On October 23, WBGU-PBS premiered an episode of Scenic Stops & Stories featuring the Schumacher Homestead, 8350 Bixel Rd. The production took place during a Second Saturday event and includes interviews with board member Jason Althaus and docent Van Risser. The next event at the homestead will be the Christmas Open House on December 6-7.

Althaus provides an overview of the development of the historic site, including the new Heritage Center, which is a repurposed timber frame barn from a nearby farm. Risser demonstrates how the Schumacher family would have cooked using the fireplace in the summer kitchen. Using homegrown produce, he makes a one-pot stew or "Eintopf."

The episode is titled "Amusement, Art and Family" and runs about 25 minutes. Additional subjects focus on northwest Ohio and include Sandusky's Merry-Go-Round Museum, the Cedar Point Historical Museum, the Wood County Fair, Firefly Nights in Bowling Green and the Black Swamp Arts Festival.

The program is available to stream live at wbgu.org and WBGU's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/q2qrt8a9DC0/ The segment on the homestead begins at about the 20 minute mark.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Scenic Stops & Stories is a destination travel show produced by WBGU-PBS that originally ran from 2012-2015. It was brought back to life in 2023 with eight new episodes and continued in 2024 with eight more. This version is similar to its predecessor but adds a storytelling component to the program.

Its goal, as always, is to showcase the narratives of the known and unknown regions of Ohio and parts of Michigan, as well as highlighting the area’s top talent, landmarks and places of commerce including everything from artisans, entrepreneurs and historians to museums, theaters and zoos. 

You can watch the series on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. on-air or livestream at wbgu.org/live