Monday 6/29/26: Vivent Health and HIV care, the microbiome, Old World Wisconsin

Rachel Owens: Support for WUWM podcasts comes from Bliffert Lumber, family-owned and operated for over 120 years. Bliffert serves contractors and homeowners across Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. Learn more at bliffertlumber.com.

Joy Powers: From 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR, this is Lake Effect. I'm Joy Powers. Today, we'll learn about Vivent Health's 40 years of leading HIV care in Wisconsin. Then, we'll look at the importance of the microbiome with the herbal apprentices at Alice's Garden Urban Farm. The microbiome.

Venice Williams: The microbiome may weigh as much as five pounds. So depending upon how it's cultivated, fed, it's an incredible ecosystem.

Joy Powers: Plus, we'll learn how Old World Wisconsin is celebrating 50 years of teaching our state's history.

Doug Raney: Our mission really truly does stay the same, and that is really preserving and sharing Wisconsin immigrant history and heritage.

Joy Powers: All of that is coming up on Lake Effect. This is Lake Effect from 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR. I'm Joy Powers, and thank you so much for joining us. Vivent Health is celebrating 40 years of providing HIV care in Wisconsin. Formerly known as the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, it's been supporting patients since the very beginning of the epidemic. When the AIDS epidemic began, the disease had no treatment. There was also a lot of fear, misunderstanding, and stigma that resulted in discrimination, preventing people from getting care. Vivent Health addressed those needs through both medical care and a community-built model of care that continues to help Wisconsinites today. To look back at how HIV care has adapted over the last 40 years, Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski is joined by Dr. Brandon Hill, the executive director of Vivent Health, and Doug Nelson, the former longtime director of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.

Audrey Nowakowski: So Vivent Health is marking 40 years of serving the community this year. And, to really understand the impact of the work and also how it's changed over the decades, we're gonna take a holistic look back. But before we get to the roots of the mission, I'd love to go over current outlooks. Where is Wisconsin right now in numbers of people living with HIV, and how are the rates of morbidity and mortality currently?

Brandon Hill: Sure. So, you know, for the state of Wisconsin, there's about 8,400 people living with HIV. Among those, it's always important to note there's still about 1,100 who are unaware that they're living with HIV. For those who are engaged in care, we are happy that about 80% of the people living HIV in Wisconsin receive some service from Vivent Health. And for those who were engaged in care, the Vivant health model has really helped. We have individuals who are so engaged and so adherent to their medication that, with an HIV test, you can't even detect that they have the virus, and we call that virally suppressed. And for those in our care, that's about 95% of individuals who reach viral suppression here in the state. And that has driven down the new diagnoses significantly since the '90s, where we were at about 700 cases a year, to now, we're right around two, or less than two, depending on what year we're looking at. But the new diagnoses are overall down.

Audrey Nowakowski: Now, to take a step back to really appreciate how great these numbers are, let's set the scene for what the earliest years of the epidemic were like here in Milwaukee. Doug, you were the director of the ACRW for over 20 years. Can you share your perspective of that time and the initial, "What are we doing? How do we figure this out? How do help people?"

Doug Nelson: I'm happy to do that. Going back to the very early years of the AIDS epidemic, it was a brutal disease, and it was a disease that had no treatment that was successful for over 15 years. And there was a lot of fear around AIDS. There was a a lot misunderstanding about how HIV or AIDS was transmitted. And that combination of fear and misunderstanding resulted in significant discrimination in schools, in workplaces, and in the healthcare system. One of the first challenges that I had when I became the CEO of ARCW was that we had some patients who were nearing the end of life, and they needed hospice care. They needed nursing home care. And try as we might, with great social workers trying, there was not a nursing home in Milwaukee or in Wisconsin that would take an AIDS patient. So what we did was to threaten a lawsuit against the nursing homes, a lawsuit about discrimination based on disease specificity and on sexual orientation. Once we threatened that lawsuit, a nursing home in Milwaukee came forward and then another one, and we began to make those improvements. But that experience said to us, at that time, that there was going to be a need for aggressive, aggressive advocacy in support of people with AIDS. And that was the impetus for us making a conclusion that we needed to build a comprehensive, integrated care and treatment system where AIDS patients would be welcomed, respected, and get comprehensive services, regardless of their ability to pay.

Audrey Nowakowski: There's an important central point to all of this in that medicine alone cannot stop the spread of HIV. So let's talk a bit more about that integrated care. But to start with some of those earlier challenges, how does the traditional healthcare system not really serve or support people with HIV? And we can start with those early years, if you like, and maybe some of the shortcomings today yet, even.

Doug Nelson: Well, it was all new. And there was a tremendous concern with regard to making sure that in the health care system there were proper infection control procedures, so that HIV/AIDS would not be spread among health care workers, or certainly from patient to patient. That was particularly significant with regard to dental care. We had a hard time getting AIDS patients into dental care because there was this fear that other patients getting care might be fearful and concerned about that. So what we did... That's really the beginning of the integrated system that we built. We opened a dental clinic for HIV/AIDS patients. And from there, we moved to build a medical clinic, a behavioral health clinic, mental health, and ultimately a pharmacy. And so those healthcare systems were integrated also with a very robust social service system: extensive case management by social workers and legal assistance with attorneys, support groups, food pantry. So all of that came together. It took a while, when you're desperately searching for the funding to pay for that, to pay for the outstanding healthcare providers and professional people who would care for the HIV/AIDS population.

Audrey Nowakowski: Yeah, I want to talk about some of those challenges and limitations you faced early on and how you feel the community did mobilize to help you give these resources so that you could do housing, food access, advocacy, and care during a time when there were few treatments and enormous stigma, I imagine, still, in those early years.

Doug Nelson: I have tremendous pride in Milwaukee and the Milwaukee response to AIDS. It was outstanding. It was powerful. It was progressive. The City of Milwaukee provided funding for AIDS prevention and education. Milwaukee County provided funding for the Clean Needle Exchange Program. The corporations and businesses in Milwaukee were outstanding in making donations: Northwestern Mutual Life, Aurora Healthcare, Miller Brewing Company, the Milwaukee Foundation. Business was excellent in coming forward. And then, wonderfully, thousands of volunteers came forward, and I am heart-warmed by that response of people that wanted to volunteer to help at a very difficult time. Many of them were women, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters who had a gay member of their family and were wanting to make a contribution. So the thousands of volunteers that came forward were really helpful. The other thing, our sports teams came forward. Paul Molitor, who was a Milwaukee Brewer, was an honorary chair of the AIDS Walk. And Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers was an Honorary Chair of the Aids Walk. The Milwaukee Bucks also contributed. So it was nice to see those entities join with business and join with so many donors to help us fund the services and build the integrated system that we did.

Audrey Nowakowski: I'm going to take a moment to reintroduce you both. I'm Like Effect's Audrey Nowakowski, joined by Dr. Brandon Hill, who is from Vivent Health, and also with Doug Nelson, the former director of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. We're talking about the 40th anniversary of Vivent health and how the landscape for caring for people with HIV and AIDS has changed here in Wisconsin. Branching off of building the system, Dr. Hill, can you add and explain to how the Vivent model of care has continued to change and adjust over the decades, because as things improve, needs change as well.

Brandon Hill: Certainly. You know, we've always adjusted to the needs of the HIV epidemic here in the state, and really, Vivent Health is really situated right within the health ecosystem. To your earlier question about how has this maybe better or enhanced, and really, it's another model. It's another. It really sits on par with all the other types of services that are out there. And individuals find which model of care works for them. And what we've always strived to do is make sure that we are meeting the epidemic where it is. And it has been quite a transformation over the course of the 40 years. And that is really adding and enhancing the same services that Doug mentioned and that they started with: building facilities that parallel other health systems within the environment, so there's no difference between. Whether you walk into one or the other here in our community, you're getting a state-of-the-art facility. Within the departments, we've done even more enhancements with what we've been able to do within dental. So early on we were just able to be a support. Now we're doing full dentures and replacements and building all of that care out, making sure that we are no longer just focused on just HIV. That's pretty well managed. Now we're looking at what other primary care is needed to keep people healthy, and then what HIV prevention efforts, like the use of PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, can be mobilized to address where the epidemic is today, that being mostly with younger, gay, bisexual, or queer-identified people of color, so our black and brown communities in particular, and finding out how we engage with that population and make sure that we provide the same type of service that we did early on in the care space.

Audrey Nowakowski: So would you say it's fair to say the need for a crisis response has ebbed, and now it's heavier promotion of prevention and education in that front too?

Brandon Hill: Fortunately, yes. We sit right now so close to the finish line for the ending the epidemic that prevention is going to be our strongest tool, so long as we're able to continue providing prevention.

Audrey Nowakowski: Yeah, are there, like... What are the main setbacks and limitations you face today? I mean, obviously, we can attest here in public radio, federal funding is a thing that can be taken away, come and go. When we last spoke with Vivent, I believe it was 2021, that was a lot of federal funding cuts happening at that same time. So what are main challenges you're trying to fortify yourself against, so that you have the longevity and that you can continue providing care for so many people?

Brandon Hill: Sure. So changes in federal funding are, you know, by far the most direct impact. So, you know, again, the administration in its budget proposed, I think, over a billion dollars in cuts, both domestically and globally, to HIV-related funding, primarily for prevention. So, changes in CDC, changes in what HIV testing and STD testing would become available, and how those funds move down through the states. That was definitely a target. Housing for people living with HIV. The actual ending the HIV epidemic program was on the chopping block, which was originally initiated by the current administration. So they might be cutting their own, proposed cutting their initial plan. And just the overall funding for this effort to actually end the epidemic. So that's a direct threat. A kind of more indirect threat that definitely affects us as the level of awareness about HIV and the AIDS crisis, and the level engagement when it comes to both all the wonderful things Doug talked about in the history of mobilizing, of advocating and donating towards this. When you have a life-managed disease, it kind of moves to the back-burner for the general public. So the general awareness isn't where it was 30 years ago.

Doug Nelson: One of the unique aspects of Wisconsin... I talked earlier about Milwaukee being outstanding, but in Wisconsin, what we were able to do was to build a bipartisan coalition to support AIDS funding. It began way back with Governor Tommy Thompson, who was a Republican, and it continued with Governor Jim Doyle, who was Democrat. And those two governors made it clear to the legislature that they wanted a bipartisan commitment to fund AIDS services. And it helped us build the integrated system that we've been talking about, that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services declared the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin and Vivent Health as the very first HIV medical home in the country. We led the country with this model. We made certain that we would replicate this system in other parts of the state, believing that the person living with AIDS in Superior, Wisconsin, is ever as important as the person with AIDS in Milwaukee. And we did that in expanding statewide, to make this system of care and treatment available to anyone with HIV/AIDS in the state of Wisconsin.

Audrey Nowakowski: Taking a very broad look back and forward, as things have changed over the 40 years for the better, how do you continue to shape this legacy and emphasize the need for this in an era where, fortunately, we're past the crisis, but not past the need of care for everybody?

Brandon Hill: Yeah. Today we're really looking at this entire continuum of the HIV epidemic. For the onset, the early days, a lot of the work focused on care. And we're reaching a point where we have many people engaged in care, whether with us or other models of care, and prevention now, so this is the new arm. This was something that only within the last 15 years became possible, was the use of antiretroviral medications for prevention. And this has become a game-changer for folks who might be at risk for HIV exposure. And bringing that to life is the new challenge. So we see this full arc of managing the virus for folks were living with HIV and then preventing any transmission or subsequent infection for those who are not. So we're doing a lot of work to identify those individuals and promote education and testing and access to prevention for populations who might be at an elevated risk for HIV exposure.

Audrey Nowakowski: Well, I want to thank you both so much for joining me today to share this big look back and what's yet to come. So, for today, Brandon and Doug, thank you so much for being on Lake Effect.

Brandon Hill: Thank you for having us.

Joy Powers: Dr. Brandon Hill is the executive director of Vivent Health. Doug Nelson is the former director of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. They both joined Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski to reflect on HIV care over the last four decades. For the past 13 years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been synonymous with the Bucks and the City of Milwaukee. Sadly, last week, he was traded. But even though the Giannis era has come to an end, his impact on the city won't be forgotten. WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez shares this essay about the global superstar who put Milwaukee back on the map.

Jimmy Gutierrez: All right, I grew up a die-hard Bucks fan. I'm talking nosebleed seats at the Bradley Center, always chasing that eighth seed. And that's why I will never forget July 20th, 2021, when Giannis got fouled with just a few seconds left in game six of the NBA Finals.

Announcer: He has been magnificent at the line. 50 points. Only the seventh player in the history of...

Jimmy Gutierrez: This is the moment our Bucks won their first championship in 50 years. Bucks In 6, forever.

Announcer: Jerry West, LeBron James, Bob Pettit, and Giannis Antetokounpo...

Jimmy Gutierrez: I remember feeling like floating, like none of this was even real. Not just the championship, in Milwaukee, but that Giannis got us here. I still remember his draft day in 2013. Some unknown skinny kid from Greece coming to one of the smallest markets.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: I can jump. I can shoot. I can pass the ball. I can do everything on the court.

Jimmy Gutierrez: Knowing nothing about him, I watched every low-def YouTube clip I could find.

Reporter: What is your goal for your career?

Giannis Antetokounmpo: I want to be an NBA player.

Jimmy Gutierrez: He was a playmaker, playing with force and speed, like he had something to prove and everything to gain. And learning about his story, how could I not root for him? Family of undocumented Nigerian immigrants, living in Greece, street vending to make ends meet, and then he got scouted to play basketball with the promise of something better. His family could only afford one pair of shoes, so he had to share with his older brother, Thanasis. But now he was in Milwaukee and maybe finally home. That first year, the Bucks were trash, maybe beyond trash, but there was hope. Rookie Giannis went toe-to-toe with everyone, the big ticket, LeBron, a young KD, Carmelo, they all tried him. He never flinched.

Announcer: The Bucks have not run a great deal of plays for him, if any at all. He has kept his head in it. John, he has had a remarkable rookie season for a 19-year-old.

Announcer John: Bought his mother a car. I like that part.

Jimmy Gutierrez: Each paycheck, he would send money back to his family in Greece. There's a story about him leaving Western Union and not having enough money in his bank account for a taxi ride back to the stadium. Now this is right before a game, so he starts sprinting down the street. It is freezing cold outside. A pair of season ticket-holders spot him and offer him a ride. He was ours to take care of. And it felt like only people in Milwaukee knew how special he was and how to pronounce his name.

Announcers: [Announcers struggling to pronounce Antetokounmpo].

Announcer: They're long. They're athletic. They're versatile, and they're led by Giannis [butchered pronounciation].

Jimmy Gutierrez: Soon they would all know his name and Milwaukee. As time went on, it felt like he discovered the city with new eyes, appreciative eyes, and it felt like we started to see ourselves that same way. At the time, there was a lot of talk about the Bucks leaving town. We needed a new state-of-the-art stadium to keep up with the rest of the league. With Giannis there was promise that it was worth it to invest right here on the back of a superstar.

Announcer: Wow, unbelievable. [Crowd cheering].

Jimmy Gutierrez: The no-look passes, the chase-down blocks, the mean-mugs. So many mean mugs. Dunking on heads and dunking over heads.

Announcer: There's Middleton. Giannis trailing. The lob!

Jimmy Gutierrez: The Bucks went from the worst record in the league, to the best. I used to watch every game expecting to win. Giannis transformed physically and mentally. Now it was his team and his city. We grieved with him when his dad, Charles, passed, who's buried in Milwaukee. And we celebrated all the wins from "most improved" to "MVP."

Giannis Antetokounmpo: I want to thank my amazing brothers. You know, I love you guys, man. I love you guys. You guys are my ride or die. You know, you guys are my role models, man. I look up to you guys. Thank you for everything you guys do for me, and I want to thank my amazing mom, my amazing mom.

Jimmy Gutierrez: This all happened as other Wisconsin sports heroes fell from grace. Giannis felt like the best of us, like he saw us. And when our hearts broke, his broke too.

News Anchor: Then Giannis delivered a message to the crowd.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: We want change. We want justice. And that's why we're out here. That's what we're going to do today. That's why I'm going to march with you guys, okay? [Crowd of Black Lives Matter protestors cheers].

Jimmy Gutierrez: Back on the court, all that winning didn't mean that there weren't heartbreaking playoff losses. But with him, a chip felt inevitable. Then 2021 happened. We cruised to a No. 3 seed, starting the playoffs off by sweeping the Heat. Yeah, those Heats. We beat the Nets in an epic, seven-game series, destroying a super team in the process. We handled the Hawks, and then he gave us a Finals performance we'll never forget.

Announcer: Now Booker with Tucker on him. Throws it up for eight. Shot blocked by Antetokounmpo. What a block from Giannis... Booker, the drive. Gets inside, leans in. Knocked away and stolen by Holiday. Phoenix has to foul and Antetokounmpo throws it down.

Jimmy Gutierrez: This was for all the young fans in the nosebleeds from every era. This was for Bridgman, Moncrief, Lanier, Pressy, Marcus Johnson, Vin Baker, Big Dog, Ray Ray, Mike Redd, Bogut, Brendan Jennings. It was for Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: This is why I love Milwaukee. This is why I chose to stay, because we celebrate together. It's been like this since day one. It's been like this is day one.

Jimmy Gutierrez: Giannis owns just about every franchise record. He's got murals all over the city. A statue is certainly on the way. He even got his own Disney movie, because you couldn't write a story like this. He gave us the Fiserv Forum, the Deer District, and maybe, most importantly, a new way for Milwaukee to see itself. So I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you, Giannis for it all, even the bad jokes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: When the cows go out, where do they go? To the moovies! Knock, knock. Obama.

Reporter: Obama who?

Giannis Antetokounmpo: [Singing "All By Myself"] "Obama" self. What do you call a cow on the floor? Anybody know? Ground beef. That's it. There's 150,000 people watching you right now.

Drive Thru Attendant: Really?

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Yes. So can I have please a 50-piece Mac Mini. 50 exactly. Not 51, not 49. Chicken Minis, yes? 50. And let me have a large drink.

Joy Powers: That was an essay from WUWM's Jimmy Gutierrez. Do you need some flexibility for when you listen? You can listen to Lake Effect on demand. Find it as a podcast wherever you like to listen, to download and enjoy on the go. In about 15 minutes, we'll tell you how Old World Wisconsin is celebrating 50 years of sharing our state's history. But first, we're headed to Alice's Garden Urban Farm to check out their Herbal Apprenticeship Program. That's coming up on Lake Effect on 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR. You're listening to Lake Effect on 89.7 WUWM. I'm Joy Powers. Milwaukee is lush with greenery this time of year, and there's perhaps no better place to enjoy it than Alice's Garden Urban Farm. For executive director, Venice Williams, it's basically a second home, and a busy one at that. Alice's Garden offers a wide variety of programming throughout the spring, summer and fall, including its Herbal Apprenticeship Program. For this month's Dig In, I headed to the garden to check out one of their classes. Summer is in full swing at Alice's Garden, where this year's group of herbal apprentices are gathering before class. As students arrive, they join instructor and director Venice Williams, collecting herbs and looking through the many plots that make up the urban farm.

Venice Williams: We'll do some more harvesting at the end if it doesn't rain, so let's come on in.

Joy Powers: The program offers students hands-on learning in the garden, alongside more traditional classroom-style instruction. But instead of desks and a chalkboard, apprentices are sat at picnic tables under a pergola in the middle of the garden.

Venice Williams: So remember how last week I said, "Oh, I have more notes than usual." Well, I have twice as many this week. So we've got a lot to do.

Joy Powers: Although some of the students are new, many of the apprentices have been doing it for years. It's considered a lifelong program of learning, something that Venice says extends to herself as well.

Venice Williams: We are apprentices. I am forever learning. There's a rare day that goes by that I'm not studying herbs. So we are apprentices together on this journey.

Joy Powers: Before they get started, Venice makes sure everyone has the tools they need for class.

Venice Williams: When you come, you want to bring... Everybody else help me out, start naming. What do you want to bring in your herbal apprentice bag? Scissors or shears. A water bottle that is reusable. A mug. A whole place setting. Gloves, jars, paper bags. Notebook, notebook, notebook.

Joy Powers: Today they're learning about the importance of the gut microbiome, as Venice explains.

Venice Williams: So the microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes, the bacteria, the fungi, the protozoa, and viruses that live on and inside the human body. The microbiome may weigh as much as five pounds. So depending upon how it's cultivated, fed, it's an incredible ecosystem that really controls and is the centerpiece. It's why it's where it sits, right? It's literally there at the centerpiece of the center part of our body. And it's something that just has been overlooked, or underappreciated, and I won't say misunderstood, but just not understood for so very long.

Joy Powers: The gut microbiome is an ecosystem within a person's body, but most people weren't taught about it in school. The scientific understanding of its impact is relatively new and has a long way to go. But a person guts, which includes their stomach, intestines and bowels, can have a dramatic impact on their health.

Venice Williams: So you think about your spinal cord as that nerve center, but that's not true. It is a nerve center. But we have more nerves in our gut, in our intestines, and all of that than we do in our spinal cord. So when we're talking about "trust your gut" or when you're feeling those butterflies and it feels queasy, you need to listen to that, because it's real. That means that there's something going on, or not enough going on, that is causing you to have that.

Joy Powers: A key part of the program is exploring how to better health through changing the way we view food and eating. During the class, apprentices are taught about the concept of "re-wilding" the gut microbiome to ensure a balanced ecosystem.

Venice Williams: I want you to switch your brain to start thinking about protecting your microbiome and nourishing and feeding your microbiomes. There's a whole movement called re-wilding

Venice Williams: I want you to switch your brain to start thinking about protecting your microbiome and nourshing and feeding your microbiomes. There's a whole movement called "re-wilding," right? The rewilding of the microbiome. And so rewielding is talking about how far away we have come from ancestral eating. So rewilding is a movement that is about eliminating some of this other stuff that might taste so good. We talked about that last week when we talked about inflammation and sugars and some other things, carbohydrates. But rewinding the microbiome is really about reclaiming some of those ancestral and heritage eating patterns, and more importantly, letting go of some of the things that consume our diet.

Joy Powers: Apprentices are given examples of different foods, drinks, and herbs that can impact the gut microbiome in different ways.

Venice Williams: Ginger. Good old ginger. Fennel, peppermint, chamomile. Cumin, one of my favorites. Cinnamon, yes.

Joy Powers: When the formal instruction ends, apprentices head back into the garden for more hands-on learning. Venice and more seasoned apprentices guide new learners through identifying some of the plants they just learned about in class.

Venice Williams: And then remember, that's the super stingy nettle right there.

Joy Powers: They're encouraged to take what they want and ask questions.

Venice Williams: This is my favorite mint dried. I drink it fresh too, but dried, it has so much power in it.

Joy Powers: If you want to get started yourself, you can check out the book the apprentices are using this year. Venice says that over the years, they've used different books, but this year's selection is special.

Venice Williams: For this year's class, the main book is an old favorite of mine, and it's Rosemary Gladstar's "Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide." All things Rosemary Gladstar are wonderful and incredible, and this book is one I recommend for anyone who not only is just getting started, but who's been at this for a while.

Joy Powers: For beginners and experts, it's never too late to dig in and dig deeper. Venice Williams is the executive director of Alice's Garden and the Fondy Food Center. She regularly joins Lake Effect for a series we call Dig In. You can find our previous conversations at wuwm.com. Schlitz may have ended brewing, but the recipe is still around, and you can get a glass of it this weekend at Old World Wisconsin.

Doug Raney: We're going to be renaming it for our special 50th anniversary as "Old World Wisconsin Gold," and it's going to available starting on July 3rd. We're super, super excited about that.

Joy Powers: Learn more, next on Lake Effect on 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR. This is Lake Effect on 89.7 WUWM. I'm Joy Powers. For 50 years, Old World Wisconsin has been immersing visitors in the history of our state. It began as Wisconsin's bicentennial project. The 600-acre site gives visitors a look into the daily lives of Wisconsin's 19th century immigrants. Old World Wisconsin has added several new experiences in the last few years. And to celebrate its history and progress, there will be a 50th anniversary party over 4th of July weekend. To learn about Old World, Wisconsin and help you plan a trip there, Lake Effect's Becky Mortensen is joined by its director, Doug Raney and Amanda Weibel from Travel, Wisconsin. Raney begins with how Old World Wisconsin got its start.

Doug Raney: The vision of Old World Wisconsin really began in the 1950s and '60s with an architect named Richard Perrin. Perrin and others saw historic immigrant homes and farms disappearing across Wisconsin ,and they wanted to preserve them. They wanted to find a way in which to preserve that history and to tell that those stories. And so he partnered with a preservation advocate, Hans Krüther (?). They went to the Wisconsin State Historical Society. And with that support from then director Leslie Fishel, the concept of a living history museum that celebrated Wisconsin's immigrant heritage was born. So now the idea was in place, right? But they had to figure out how to get all of these historic buildings from across the state to Eagle, here in the Kettle Marine State Forest. So they went around the state. They carefully documented all of these different buildings and farms and then moved them and then reconstructed them here in the site right here in Eagle, in the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Becky Mortensen: For someone who has never been to Old World Wisconsin, can you share what people can see and all the different areas they can visit at the site?

Doug Raney: So, Old World Wisconsin is really a 600-acre living history museum, of course sitting in this wonderful, beautiful Kettle Moraine State Forest. It features over 60 original historic buildings from across Wisconsin. Interpreters that are historically accurate and dressed demonstrate, across the site, farming, cooking, trades, and daily life from the 19th century. The site is really divided up into four different areas. Crossroads Village, which is set up as an 1880s small-town Wisconsin community, includes a general store, a church, a blacksmith shop, shoe maker shop, stage coach inn, and of course lots of other historic homes. It's also home to the St. Peter's Church, which is the oldest building on-site, and home to the popular Wheelman's Club bicycle experience. The second large area of the site is called "Life on Farms." And this is where we have a number of German, Polish, and Pomeranian farmsteads. And we have working farms, barns, gardens, and historic buildings. And in fact, they were planting pumpkin seeds just the other day, so lots of different activities and fun things going on there. This area also includes "Story of Pleasant Ridge," which is one of Wisconsin's early African-American farming communities. The other really large area of the site is what we call "Scandinavian Homesteads," and this is where we have Finnish, Danish, Norwegian homes and farm buildings and things like a traditional sauna, a stavor, storage building, and also the raspberry one-room schoolhouse. But probably the most exciting thing, and the thing that probably has changed the most over these last few years, is what we call "The Green." And that's really the central gathering area. It's the welcome experience when you come in, where you can gather with individuals and have some food, some drink, go shopping, and do all the things that you need to do to get yourself prepared for the experience on the site.

Becky Mortensen: Can you talk about some of the ways that Old World Wisconsin has changed over the past 50 years and all the things that have been added, even in the last like five to 10 years?

Doug Raney: Our mission really truly does stay the same, and that is really preserving and sharing Wisconsin immigrant history and heritage. But, like you mentioned, Becky, the visitor experience has really changed quite a bit over the last five-to-seven years. And really, it's connected most recently to what we call "the new arrival experience," which we're still working on. But for the most part, it is now coming to a completion. And it's really connected to a number of different recent additions. And we had the brewhouse, which opened up in 2022. And of course, the brewhouse highlights Wisconsin's fantastic brewing heritage. And connected to that is Witten Abel's Tavern, which is an original 1906 rural tavern that opened up in 2025 and tells a story, of course, of rural life after prohibition. We also added to that area, a traditional beer garden, which was also added in 2025. And of course that connects us to Wisconsin's fantastic German roots. And of course our flagship, if you want to call it that, the new 10,000 square-foot welcome center just opened up on May 2 of 2026, and we have our official opening coming up here on July 3rd.

Becky Mortensen: Yeah, so let's talk about the 50th event that you have coming up. It's over 4th of July weekend, like you mentioned. What can people expect at the event?

Doug Raney: You bet. So this year, the event over the 3rd, 4th and 5th is really celebrating two major milestones. One is Old World Wisconsin's 50th anniversary and, of course, America's 250th birthday, or anniversary. And so on July 3rd, we're having what we call our "Grand Reunion." And here we're gonna have former staff members and families that are connected to the historic buildings and helped to build and make Old World Wisconsin what it is today. They'll be in attendance. And connected to that, we're also going to be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick off and officially welcome the new Welcome Center. Then on July 4th and 5th, it's Independence Day weekend, and that's one of our bigger weekends of the year. We'll have parades that will feature decorated wagons and we've got the Madison Brass Band will be performing all weekend long. We have readings of the Declaration of Independence, historic baseball, the ever-popular and really exciting pie eating contests are back, ice cream making demonstrations, and all kinds of family-friendly activities will be going on throughout the site. We also have a really fantastic new exhibition on the history and of Old World Wisconsin. That will open up on July 3rd, and that's going to be opening up in the Luskow Building right next to the Welcome Center.

Becky Mortensen: And I know we were all very disappointed when Schlitz ended production in May, but did I hear something about an old Schlitz recipe being available at the event?

Doug Raney: Yes, we are really super excited about that. Of course, the Schlitz Brewery is no longer with us, and that recipe has not been brewed for quite a while, but we are working with a local brewer here in the area, and we are going to be bringing back the Schlitz recipe. We're going to renaming it for our special 50th anniversary as "Old World Wisconsin Gold." And it's gonna be available starting on July 3rd. We're super, super excited about that.

Becky Mortensen: Wow, nice. I feel like that alone will give people some incentive to come check it out.

Doug Raney: I have a feeling it will go very quickly, so don't hesitate. Be here soon.

Becky Mortensen: Alright, Amanda, we're going to do things a little differently this month. Normally, we would talk about some other things to do around Eagle, where Old World Wisconsin is, to kind of round out a trip. But this month, we are going to focus on our state's history. So Amanda, can you share some other places people can visit around Wisconsin, where they can learn about the state's history.

Amanda Weibel: Yes. Wisconsin has contributed so much to our nation's history, culture and identity, and there are plenty of places to explore and learn about those significant contributions. We've been talking about Old World Wisconsin, and I wanted to point out that that's one of 13 sites and museums operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, so if you are really interested in exploring history, consider becoming a member of the Historical Society. With that membership, you'll get the member passport that grants free entry into all of those 13 sites. You can collect stamps on your passport and earn store discounts and just check out the variety of programming and experiences that they have to offer. You know, one historical society site that I always love to talk about is Circus World. This is a Baraboo attraction, and it's at the original winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus. It's one of the country's most famous circuses, and it has these roots in Wisconsin. They have displays that include the world's largest collection of historic circus wagons, and they also have daily big-top circus performances, which are really fun for the whole family. My son was on the edge of his seat the entire time last summer when we went. So it's so fun to check out. They have some star-spangled celebrations planned, in honor of America 250 this summer, as well. Additionally, Wisconsin's mining and maritime history runs very deep. And if you look closely at our state flag, you will actually see those industries reflected. We have some exceptional museums dedicated to those industries. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc is really phenomenal. You can take a tour of a World War II-era submarine and learn all kinds of unique stories about Wisconsin's maritime history and our nationally-designated shipwreck coast. And that submarine is actually also an Airbnb. So if you want a really unique place to spend the night, check that out. Then, in Platteville, you can tour an 1845 lead-zinc mine at the Mining and Rollo Jameson Museum. It's a great place to really just learn more about that legacy of mining in the Driftless and the miners who eventually gave us the nickname, "The Badger State." Wisconsin has also been home to some very, very visionary minds, people like Frank Lloyd Wright, who went on to become one of America's most famous architects. You can follow his legacy on Wisconsin's Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. This route takes you to nine different Wright-designed sites across Southern Wisconsin and shows a really wide collection of his work. And then my final recommendation, if you are a history buff and an angler, consider a fishing trip to Douglas County to follow in the footsteps of five former US presidents. The Boy's Brule River is dubbed the River of Presidents because it's been visited and fished by Ulysses Grant, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower. It's famed for its trophy-worthy trout and salmon migrating from Lake Superior. And this just really shows what a draw Wisconsin is for its fishing. And it gives you a fun history fact to drop on your next fishing trip.

Becky Mortensen: I had no idea. That's so fascinating. Alright, my last question is gonna be for both of you. Why is it important to have a place like Old World Wisconsin where people can learn about and experience our state's history? And Doug, I'll have you go first.

Doug Raney: So I think a place like Old World Wisconsin really is important because it is an immersive, hands-on place. It's a place where individuals, whether you're an adult, whether you're a child, whatever age you might be, you can come get immersed in and experience and actually touch, do the activity. You can learn about all of this great, great history and experience it. And I think that, you know, individuals love their phones. They love to sit down on the couch and watch TV, but a place like Old World Wisconsin provides you with the opportunity to actually go back in time and experience what the 19th century was really all about. And I that that's really, really important, sites like that and what they do.

Amanda Weibel: Yeah, and Amanda? When a place can bring history to life in a really immersive and engaging way, like Doug said, that's when you're really going to capture people's interest and make future generations feel connected to the experience that they're learning about. I also find the people who lead these tours and experience are always so knowledgeable and so passionate, that that energy is just contagious and makes that experience so much more enjoyable. You know, Old World Wisconsin does such a great job of that, of sharing those traditions and experiences that helped shaped our state's character. And while they have a 50-year history of helping people travel back through time, the destination is always evolving. You know they're improving the guest experience. We learned about new additions that they've unveiled. They're hosting one-of-a-kind events, giving you more reasons to go back and make some new memories there. At Old World, Wisconsin, you don't just learn about history, you really feel like you're part of it. And it's one of many destinations telling Wisconsin's large impression on American history. You can find spots across our state full of that rich history, places to learn about the people who shaped the place we now call Wisconsin, whether that's the effigy mound-builders, visionary minds like Aldo Leopold and Frank Lloyd Wright, or the stories of those immigrants told at Old World Wisconsin. It's a great reminder that our backyard is a history book waiting to be explored.

Becky Mortensen: Yeah, well said, Amanda. Alright, Doug and Amanda, thank you so much for joining me for Wandering Wisconsin.

Amanda Weibel: Thank you for having us.

Doug Raney: Thank you, Becky.

Joy Powers: Amanda Weibel is the communications officer for Travel Wisconsin. Doug Raney is the director of Old World Wisconsin. They spoke with Lake Effect's Becky Mortenson for this month's Wandering Wisconsin. And that wraps up today's show. Thank you so much for being here with us. I'm Joy Powers. If you missed any of Lake Effect this week, you can find all of our conversations at wuwm.com. If you'd like to take the show on the go, you can download the Lake Effect podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Tomorrow, we'll bring you a special edition of the show all about artificial intelligence in the workplace. We'll explore how AI is impacting different professions, from journalism to education to medicine. Thanks so much for joining us right here on listener-supported 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR.