Archive for the 'Carolina Traveler' Category
May 12th, 2010 by Mike Redding
I’m a lucky man. I’m still dear friends with the guys I met when I was a child. We all grew up together in Boardman, Ohio, the southern suburb of scenic Youngstown. Oh how I miss the smoke stacks of Youngstown Sheet & Tube belching a black canopy into the atmosphere and into my young lungs. Sweet Youngstown. Home of my birth.
Anyway… we’re scattered around the country now and we don’t see one another often enough but when you’re this close the distance doesn’t seem to matter. We’re stuck with one another. I’m grateful for that.
One of them, Dave Elder, lives in Columbus, Ohio. We e-mail each other probably every week or so. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. When we do, it’s like we’re continuing a conversation we started on our bowling team at age 11.
The other day Dave wrote and told me he could feel my animosity toward WCNC as I wrote about who owns Carolina Traveler. I think he was being subtle. And he didn’t mean it as a compliment. I haven’t talked much about my frustration with WCNC Continue reading ‘An old friend wrote…’
May 8th, 2010 by Mike Redding
The problem I have with WCNC is it thinks of Carolina Traveler as product. A product it sold once and customers bought once and that’s over. I think what the leadership at WCNC is missing is that CT is something they don’t actually own… you do. The first time I considered CT airing again it bothered me. I was annoyed. I slept on it and realized it’s not mine either. It never was. CT was not the standard issue news product. Air it once and move on. These are stories about you. About who we are as humans, Americans and Carolinians. The show was about what gives the Carolinas its soul… you.
Even though we frequently did stories about railways or islands or mountains or small towns or horses or dogs or birds CT was alway about you. It was the secret to its popularity. Every story was a peak through someone else’s eyes. And therefore a peak inside of each person watching. We are all more alike than different. We did a show in Italy with people who didn’t even speak English. What did we learn? They are us. I swear Andy Benton and I could travel to Iran and do a show and we would discover that Iranians are exactly like us. You approach people with a stick and you’ll find as many differences as you want. You approach people with an open hand and a hug and you’ll learn our differences are invented by religion and politics… not God or our souls. Continue reading ‘Carolina Traveler: Who owns it… Pt 2′
May 7th, 2010 by Mike Redding
This is probably the question asked me more often than any other since leaving WCNC: “Mike… is the “Carolina Traveler” owned by WCNC or would you be able to use it if you wanted to?” Melanie asked in a recent comment so I’ll answer everyone all at once.
If I owned “Carolina Traveler” the shows and stories would be on this website for your enjoyment. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 half-hour shows sitting on a shelf at WCNC.
I’ve offered to buy them from WCNC and its parent company A. H. Belo based in Dallas. They won’t sell them. WCNC could re-air them as they see fit. WCNC could cut a deal with the PBS station to air CT. Or it can sit at WCNC and rot.
The point here is I have zero control over that.
And I’m none too happy about it.
Next question… MR
December 18th, 2009 by Mike Redding
It’s a tradition that started during the Great Depression. Children would run along side the train tracks as Southern Railways workers tossed out candy canes and oranges. That tradition has evolved into the “Santa Train” at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. It’s the quickest way to get into the spirit of the holidays and find some lasting relief from a cynical world.
Children, families and railroad fans wait as Santa arrives at the station (often on a fire truck)! Once Santa says hello to all the boys and girls, the train leaves the station. Not only will children experience a one of a kind train ride… but Santa will walk the cars, giving children the traditional oranges and candy canes. The 25 minute train ride comes to an end. Children can head to the round house for ornament making.
The train runs several times this Saturday and Sunday. Check out the NC Transportation museum’s web site for more information
I think I can, I think I can… MR
December 17th, 2009 by Mike Redding
Need a special Christmas or Hanukkah Gift? I’m here for you. I’ve traveled up and down the Carolina back-roads and discovered mementos with powerful stories attached. Give a gift, take a trip, that will never be forgotten.
1. Fit for a Queen (or King)
If you are not an engraving connoisseur, you are not alone! But when Anna’s first Mothers day rolled around, I knew I needed something special and I knew exactly where to turn. It was a story I told for The Carolina Traveler about a craftsman whose work is so special, he’s designed for the Queen of England and the late Princess Diana. And, best of all, he lives in the Carolinas now. His name is John Flitton. He’s a one-of-a-king highly accomplished hand engraver. And if you think there isn’t a difference between what John can do and what a machine does… you couldn’t be more wrong. When he inscribes a monogram or a date on anything… it’s transformed into a work of art. You’ll find John Flitton at Morrison Smith Jewelers in Charlotte. You can stop by their shop on Providence Road in Myers Park or order something engraved on-line (from jewelry to frames to cuff links, etc). Or if you already own something and want John to engrave it, e-mail him directly. Anna has a locket with her initials and Crowley’s birthday. It’s her favorite piece of jewelry and fit for a Queen!
2. All Aboard!
Trains are making a comeback. Lionel just released it’s Polar Express train which is sure to capture any child’s imagination. BUT, want to send that imagination into overdrive? Head to the Albemarle Music Store in Albemarle, NC. What do music and trains possibly have to do with each other? Nothing. Unless you visit this place. Walk upstairs in this Main Street store and you’ll find yourself in another world. The owners of this store are the ultimate train enthusiasts! And over the years, little by little, they’ve transformed every square inch of that second floor into a magical place that’s made up of tiny tracks, toy trains, villages, villagers, trees, bells, whistles and more than i can describe. It’s a feast for the eyes and hearts of all of us and especially children. The perfect place to visit and purchase your favorite model train! Even if you don’t buy anything, a visit to the Albemarle Music Store is well worth the trip! Call first to make sure the trains are running that day or night.
235 West Main Street
Albemarle, NC 28001
(704) 982 – 3815
3. Out of Your Gourd!
I first met the Gourd Lady in the late 1700s. We’re that old. After our story on Margaret Sparky Sparkman a.k.a the National Gourd Lady aired, The Tonight Show came calling and her next TV appearance was in the seat next to Jay Leno! A fixture at the Southern Christmas Show, it’s hard to beat Sparky’s Santa Gourd. Not a Santa collector? Don’t worry! The Gourd Lady has countless themes (penguins and snowmen) from which to choose! Click here to check out her website and make a connection.
4. The Gift of Addiction
Perhaps a bizarre title for this little holiday entry. But when you try The Mustard Lady’s Must Have Mustard… you’ll know what I am talking about! Leslie The Mustard Lady moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina, from Boston. She packed her thick Boston accent, giant personality and rare knack for creating absolutely addicting mustard. Her obsession started as a hobby and quickly grew into a business. No one knows her secret recipe, not even her assistant! A pack of Leslie’s Must Have Mustard is perfect for a hostess gift or foodie!
5. THEEEE Toy Store!
Forget that big fancy toy store in New York City. Hop in your car and head to tiny Brevard, NC. Right in the middle of town you’ll find the greatest toy store on earth, “O.P. Taylor’s.” Been there, love it. Everyone I know who’s been agrees with me. But don’t go there looking for the latest video game or electronic wizardry… this plays sells only toys that require something long stolen from today’s kids: imagination. Radio flyer wagons, hand-made wooden toys from Europe they have it all in this two-story maze of a store. Plan to spend several hours there. You won’t get board. It’s a true Santa’s toy shop!
Okay, people, get on it! Happy shopping… MR
October 29th, 2009 by Mike Redding
J.R. Love of SASTP Nation sent me this link to a YouTube video of me! As with the Nude 5K story just below this one on the homepage, I didn’t know this story was on YouTube. No idea how these ended up on YouTube. No idea how many more of my old Carolina Traveler’s from my WCNC days are posted there.
But if you like funny, quirky, oddball characters, click here for a double dose... MR
June 17th, 2009 by Mike Redding
You will be my guinea pigs!
A whole lot of people have asked me when am I going to write a book based on my travels. My wife has been prodding me about that too. I’m going to start work on it this month. I don’t want to make it a traditional travel book. It will have to be something more than that. Let me explain why.
I have four living storytelling heroes who are still out there every day getting it done. Charles Kuralt of course passed away but remains my primary inspiration as a writer. Following in his footsteps are Wayne Freedman at KGO in San Francisco, Boyd Huppert at KARE11 in St. Paul-Minneapolis, Bob Dotson at NBC News and Steve Hartman at CBS News. These men have all been in the business of storytelling many, many more years than I.
Wayne Freedman and Bob Dotson have given me indispensable insight over my 13 years in the news business. And I have sat through storytelling teaching sessions by all but Hartman. Hartman, the only one of the four I haven’t met, used to do a segment called, “Everybody has a Story,” where he would blindly toss a dart at a map of the country, fly to wherever the dart landed, go to the nearest phone book, plop it open and randomly drop his index finger on some unsuspecting person’s name. He would call that person and say, “We’re coming to your house to tell your story.” And each story was warm and touching and funny and surprising.
Hartman, Dotson, Freedman and Huppert all know a great truth: Every person, at their core is like every other person. Each one experiencing enormous victories and devastating sadness. Each life has compelling human drama and each person –when they open up to a storyteller– is someone we all want to cry with and cheer for.
I spent the last eight years crisscrossing North and South Carolina. I’ve been in more places in these two states than just about anyone else. I’ve been to hundreds of towns, some of them no bigger than a “T” intersection with a two-pump gas station on one corner, a feed store on the other and farmland as far as the eye can see in every direction. I’ve met thousands of Carolinians… some originals, some transplants, all of them genuine.
But when I set out to tell the stories of the people and places of the Carolinas I got a huge surprise. With each person and each story I didn’t just get a TV segment. I got a lesson about life. I was learning something profound around every corner. Traveling became a classroom. I was the pupil. My subject matter: life… and how every day people get by in good times and bad.
After you do a hundred or so stories you start to identify themes. Great over arching principles of truth by which everyone lives. From a 90-year-old lady who has a house full of painted gourds to a teenager with no legs trying to play high school football, the same concepts for how to live a meaningful life kept spilling out.
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Standing next to a 1500-year-old tree can give you perspective on your 80 or so years on earth.
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Talk to a woman trying to honor the memory of her daughter by nursing giant sea turtles back to life.
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Buy vegetables from Dori Sanders and get a lesson in forgiveness.
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The beach giveth and the beach taketh away…
So any “travel” book I write will have to include the lesson’s I learned on the road. Because I don’t want to produce a book that tells you simply what to do and where to eat and who to meet. I want you, my fellow travelers, to open to what the road wants to teach you.
Periodically as I write I’m going to use this website to experiment on you. In the coming days I’ll be blogging about my travels and testing the water for this type of travel writing.
You can help by asking me questions and making comments on what you want more or less of. Deal? Deal!
Smelling a different kind of travel book… MR
June 16th, 2009 by Mike Redding
While I keep you updated on my daily happenings as I move forward in my job search, I’m going to drop some knowledge on you. I’ll write a few blogs on what you might do with your free time this summer.
I figure I know more about the Carolinas than most people so you might like some reccommendations from traveler dude Mike. I’m working on few “places to go” blogs regarding summer vacations or weekend getaways in North and South Carolina. Not all, but some will be “on the cheap” ideas for the frugal minded. I won’t suggest anything I haven’t done or anywhere I haven’t been.
Also, if you have summer vacation questions, fire away. I’ll answer whatever I can.
So look for those “things to do” blogs upcoming… MR
June 15th, 2009 by Mike Redding
As I was pouring through your comments today I ran across this question more than once: “What happened to Andy?” Let me just say how bad I feel about not addressing this even before you had to ask.
Gets windy on top of lighthouses!
Sometimes my conversations with you all are exactly like the ones I have with my wife. You know, the ones where I think she knows what’s in my head because it’s been in my head for so long I figured we talked about it already. Those little forgotten details often lead to much bigger “discussions.”
And such is the case of one John Andrew Benton. You know him as Andy, my sidekick, co-producer and photographer for the past eight years on Carolina Traveler. See, I’ve known all along where he would end up after I left WCNC… so naturally I figured everyone knew. I’m not as bright as I appeared to be on TV. (Insert your own punch line here.)
Andy is still working at WCNC-TV NewsChannel 36 Crime Trackers. Now, I wasn’t positive if he would end up in the Investigative Unit or doing hard news. It seems they put him on the street again doing the daily hard news. Say a prayer for Andy. He put a lot of other career aspirations on hold to do Carolina Traveler. This is not where he hoped to be at this stage.
If you see Andy camera in hand at the scene of a crime, walk over and tell him what he did on Carolina Traveler will never be forgotten. His storytelling work was as good as it gets in this business. And maybe even better than that.
Missing the smell of John Andrew… MR
June 10th, 2009 by Mike Redding
The Rotary talk was interesting. I just told them bluntly and honestly what I am going through. I find that no matter where I go people are people. Same fears, hopes, dreams. Same basic goodness. Same universal hunger to feel connected to one another in a positive way.
I’m a fool if I ever forget that truth.
Afterward a man invited me to be a keynote speaker in August at a big convention in Myrtle Beach. So I have at least one paying gig lined up! Wooo hoo…. I’m on a roll of one!
Okay, I gotta run… I bought the wrong color porch paint and have to try and talk the store into letting me exchange it for the right one.
