The Kitchen’s Open: Color your Foods Edition (Hour 2)

Good morning, Wisconsin.

Morning, world. It's a new day. Thanks for kicking it off with us at WFHR.

Got your host, James behind the mic. I am joined by Melissa. Good morning.

Good morning. And the best listeners in radio. Thanks so much for joining us everybody.

We hope you're having a great one out there. We appreciate you being here in a little bit.

We'll get into some fun stories that we've got lined up for you.

But we kick things off the way we like to on a Monday in the 10 o'clock hour.

Tell me something good.

Good morning.

Did I know that you can hear me? Welcome to the kitchen's open on WFHR.

With all the rain nature is bursting with color. The grass is getting greener.

Flowers are blooming and our food is vibrant.

Somehow I don't think that's all from the rain.

You're not wrong. For generations, much of the food that we consume has been altered to make it look more appealing.

Food dyes were introduced because we tend to eat with our eyes first.

It actually goes back thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians were known for using additives to color their hair and for cosmetics.

Not only that, according to the Food and Drug Administration website,

naturally occurring color additives from vegetables and mineral sources were used to color foods,

drugs and cosmetics in ancient times.

Paprika, turmeric, saffron, iron and lead oxides and copper sulfate are some examples.

Wine was artificially colored beginning in at least 300 BC.

Wow. What we use for coloring and what colorings are added to a product makes a huge difference.

That's right. It's fascinating to look into the history of how food dyes have changed throughout the years, just in our country.

The FDA's website shares in 1856, William Henry Perkin discovered the first synthetic organic dye called MOV.

Discoveries of similar dyes soon followed and they quickly became used to color foods, drugs and cosmetics.

Because these dyes were first produced from byproducts of coal processing, they were known as coal tar colors.

Federal oversight of color additives began in the 1880s.

The assessment of color imparting ingredients and foods was among the first public initiatives undertaken by the US when in 1881,

the US Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Chemistry began to research on the use of colors in food.

Butter and cheese were the first foods for which the federal government authorized the use of artificial coloring.

So when you buy butter, it's actually more yellow in the store than if you were to get it fresh from the market.

That's correct. Yeah.

By 1900, many foods, drugs and cosmetics available in the US were artificially colored.

However, not all of the coloring agents were harmless and some were being used to hide inferior or defective foods.

A careful assessment of the chemicals used for coloring foods at the time found many, many blatantly poisonous materials, such as lead, arsenic and mercury being added.

Yes.

In many cases, the toxicities of the starting materials for synthesizing color agents were well known and could be toxins, irritants, synthesizers or carcinogens.

In 1906, Congress passed the first Food and Drug Act, which prohibited the use of poisonous or deleterious colors in confectionery and the coloring or staining of food can seal damage or inferiority.

In the 1920s and 30s, it became clear that the Food and Drug Act of 1906 did not go far enough to protect the public health from misbranded, adulterated or even toxic products, including

an eyelash dye that blinded some women.

Cheese.

The Food and Drug and Chasmetic Act of 1938 further increased government oversight of food and drugs, and for the first time passed legislation for the regulation of cosmetics and medical devices.

It's been going on for a long time.

Yeah.

It has.

That's really remarkable.

I think sometimes we forget that we're in a time and age where, as people, sometimes we're able to kind of figure these things out or, hey, this product is hurting people or this product isn't safe or whatever.

And even after it's been okay.

And I'm thinking of things like darts and some of the games and some cosmetic things we heard when we were all in school and stuff like that.

But it doesn't happen nearly as much as it did back in the day before we had these organizations before we had these government bodies.

And it just, I think it's a nice reminder every once in a while that why we have these government bodies.

Right.

Why we have these laws, you know, they were created for a reason.

How many people out there knew there was a Bureau of Chemistry?

Yeah.

And it's been around forever.

Wow.

This is the 1800s.

Yes.

And what I found fascinating is who had the bright idea to say, oh, this byproduct of coal is something we should eat.

Yeah.

And within our food, because it makes it more colorful.

I think the same thing, the recent trend of charcoal toothpaste and in some of that.

When that first started, I'm like, get out of here.

Right.

What are you talking about?

That you spit back out.

Yeah.

So you just put on your face and you wash off.

Right.

Don't ingest it.

Right.

And that's where the issue came.

Like if you go back to the ancient times, they were using natural herbs and spices to add coloring.

Right.

Not artificial things that might not be good for our body.

Or even natural things that weren't good for our body.

Right.

Because there's a lot of those, too.

That is the truth.

And notice that what the difference of those things profit.

Yes.

How much that changed all of this.

What can save me money, right?

Yeah.

Well, and it didn't stop back in the 1930s.

The FDA's website goes on to share in the fall of 1950.

Many children became ill from eating an orange Halloween candy containing 1 to 2% FD and C orange number one.

A color additive approved for use in food.

That same year, US House Representative James Delancey began holding hearings on the possible carcinogenicity.

Say that word five times a day.

Of pesticide residues and food additives.

These events prompted FDA to re-evaluate all of the listed color additives.

In the next few years, FDA found that several cause serious adverse effects and proceeded to terminate their listings.

During that time, it also became clear that coal was no longer the primary raw material source for the manufacturers of color additives.

I'm also guarantee that that orange candy was candy corn.

Yeah.

I'll bet you anything it was candy corn.

And I will guarantee if I was alive at the time, I would have been one of those kids who got sick.

Yeah.

I wouldn't even eat that candy.

Me too.

And the fact that they now have moved even away from coal, which is a natural substance,

it's something even more synthetic is not a good thing.

Right.

So the color additive amendments of 1960 defined the words color additive and require that only color additives accept cartole hair dyes.

Be listed as suitable and safe for a given use could be used in food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.

The 1960 amendments prescribed the factors that FDA must consider in determining whether a proposed use of a color additive is safe,

as well as the specific conditions for safe use that must be included in listing regulations.

The 1960 amendments also contained a quote-unquote delancy clause that prohibited the listing of color additives shown to be carcinogen.

The clause states that quote, a color additive can be deemed unsafe if the additive is found to induce cancer when ingested by man or animal,

or after a few relevant exposures of man or animal to such additive.

After 1960, FDA gradually removed color additives from the provisional list, either by permanently listing or by terminating them from the list.

Today, about half of the 1960 color additives remain listed.

Only color additives, additive lakes remain provisionally listed, and initiatives are underway to permanently list them.

Hopefully they get those going soon.

Yeah, right. That's just staggering to kind of think about sometimes.

It is, and how long it's taken.

The fact that cartole is no longer the primary source, and now all of these others are steps are being made.

So more and more additives are coming out, which is great.

And there are natural ways to color foods.

We've seen that difference between breakfast cereals in the U.S. as to how they're done in the U.K. or in Europe.

And so the emphasis and activists are really trying to really make that a regulatory.

Let's make our regulations as stiff as they are in Europe.

Well, and this is, and forgive me, but this is another reminder of why we don't run politics, we don't run our country like a business.

Yeah, this is what happens to run business like a business.

All they care about is profit, and they don't care about people, and they don't mind hurting people.

You can't do it.

Yeah, and it's daunting to think about how these artificial food dyes are affecting us and what they're doing to our food and to our health.

But there is a bit of hope on the horizon on April 22nd this year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FDA announced a series of new measures to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation's food supply.

In line with this priority, on May 9th, FDA announced it was granting three new color additive petitions that will expand the pallet available colors from natural sources for manufacturers to safely use in food.

So some of the major brands are taking notice and making efforts to make this happen.

According to an article on CNN.com, food giant craft hines will remove all artificial colors from its brands as synthetic food dyes face renewed scrutiny from consumers and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The maker of craft mac and cheese hines ketchup, jello, Capri Sun, and other brands announced on June 17th that it will remove synthetic food colorings from all of its foods sold in the United States by the end of 2027.

The company also said it will not release any new U.S. foods with artificial food dyes.

General Mills, the maker of cereals such as Cheerios, tricks, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, as well as other brands like Nature Valley, Pillsbury, and YoPlay soon followed suit.

It announced later that same day that it planned to remove certified colors from all of its U.S. cereals and K-12 school foods by summer, 2026, and out of all of its products by 2027.

The Minneapolis-based company said in a statement that 85% of its retail products are already made without those artificial colors.

Remember, General Mills doing that several years ago, they announced that they were taking all the artificial dyes out of their breakfast cereals and stuff, so they've been actually doing it for a while.

I remember, too, because of the huge outcry from children when they all united and said, oh, wait a minute, no, that's right.

No, they didn't do that. Nobody knows. Nobody knows.

No one really cared.

Oh, wow. Our cereal looks basically the same, right?

Yeah.

Well, and it started for craft with a mac and cheese, because they were using food dyes here, but they weren't over in Europe.

Right.

And there are some health effects. Now, no study has been exactly conclusive or done specifically on food dyes.

But some of the artificial dyes have been linked to a number of possible health concerns, including allergies, cancer, inflammation of the colon, and choral rectal health problems, DNA damage, and behavioral changes.

Right.

I mean, DNA damage.

I mean, that's scary.

Yeah.

Well, and they have been able to link that it doesn't necessarily cause ADHD, but food coloring specific red dye colorings can make kids with ADHD even more hyperactive.

So it becomes harder, and it doesn't necessarily take effect right away.

It can take one to two days before it affects. So if you give somebody an ADHD child candy with a red dye in it, I think it's red dye number five.

Today, Wednesday, they could still be a feeling the fat feeling the effects of that.

Right. Right.

And we don't think about the fact that it stays in our bodies and in our systems that long.

Right. Right. And I mean, in the end, the bottom line is that it makes more sense just to use the more natural food coloring, because there's really no need, maybe other than cost cutting, to do the synthetic ones anymore.

I think there's enough out there that we've got that it's like, it makes it's more smart.

It makes us a little bit smarter on how we do these kinds of things, and it just makes sense to me.

It is the asbestos of the food world.

Yeah.

Really, at a time, it had its place.

We don't need it anymore.

Right. And there are so many good natural healthy sources out there that you can use to make foods more appealing.

Right.

You can hear our enthusiasm about going in that direction to keep us as healthy as possible.

And we would like to have our enthusiasm to promote your business as a sponsor of the Kitchens Open, and never has that been or ever will be synthetic.

Yeah.

It's all natural.

Our as a sponsor, we will highlight your business during the segment and in our newsletter.

We could also share an interview with you or broadcast live from your business.

For more information about these opportunities, just give us a call at 715-424-1300.

And speak with Pam. She'll put you in touch with Ashley to work out all the details.

That number again, line?

It's right.

Thank you.

Oh, there we go.

715-424-1300.

And with that, we'll close the kitchen.

Yeah.

Well, that was interesting. I learned a lot on that one.

Wow. Yeah.

Very cool.

It's a really good one.

Appreciate that, Beth.

Yeah.

We are going to make Beth a stick around a little bit longer.

We're working on it.

We're working on it.

This segment, when we come back, we're talking about phrases that we like,

20 old school sayings we still love and what they actually mean.

We'll be coming back with that on the morning show at WFHR.

Welcome back, everybody.

Morning show here at WFHR.

Locally grown radio.

Got James behind the mic.

Join by Melissa.

Melissa.

Hello.

Seth.

Good morning.

Beth.

Hey.

And all of you.

Thanks for being here, everybody.

I appreciate you.

I appreciate you.

Yes.

We can't do this without mom.

We got to have mom.

We appreciate you being here, everybody.

Beth sent this article over from goodhousekeeping.com

that I thought was too good.

We had to bring her.

You know, we got to do a little overtime here, Beth.

20 old school sayings we still love and what they actually mean.

This comes to us again from goodhousekeeping.com.

You can find the complete article over there.

We'll just kind of go through these here.

But what we've done these for a while now on the morning show,

kind of finding out the history of idioms and some of those.

I don't know that we've really just kind of taken them like through a run here of them.

No, we've kind of hidden, yeah, hidden mess kind of stuff, yeah.

And looking at this, I think this may be the most complete list of these phrases.

Like, and I wear, it's all of them together.

And I couldn't, I was trying, I was pressing my brain so hard to try to think

were there any, they didn't include Beth.

And they got them all.

They did.

Yeah.

So that's kind of interesting to me too.

The part that I was the most, I don't know if it's the most interesting.

The part that I just, I enjoy, I just want to wrap my hands around and hug so much about this.

Is how we keep some of these phrases going.

Yes.

And phrases that my grandparents used, that my kids are using today and stuff.

And I thought that part was kind of cool, that we kind of, for everything,

I mean, how much music that my grandparents listen to are we still listening to?

Right.

How many movies or shows or anything are still popular?

Right.

But yet these phrases, well, we're still saying the bees knees.

We're still saying that.

I'm trying so hard to bring that back.

I know you are.

First one on the list, the bees knees.

This quirky compliment describes something truly excellent or delightful, the best of the best,

whether or not bees actually even have knees, is irrelevant.

The phrase became popular in the 1920s to describe someone or something uniquely wonderful, stylish or cool.

Very cool.

Yeah.

Like my husband has the bees knees.

No, I do not want to bees knees.

Those do not sound very sturdy because they fly and they don't need them.

And I will try to, I'm going to try to like dip out of this conversation a bit because I want Melissa's takes,

especially to counter what Beth just did.

We need that.

We need that.

Don't take any wooden nickels.

Okay.

I've never heard this one.

Really?

I've never heard it.

Oh wow.

Oh my.

The thing is a friendly warning to stay sharp and avoid getting duped.

Yes.

Kaviyat Emptor.

Basically.

Wooden nickels were sometimes handed out as tokens or gimmicks not real money.

Kind of like rewards of things now on like, you know, wherever you go.

Yes, you can only spend this here.

Number three, mad as a hatter.

Maybe my favorite ones.

Yes.

Someone who is mad as a hatter is completely bonkers, eccentric or unpredictable.

The phrase dates back to the hat makers of the 18th and 19th centuries who were exposed to mercury and the felt making process.

Yes, made them a little crazy.

I could actually make them crazy.

One of my favorite stories in history that the turn of the century and the derby hats or whatever

become very popular in London and everybody's got to have one rich.

Poor doesn't matter because they're affordable.

And the big thing about these that sells a bit of any hat in history up until this point,

well, they can fit every head.

We can, we can, but it's a success head.

We can fit it to your head bath.

All we got to do just need to put this on your head for a little bit.

That little feeling, that's just a mercury.

Don't mind that.

That's just a mercury we put around the brim so it could fit your head perfectly.

Nothing to worry about here.

It would be perfectly fine.

And like a week later, it didn't even take that long.

And like people were showing up like, hey, I'm not, I'm not feeling good.

Yeah, something wrong.

It took him a while to figure this out.

And there, thus the phrase, mad as a hatter is born.

Which leads me to ask, did the phrase come before the character in the Alison Wonderland?

Yes, I think it did.

Yes, yes, yes.

Before that.

Okay, so that makes sense that that's why that mat, that we have the mat hatter in.

And wearing a top hat.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Number four, spill the beans.

When someone spills the beans, they let a secret slip.

The phrase likely comes from an ancient voting practice involving beans and ballots.

I have heard about that.

Yes.

The counting beans.

Yes.

If someone tipped the jar, the results were revealed.

There you go.

Oh, that's kind of cool.

Okay.

So don't spill the beans unless you're voting with them.

That's okay.

Right.

But now it's all about the juicy details.

Yeah, that's right.

Give me all the info.

Spill the beans.

I want to four, one, one.

A stitching time saves nine.

Yes.

Okay.

I've heard that one often.

This practical proverb encourages early action.

The idea is that fixing a small tear now saves from having a fix a bigger one later.

Which is true when you're clothing.

Absolutely.

It's a timeless reminder that a little effort today can go a whole long way.

I wanted to ask Melissa because she does, you know, do some, you know, that kind of work.

Is that true?

Oh, yeah.

It's specifically saved nine stitch it knows.

Depends on how big the tear is.

Oh, okay.

All right.

All right.

But I like the idea of just doing nine no matter how big the tear is.

Really big stitches.

For you, a big one would save 100.

Yeah.

No, it'll save you nine times the amount of time would take to fix the problem.

There you go.

Makes sense.

Okay.

I feel very confident about this one.

The worst phrase that we've probably ever come up with as human beings.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

Yes.

This vivid metaphor warns against it accidentally discarding something valuable while trying to get rid of something unwanted.

It's a reminder to think things carefully.

I just don't know where this came from.

Yeah.

It sounds just so.

Okay.

So my understanding and Melissa, maybe you know more about this than I do.

But the family, if you have a large family back then they had large families.

Everybody use the same bathtub at the same time.

Yeah.

You only filled it up once.

Not the youngest.

Very dark with the last one, which would be the baby.

So when you threw out the bath water, you needed to make sure the baby wasn't still in that.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Wow.

Or anything else.

For that matter, right?

Yeah.

Because hopefully your baby isn't under the water.

Exactly.

That would be my concern.

Can you see the baby above the water?

Speaking of dark.

Woo.

Wow.

I never heard that.

I would say our modern day equivalent to that is don't forget the baby in the back seat.

Yeah.

That's true.

Fair.

The back seat.

Oh, he's still in his head.

Wow.

Oh, I just put it there.

Sorry.

Yeah.

Oh, appreciate it.

I love that one.

I like that commercial.

Mind you pees and cues.

Oh.

Okay.

I'm reminded of mind your manners.

This phrase originates, origins are debated.

It could reference lowercase letters or tavern shorthand for pints and quarts.

Okay.

I never heard that before.

Oh, that's interesting.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, wow.

Don't spill the beer.

Don't spill the beer.

Yeah.

Don't give someone a quart when they should only get a pint.

Yep.

Or a pint when they should get a quart.

Yeah.

That's true.

You lose some money.

Yeah.

I will tell you all off air.

What James thought that meant?

Oh, dear.

At number eight.

Moving on.

Over the moon.

When someone says they're over the moon, they're absolutely thrilled, bursting with happiness.

Okay.

I love that phrase.

Does that come from the nursery rhyme?

It does.

From...

Yeah.

The cow jumped over the moon.

The cow jumped over the moon.

Yeah.

My daughters and I always say, I love you to the moon and back.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Riding shotgun.

Now synonymous with sitting in the front passenger seat, the phrase actually traces back

to stagecoach days when someone rode next to the driver with a shotgun.

With literally a shotgun.

Yep.

Yep.

Yeah, that one.

To protect them from the highway.

Is that one too?

Like, I've known that.

I feel like I've known that my whole life.

Is that a common one?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

My kids are just both now.

Shotgun ages.

Yeah.

Old enough to be able to use the front seat and they are already calling shotgun.

Yeah.

Hey.

Put a sock in it.

A slightly sassy way to stay quiet.

Be quiet.

This saying may have originated from using socks to muffled the sound of early gramophones.

Oh.

Oh, interesting.

Interesting.

Yeah.

I just like, that is such a fun phrase to say.

For a sock in it.

Yeah.

Yes.

So is hit the hay.

Yeah.

That's a fun one to say.

Still use that one.

That's very common.

Yeah.

Of course, ready to go to bed.

The phrase comes from when mattresses were often stacked with hay.

Filled with straw, yes.

Yeah.

That one makes sense.

Or grass.

Yep.

Oh.

This lively expression means going out for a while night.

The phrase may have originated from an 1830s escape escapade in England where a row to group

literally painted things red during a drunken spree.

Wow.

Well, you know, anytime it involves drinking.

It's got it.

Yeah.

You know, paint the town red.

Yeah.

But yeah, alcohol will be there.

If this is true, this is where this originates from.

How?

How much red did they...

This is a lot of paint.

Yeah.

1830s.

Like in London.

Well, unless they didn't like probably paint a whole things red, they maybe just made their

mark.

Yeah.

Maybe that's true.

I love the idea of them trying to get every velvet.

They certainly did make their mark in some way.

Yes.

We still use.

Yeah.

From one incident, I would have thought this was like something that teenagers were doing

in 1830s and red.

It was like a trend with teenagers or something.

They're just literally painting things red.

Yeah.

But I love how we've connected it with the celebration of it and not the vandalism.

Not the vandalism.

Not the vandalism.

Yeah.

Right.

Like a broken record.

Well, we all know this one.

Yeah.

When someone keeps repeating themselves, of course, the phrase comes from buying a records

that skip and loop.

That's right.

Yeah.

How about the pot calling the kettle black?

Yeah.

I like that one.

Yeah.

There's a lot.

So it criticizes another person.

It's the pot calling the kettle black.

The phrase points out hypocrisy.

Yep.

It's a timeless check on when self-awareness.

Yep.

I love this one, burning the midnight oil or every day in the day in the life of James.

If you're up working late, of course, or studying, or something like that, before electricity

oil lamps lit the way for those pulling late night shifts, the phrase still captures

that sense of quiet dedication and a long, long, late hours.

Yes.

For sure.

The whole nine yards, this saying means going all in, giving everything you've got.

This origin is unclear, though some trace it to World War II ammunition belts or fabric

measurements, whether it's origin, whether it's that or not.

But I think most modern people would think, oh, football.

That's just football.

That's nine yards.

Yeah.

Right.

Societal football.

What I've heard is that, which is not true because there's nine yards of fabric in

a kilt, you know, on the whole outfit kind of thing, which I don't think it's true.

It doesn't have that much.

Yeah.

They don't know.

Kilt's have a kilt's have a lot of fabric.

That's true.

But I don't know if it's nine.

Nine yards is a lot.

I'm going to check.

Hold on.

He's going.

Yeah.

How about chew the fat?

To chew the fat is to check casually, often about nothing in particular.

The phrase may have started as a, as sailors talking while eating salted meat.

Oh.

Literally chewing the fat.

Yeah.

Because salted meat was basically gristle.

Yeah.

The less nice cuts of meat, let's say close, but no cigar, hmm, hmm, originally heard

at carnival games.

This phrase means you almost won, but not quite.

In the early 20th century, cigars were given as prizes and missing the mark meant no reward.

So you miss the cigar.

There you go.

By the way, kids also won cigars.

That's just scary.

Yeah.

I've heard, I've heard a variation on that a close, but no banana, which I think is kind

of funny.

Yeah.

And I'm going to do these in opposite order, like let sleeping dogs lie, this classic bit

of advice means it's best not to stir things up, the images clear, don't make a peaceful

sleeping dog.

No.

That's right.

There might be an upset about that.

Do you think?

And wrapping things, the dog just goes right back to sleep, mostly.

It's the app.

Like, we just messed up the dog's sleeping.

Now, if it's a wolf, I would not want to wake him, yeah.

And finally, cut a rug.

Yes.

I love this phrase.

I love it.

I just don't use it very often.

More charming than just saying go dancing.

This phrase contrasts visions of swinging, twirling, and jitter-bugging.

Uh-huh.

Uh-uh.

It's, uh, no, no.

I'm a reason where it came from.

Oh, wow.

Mm-hmm.

It's lost to the...

A little of the carpets were delicate.

And when you would dance on them, then you could create a hole.

Oh, okay.

No.

I just made that up.

Yeah.

I was going to say.

I'm not as good as anybody.

You're a father of ash.

I love that, though.

I almost don't want to know the real one.

That's where it comes from or not.

Because I kind of like that.

It didn't have one of my all-time favorites.

Because people don't use it anymore.

But enough room to swing a dead cat.

Oh, yeah.

I love using that phrase.

Because people are like, what?

Yeah.

Going back to Cutterug.

I wonder if it's because many dance floors were wooden.

Uh-huh.

Not on the carpets.

So if you cut a rug, you're cutting away from the rug, the carpet.

Oh.

That makes sense.

The floor.

Another possible.

Yeah, I'd buy it.

Sure.

Yeah.

One article I'm seeing says it's linked to the popular dance of the 1920s and 30s called

the jitterbug.

Uh-huh.

The vigorous movements of the jitterbug, particularly when performed by many people on a dance

floor, could cause the rug to appear worn or even cut.

Right.

There you go.

You weren't far off there, Melissa?

Yeah.

It sounds reasonable.

Yeah.

And then I do have the answer to the whole nine yards.

Okay.

And it's what I assumed.

Looms were not very wide originally.

They were only about 30 inches wide.

So yes, historically, it did take nine yards of cloth to make a great quilt, a-kilt, because

they had to make nine yards to sew the two halves together.

Oh, okay.

It's wide enough to make the four and a half yards long that it takes to make a great

one.

Of course, Melissa would know the loom one.

Yeah.

Yeah, I got one sitting right there.

I know.

Yeah.

And it's 30 inches wide.

Yes.

And that was a great one, Beth.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That was a lot of fun.

That was a lot of fun.

We will get to our news, sports, and partner break.

We'll come back and have some more fun on the morning show here at WFHR, locally grown

radio.

Welcome back, everybody.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

I've been always-

I think our generation, Desta, doesn't realize as well how great of a voice, Diane War, when

you was.

I love her.

She's great.

We are kind of left with the, you know, the phone thing that she did.

Psychic hotline stuff.

Right.

So when she was-

Oh, in the 80s and the 90s, yeah.

She was something, man.

Yeah, something.

Great singer.

Go back, everybody, to the 90s.

All right.

Yes.

Wait, do we have-

I'm going to go back in time.

Nice.

Which is from the 80s.

Anyway.

A new old trend is going on this summer.

90s kid summer.

Oh, boy.

Millennial parents are behind this trend a bit, but some say it's just real.

It's not realistic anymore.

What do you think?

Have you seen the new trend called 90s kid summer?

The idea is to give your kids the kind of summer you had back when everything

was a little simpler.

Okay.

Okay.

Or at least we think it was a little simpler.

Yeah.

That's the way we view it.

So I'm taking away the phones and tablets.

Got it.

Basically, that's great.

I have studied the brain so much that I can't help myself.

So please shut my mic off if I'm just repeating.

That's fine.

Or I'm taking the fun out of the top of here.

But I don't know if it's common knowledge or not.

We don't remember anything perfectly.

Nope.

People like Seth or like a LeBron James or some people with this photographic memory,

like that aside essentially, we really do not have that power in our brain.

Our brains are not capable of remembering.

Memories are manipulitable.

Is that a word?

It is now.

We know what you meant.

Yeah.

Going to the new one.

So I mean, the idea that things were simpler no matter how old you are, no matter what

when your childhood was, is just plain not true.

And the idea that, well, yes, it seems simpler because you were a kid.

It doesn't matter how hard of a life you had when you were a kid.

I had a very, very difficult childhood.

It wasn't.

I looked back and there's plenty of things I romanticized.

There's plenty of things that I remember.

It was accurate.

Or I talked to my sister and like, no, do you mean that?

That's not a word.

I think that's important to keep in mind with this.

Right.

So what they're talking about is it means things like running through sprinklers, drinking

hose water, riding bikes all day, all with minimal supervision, basically just get outside

and don't come back until it's dark.

Yeah.

Yeah.

90s nostalgia is big.

And so that's one reason it's trending.

Well, and of course, it's big because our generation has gotten to this age where another

pandering to us.

Right.

Especially the older millennials because there's so many of them that's got to be part of

it.

Well, and they, I don't know how true this is, but as far as marketing people and everything,

they're just assuming, well, first, a lot of them are now in the positions of power.

So of course, they're going to be doing a lot of the things that people are age range.

But also this idea that our age range is the one that still has money to spend, that

we have a affordable income that we can spend.

Right.

Right.

Which that's an illusion.

Yeah.

That's about it.

We're talking about romanticism.

Yeah.

No kidding.

So there's a big general feeling that kids don't get to be kids anymore.

That is something that we've been talking about since we were kids.

Yep.

It's the same way I heard the same thing.

But it's a 90s kids summer actually doable in 2025.

Experts say it might be a great idea for some families, but not others.

So don't force it.

It's hard to do if you live in a city or a not so safe area, or both parents work, which

is not the death of the American family.

It's the death of the American economy.

Do you think both parents are working because they want to, like, there's some that might.

Yeah.

I'm sure there's plenty of people that if they could, they would be staying home with

the kids, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

You want to say the death of the American family, how about not running the country like

a business?

Not trying to let businesses have power in our politics.

Yeah.

You really want to be able to be as affordable.

Yeah.

You can see how a person feels about, you know, the family, if they put the dollar ahead

of it, which they do quite a bit.

Yes.

It's very, very clearly.

There's also a chance your child isn't capable of having a 90s kids summer.

If you force them outside, they might not know what to do with themselves.

What am I going to do with the world?

No, what?

Touched grass.

I'm done.

An expert.

An expert.

Kids have great imaginations, but it depends.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

They use it just like anything else.

Yeah.

An expert at Michigan State explained it's like this, quote, you can't just have this

over-scheduled, technically saturated life for nine months of the year and then switch

to absolute freedom.

We haven't prepared our children for that.

That's true.

It's very true.

Think about, and we can, there is something I, because boy, the older we get the harder

it is to find things where, okay, I want you to think about what it was like when you

were a kid.

It's almost impossible.

Except I tell you, now, think about what it was like the last day of school.

Almost everybody remembers that feeling.

And it's not as romanticized or tainted.

Now that's a, that's a feeling that I guarantee you a couple of like a month ago or whatever,

a bunch of kids were feeling.

Yeah.

That last day of school feeling it.

And what that feeling?

Freedom.

Yes.

That's what that feeling was.

And now giving it to your kid every day of summer.

Every day of summer you're pushing your kid out the door and telling them, hey, it's freedom.

And your kid is freedom.

Woo!

Freedom!

They're outside.

They have no idea what to do with it.

No idea what to do with it.

Freedom to be bored, I guess, yeah.

It's, you know, our brains, even to this day, no matter how old you are out there listening,

you need structure, need routine.

The idea of doing this to a kid, it could be a little daunting for the kid.

It could be a little bad.

It doesn't mean that you don't do some of this.

Oh, absolutely.

There is some structure in the summer.

Right.

There is some structure in the room.

And that's the thing.

There was more structure in the summer.

You're just remembering all the parts where it wasn't.

Yeah.

There was still something there.

I mean, you still had to be a home when the lights went out or whatever.

Yeah, when the lights came on.

They just went out late.

They just went out late.

They just searched the chores that you had to accomplish before you got the freedom.

Yeah.

All right.

You know, like the, I had chores when I was a kid, and I, you know, was responsible to

do stuff.

But then, yeah, we did have time where we got to just go play in the woods because I grew

up in the country.

Yeah, me too.

And then it was just, okay, I'll be home for dinner.

Yep.

Or you don't get any.

So, yeah.

It still got chores.

Yeah.

That's for sure.

I just realized that you didn't do it.

I got all the chores, now James.

All of that.

I do.

I do.

And that's right.

My brother, I used to be able to pawn things up.

So, I didn't even think of this.

Yeah.

I didn't even think of this.

So, I used to be like, my brother and sister, man, they got dating all.

Then they write.

I'm going to call them up.

We got to, we got to, come over and clean my bathroom.

We got to break out.

Yeah.

I got to text Jill real quick here.

Oh, we'll be back after this, everybody.

Welcome back, everybody.

Morning show at WFHR.

Melissa, Seth and James hanging out with you.

Thanks so much for joining us, everybody.

We're going to wrap up the show, talking about our schedule, some good stories of the

day and some local events going on in our area, and a quick reminder to our staff that

we've got our team meeting today.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It was you listening out there.

Yes.

We do have a team meeting today.

I didn't say that just to remind myself.

It was you guys.

It was you guys.

I knew.

I remember.

I didn't remember.

No.

We've got that going up.

We're looking forward to that.

It's going to be fun to have everybody.

I love having everybody in the building.

It's fun.

It's nice.

It doesn't happen very often.

Yeah.

Our meetings are good.

Yeah.

We have fun with those.

But we do want to get into our schedule real quick.

But a quick programming note.

Due to the fourth of July being out of Friday this year.

No regular WFHR morning show.

We will have some fun stuff for you.

Some teams got a poker show lined up for you.

A special hour of that.

Yep.

And Seth is working on something pretty cool.

I'm going to do my first hour special of Seth Faces of the Music.

We're going to do songs focused on America.

But now, remember, this is Seth Faces of the Music.

So there's going to be some songs you may not expect in there.

Just going to throw that out there.

It's going to affect the unexpected.

That's right.

So Seth Faces of the Music.

Yeah.

And then the clock.

Yeah.

This Friday 9 a.m.

The Sunshine Poker Variety Show.

Tim Humboldt.

I have a great special fourth of July edition for you.

And then a special fourth of July edition of Seth Faces Music at 10 a.m.

We will be having, of course, Culver Star the day or our cafe show that day.

But we will in the next Friday.

Yes.

Listen to that.

A quick programming note.

The rafters are doing an Ernie Banks special today.

A double header.

That is going to be fun.

First rafter game will be around 320 today.

I believe that's when it's supposed to start.

Sorry.

And then the second game will follow both Madison taking on Madison in both games.

With that, certainly our normal programming here at WFHR will be interrupted in the afternoon.

And we will not have a playmaker's edition for you on 105.5.

That's right.

We will be back on Wednesday for that.

And then more rafter baseball tomorrow.

The boys summer in Fondaleck 620 start time for that one.

Keep that in mind, everybody.

And we got great guests for you all week long.

We're looking forward to bringing on with Rapids Report.

Be listening for that throughout the week as well.

Yep.

I had a couple of other things I wanted to touch on.

Like our great friends at the Wisconsin Rapid City Band have their shows going on all summer long.

And they have a special show this Friday, the 4th of July.

There will be a Centrelia Center, 7 o'clock right on 3rd Avenue South.

Be sure to check out Wisconsin Rapid City Band whenever you get a chance, everybody.

Yeah, it's part of the big 4th of July celebration.

And speaking of music and a lot of music in our good stories here, Seth.

We've got that going on.

And then this Saturday, July 5th, the Adams County Fire District has their street dance going on.

It's going to be featuring Casey Kilgror and the Swing Crew.

And our own Tim, the polka guy is going to be spinning records over there.

That's awesome.

Tim, yeah.

I am so, so happy for Tim.

And it's so happy for the crowd that's going to get to enjoy Tim in the great music.

Tim's a fantastic MC, everybody.

Yes, he is.

Very good at this.

Kid games, face painting, raffles, bake sale, food, and beverages, and plenty more will be going on.

At the Adams County Fire District street dance happening this Saturday from 10 to 10.

I'm sorry, from noon till 10.

Don't miss out on the fun.

We'll see you there.

Fantastic.

It's going to be a lot of fun, everybody.

Yes, it is.

And more music coming up later this summer.

What we do in August, everyone, the pre-season show over at the Arts Council.

At Saber the Arts, they are bringing in Yacht Rock, Gold Experience.

They're celebrating the smooth sounds of the du...

No, I don't know some of these arcs.

Yacht Rock, I guess they don't associate them with the Dubie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, and Steely Dan.

Yeah.

But I guess they could fudge it a little bit.

But then Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Little Riverban, and Brocia Boscheggs.

And so many more.

This experience engages fans with amazing harmonies and musicianship that brings audiences back to a time

when music made you feel good and soothe the soul.

They satisfy the craving hit after hit with great visuals and a performance that sounds like the record.

Now, joining is Yacht Rock Royalty, Elliott Laurie, the lead singer of Looking Glass.

Of course, Brandy, one of the greatest soft rock songs of all time.

You will be there.

The fun begins at four o'clock on Sunday, August 10th.

And of course, it'll be at the Performing Arts Center of Wisconsin's Rabbids, 1801, 16th Street South.

Extend the party by dining from theme food trucks in the parking lot after the show.

It's an afternoon show.

So you can have time to do that everyone.

Get your tickets now, saverthearts.com.

You can buy them online right there.

Of course, you can also stop by their offices or give them a call at 715-424-2787

during their normal office hours, Monday through Thursday, 10am to 2.30pm.

Shut out to Sally and the gang over at Saver the Arts.

We appreciate that.

And that's going to be a really fun show.

And I'm going to have Christopher Cross stuck in my head all day.

Yes, you should.

As well, you should.

Seth's one more thing, one of the touch-up.

Oh, from heaven.

No, sorry.

I look just right.

Anyway.

It does seem to do the New York City.

So this Friday, of course, is 4th of July.

And we've got at the Moravian Church, we have our annual Brought Fry.

Everyone starts at three o'clock.

It goes to 8.30pm, so you're going to want to come for that.

Bring your books, though, because, of course, the book bin is going to be out for the fall book sale.

Now you're luring me there with food as well.

Yes, I have no prisoners.

I'm taking...

Just bring your books when you're there, everyone.

We're collecting those books through September 15th for the fall book sale at the Moravian Church, 310, 1st Avenue South.

Of course, the book sale itself will be October 9th through the 11th this year.

I wanted to do what I mentioned.

Once again, all proceeds go to scholarships for mid-state.

That's where all the proceeds go.

I want to see you there and want to bring your books.

Yep.

A woman in Maryland won 50 grand using a lot of numbers from her horoscope.

The numbers were 2, 5, 5, 6, 9.

She told lottery officials.

She said that in the middle of manifesting the $1 million in expects,

she manifested these numbers.

Okay.

Cops in Massachusetts used crackers to catch someone's pet pig.

Hey!

They joked that it showed some serious chops.

Chumps.

Oh.

Chops.

Oh, that's good.

On the run, they got it back home, which made them for a pig sure a perfect day.

Oh, God.

All the puns.

The puns.

Love it.

That was pretty good.

That was pretty good.

If you get to catch any of the shots of this, it's fantastic.

It's amazing.

It's fantastic.

Of all animals that have escaped, we've covered just about every single one of them.

I don't know why, but there is nothing funnier to me than a pig on the loose.

A pig on the loose.

Of all the animals you could mention, I don't know why.

I have no reason.

It's just watching.

Man, have you ever seen...

People try to catch a pig.

There's like, you know, like actually a game.

You try to do that.

They're hard, man.

They can do like...

A pig.

They can do dime turns, man.

I'll send a chase direction.

And I cannot imagine what is going through the pigs.

I cannot...

I just don't...

Get away from me.

Get away from me.

Get away from me.

And a apartment building in Cleveland caught fire last week.

And good Samaritans caught a baby drop from a third story window.

Oh my gosh.

Wow.

We cannot play the video.

No.

The mob had to climb down to get out, and they're both okay.

There are...

There's a lot of profanity in the video.

What?

Not surprising.

Yeah.

It is a very moving video.

Wow.

It is really...

And it is...

It is strangers helping strangers.

It is arguably the definition of that.

Well, that is amazing.

Just a really cool story.

A really good one.

Wow.

And another good one right there.

Yep.

Kind of a lighter note, but also a good story, I think.

You can get this one at UPI.com.

This goat evades capture for weeks in Maryland.

It's the Maryland goat.

A goat on the loose was feasting on residence lawns and dodging capture attempts for several weeks.

And this is like the berry sanders of goats.

Like this thing was able to outmaneuver.

You have turning on a dime, right?

Yeah.

Fort Washington resident Jeffrey Herbert said the goat, which he dubbed Billy the goat,

can often be seen squeezing between neighbors fences in the early morning.

It would be nothing to just be sitting there drinking your cup of coffee.

And they're like, oh, there's Billy.

There's a goat.

Yep.

He can't be caught.

Herbert told many of his fellow residents along with the local news station.

Somebody owns him.

They need to come and get him.