Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is: Lords of the Gourd: The Pursuit of Excellence.
Sunday, October 30. 4-5 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.
The extreme gardeners who compete at the annual Cooperstown Weigh Off have one obsessive goal — to raise the biggest giant pumpkin in the world. These gurus of the gourd nurture their fruits through harsh weather, floods, animal attacks and even sabotage to produce glorious pumpkins of gigantic proportion. This program follows Joe Pukos and his fellow competitors through the final harrowing days of harvest and the journey across New York State with the bulging behemoths strapped into the backs of their pick-ups. Joe is a real contender — at least until last minute rumors circulate that another grower may be set to smash the world record.
Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is:
Nature “Underdogs”
Sunday, June 5, at 7 p.m.
Two pure-bred dogs are selected from animal shelters and adoption centers in
the U.S. and England — a Bearded Collie (sheep herding) and a Bloodhound (scent tracking). With the help of trainers, they are each taught to hone their skills as working dogs, then tested, to judge their success. By the end of the film each dog will have a new home.
Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is: Secrets of the Dead “Silver Pharaoh”
Wednesday, May 18, 7 p.m.
The royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I is one of the most spectacular of all the ancient Egyptian treasures – even more remarkable than that of Tutankhamen. So why hasn’t the world heard about it? What mysteries does it contain? And what does it reveal about ancient Egypt? The tomb was discovered filled with lavish jewels and treasure almost by accident in 1939 by the French archaeologist Pierre Montet while he was excavating in northern Egypt..The royal burial chamber came as a complete surprise no Egyptologist had anticipated a tomb of such grandeur in this area. Unfortunately, the tomb was found on the eve of World War II in Europe and attracted little attention. One of the most startling discoveries inside the tomb was the sarcophagus in which the body was held: It was made of silver with exquisite detail and craftsmanship. No other silver sarcophagus has ever been found and it is now recognized by many Egyptologists as one of the most exquisite artifacts of ancient Egypt ever to be found. The elaborate tribute within the tomb suggested it was the burial site of someone very important but as archaeologists, using the hieroglyphs inside the tomb, pieced together the identity of the pharaoh, they were left to wonder who Psuesennes I was and why he received such grand treatment. The investigation reveals political intrigue, a lost city and a leader who united a country in turmoil and became the Silver Pharaoh.
Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is:
Backyard Butterflies Sunday, April 3rd at 6 p.m.
This program features fun facts about these delicate, spry creatures and demonstrates how to successfully create a garden that attracts them. Viewers also learn how to identify common butterflies, select favorite butterfly plants and how to catch and raise a butterfly indoors. Watch the life cycle crom caterpillar to butterfly to know hat’s eating your garden up. Along with ideas for a habitat-friendly garden, see how to catch a butterfly on your finger and raise a butte fly yourself for a close-up look at nature’s wonder. Marla Bean hosts .
Repeats:
Sunday, April 17, 4:30-5 p.m.
Without a second thought, most people squash or spray all insects that fly, flit or stroll through their yards. However, BACKYARD BUGS, reveals why some bugs may actually be beneficial to have around. The 30-minute program steps out the backdoor to help you determine if a garden insect is friend or foe.
NATURE: Oceans in Glass
Behind the Scenes of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
7-8 p.m., Sunday, July 25th
Thanks to its realistic presentations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is recognized as one of the most significant and spectacular aquariums in the world. Instead of exhibiting collections of animals, the aquarium presents entire habitats, virtual slices of ocean that include 30,000 animals and plants. But how does an aquarium work? What’s the science behind the magic? Each of the animals here has a story to tell, but of all the animals to be seen here, there is one animal in particular whose presence is drawing world-wide attention — a great white shark.
Repeats:
2-3 a.m., Monday, July 26
4-5 a.m., Tuesday, July 27
1-2 a.m., Monday, August 1
No School Singalong Special premiers June 21st at 8:30 a.m.!
SID THE SCIENCE KID celebrates the first day of summer with the all-new “No School Singalong Special” premiering June 21 on KLRU’s PBS KIDS. The half hour episode features Sid and his friends performing their favorite science-song hits in a back yard singalong extravaganza!
Each month, KLRU chooses a program for your family to enjoy together. This month’s Family Choice program is National Geographic Bee on Thursday, May 27, at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The annual National Geographic Bee returns for the 22nd consecutive year with host and moderator Alex Trebek. The 2010 National Geographic Bee will feature 54 fourth- to eighth-graders vying for the Bee crown and the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.
Dolly Madison, American Experience
8-9:30pm, Monday, March 1
Style icon, extravagant hostess, humanitarian, doting mother, trusted political advisor, and diplomat. These are the roles we now expect in a First Lady, roles created by President James Madison’s wife, Dolley.Born in relative obscurity before the American Revolution, Dolley’s beauty attracted attention, but it was her political acumen that set her apart in a time when women held no overt political power. As the “first First Lady,” she used her unelected position to legitimize the nation’s new capital, to create a political and social style for the new country and to give Americans a sense of their own national identity. As her successors have gone on to do ever since, Dolley Madison adopted social causes of her own, including advocating for children left orphaned by the War of 1812. This portrait features Tony Award-nominee Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Dolley Madison and Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays as James Madison. For more information go to the American Experience website.
Repeats:
3-4:30am, Tuesday, March 2
2-3:30am, Wednesday, March 3
3-4:30am, Monday, March 8
History Detectives, Episode #611
8-9pm, Monday, February 23
Slave Songbook – The president of the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum in Culver City, California, recently discovered an unusual book in his late mother’s extraordinary collection of African-American artifacts. The small, cloth-bound book, titled Slave Songs of the United States, has a publication date of 1867 and contains a collection of 136 plantation songs. Could this be the first book of African-American spirituals ever published? HISTORY DETECTIVES host Wes Cowan visits a music historian in Los Angeles to explore the coded messages and the melodies that laid the foundation of modern blues, gospel and protest songs of future generations. He also meets with Washington, DC’s Howard University Choir for a special concert of selections from Slave Songs sung in the traditional style of mid-1800s spirituals.
Josh White Guitar – A Michigan man owns a Guild brand acoustic guitar that he says once belonged to legendary African-American folksinger Josh White, who is credited with introducing black folk, gospel and blues music to a world audience in the 1940s. The contributor met White after a concert when he was a kid, and the guitar reminds him of a confidence White had shared with him: the Guild Company was talking to White about making a signature guitar built to his specifications and marketed under his name. If this is the guitar White had spoken of, it would be the first signature guitar ever created for an African-American musician in the United States. HISTORY DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray travels around New York City and New Jersey to explore the crossover appeal of Josh White’s music and his ability to win over a racially polarized music industry.
Birthplace of Hip Hop – A hip hop enthusiast from New York City has always heard that 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx is the birthplace of hip-hop. The story goes that on August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc, a building resident, was entertaining at his sister’s back- to-school party and tried something new on the turntable: he extended an instrumental beat (breaking or scratching) to let people dance longer (breakdancing) and began MC’ing (rapping) during the extended breakdancing. This, the contributor believes, marked the birth of hip-hop. The music led to an entire cultural movement that’s altered generational thinking – from politics and race to art and language. HISTORY DETECTIVES host Tukufu Zuberi sets out to examine an inner-city environment that helped lay the foundation for a cultural revolution.
KLRU has great programs for kids and great programs for adults, but it’s not easy to find programs that all family members can enjoy together. Each month, KLRU identifies a Family Choice program from our schedule that will interest and engage family members, ages 7 and up.
This month, KLRU features The Biscuit Brothers holiday specials starting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 20.
Musical Celebrations at 5 p.m.
Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Hispanic tradition, birthdays and other holidays and celebrations are explored after Tiny Scarecrow accidentally releases all the holiday melodies from Melody Garden. This song filled special shows how a “holiday” can be a good time to learn about other cultures and traditions and a great time to share your culture and traditions with others.
Merry Musical Christmas at 5:30 p.m.
The whole family will sing and laugh along with this heart-felt musical nod to traditional Christmas specials of the past. Join the Biscuit Brothers and company on Christmas Eve as they use music to celebrate on the magical, musical farm and try to cheer up Tiny Scarecrow who sits high atop Symphony Barn waiting for snow.
Sunday, October 30. 4-5 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.
