Dinner And A Book begins 10th Season

Gail Martin returns for her 10th season as host of WNIT’s DINNER AND A BOOK. “It has been an amazing experience for me to work with so many members of our community who enjoy cooking as well as discussing a book of substance. The camaraderie of working together in a kitchen is just unbelievable!” she says. The Rex and Alice A. Martin Foundation remains the exclusive production underwriter for the program as well as, Gail notes, “providing a large part of the show’s enthusiasm.”

This season marks the first time the program has been able to use a fully functioning kitchen, primarily contributed by Robert Weed Plywood of Bristol. Additional support for the kitchen comes from Higley TV and Appliance in Elkhart, Bob Miller’s Appliances in South Bend and Kukhaven, Inc. of South Haven, Michigan. DINNER AND A BOOK is taped in the Ganey Studio Complex.

The season begins on January 8 with co-host Nancy McCaslin and a discussion of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This episode was taped last April in the St. Joseph County Library as part of its “One Book, One Michiana” program. The “One Book, One Michiana” project continues on April 13, when ROCKET BOYS by Homer Hickam, Jr. is the featured book.

Outdoor Elements begins 10th Season

WNIT’s salute to the great outdoors, OUTDOOR ELEMENTS, begins its 10th season on January 2. The program airs on Sundays at 9am and repeats on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and is underwritten by the St. Joseph County (Indiana) Parks Department.

“I can't believe we are airing our 10th season” show host Evie Kirkwood said recently. “I feel so proud to be able to highlight so many unique natural areas and the dedicated people who care for them in our region.” Evie is St. Joseph County Parks Director and has hosted OUTDOOR ELEMENTS since its beginning.

Producer Kelsy Zumbrun explained the program’s format. “We have a specific theme and three featured segments for each episode. For example, the theme of the first program of the new season is ‘The Ways of Water,’ featuring ‘Spring House: Preserving Foods,’ ‘Bear Cave!’ and ‘Acid Rain.’ Other themes during this season include ‘Green Living,’ ‘Fins and Feathers’ and ‘Wild about Wildflowers.’ ”

OUTDOOR ELEMENTS was awarded first place in the broadcast division of the 2010 Hoosier Outdoor Writers Awards-in-Craft contest. The award-winning episode was “Spiders and Insects, Oh My!”