Katie Jones joined me for a live interview on Monday to talk about her championship ewe

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The Tippecanoe County 4-H fair is underway at the fairgrounds in Lafayette.

I did live reports on Monday. Most of the attention was on sheep and goat judging, so I interviewed members showing those projects. 9 year member Katie Jones did a wonderful job explaining sheep (I was raised on a farm with beef and horses). Adrienne and Katie Kirts joined me for another live interview with their Pygmy goats. Most livestock projects are down this year, with the exception of goats and rabbits.

Adrienne and Katie Kirts show Pygmy goats at the fair

There is a lot more action this week at the fair. Swine judging is Wednesday and Thursday is Horse and Pony. Hope to see you there. For a schedule,  go the Tippecanoe County Youth Development website: http://www.ces.purdue.edu/tippecanoe/youth/4H.h  tml

Laura Kirtley is our representative this year for the Kiss-the-Pig contest. The event is 8:20p.m. Thursday in the Coliseum. Please come out and support Laura and the other contestants. The money raised goes toward 4-H scholarships.

Bill Schultz did a live interview with me about his 'lil ole Nova

Thanks to everyone who came out for Dancing in the Streets. We had a great time doing a live broadcast from the event. We had reporters on Main Street and another crew in Tapawingo Park.

Videographer Phil Voorhees gets ready to shoot an interview for Sports Director Mike Cleff

Organizer say there was a record crowd for the event. Apparently there was a record number of cars too. The car cruise last year had 250 vehicles.  Bill Zobrist told me this year there were more than 400 vehicles. Not all the cars and trucks could fit into the festival area!

Laura Kirtley, Chad Evans and Sue Scott

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stage on Main street to say Hi. It was nice to meet so many people.

Bob Vandergraff and his '55 Chevy

It’s finally here–Dancing in the Streets. On Saturday, WLFI will broadcast the news live from 6:00p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Main Street (between 2nd and 3rd). During the newscast, we’ll have live interviews and information about different entertainment, restaurants, and other activities. It all happens in downtown Lafayette, on the pedestrian bridge, and at Tapawingo Park.  Stop by and say ‘Hi’ if you can. Chad is forecasting a cool night, so you might want to bring a jacket.

We will soon be saying goodbye to two members of our morning crew.  Anchor Reporter Seth Conley and meteorologist Stephanie Davis will be leaving us at the end of the month. The following is a news release our promotions department issued today.

WLFI-TV will be welcoming two new faces to News Channel 18 This Morning as Seth Conley and Stefanie Davis take the next step in their careers.

Conley has anchored the morning news the past three years.  The Rossville native came to WLFI from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN where he produced a weekday newscast and assisted in training student employees.  Conley now has an opportunity to return to college-level teaching at Goshen College in northwestern Indiana.

Conley said, “I am so grateful for the experience I have gained at News Channel 18. My time here has opened this new door into teaching future broadcasters the profession that I love so much. The fact that I was able to work in television news in my hometown was icing on the cake.”

Davis joined the WLFI family in September of 2008, but is cutting her time short to relocate to South Central Kentucky.  She is getting married at the end of August and is leaving to join her future husband in Jamestown, KY.  She will miss giving the ever-changing Hoosier forecast each day, but plans on furthering her career in Emergency Management for the state of Kentucky.

WLFI-TV News Director Chris Morisse said, “Seth has done a great job for us and quickly established himself in our community.  Seth worked hard to develop local news stories and related well with viewers.  Also, Stefanie brought insight and expertise from her graduate teaching experience at Mississippi State’s Meteorology program.  Both will be missed and we wish them well in their new career paths.”

WLFI-TV expects to introduce two new staff members in August after Conley and Davis depart July 31, 2009.

Dancing in the Streets will be from 4:00p.m. – midnight on  Saturday, July 18th in downtown Lafayette and West Lafayette. For the next several days, WLFI will be doing stories related to the event.

Tonight I’ll introduce you to Tom Switzer of Lafayette. He owns a 1933 Plymouth Roadster and a 1935 Buick 2-door Sedan (pictured above) . Tom just grinned ear to ear when he took me out for a cruise in his cars. He said most people get started because they love older cars, but in the end they love the camaraderie.  He and his wife Sherry enjoy traveling to different cars shows and meeting different people who share their love of street rods and hot rods.

The Raisor Car show starts at 8:00a.m. at the dealership at Sagamore Parkway and State Road 38. After 3:00p.m., most of the drivers will cruise on down to the festival. The cruise starts at 7:00p.m. on Main and Ferry Streets (between 4th and 9th).  Most of the cars will park around the courthouse square for people to enjoy.

We hope to see you at Dancing in the Streets on July 18th. WLFI will be doing a live broadcast from 6:00p.m.-7:00p.m. in downtown Lafayette. Stop by and say hello!

Here’s a little bit about what’s going on inside the station…

Each year WLFI presents awards to two outstanding employees.

One is in honor of former reporter/anchor Lauren Crowner. Lauren worked for us from 2004-2006. She took a job at a television station in in Columbus, Ohio, but died about a year later from health problems. We present an award in her honor to an employee who has been with us for less than five year, is positive, enthusiastic, and seen as a ’shooting star.’ This year, the award was given to Sales Executive Rick Prusator.

The other award is given to a long time employee who is dedicated to the station. We call it the Long Ball Award, in honor of former employee Dick Long. This year’s award winner is Cari Holt. Cari is our sales assistant/traffic coordinator. She helps organize many station events, including our valedictorian luncheon.

Thank you to everyone who came out to this year’s Relay for Life! It was an overwhelming experience to see the survivors take the first lap and to hear some of their stories.

It was moving to see all the luminaries circling the track at Jefferson High School.  There was one in honor of my mother who passed away December 2007 from cancer, one for my grandfather who recently passed away, and one in support of the Dan Ferguson family.  Dan is a horseback riding friend who diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski read a proclamation supporting Relay For Life. Tony agreed to talk with me about his mother who recently died of cancer in a Public Service Announcement (which is an earlier post on my blog). I am grateful he and his family agreed to share their story about Jane Roswarski. I hope it helps others to see they are not alone.

Thank you to all the teams who raised money and walked the track throughout the night. The goal of Relay for Life is to offer support survivors, remember those who have died, and continue the fight against cancer. 

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is back in town. The former Purdue QB is making appearances on behalf of Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, as well as visiting some schools. Tuesday Drew talked to youngsters at a camp at Purdue. He told them to ‘finish strong.’ He said that was important whether it was on the field, the weight room, or in the classroom.

During an interview this week,  Drew said it was a very special father’s day. Drew and his wife, Brittany, have a son Baylen.  He was born on  January 15th, which was Drew’s 30th birthday.

PEFCU president and CEO Bob Falk and Drew Brees will present Visa’s Financial Football program – an interactive money-management game – to students enrolled in summer school at Jefferson and Harrison High Schools. These schools were selected because of their in-school PEFCU branches, the only student-run financial institutions in Greater Lafayette.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
Tecumseh Junior High School – Large Instruction Room
(Due to summer construction at Jefferson High School)
10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Harrison High School Auditorium

Organizers have chosen participants for the annual “Dancing with the Stars of Greater Lafayette.” They are:

• Senator Ron Alting, State Senator since 1998
• Dave Barrett, former Purdue star and current Central Catholic basketball coach
• Ernie Caldemone, market manager of Lafayette radio stations WAZY-FM, 95.7 The Rocket and BOB FM 95.3
• Dr. Gregory Konrath, orthopaedic surgeon and mountain climber (Mt Everest success in 2008)
• Linda Rohrman, local philanthropist who participates in Purduette Mentors and Mental Health Association in Tippecanoe County… just to name a few
• Sue Scott, WLFI news anchor and executive producer recognized for her community involvement

Yes, I agreed to give it a try.  Can’t say I’m much of a dancer, but my boyfriend and I won a dance contest in high school. But, that was a few years ago! Luckily, Arthur Murray instructors are giving us some lessons before I embarrass myself on the dance floor. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Our first ’step’ is to pick out a song.

Dancing with the Stars is Friday, August 14th at University Plaza Hotel, West Lafayette.  Cocktails and silent auction opens at 6:30p.m., Dinner is at 7:30p.m.  The Dancing with the Stars Show is at 8:30p.m.  This event is a fundraiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Wabash Valley.  Call for reservations: (765) 446-2227.

The Big Brothers/Big Sisters website is :http://www.bbbslaf.com/

60 years of broadcasting technology is coming to an end. At 4:00p.m. Friday,  WLFI-TV engineers will be shutting off its analog transmitter.

TV stations across the country are doing the same thing and broadcasting digital signals only. For the last year, stations have been telling viewers about the switch.  It was delayed once, but has finally happened.

Anyone with questions can call 1-888-CALL-FCC. We also have people on staff that can handle questions. (765) 463-1800.