Tennessee’s Wild Side Begins Second Season

Tennessee’s Wild Side is gearing up for an exciting second season on PBS stations state-wide. The first show of the new season will air 8 p.m. Friday, May 4 on NPT. Follow Wild Side Guides Tom Spychalski, Don King, Doug Jackson and Annette Nole Hall from one end of our great state to the other as the Wild Side cameras take viewers on an exciting ride down a snow-covered mountain and give us a close up of the Canadian elk that now roam Tennessee’s countryside. From the Cumberland Plateau to the crystal clear waters of Dale Hollow Lake, and from the biggest duck highway over Reelfoot Lake to the glistening white snow that covers the slopes of ski resort Ober Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee’s Wild Side is packed with lots of action for the upcoming season.

Making its debut on Nashville Public Television on Sept. 22, 2000 with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency as the major underwriter, the show is produced by The Renaissance Center, a not-for-profit educational, arts and multimedia facility in cooperation with NPT. The show’s hosts, Bill Cody and Janet Ivey, anchor from The Renaissance Center studio and a collection of correspondents called Wild Side Guides report from across the state.

Wild Side Guide Tom Spychalski travels to the Cumberland Plateau to witness a wild life effort that involved two governments and five wild life agencies. Following a 2,500 mile journey to become Tennessee’s newest residents, some 300 Canadian elk were released into the countryside and given 670,000 acres to roam. Truly a site to behold, these majestic animals were deemed extinct in this region over 150 years ago due to unregulated hunting.

Next, follow Don King to Middle Tennessee where something fishy is going on at Dale Hollow Lake. King and the cameras take viewers behind the scenes of the Dale Hollow Fish Hatchery to find out why they are raising thousands of brown trout. Journey from the clear waters of Dale Hollow Lake to the beautiful scenery of Reelfoot Lake and experience the excitement of a 9 year old boy as he bags his first duck. Wild Side Guide Doug Jackson takes viewers inside a duck blind with his 2 sons and gives a few pointers.

Annette Nole Hall is the Wild Side Guide when a new day dawns on the sparkling luster of the snow-covered Smoky Mountains at Ober Gatlinburg. With slopes that challenge skiing experts combined with gentle terrain that helps first-timers ease into the sport, thrill seekers travel from all over the southeast to enjoy the feeling of freedom and exhilaration that comes from sliding down an ice-covered mountain. See what sport the new generation is using to master the slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains.

While Tennessee’s Wild Side covers a wide variety of topics, it also includes regular features such as “Reel Tips” with Joey Monteleone, “Hints for the Hunt” with Don King, “Gearing Up” with Tom Spychalski and Irlene Mandrell’s “Straight Shooter.” Also making frequent appearances is Tommy Pardue, “Wild Side Gourmet.” Segments of the past year’s shows have included mountain biking, mentor hunts, skeet shoots, hunting safety, the hidden treasures of Tennessee, environmental protection, wildlife management and caving in addition to traditional hunting and fishing. There have also been celebrity segments such as the October 27, 2000 fishing segment which featured Cory Wells, a vocalist and founding member of Three Dog Night.

Clarksville native Gretchen Cordy of Survivor fame returned to the wilderness when she and her family enjoyed a canoe outing in a Wild Side episode that aired Nov. 3, 2000. Cordy followed up this appearance by headlining the Wild Side Saturday event on March 10, 2001 at The Renaissance Center. Free activities and shows were offered to the public during this event co-sponsored by InterMedia Cable, Tennessee’s Wild Side and the center. She was on hand for a question-and-answer session about her life and her experiences on the hit television series Survivor. It was at this time that Steve Hall, director of multimedia at the center, announced Cordy as the newest Wild Side Guide.

Don’t miss future episodes when a few weekend warriors come out in camouflage to go head-to-head in a paint ball battle. Audiences will hold their breath as they navigate Big Bone Cave, a natural wonder that possesses more than a few dark secrets and tight squeezes just to make things interesting. Wild Side Gourmet, Tommy Pardue, will whet appetites with an assortment of recipes for the ravenous adventurer. And, don’t miss the hare-raising love story of Norman and Louise Bates (sorry, no hints here; viewers will just have to tune in to see what that’s all about.)

So, take a walk on the Wild Side – Tennessee’s Wild Side that is. The new season premier will air 8 p.m. Friday, May 4 on NPT. For more information, call (615)740-5600.

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