As a kid, Bob Fosse danced in the Riff Brothers. Meet his partner, Charlie Grass.
Jay makes freinds with a gigantic insect.
Where and when to find the best wildflowers in the Chicago area.
You never know what you might find in the attic.
Owen Deutsch was a Chicago fashion photographer. Now he finds beauty in birds around the world.
When notorious murderer Nathan Leopold went to prison, he left behind a vast collection of bird specimens. Jay sets off on a search to find them.
Great photos help shelter dogs find homes.
In Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, gentrification is pushing out many Mexican-American residents. A photographer is trying to have an impact through his art.
Inspired by Black aviators, a training program returns to a Chicago high school.
From racist skinhead leader to anti-racism activist.
Dorothy Olson Pauletti spent decades performing in Chicago. At 102, she’s still got it.
Lots of Irish music in Chicago. None have been at it longer than Malachy Towey and Kevin Henry.
He is paraplegic. She was afraid of wheelchairs. An unlikely story of love and art.
You have to see Norma Gatto's glass creations to believe them.
After a photographer died, his daughters found nearly half a million stunning images of Black Chicago.
Expectations were pretty low for Seth Goldberg. His parents didn't agree. Neither did Peter Paul and Mary - and Josh Groban.
Mickey Alice Kwapis wants you to love taxidermy as much as she does.
This 17-yead old has seen more bird species in Cook County than anyone, ever.
Pat Lohenry has been making beautiful and impossibly detailed dollhouses all her life.
Your favorite Chicago PBS anchor has a no-longer-secret passion. Mexican-inspired papel picado. And he’s damn good at it.
As a kid, she was bullied for her hair loss. Now she helps girls live bald and proud.
Helen Lambin got her first tattoo at age 75.
Al Westerman grows 124 varieties of heirloom apples.
How to make a classical musician: One hour before school. Two hours after school. Every day. Free. In a low income, mostly immigrant, school.
You have never seen hats and gloves like these.
In the early days of COVID-19, 3D printer owners cranked out thousands of free face shields.
Why did Sister Stephanie Baliga give up her Olympic dreams to become a nun?
Dave Kloke built this working locomotive from scratch. Now he's making the train car that carried Lincoln's body.
Globetrotting hikers learn to love Chicago nature during the pandemic.
Black and white photos capture River North in a very different era.
When the Indiana Dunes became a National Park, photographer QT Luong had to act fast.
Stunning 1970’s photos of the men and women who call themselves "railroad tramps."
How do they make vinyl records? Jay brings you to a factory to see how it’s done.
Want to become a professional violin-maker? Learn the trade here.
Linda Smith made a choice during the pandemic that many of us would find hard to imagine.
A legendary dancer, choreographer and teacher with a surprising back story.
The Black Fire Brigade mentors and trains Black firefighters, paramedics and EMT's.
Ron Wilson’s high school wrestling coach saved his life. Now he pays it forward.
Edo loves color. “Color is my thing,” he says. “I want it to light up a room.”
Nestor Gomez is Chicago’s champion storyteller. He came here as an undocumented immigrant.
This story is about a garment that may hold the world’s record for hand-me-downs.
Chicago guitar master Joel Paterson gives a unique spin to the Beatles.
Pianist Erwin Helfer wants you to know about the weeks he spent in an inpatient psych unit.
When you love a place you take care of it. And a lot of people love LaBagh Woods.
Sometimes the best thing you can do to preserve and protect a natural area is to burn it.
Want to know about the first automatic hamburger machine, the “Hollymatic?” Just ask a guy they call Bobby the Burger. His grandfather invented it.
If riding with no hands was an Olympic event, John Kohan would win Gold.
If you want to stock a lake with Walleye, here's how you make the babies.
Jay joins the crew of the tugboat Kimberly Selvick for a day of moving barges on the Calum
Chicago ice boat racer Chris Berger is one of the best in the world.
Sailing is a mostly white and affluent sport. Not here.
They call it the "Original Redneck Fishin' Tournament"
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary: One of the best places to see birds during spring migration
Bald Eagles are making a comeback in the Chicago area and Jay sets out to find some.
When Paul Beaty saw two framed works of art at a Salvation Army store he knew they were likely to be valuable. But he had no idea just how valuable they were.
JaShawn Hill discovered that she could turn her own tragic loss into a valuable contribution to the community.
Bosnian refugees gather to knit, crochet and heal.
Where the accordion is still king.
The Blues musician who was also the genre's biggest fan.
Zeshan B's unique brand of Indo-Pak Rhythm and Blues
Great harmonies and smart, witty lyrics for 25 years.
A life in gospel music - and Paul Simon too.
All over the country, serious roller skaters know and emulate a style called J.B. Skating. Born - and perfected - in the skate clubs of Chicago.
A yacht club on Chicago's South Side is home to the largest community of black sailors in the country.
When Italian immigrants began coming to the Chicago suburb of Highwood -- they brought the beloved Italian game, bocce. The Highwood Bocce Club was founded in 1969. And now bocce-lovers of all backgrounds have joined the Italian regulars.
This might mess with your stereotypes of Punk Rockers.
There was once an extensive network of African American golf leagues and clubs across the country. But as the golf world opened up, most of the Black clubs faded away. One that remains is the Chicago Women's Golf Club, which has been around for more than eighty years. It is the second oldest Black women's golf club in the nation.
In 1987, in the middle of Doctor Who, a guy in a Max Headroom mask pirated the WTTW broadcast signal. Who did it and how?
An "augmented reality" app called Chicago00, from the Chicago History Museum, takes you back to Chicago's most notable historic moments.
Behind the scenes at factories that make tortillas and pita bread.
A Chicago hot dog must have a poppy seed bun. An Italian beef needs a sturdier roll to handle the juice. Behind the scenes at S. Rosen and Gonnella.
As Chicago hot dog maker Vienna Beef turns 125, a peak behind the curtain.
Storytelling Gives New Strength to Couple Dealing with Alzheimer’s
Turning chic, high end castoffs into big time support for charities.
Free scuba lessons and travel for people with PTSD and other disabilities.
Five men with intellectual disabilities live (almost) independently for more than 20 years.
Urban gardens tended by refugees who were farmers back home.
Specialty mushrooms grown in an old Chicago meatpacking plant.
Afghan War Vets Rebuild Afghanistan With Saffron
Chicago High School Teaches Farming to City Kids
Behind the scenes at Zap Props.
Three generations steer a Black hair products company
You will fall in love with the Lucero Family band, "Cielito Lindo."
Stacey Greene grew up with the worms and crayfish. Now she runs the joint.
If there was a shoe repair hall of fame, the Marin family would be in it.
Barry Bauman loved his job so much he kept doing it for free after he retired.
Drone racing is now a thing. This guy is one of the best.
One of the first Black flight attendants tells her story.
Building that first Giant Globe was tough. Then Matt Binns got good at it.
Wild Bison return to Illinois. A Tribune photographer tracks their progress.
Nothing quite like seeing tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes in one place.
A nature photographer. A passion for owls.
She thought she was done painting, but found new inspiration in an unlikely place.
Alzheimer's patients mentor medical students.
Childhood still inspires this Chicago painter.
First Lady of Children's Music.
She loves baseball. And baseball players. And she paints them.
We met Peggy at 96. Still painting. Still passionate about improving the world.
Meet Heeyoung Kim. A love for rare prairie plants. And a rare talent for botanical art.
When POTUS needs a gift for state visit.
Gargoyles inspire a life with stone.
A surprising path to Christian Art.
Middle school kids learn from a top chef.
On the job with a food photographer
Goats join chickens and ducks in a Chicago backyard.
Food Carts for Employment and Fresh Produce
Yes, it's kind of crazy. And they convinced Jay to try it.
Meet the crew of the tall ship "Lynx."
Up close in rarely-explored Chicago river.
Singer Ben Mugisha lives in Chicago and is a big deal in Rwanda.
Allegra Rosenberg turned her pop culture obsessions into catchy songs and found a huge Youtube following.
A banjo player's life-changing 25 year correspondence with Pete Seeger. Meet Michael Miles.
West Ridge Nature Center grows from unused property.
Working Bikes keeps thousands of bikes out of landfills and sends them overseas.
Karsyn Terry and her dad show you how to make a 14-year-old billiard whiz.
25 years of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative.
Got rats? Get a colony of feral cats.
Sand paintings. Improvised and ephemeral. Meet Joe Mangrum.
A big talent for making tiny things.
On the front lines in Chicago's war on rats.
Why do we love Zambonis?
A native plant gardener convinces his suburban condo board to transform (part of) their lawn to the wilder look of native plants. Meet Dennis Paige.
Most of these women have been bowling together since the 1950s.
It’s the busiest 16” softball league in the world. Washington Park. South Side. And Sarge MacKinnon is in charge.
Vietnam Vet Lon Hodge suffered from PTSD. A dog named Gander changed his life.
A three-acre nature center in one of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. Michael and Amelia Howard built it from scratch with a lot of help from their neighbors.
He's one of the country's hottest artists. And he has a degree in Urban Planning. Theaster Gates draws on both to revitalize low income South Side neighborhoods.
A synagogue that’s 98% Black. And 100% Jewish.
How did that ship get in there? Glenn Braun reveals his secret.
What do serious foodies do when cicadas invade Chicago? Eat them, of course. David Hammond shares his favorite recipes.
When this inspirational speaker lost the ability to speak, she was no less inspiring. Meet Anne Marie Schlekeway.
A tunnel that holds 2.3 billion gallons of water. A reservoir you can fill with 7.9 billion. Going inside this thing was amazing.
Sun-Times health reporter Monifa Thomas didn’t expect a stroke any more than you do.
In prison for murder, Marshawn Feltus learned yoga. Now out, he teaches his neighbors.
A gang shooting ignites a community project.
Where Riverview once stood, a new wild ride -- bicycles flying through air.
Just because the players are disabled doesn’t mean they can’t kick your butt. This is full-contact hockey.
Real kids. Real coaches. Real Sport. Kids with lower limb disabilities, some from gunshots.
Got a racehorse going to Dublin or Dubai? Des McInerney is your man.
The Museum of Science and Industry needed someone to run their gigantic and legendary model train set. William Davidson is the model train lover who got the job.
Classic men’s hats. Classic craftsmanship. And Optimo’s Graham Thompson learned from the best: legendary Chicago hatter Johnny Tyus.
Got a beehive in the walls of your home? Dan Parizek will help both you and the bees.
While many public schools cut back on physical education and recess to allow more time for academics, Chicago’s Namaste magnet school adds exercise, yoga, and healthy eating. They say this improves academic performance.
What could be more fun for a blind kid than throwing her Judo teacher to the mat?
Lots of guys like to fish. A few have tried taxidermy. Add lifelike wooden fish-carvings and you have the remarkable Don Dubin.
How does Al Capone figure into the Jay's Potato Chip story? If you're from the Chicago area, you probably grew up eating Jay's Potato Chips. But the story may surprise you.
Vivian Maier took over 100,000 photographs in her lifetime, but never showed them to anyone. Now, after her death, some rank her among the best street photographers of the 20th century. This episode tells the story of the Chicago man who stumbled on her negatives at a storage locker sale, and what we are now learning about the life of this remarkable photographer.
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the delightful Bindy Bitterman and her amazing and eclectic little shop.
Arturo Venegas was an immigrant teen when he started working in a Kosher fish market. Now he owns it, thanks to his old boss Robert Schuffler.
Where does a Blues geek go to train? Chicago, of course. Fernando Jones’ Blues Camp.
James Stastny is old school: he packs a fishing rod, some bait, and a whole lot of patience. His son, Scott, however, uses sonar and an underwater camera and teaches us how technology has improved the art of ice fishing.
Chicago high school students learn finance from one of the state's top teachers.
Legendary drag strip. Killer cars. Quarter mile.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra French horn player by trade. Monarch Butterfly rancher by passion. Meet Dan Gingrich.
There is no one in the Chicago area who has had more of an impact on Chicago waterways and on the sport of paddling than blacksmith, activist, businessman and naturalist Ralph Frese.
