
Greater Chattanooga
Season 6 Episode 604 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Artist Isaac Duncan III, wildlife rehabbers and Wanda the Program Lady.
We’ll meet Isaac Duncan III, an artist working in large-scale steel art. We'll see what it takes to live the life of a wildlife rehabber. We'll give you a hint, it's a lot dirtier than you think. And we'll get to know Wanda, the program lady whose voice is as unmistakable as the crack of the bat.
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Greater Chattanooga is a local public television program presented by WTCI PBS

Greater Chattanooga
Season 6 Episode 604 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
We’ll meet Isaac Duncan III, an artist working in large-scale steel art. We'll see what it takes to live the life of a wildlife rehabber. We'll give you a hint, it's a lot dirtier than you think. And we'll get to know Wanda, the program lady whose voice is as unmistakable as the crack of the bat.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipComing up, we'll meet an artist who really steals the show.
We'll meet some local folks taking care of vulnerable wildlife at this point.
And we'll get with the program at the ballpark.
Right here!.
That's all coming up on Greater Chattanooga.
Funding for this program was provided by viewers like you.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Brianna, Garza.
We're glad you've joined us for more stories from Greater Chattanooga.
Up first, let's meet a sculptor of large scale metal art.
Check out how Isaac Duncan, the third, creates the art of steel.
STAINLESS STEEL AS MY MEDIUM, AND SCULPTURE AS THE MEDIA THAT I CHOOSE TO WORK IN, HAS THIS, I LOVE THE SENSE OF IMMEDIACY IN WORKING WITH IT.
IT'S BEING ABLE TO TAKE A HEAVY SOLID THING OR A LIGHT SOLID THING OR A LIGHT FLIMSY THING, BEING ABLE TO INTRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT TO IT, WATCHING SOMETHING THAT GOES FROM SOLID, TO LIQUID, BACK TO SOLID IN A MERE MICROSECOND, AND BEING ABLE TO WATCH IT STAND ON ITS OWN.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I FIND EXCITING, AND I GUESS MAGICAL.
I'M ORIGINALLY FROM BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AN AREA CALLED BEDFORD-STUYVESANT.
IF YOU'VE SEEN THE OLD MOVIE DO THE RIGHT THING, THAT WAS FILMED ABOUT SIX BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE.
ARTISTS SUCH AS JAY-Z, NOTORIOUS B.I.G., THE RZA FROM WU-TANG, THEY CAME UP FROM AROUND MY AREA.
I GREW UP WHERE I DIDN'T HAVE MY PARENTS PUT BLOCKS IN FRONT OF ME AND SAY THAT I CAN'T.
BOTH MY PARENTS REFUGED TO THIS COUNTRY, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS ALWAYS TAUGHT WAS TO, OF COURSE, WORK HARD, STUDY, AND MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU DO IS WORTH DOING.
WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL, I PRETTY MUCH DID A LOT OF DRAWING.
DRAWING, FOR ME, WAS A NICE MECHANISM TO RELEASE ENERGY, PENT UP ENERGY.
SO I USED IT AS A COPING MECHANISM IN SCHOOL.
I WENT TO A HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAD THREE YEARS OF ART TRAINING.
I WAS ABLE TO SHARPEN MY EYE, MY ILLUSTRATION SKILLS.
IT WAS AT NOTRE DAME THAT I REALLY GOT EXPOSED TO SCULPTURE, AND TAKING BASIC COURSES, TAKING WELDING COURSES.
DURING THAT TIME, THAT PRETTY MUCH SET THE COURSE OF ME DOING WHAT I'M DOING, I MET A LIVING LEGEND, AN ARTIST BY THE NAME OF RICHARD HUNT.
I HAD SOMEONE WHO LOOKED SIMILAR TO ME, HAD A SIMILAR BACKGROUND BEING FROM THE INNER CITY, CREATING THESE PIECES THAT THE SMITHSONIAN NAMED HIM THE PREEMINENT SCULPTOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY IN 2000.
SO TO HAVE SOMEBODY OF THIS STATURE GIVE ME ADVICE AT AN EARLY AGE, I WAS LIKE, YEAH I CAN DO THIS.
I APPLIED FOR GRAD SCHOOL, RECEIEVED A FELLOWSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, AND WHILE I WAS THERE, I ACTUALLY MET AN ARTIST BY THE NAME OF JOHN HENRY, AND THAT'S WHAT LED ME TO CHATTANOOGA.
I RESEARCHED ISAAC AND I HIRED HIM.
AND HE RAN MY STUDIO AND MY WHOLE OPERATION FOR THREE YEARS, SO WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW, HE LEARNED.
I ALWAYS SAY, AND WILL ALWAYS SAY, THAT I RECEIVED MY PHD AT THE SCHOOL OF JOHN HENRY.
JUST WATCHING SOMEBODY THAT'S ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED, AND SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN THERE, JUST WATCHING THEM AND HOW THEY DEAL WITH THEIR OWN CREATIVE PROBLEMS IS A REAL EDUCATION IN ITSELF.
I TRAVELED ALL AROUND THE WORLD WITH HIM, PUTTING UP PIECES, TAKING THEM DOWN, LEARNING ABOUT LOGISTICS AND HOW TO GET TO A MONUMENTAL SCALE.
AND DURING MY LAST YEAR OF WORKING WITH HIM, MY THIRD YEAR, I DECIDED THAT IF I NEEDED TO AND WANTED TO GET TO HIS STAGE, OR NEAR HIS STAGE, I NEEDED TO STEP AWAY AND START MAKING MY OWN WORK.
ISAAC, I THINK, IS A SCULPTOR WHICH I WOULD DESCRIBE AS AN EXPERIMENTER.
I WOULD DESCRIBE HIS WORK AS CLEAN, AS THOUGHTFUL, SOMETIMES MONUMENTAL.
I ALWAYS CAN TELL AN ISAAC PIECE BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH VERY SIMPLE GEOMETRY, BUT THERE'S A COMPOSITION QUALITY TO IT THAT IS NOT SIMPLE.
THERE'S A FEELING OF MOVEMENT THAT'S ALWAYS GENERATED IN THE WORK BASED ON HOW HE'S ARRANGING THOSE GEOMETRIC SHAPES, AND HE'S USING THAT TO CREATE A DYNAMIC THAT'S, I GUESS, IMPLYING MOTION.
IT'S REALLY THE EXPORATION OF FORMS, MASS, VOID, GRAVITY, AND HOW ONE CAN MANIPULATE THE SPACE AROUND A PARTICULAR AREA WITH THOSE IN MIND.
THE METAL THAT I CHOOSE, STAINLESS, STAINLESS STEEL IS AN ALLOY.
IN ITS STRUCTURE, IT IS MIXED, AND MY HERITAGE, BEING BOTH LATIN AND BLACK, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO ME WITHIN THE MATERIALS THAT I USE.
I DON'T DO A LOT OF DRAWINGS WITH MY PIECES.
WHAT I USUALLY DO IS I'LL CREATE THEM IN A SMALLER SCALE MODEL FORM.
AND I DO THAT BECAUSE FOR ME, IT'S LIKE I'M WORKING IN 3D, SO I WANT MY WHOLE EXPERIENCE OF CREATING TO BE THREE DIMENSIONAL.
IT'S COMING FROM THESE TINY THINGS, AND THEN THOSE EXPRESSIONS, HE'S JUST BUILDING THEM BIG.
AND THAT'S A DIFFERENT WAY TO WORK.
I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MATERIAL THAT I KEEP FROM OTHER PROJECTS THAT I USE.
I NEVER THROW AWAY A PIECE.
THE WORD SCRAP IS NOT IN MY VOCABULARY.
EVEN IF IT'S A TINY LITTLE PIECE OF STEEL, YOU JUST TOSS IT IN A BUCKET.
MAYBE IT BECOMES A PART OF A PIECE OF ARTWORK OR ONE OF HIS ART SKETCHES.
AND SO ISAAC HAS ALL THESE PILES ALL OVER THE STUDIO THAT'S METAL, BUT IT'S NOT TRASH PILES.
IT'S RESOURCE PILES.
SMALL PIECES ARE REALLY INTERESTING.
YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS IF I TAKE THIS PIECE AND PUT IT ON TOP?
AND THEN BUILD THIS PIECE OFF TO COME UP HERE?
IT'S KIND OF LIKE BEING A MAD SCIENTIST OR THAT WILD ALCHEMIST.
YOU KNOW, PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER AND SEEING WHAT HAPPENS, BEING ABLE TO DEFY GRAVITY.
AND THEN HAVE A SPHERE ON IT?
HE IS A THINKER, AND A PRETTY THOROUGH THINKER, BUT I THINK HIS WORK ALSO FROM TIME TO TIME WILL LEAD HIM, AND THAT'S A PLEASURE TO WATCH.
WHAT I DO APPRECIATE ABOUT ISAAC AS AN ARTIST AND JUST AS A HUMAN BEING, IS THAT HIS WORK DOESN'T STAY WITHIN THE WALLS OF HIS STUDIO, AND THE WORTH OF HIS WORK DOESN'T STAY IN THE WALLS OF HIS STUDIO.
I THINK HE'S OPEN TO SHARING THE RESOURCES THAT HE HAS AND THEN HE'S OPEN TO SHARING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAS WITH PEOPLE AND SYSTEMS.
HE'S DEEP IN THE BACKGROUND OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CLOSED SPACES THAT'S INFORMING WHAT ART LOOKS LIKE IN CHATTANOOGA IN THE FUTURE.
HAVING PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS AT THE TABLE IS SO CRITICAL, BECAUSE ARTISTS THINK DIFFERENTLY, AND SOMETIMES BETTER AND MORE CREATIVELY, THAN NON-ARTISTS.
AND I THINK THAT EVERY ORGANIZATION CAN REALLY BENEFIT FROM THE ARTIST'S VIEWPOINT.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I MAKE ART AND I GET OUT IN THE PUBLIC AND TRY TO BE A STEWARD FOR THE ARTS IS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT I WAS GIVEN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF.
I GIVE AS I'VE BEEN GIVEN, AND I TRY TO CONTINUE BECAUSE IT TAKES EVERYONE TO DO THEIR PART IF WE WANT TO HAVE OUR COMMUNITY BE FULL.
YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY IS HE INVOLVED IN ART IN PUBLIC PLACES AND HIS OWN WORK AND SITTING ON ART AND CULTURE COMMITTEES, BUT HE'S ALSO VERY INVESTED IN PERPETUATING EDUCATION ABOUT SCULPTURE.
IT'S A RESPONSIBILITY, THAT BECAUSE I'VE REACHED A CERTAIN POINT IN MY CAREER AND HAD SO MANY DOORS OPENED FOR ME, I HAVE TO OPEN THE DOORS AND THE MINDS OF OTHERS THAT ARE WANTING TO DO THE SAME.
SO THE IDEA IS YOU MAKE SURE TO KEEP THIS NICE AND FLAT.
WHEN I GO OUT AND DO WHATEVER I DO, I'M NOT ONLY CARRYING MY DREAMS AND HOPES, BUT I'M ALSO CARRYING MY PARENTS' DREAMS AND HOPES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE, BEING AN ARTIST, IS THAT I'M FULFILLING THAT.
BECAUSE I CAN WAKE UP, CREATE, CREATE SOMETHING FROM MY MIND, AND THEN MAKE A LIVING OFF OF THAT.
AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING FREER THAN BEING AN ARTIST IN THIS WORLD.
The job of a wildlife rehab isn't just petting possums and feeding baby birds.
It's dirty, sometimes thankless and exhausting.
But rewarding work.
And it's born out of love for the critters in your backyard.
PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU KNOW WE JUST, WE FEED THEM, AND WE PLAY WITH THEM, AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL.
UH, MY DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM A MINIMUM OF 8 HOURS TO UP TO 16 OR 18 HOURS, A DAY.
AND THAT IS 7 DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR.
BUT, UH, MY DAY STARTS EVERY DAY BY ROLLING OVER, LOOKING AND SEEING WHAT MESSAGES I HAVE, WHAT TEXT MESSAGES I HAVE.
I ALSO HAVE TO MANAGE MY VOLUNTEER STAFF, WHO ARE A GROUP OF SUPERVISORS AND EDUCATORS I HAVE TRAINED.
HELLO?
HEY, HAS ANYBODY CHECKED, CALLED ABOUT THAT RACCOON, THAT I ASKED ABOUT LIKE AN HOUR AGO?
I COME OUT AND I GIVE MORNING MEDS, DO MORNING TREATMENTS.
IT MAY BE WOUND CARE.
IT MAY BE TUBE-FEEDING TINY LITTLE 25 GRAM BABIES, OR AN INTESTINAL PARASITE INFECTION.
CUZ WE ACTUALLY NEED SOME OF THE OOZY-GOOZY SECRETIONS.
IS THAT A MEDICAL TERM, OOZY-GOOZY?
I'M JUST WONDERING.
YES IT IS COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING, AND AT TIMES YOU WANT TO SIT DOWN AND CRY, OR GO PUNCH PINE TREES AND SCREAM.
AND YOU DO THAT AND THEN YOU MOVE ONTO THE NEXT THING.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WITHOUT US DOING ALL THIS WORK, THESE ANIMALS WOULD LITERALLY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO.
OPIE ACRES IS A WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER.
WE REHABILITATE ORPHANED, INJURED, AND ABANDONED WILDLIFE, WITH A PRIMARY FOCUS ON THE VIRGINIA POSSUM.
I AM THE OWNER, DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD.
WHICH BASICALLY MEANS I'M FREE LABOR.
[LAUGHS] I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN AN ANIMAL LOVER SINCE I WAS A SMALL CHILD.
I WOULD LITERALLY RESCUE ANYTHING FROM WORMS TO BUGS TO FROGS TO DOGS TO CATS, YOU NAME IT.
WHICH MY MOTHER ABSOLUTELY HATED.
AND I DID A LITTLE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM AT THE CHATTANOOGA NATURE CENTER, AND FROM THERE I WENT INTO WILDLIFE REHAB.
I'M ACTUALLY A STANDUP COMIC, A HAIRDRESSER AND A WILDLIFE REHABBER.
I USED TO BE A PARAMEDIC, A RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, AND A WILDLIFE REHABBER.
SO BASICALLY WHEN I GET BORED I GET A NEW LICENSE.
BUT I DO SOME, YOU KNOW, SALON WORK ON THE SIDE FOR MONEY, BECAUSE I DON'T MAKE MONEY AS A WILDLIFE REHABBER.
THIS IS TWINKLE PIG, SHE IS A NON-RELEASABLE.
THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO.
THEY LIKE WORKING WITH ANIMALS.
THEY ALSO DO THIS FOR FREE.
THEY CAN'T CHARGE FOR IT, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WE GET, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CALLS FOR INJURED AND ORPHANED ANIMALS, STUFF LIKE THAT.
ALL OF THESE CALLS THAT WE GET, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER TO EVEN TAKE CARE OF HALF OF THEM.
POSSUMS ARE THE UNDERDOG OF THE WILDLIFE WORLD, IN MY OPINION.
POSSUMS SEEMED TO BE THE ANIMAL THAT WERE LEFT BEHIND MORE.
COMING FROM A CHILDHOOD OF ABUSE, I FELT LIKE THEY WERE VERY SIMILAR TO ME IN A SENSE THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE TO TURN TO.
SO I MADE MYSELF AN OPTION FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO TURN TO.
THE MAIN REASONS WE GET ANIMALS IN ARE, THEY'RE INJURED BY CARS, THEY'RE INJURED BECAUSE THEY, THEIR HABITATS OR THEIR HOMES HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY, AND THEY'RE OUT SEARCHING FOR A NEW PLACE, AND COME IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS THAT THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY HAVE.
THE ANIMALS WERE HERE BEFORE WE WERE.
SO OUR HABITAT, OUR HOUSES AND MALLS AND EVERYTHING, IS, YOU KNOW, GETTING SO BIG AND ENCROACHING ON THE ANIMALS' HABITATS.
THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO, AND THEN THEY BECOME A NUISANCE TO US, WHEN ALL THEY'RE DOING IS LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO LIVE AND RAISE THEIR FAMILIES AND EAT.
IF WE COULD LEARN TO BE MORE COMPASSIONATE, AND IF WE COULD LEARN TO BE MORE MINDFUL OF THE NEEDS OF THE LESSER SPECIES, OTHER THAN OURSELVES, AND FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR THOSE TWO TO MERGE AND WORK TOGETHER, THEY WOULDN'T BE A NUISANCE ANYMORE.
THESE ANIMALS ARE STRUGGLING SO HARD, ANYWAY.
SO IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE CAN HELP THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE, WE WANT TO DO THAT.
I'M A SONGBIRD REHABILITATOR, BUT I ALSO TAKE IN TURTLES, AND SMALL MAMMALS, SUCH AS FLYING SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS.
THERE'S THE BABY.
WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ABOUT CHATTANOOGA, ITSELF, AS FAR AS THE REHAB COMMUNITY GOES, THERE IS A BIG NETWORK.
WE HAD A TORNADO GO THROUGH OUR BACKYARD, AND UM, WE HAD THREE TREES FALL ON OUR HOUSE.
WE HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE, AND WHEN WE WERE SURVEYING THE DAMAGE, WE FOUND A BIRD NEST ON THE GROUND WITH A BABY BIRD IN IT.
MY HEART WAS WITH ALL THESE ANIMALS WHO WERE AFFECTED BY THE TORNADO, AND THERE WAS NOBODY TO CARE FOR THEM.
SO I JUST STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH, AND THAT'S HOW I MET ALIX.
THAT'S THE ANGEL DEFENSE POSTURE.
AND ALL HAWKS WILL DO THAT.
THEY'LL THROW THEIR WINGS UP, SWELL THEIR CHEST UP, TO LOOK LARGER AND MORE INTIMIDATING.
ALIX PARKS IS THE REASON THAT I'M A REHABBER, THAT JERRY IS A REHABBER, AND THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE EDUCATED UNDER HER.
SHE'S AMAZING, SHE'S BEEN A WILDLIFE REHABBER FOR YEARS.
MOST OF THE REHABBERS YOU MEET ARE SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE YOU'LL EVER KNOW.
BECAUSE OF THEIR COMPASSION, YOU KNOW JUST SO GIVING.
SO IT'S REALLY A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF.
WHAT WE DO COULD NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PEOPLE ACTUALLY COMING AND DOING THE GRUNT WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE FOR THESE ANIMALS TO MAKE IT THROUGH THEIR TIME IN CARE.
BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A SHORTAGE, WE NEVER HAVE ENOUGH.
AND IT'S PROBABLY OUR FAULT, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE ONLY POST THE HAPPY, WONDERFUL STORIES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT THE REALITY OF WILDLIFE REHAB IS THAT IT'S A VERY STRENUOUS, VERY STRESSFUL, DIRTY JOB.
IT IS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, COVERED IN MUD, COVERED IN BLOOD, COVERED IN FECES.WHEN THEY MAKE THAT REALIZATION, WHETHER IT'S ONE DAY OR TWO DAYS INTO IT, WE LOSE THEM.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE LOSE ABOUT 85% OF VOLUNTEER THAT SIGN ON.IT'S SO INTENSE.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE HARDEST PART OF ALL OF IT, IS THERE'S NO BREAKS, REALLY.
AS FAR AS ACTIVITIES, OR ANY KIND OF SOCIAL LIFE, I REALLY DON'T HAVE ONE.
IT'S WORTH IT TO ME, IT'S WORTH IT TO ME TO PUT IN, YOU KNOW, 12 SOLID HOURS A DAY, TUBING AN ANIMAL THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
IT MATTERS TO ME.
AND IT IS SUCH A REWARD TO SEE THAT ANIMAL GO FREE AGAIN.
AND IF THEY CAN GET ANY EXTRA TIME IN THE WILD TO DO WHAT THEY DO AGAIN, IT'S WORTH IT.
I SEE YOU.
I SEE YOU!
DEEP DOWN, I HAVE AS MUCH WORRY AND SADNESS REALLY WITH A RELEASE, AS I DO WITH A DEATH.
BECAUSE, IT'S FINAL, IT'S NOT LIKE THEY CAN SEND YOU A TEXT AND SAY, HEY, I'M DOING OKAY.
IT'S AMAZING TO JUST TO WATCH THEM JUST SCURRY OFF AND GO UP A TREE, OR GET IN A CREEK AND TAKE OFF SWIMMING.
IT'S LIKE THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE.
SO, BITTERSWEET EVERY TIME.
[POSSUM HISSING] OW!
HE'S READY!
IT'S TRULY A CALLING.
I FEEL THAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO DO THIS, TO REHAB HIS CREATURES.
AND SO, IT'S A TRUE BLESSING.
AND IT'S JUST A WONDERFUL THING TO HELP AN ANIMAL THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.
ALL I KNOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW, GOD GAVE ME THIS AMAZING ABILITY TO FEEL COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS, AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO KEEP AN ANIMAL FROM SUFFERING.
We love to share stories of memorable people in our area.
This summer, we gave our interns a chance to share the story of a voice that's as unmistakable as a crack of the bat.
Right here for your program.
Right here.
Well, I've just always been a people person.
Wanda was down in the concourse and I heard this voice.
I went, Oh, my gosh, who is that or what is it?
Oh, wow.
That that's a set of vocal cords and lungs that's going to sell something.
And sure enough, she did.
Right here.
My cousin called me and asked me, do I Want to work the Jimmy Buffett concert at the old stadium?
So I said, Yeah, I don't care.
So we went there and there we worked the lady that worked at that at the time, she said, You know, You want to come work at the Lookouts?
I say, I don't care.
So I've been working ever since.
Right Here!
I used to sell them.
Then I used to give them away.
Now they got to scan.
Well I have to bats with a barcode on them.
So I hold them up and I tell them, Scan your program right here.
Wanda's the best.
She she loves everybody.
I've not met a person that does not love Wanda back.
We have been going to Lookouts games since Engel Stadium, and Wanda was a fixture at Engel stadium, just like she is here.
The amount of hugs she gives out every night is just amazing.
She's just.
She brings so much life to our front gates.
Every single night.
I remember being younger than her and coming in and it's always 25 cents get your program.
They say, I remember you when I was a little bitty boy.
I see.
Now you want to tell my age.
take a picture with me, you know, they real good, I love them.
Oh, I.
It's just it's like a statue out front.
She's here every day.
It's rare that she hasn't been here.
I think being that fixture, she's as synonymous with the ballpark as you can get.
I used to holler and say get your programs, you can't tell a player without a program there.
And after that, it was just $0.25 and now they're free.
Not 25 cents, free.
Twenty-five cents, free, get your program.
You know, you're at a Lookouts game, as soon as you hear Wanda, you know, you're home.
I enjoy I love my fans.
I enjoy it and just enjoy of, you know, talking to them and hugging them and, you know, you'll have people leave here bragging about meeting Wanda.
The program lady.
Well, we wasn't going to have no paper programs anymore, so they come up with a barcode scanning on your phone.
I guess cause of Covid, you know.
Yeah, because of Covid.
Come here, baby.
I'm kind of sad because I used to get a brand new one or one every month when they came out.
It's the world we live in, we don't like the digital.
We'd much rather have something you can taste, feel and smell and get signed by the players right here changes.
I can handle the changes, you know, that's just life.
You know, keep on living we have some more changes, when she's gone, there won't be another program, lady.
Her legacy will be that she loved the lookouts, just like she loves this city and the people that she comes in contact there.
And that's her legacy.
And there'll probably be a statue out front her holding a program just 25 cents.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Greater Chattanooga.
Please visit our website to connect with us and to watch some great stories you may have missed.
You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
I'm Briana Garza.
Thanks for watching.
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