Pie Life
Making pies has been a tradition in the Harovas family for five decades.
Granny’s Pie Factory, in East Hartford, is a family-owned business that is best known for its quaint charm and fresh homemade pies. Around the holidays people throughout Connecticut travel to their shop and wait in lines to purchase their favorite pie flavors.
Tens of thousands of pies sold each season. Behind each one is a team of immigrant bakers making the pies from scratch and helping to fulfill family traditions year after year.
Sandra Lopez and Raul Rodriguez met at Granny’s in the early 2000s. Today, they are married and have children of their own. All of that was possible, they say, thanks to the Harovas family and Granny’s Pie Factory.
Video by David Wurtzel
A Place to Gather
Gather55 is a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Hartford that serves the city’s working poor with healthy, hearty meals at a reduced price or in exchange for volunteer work. To help fund this mission, Gather55 opens at night as a fine dining experience that draws in customers with monthly guest chefs from across the state. All this builds a community of people serving each other, literally and figuratively.
Video by Tyler Russell
Trail of Terror
Step into Connecticut’s legendary Trail of Terror, tucked into the woods of Wallingford for a terrifying haunt. Learn how it comes to life year after year through a dedicated team of performers and artisans who call each other family. Over the course of 30 years, founder Wayne Barneshi and his volunteers have raised an estimated $3 million for local charities. Take a behind the scenes look into their process, people, and purpose as we pull the curtain back on Trail of Terror.
Video by David Wurtzel
Out of the Odor-nary
Full of funk, a rare double-stemmed “corpse flower” is in bloom at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. This alien-looking flower unleashes an atrocious smell – a mélange of rotting fish and feces, according to Bryan Connolly, an associate professor of biology at the school. Eager observers are flocking to Willimantic to get a glimpse – and a whiff.
Video by David Wurtzel
Miss Gen From Georgia
When Geneva “Gen” Idlette was young, she worked on Jimmy Carter’s family farm in Plains, Georgia. She's now 91 years old. Miss Gen reflects on growing up in the Deep South and witnessing Carter confronting the Klu Klux Klan before he was a political leader.
Video by David Wurtzel
The American Mural Project
The American Mural Project, located in Winsted, Conn., is the world’s largest indoor collaborative mural and a tribute to American workers. It's a one-of-a-kind work of art — at five stories high, the mural is a visual history of America shown through its workers.
In this Mini Doc, Founder and Artistic Director of AMP, Ellen Griesedieck, tells the story of how the massive three-dimensional mural came to be.
From visiting a Boeing manufacturing plant to collaborating with over 15,000 people across all 50 states, through partnerships, schools, and nonprofits, the original concept has bloomed into not only a "tribute and a challenge," but also into an education and programming space for the arts.
Video by Kevin Kuhl
Metal Sam
For 21-year-old 'Metal Sam,' music is freedom. A native of Afghanistan, he and his family were in Kabul during the Taliban takeover. Forced into worry and fear, he threw away his guitar, which was seen as supportive of western culture. Now, two years later, his family has found their way to a better life in New Haven, Connecticut, where Metal Sam has re-established his true passion for playing metal guitar and expressing his art.
Video by David Wurtzel
Chelsea Cutler: A New Generation of Music
In a state where mainstream talent is difficult to be discovered, 26-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer, Chelsea Cutler, who was born and raised in Westport, Connecticut, is on her way to being a new face and representation of Connecticut and the talent that lies within. After being discovered through SoundCloud during her time at college, she is now signed with Republic Records, home to artists like Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers, The Weekend, Pink Floyd, and more. We talked with Chelsea about her story as an artist, her struggles with the industry and her identity, and what it was like for her to grow up in Connecticut while she takes on one of her biggest shows in New England at the nationally renowned music festival, Boston Calling.
Video by Ayannah Brown
More Than a Movie
When Michael Jungden purchased The Mansfield Drive-In over 45 years ago, it was covered in overgrown weeds and grass. Jungden and his family developed it into something meaningful. Today, his wife and two daughters operate the drive-in, carrying on his life’s passion and the tradition of outdoor communal cinema.
Video by David Wurtzel
Teen Chefs, Big Dreams
Chef Nate Bradshaw is a beloved culinary teacher at Wilbur Cross High School. About ten years ago, he started a competitive cooking team with students who stay after school to learn the nuances of culinary arts and restaurant management. Despite having little publicity and no budget to buy food and equipment for the competition, Bradshaw’s team went from placing in the top 50 to winning first place in the nation in just a few years. The students currently fund their team by catering school events and selling ice cream sandwiches in between classes. Bradshaw uses the cooking team as a launching point for them to secure scholarships and jobs in the industry. In this Mini Doc, we follow Chef Bradshaw and his students to the National ProStart Invitational, where high schools from around the country compete under pressure to create the best culinary experience in the nation.
Video by Ryan Caron King
Back To Life | The Aircraft Restoration Team
The Aircraft Restoration Team are the volunteers behind the scenes at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT. In a joint effort to preserve and restore historical aircraft, the volunteers from all walks of life are preserving their personal stories through their shared love of aviation. While the public enjoys the finished aircraft, many are not aware of how they were brought back to life or by whom.
Video by David Wurtzel
Light The Beacon
Since 2015, the beacon atop the Heublein Tower on Avon Mountain has been dark. Through the efforts of the Friends Of Heublein Tower and the state of Conn., it has been restored and will be relit on May 20th during a ceremony at the Talcott Mountain Collective in Simsbury with food, drinks, and music.
Part of The National Register of Historic Places, the Tower is known as an iconic landmark for many and provides beautiful 360-degree views of Hartford and the Farmington River Valley from the top of Talcott Mountain State Park. In this video, hear more about the importance of the historic landmark, the Heublein Family who owned it, and ongoing efforts for its restoration.
Video by Kevin Kuhl
The Perfect Vision
Keith Haley and Sietska Morgan are both legally blind. Yet they don't let that disable their lives. Their shared passion for playing blind ice hockey on 'The Hartford Braillers' brought them together. They soon after discovered other shared interests such as cooking and a general sense of adventure. Their story is one of resiliency, spirit, and human connection.
Video by David Wurtzel and Mark Mirko
Adger Cowans
Adger Cowans is an 85-year-old photographer and visual artist in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He has worked with celebrated photojournalist Gordon Parks, photographed jazz greats, movie stars, and Hollywood sets -- and bore witness to several eras of American history through the lens of his camera. In this video, he reflects on his life's work, the racism he faced working in a predominately white industry, and what motivates him to make art.
Video by Ryan Caron King and Tyler Russell
Jumpfest
The Salisbury Ski Jumps have been embedded in northwestern Connecticut's culture since Norwegian immigrants started teaching locals how to ski in the 1920s. In this video, we go to the 96th Annual Jumpfest to learn about this long-standing tradition and get some advice from young ski jumpers on how to brave the heights.
Video by Ryan Caron King
100 Jumps
On June 16, 2021, Storrs skydiver Doug Hendrix set a record for most jumps performed in a single day by one person in Connecticut. Hendrix fundraised for the event in support of the Ellington Fire Department.
Video by David Wurtzel
Championship Rounds
Experts say that exercise can help reduce symptoms of Parkinson's and other movement disorders. Some Connecticut residents are taking their fight to Whaling City Athletic Club in New London.
Video by Ryan Caron King
The Atomic Vet
Hank Bolden was one of thousands of soldiers exposed to secret nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War. He is one of only a few African Americans still alive to tell the story.
Video by Joe Amon and Ryan Caron King