and includes stops in Milwaukee, Brookfield, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Rapids, Sturgeon Bay, and La Crosse.

Karl Schmidt, Jim Fleming and Norman Gilliland will appear in costume as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and their mutual friend Benjamin Rush. The text is drawn from the exchange of letters as the two Founding Fathers attempted to "explain ourselves to each other" in the last decades of their lives.

Here is a list of locations where you can see "The Feuding Founders."

Sept. 3 – 7:30 p.m. at Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield. That night "The Carnegie Hall of Tent Shows" will also feature Wisconsin poets Norbert Blei and Judith Strasser, and the Blue Canvas Orchestra. Tickets are $18.00 for adults, $8.00 for children.
For tickets: 888-BIG-TENT or on the Web at www.bigtop.org


Thomas Jefferson addresses Dr. Benjamin Rush (Jim Fleming and Norman Gilliland)	JimFleming introduces the show

Sept. 9 – 7:00 p.m. at the new Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Brookfield. The Wilson Center is located in Mitchell Park at 198th and Capitol Drive. You'll have a chance to meet the Chapter A Day readers at a reception immediately following. Tickets are $8.00 each.
For tickets and more information: 262-781-9520

Sept. 10 – 1:30 p.m. at St. John's Tower Apartments, Milwaukee. Enjoy the performance, and then meet the cast at a private reception. St. John's Tower is located at 1840 N. Prospect Avenue. For tickets and more information: 414-227-2047.

Sept. 12 -- 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Lincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids. There will be a reception following the event. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance. For tickets and more information: 715-421-4598.

Sept. 20 -- 7:30 p.m. at the Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay, followed by a reception at the Door County Maritime Museum. Tickets are $10 each.
For tickets and more information: 920-743-1760.

Sept. 23 – 7:00 p.m. at the Heyde Center for the Arts in Chippewa Falls, followed by a reception.
For tickets and more information: 715-839-3868 or 800-228-5615.

Sept. 24 – 7:00 p.m. at the Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King Street, La Crosse. The performance will be in the Dayton Gallery, followed by a post-performance reception in the Kader Room. There is no cost for the performance, but tickets are required as seating is limited. Tickets are available at the La Crosse Public Library's Main Branch, 800 Main Street; South Community Library, 1307 S. 16th Street; and at the North Community Library, 1552 Kane Street. For information: 608-785-8380 or 888-520-2078.

Sept. 26 -- 7:00 p.m. at the State Capitol, Madison. Enjoy a fall evening on the Square, then step inside the Senate Chambers for a bit of history. For tickets and more information: 800-747-7444. (The Madison performance is currently full, but you may call to get on the cancellation list.)

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