Preview Party to be hosted at Sentry Theater on February 20, free and open to the public

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (January 17, 2018) – On Tuesday, February 20, the public is invited to attend the preview party and early screening of the Stevens Point episode for Around the Corner with John McGivern. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m.

“This was a great opportunity to show the rest of Wisconsin what makes the Stevens Point Area stand-out,” said Sara Brish, Executive Director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The show follows Emmy Award-Winning Actor John McGivern as he explores living, working and playing in Wisconsin's unique communities. Now in Season 8, Around the Corner with John McGivern began on Milwaukee PBS in 2012 as a way to showcase Wisconsin’s fabulous communities. By telling the stories of diverse people as they live, work and play in their hometowns and neighborhoods, what we really bring to light is the importance of positive community involvement.

The Stevens Point area episode begins with John Gurda taking a moment to explain the historical background for the Stevens Point Area, before following John McGivern as he explores working life in the Stevens Point Area. Going behind the scenes to see how things work, John stops at American Governor in Amherst for a peek inside of what makes a dam work. In Stevens Point, he ventures to Ki Mobility to learn more about this inventive company making lightweight wheelchairs before meeting the face behind Assembly Shop for a quick wardrobe lesson. Then, John makes his way to Wysocki/RPE in Bancroft to find the local hero, the potato, that is grown widely across the region.

John continues exploring the region to find out how people live and play in the region. John starts by visiting the historic Stevens Point Brewery to find out what it takes to work quality control for a local flavor powerhouse. Hungry for more, he heads to Father Fats Public House to learn more about the chef at the helm and the one-of-a-kind toy store, Gepetto’s, thriving in downtown Stevens Point. Of course, no trip to Stevens Point would skip a staple of local trivia culture, including some time with 90FM Trivia’s one and only ‘Oz’.

The show continues as John meets local residents who call the Stevens Point Area home, with a visit to the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, sipping some tea at Diversi-Tea, walking along the Wisconsin River and grabbing a front row seat at the kitchen table to learn the intricacies of native American beadwork. Of course, the end of the show finds John McGivern with Stevens Point Mayor at SentryWorld Golf Course for a surprise finish.

“They filmed this last July and I’ve been crazy excited to see the final edits,” said Mike Wiza, Stevens Point Mayor. “Many people know that I’m kind of unconventional and I’m told we did things that had never been done before on his show. I love bragging about our City and the last part of the episode is the result of a social media project that involved the whole community and things they like about Stevens Point.”

The Stevens Point episode of Around the Corner with John McGivern will air on PBS on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. on your local PBS station.

The Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic and community development organization whose purpose is to expand Portage County’s economy by attracting conventions, sporting events and leisure tourists to Portage County. Millions of dollars from visitor spending and increased tax revenues are generated to increase commerce, sustain jobs and to create a desirable destination.

For more information about the Stevens Point Area, visit StevensPointArea.com. The SPACVB can also be found on Facebook (facebook.com/StevensPointArea), Twitter (twitter.com/StevensPtArea), Pinterest (pinterest.com/StevensPtArea) and Instagram (instagram.com/stevenspointarea).

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