Where's Huell? (Nov. 21 -27)
This week, Huell meets some historic chickens, learns about the world's hottest peppers and visits some beautiful wild horses. Scroll down to see where else he's headed this week:
Monday - Nov. 21, 7:30pm: Historic Chickens - A 1916 brochure called the town of Petaluma "The largest poultry center in the world" and up until the sixties, Petaluma was a major player in the world of chickens. In 1915, Petaluma shipped 11,681,134 dozen eggs. Huell travels to Petaluma to attend the annual Butter and Egg Days celebration, which ran from 1916 to 1928 and was brought back in the early eighties. Petaluma pulls out all the stops in this wonderful small town gathering. You won't want to miss the Cutest Chick costume contest. Continuing our look at Historic Chickens, the Petaluma Historical Society takes Huell to one of original chicken farms that once lined the hills of this town. Beautiful moss covered chicken coups are slowly decaying, but are an integral part of Petaluma's landscape. Several of the original farmers come back to spend a day remising about their lives on these farms. Some of these folks come from a long line of farmers who have called Petaluma home for many generations.
Check out this short documentary on Jewish chicken ranchers in Petaluma:
Tuesday - Nov. 22, 7:30pm: See's Candy - It started back in 1921 and quickly became one of California's biggest and "sweetest" success stories. The little shop on Western Avenue featured the favorite candy recipes of Mary See and focused on farm-fresh ingredients and homemade goodness. Before long this little shop had grown into a chain of stores serving loyal customers, and See's Candies had become famous around the world. In this calorie-laden edition of "California's Gold," host Huell Howser gets a first hand taste of the See's story. First he visits one of the earliest shops to open in San Francisco and meets with current and past employees. While there, Huell also talks with regular customers who come in to purchase their particular favorite type of Sees Candy. Then he travels to Los Angeles for a tour of the inner sanctum of the See's Candy factory where the historic candies are actually made. Itâs an assembly line like none other in the world, manned by employees who have been with the company for years. The story of See's Candy is indeed a true California success story -- one of which Mary See surely would be proud!
Watch this documentary on See's Candy from the 1980s:
Wednesday - Nov. 23, 7:30pm: Hot Peppers - Huell's hot adventure begins at downtown Los Angeles's Grand Central Market where we discover some of the spiciest peppers and chili sauces around. But you won't find anything hotter than Moe Newaz's backyard variety of "Ghost Peppers" and "Devil's Tongue" peppers in Santa Clarita. We also learn about the Scoville Heat Scale (developed in 1912 by Chemist Wilbur Scoville) which has become the standard for measuring spicy foods.
Gordon Ramsay watches a woman in India eat more than 40 ghost peppers!:
Thursday - Nov. 24, 7:30pm: Videolog Classics #1 - Join Huell as we look back at his early Videolog series. Over 10 years old, these 2-10 minute segments are Huell's first shows for PBS. This episode includes: Pony Ride, Windmill Man, Sunset Plaza, Farmer.
Watch Huell's Videolog show about Ant Farms!
Friday - Nov. 25, 7:30pm: FDR's Boat - Huell takes an inspirational voyage upon Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidential Yacht, the U.S.S. Potomac. Now stationed at Jack London Square in Oakland, the ship is operated by a staff of volunteers and is now open for public tours.
Saturday - Nov. 26, 7:30pm: Windmills - The first stop on our adventure is the Dutch Windmill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was built in 1902, at a cost of $ 16,000. It is 75 feet high, and 33 feet in diameter at the base, its sails have a span of 102 feet and it was capable of pumping 30,000 gallons of fresh water per hour from underground to a reservoir on Strawberry Hill. Despite being a great success for a few years (so much so that a second windmill was built), by 1913 electric pumps were introduced, so the windmills began to become obsolete. In August 1976, volunteers from the US Navy Reserve started to restore the rundown Dutch Mill. Work continued through to completion in 1981. The second windmill, which is close by, is patiently waiting its turn to be brought back to its original glory. Huell visits both windmills and gets a first hand look at these historic bits of California's Gold. From the historic to the cutting edge of technology, Huell's next stop is sure to make you gasp. We travel to Enron Wind in Tehachapi to look at the biggest and most modern windmill we could find. Join Huell as he climbs 213 feet straight up to the top of this amazing machine. The blades are 112 feet long each, for a combined wing span (with the center hub) of 231 feet! If you're afraid of heights, this show is sure to make you squirm.
Check out this locally produced news piece for more info on the windmills!
Sunday - Nov. 27, 7:30pm: Wild Horse Sanctuary - Huell's off to Shingletown in Northern California for a visit to a remarkable Wild Horse Sanctuary, which gives a permanent home to these magnificent horses forcibly removed from our deserts and plains.
Founder Diane Nelson talks about the Wild Horse Sanctuary:
