Saturday Afternoon of Scenic Beauty - Local and Remote

UPDATE! Due to a last minute problem with the supplier of the book associated with Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses, we regret we cannot air this program on Saturday as scheduled. In its place, we will broadcast My Music: That's Amore! Italian American Favorites. Yes, it's completely different, but it's still great entertainment!

This schedule change also means ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS will now begin at 4:30 P.M.

The Emmy®-nominated Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses provides a comprehensive look at the 200-plus-year history, decline, and rebirth of the beacons that dot Rhode Island's 400 miles of rocky shoreline. Emmy®-award winning Director of Photography Jim Karpeichik presents his beautifully filmed documentary from the Rhode Island PBS studio on Saturday, April 11, 2009, at 3 P.M.

Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses covers all 30 of Rhode Island's lighthouses, and includes stories of tragedies and heroism, buildings lost, and restoration projects. Jim Karpeichik spent more than two years filming lighthouses in all seasons. Producer Heather Moreau researched maritime history and interviewed key people, including some who grew up in lighthouses, nationally recognized historians, and those who today are leading the way in restoration.

Then, at 4:30 P.M., take a walk on the wild side – serene and solitary – as Rhode Island PBS presents Alone in the Wilderness.

In 1967, at 50 years old, Dick Proenneke retired and traveled to the Twin Lakes region at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula. With only skill and resourcefulness as his companions, he built himself a log cabin on the lake shore. It was there, amid all the beauty – and harshness – of Alaska, that he spent the next 30 years of his life, Alone in the Wilderness.



Produced by Bob Swerer, Alone in the Wilderness uses color footage Proenneke recorded himself to share with his family back home in Iowa. Filmed mostly with a stationary 16mm camera, the film consists of shots of Proenneke performing tasks around his cabin, canoeing, walking, plus views of wildlife, along with narration. For shots of himself, Proenneke would fix the camera in place, and then perform his tasks. Since he was alone, he would have to return for the camera after walking or canoeing away.

In 1997 producer Bob Swerer and his father flew to Twin Lakes to visit with Dick Proenneke and to explore the Twin Lakes region. With more than 3,000 feet of film shot, and meticulous, poetic journals written, Proenneke's adventures in Alaska resulted in three films; Alone in the Wilderness was released in 2003. This documentary covers Proenneke's first year in the wilderness, showing his day-to-day activities, and the passing of the seasons as he sought to scratch out a living.

These and other special programs on Saturday from, 1:30 P.M. to 11 P.M., are part of the viewer-supported public television station's fund raising drive. WSBE Rhode Island PBS broadcasts on digital 36.1; Cox, Verizon, and FullChannel cable 8; DirecTV 36; and Dish 7776; Massachusetts cable subscribers should check local cable listings for channel number.