http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/ Prairie Fire on WILL-TV en barrinea@uiuc.edu Copyright (C) 2009 University of Illinois 2009-05-15T00:30:38+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-a/#When:00:30:38Z The Exotic Feline Rescue Center is one of the largest rescue centers in the country for abused, abandoned, and neglected exotic felines. The EFRC was founded by Joe Taft in 1991 and has grown over the years to spread more than 100 acres in Center Point, Indiana. Cared for by a small group of devoted professionals, the cats go through an astonishing 3,000 pounds of meat a day, live in custom-made enclosures, and even get dental work done by the vets at the U of I. Steve Drake visited the EFRC and went on an amazing, guided tour provided by the director himself. Livestock/Animals/Zoology, Parks/Outdoor Recreation, Science/Nature, University of Illinois 2009-05-15T00:30:38+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-b/#When:00:30:26Z 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. As part of the Lincoln Bicentennial, and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments looking at Lincoln’s life in central Illinois and how his years spent as a traveling lawyer on the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. Tonight we’ll look at what daily life was like for Lincoln as he traveled along the “mud circuit” and explore how the challenges and people he encountered along the way shaped him. History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-05-15T00:30:26+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-14-c/#When:00:30:00Z Alison Davis Wood bids a fond farewell to Prairie Fire by remembering one of her favorite stories from the past.  The Bachmann-Keefner drug store in downtown Springfield was a local landmark. When Alison visited it back in 1995, she was glad that it was still open. When she was growing up in Springfield, her father’s office was next door and she had many lunches with him eating grilled cheese sandwiches and sipping chocolate milkshakes at the Bachmann-Keefner counter. Sadly, just like so many of the people and places captured on this program, this piece of central Illinois history is no longer around. One of the reasons Alison is proud to have been a part of this show is that, in a small way, it preserves the memories of these people and the history of our area. Business, Food/Restaurants 2009-05-15T00:30:00+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-b/#When:00:30:31Z Is it necessary to force pilots to retire when they reach age 65? While it’s clear that we all slow down mentally and physically as we age, researchers at the Institute of Aviation in Savoy, IL are looking into ways to help aging pilots perform just as well as their younger counterparts.  Dr. Dan Morrow uses a flight simulator and eye tracking equipment to put older pilots through their paces in the hopes of developing strategies and tools to help pilots maintain their flying skills as they age. Science/Nature, University of Illinois, Savoy 2009-05-08T00:30:31+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-a/#When:00:30:10Z Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition centered around creative problem-solving for students from kindergarten through college.  But researchers at the University of Illinois are using those same brain teasers, stage performances, and long-term problem solving challenges to study the possible benefits these types of activities might have on the minds and overall well-being of older adults.  Hobbies, Science/Nature, University of Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana 2009-05-08T00:30:10+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-05-07-c/#When:15:46:30Z 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. As part of the Lincoln Bicentennial, and in connection with our documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments looking at Lincoln’s life in central Illinois and how his years spent as a traveling lawyer on the Illinois eighth circuit helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. Tonight we’ll look at Lincoln’s domestic life and how being away from his wife and children affected him while he was traveling on the circuit.  We’ll also learn how protecting his soon-to-be-wife’s honor nearly cost him his life. Family history, History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-05-04T15:46:30+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-b/#When:00:30:58Z The art of storytelling has been with us since before written history. When most people think of storytelling today, they think of someone simply reading a story aloud from a book. But traditional storytelling actually involves much more than that. We caught up with storytellers Dan Keding and Kathe Brinkmann to get the story straight from the storytellers themselves. Arts/Culture, Folklore, Hobbies, Literature, Champaign, Urbana 2009-05-01T00:30:58+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-c/#When:00:30:42Z As part of the Lincoln Bicentennial, and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments looking at how Lincoln’s years spent as a traveling lawyer on the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. We look at what life was like in the mid-1800s in the towns along the circuit and how Lincoln’s time spent there helped shape him as a lawyer, politician and man. History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-05-01T00:30:42+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-30-a/#When:00:30:22Z Before the industrial revolution, the blacksmith was a vital part of most successful towns in America. Modern machines and mass production may have made the village smithy a thing of the past.  But the blacksmithing tradition lives on. Jared Collins visited a gathering of blacksmiths and woodwrights at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, IL and saw how the trades of shaping metal and wood using hand tools is still very much alive. Agriculture/Agribusiness, Ethnicity/Culture, Historical Landmarks, Grand Detour 2009-05-01T00:30:22+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-b/#When:00:30:29Z The Red Bull Flugtag is a competition were teams design, build, and pilot their own, entirely human-powered flying machines. Since the event began in Vienna, Austria in 1991, more than 70 Flugtags have been held around the world. The most recent one in the Midwest was held at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach. Series producer Steve Drake joined a number of central Illinois teams in Chicago and rooted them on as they showed off their vehicles, pre-flight comedy sketches, and often even funnier dance moves.  Hobbies, Sports, Chicago 2009-04-24T00:30:29+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-a/#When:00:30:17Z Have you ever seen a neighbor, friend, a loved one, or maybe even yourself, cruising around his front yard on a riding lawn mower? Maybe they seem to be having a little bit too much fun to be considered yard work. With a little mechanical expertise and a lot of courage, you can have even more fun on a lawn mower. We catch up with a group of enthusiasts in Metamora, IL who have taken their love of racing, and the riding mower, to all new extremes. Automotive, Hobbies, Sports, Mendota, Metamora 2009-04-24T00:30:17+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-a/#When:00:30:58Z Twenty-five years ago, professional disc jockey David Lee Allen bought a single piece of Coca-Cola memorabilia. Then he bought another one. And another one. His collection grew so large that he’s created his own museum dedicated to his favorite soda—David Lee’s Cola-Zeum. Showcased in the museum at the Hickory Point Mall in Forsythe, IL, are a full-size Coca-Cola denimachine van, a R2-D2 cobot (Coke-robot), and many other iconic Coke emblazoned items.  Antiques/Collectibles, Hobbies, Forsythe 2009-04-17T00:30:58+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-c/#When:00:30:34Z As part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009 and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments exploring how Lincoln’s years workings as a traveling lawyer in central Illinois helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. In tonight’s segment, we look at Lincoln’s early ambitions and explore his life and career in Illinois before he became a traveling lawyer. History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-04-17T00:30:34+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-16-b/#When:00:30:30Z Yu “Ian” Wang is an avid collector of local artists. He was born in China’s southernmost province of Yunnan and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. Although he lives in Champaign and works in Rantoul, Wang has always kept his ties with his Chinese homeland. Collecting artwork from his hometowns takes him not only across the Midwest, but across the globe. His collection is a combination of traditional Chinese water-ink painting and modern Western abstract art. Antiques/Collectibles, Arts/Culture, Ethnicity/Culture, Hobbies, Libraries/Museums/Cultural Centers, Champaign, Rantoul, Urbana 2009-04-17T00:30:30+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-09-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-09-a/#When:00:30:37Z Starved Rock State Park is located just south of Utica, Ill. Its 18 canyons were formed by melting waters from glaciers. The erosion created spectacular rock formations in the surrounding sandstone bluffs. Producer Brian Paris and videographer Virginia Steffen visited the park to see for themselves what makes Starved Rock so special.  Environment, Historical Landmarks, Illinois Culture/History, Native Americana, Parks/Outdoor Recreation, Travel, Utica 2009-04-10T00:30:37+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-09-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-09-c/#When:00:30:23Z As part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009 and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary “Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency,” we’ve created a series of segments exploring how Lincoln’s years workings as a traveling lawyer in central Illinois helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. In this segment, we explore the Lincoln you don’t know and see how he dealt with depression and a troubled relationship with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.  History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-04-10T00:30:23+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-23-c/#When:21:10:07Z 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. As part of the Lincoln Bicentennial, and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments looking at Lincoln’s life here in central Illinois and how his years spent as a traveling lawyer on the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. Tonight we’ll look at Lincoln in the courtroom and see how his personal legal style showed his true character and gave a glimpse of what he would one day be like as president. History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-04-07T21:10:07+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-c/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-c/#When:00:30:12Z As part of the Abraham Lincoln bicentennial in 2009 and in connection with WILL-TV’s documentary Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency, we’ve created a series of segments exploring how Lincoln’s years workings as a traveling lawyer in central Illinois helped make him one of our nation’s greatest presidents. In tonight’s segment, we look at Lincoln’s opinions about women and how his years in Illinois affected his feelings about women’s rights and the role of women on the frontier. Gender, History, Illinois Culture/History 2009-04-03T00:30:12+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-b/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-b/#When:00:30:05Z We meet Runway, a group of young fashion designers from Urbana-Champaign who have joined together to create high fashion from other people’s cast-offs. Using recycled materials, the Runway designers put on a fashion show that highlighted not only their creativity and ingenuity, but also the need to conserve and re-use many the things that people throw away. Jared Collins got a front-row seat for Runway’s fashion show. Arts/Culture, Environment, Hobbies, University of Illinois 2009-04-03T00:30:05+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-a/ http://will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/segment/pf2009-04-02-a/#When:00:30:00Z Lucy Brownlee, the owner of Lucy’s Airbrush in Decatur, trained as an artist at Walt Disney’s University in California. Now she uses her Mickey-inspired art training to bring a one-of-a-kind look to some decidedly different works of art on cars and motorcycles. Series Producer Steve Drake visited Lucy in her garage studio in Decatur and got a first-hand look at one of her latest creations Arts/Culture, Automotive, Decatur 2009-04-03T00:30:00+00:00