The Best of Bavaria

Thursday, September 10, 2009 at Wheaton North High School

Presented by Fran Reidelberger

Sponsored by The Bill Andrle Memorial Fund

Reliving the old and discovering the new, filmmakers Fran and Brooke Reidelberger offer a fun-filled digital show focusing on food, festivals, fantastic mountain scenery, fascinating history and story-book towns.  Using archival footage they show the re-birth of Munich after World War II and then capture the spirit of Munich today at the city’s world renowned Oktoberfest.  The Romantic Road, the Bavarian Forest, Mad Ludwig’s castles, the tourist town trilogy of Mittenwald, Oberammergau, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Dachau, Regensburg, Bamberg, a children’s festival, woodcarvers, beermakers, and hanggliders are all featured in this new digital video release, The Best of Bavaria!


FRAN REIDELBERGER, from Grayling, MI, has been checking out the other side of the mountain since his childhood days in Nashville, IL. He appears regularly on many major travel lecture platforms, including the National Geographic Society and the Carnegie Institute. Fran and his filmmaker wife Brooke believe that if people of the world understood each other better there would be less chance for hostility and more chance for world peace.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 at Gary Methodist Church

Presented by John Wilson

Sponsored by Visiting Angles Living Assistance Services

Hawaii abounds in surprises: vibrant people, exotic cultures, exciting history, beautiful seas, and scenic wonders. Discover six of the most beautiful islands on earth: Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai and go beyond the usual to sites seldom seen.

We’ll visit famous Waikiki Beach, contemplate the tragedy at Pearl Harbor’s U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, walk along the streets of Lahaina, an old whaling town, and drive to the summit of a sleeping volcano.

Watch the lava flow at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and explore its fascinating moonscape and black sand beaches.  The smaller jewels in the string of beautiful Hawaiian Isles include Kauai where we’ll marvel at Waimea Canyon – the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Finally, we’ll relax on Lanai’s deserted beaches.


JOHN WILSON is one of Canada's top award-winning, wildlife documentary filmmakers. His exciting photographic career began at the age of 21, when he set out on an eight month adventure of discovery from Canada to Panama by motorcycle, and then on to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. John and his wife are building a passive solar home in rural Ontario, and doing what they can to promote environmental awareness.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 at Wheaton North High School

Presented by Buddy Hatton

Sponsored by Wyndemere Senior Living

China was once called “the Sleeping Giant.”  “When she awakens she will astonish the world.” Napoleon was right! China continues to reinvent itself. Gone are the government enterprises, government appointed apartments, and lack of freedoms. They now have private business and property ownership, and are free to travel throughout their own country. China is slowly becoming more like other nations. The “Giant” has indeed awakened!

In spite of urban renewal, Beijing still features cultural icons that date back over six centuries: The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananman Square, and The Great Wall of China.

The Yangtze River is China’s longest river and the third longest in the world. The Three Gorges and Three Lessor Gorges are regarded as one of the great scenic attractions. It has been reduced in size by the world’s largest hydropower plant, a controversial project, that will displace over two million people at a projected cost of $24 billion USD.


BUDDY HATTON has spent his entire adult life in one show business form or another. His high energy and love for the entertainment industry has offered him opportunities in every phase of the business including record producer, talent manager, and commercial spokesman for corporations.

Thursday, February 4, 2010 at Gary Methodist Church

Presented by Monty Brown

Sponsored by Community Bank Wheaton/Glen Ellyn

Louisiana is often called America’s most exotic and musical state. Beginning in the northern parishes, we’ll explore the reels and ballads, gospel songs and blues of the earliest settlers. We’ll tell stories of north Louisiana’s old time recording stars Lead Belly, Jesse “Baby Face” Thomas, and the Taylor-Griggs Louisiana Melody Makers.

Heading south, we’ll visit Natchitoches, the Oldest Town in the Louisiana Purchase, with its 18th century French fort, colorful Christmas festival, and souvenirs of the hit movie, Steel Magnolias. On our way to the state capital, Baton Rouge, we’ll visit Plantation Homes, a Muscadine winery, and a sugar cane harvest.

No trip to Louisiana would be complete without a tour of the Big Easy, fabulous New Orleans, the birthplace of Jazz , with its historic French Quarter, state of the art Aquarium, modern sculpture garden, and grand gourmet restaurants.


MONTY BROWN was born in Dorchester, England. He worked as an actor and songwriter, then for the BBC as a production assistant. With a promising music career, he moved to New York, writing the songs “Would You Fly?” and “Cajun Christmas, both used in the movie Steel Magnolias. Monty and his wife, Marsha, currently live in Louisiana.

Thursday, April 1, 2010 at Wheaton North High School

Presented by Clint Denn

Sponsored by Wheaton Bank & Trust Company

The majesty of Egypt has long enticed travelers. Cruise the historic Nile River, aboard the MS Sun Goddess, to discover the mysteries of this cradle of civilization.

Cairo, a major city since the time of the pharaohs, is now a bustling modern metropolis of more than 16 million people. The port city of Alexandria, founded over 2,300 years ago, holds major fascination for every traveler and lover of history.

At Luxor we will begin our cruise along the Nile River, where people are still farming the same crops in the same way as their ancestors. Between Luxor and Aswan we will view the best-preserved major temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus at Edfu.

No trip to Egypt would be complete without experiencing the Greco-Roman period of her magnificent history. We also see the ancient great library that has been restored to a state of the art research center.

CLINT DENN has enjoyed a varied career in photography, travel, writing, acting, and teaching. His films reveal a respectful insight and understanding of the world and its people. He has traveled to every continent and has a true appreciation of the world’s people, animals, and natural wonders.

Thursday, May 6, 2010 at Wheaton North High School

Presented by Fran Reidelberger

Sponsored by Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services

Started in the mid-1700s, they served as the internal transportation system for Great Britain’s “Industrial Revolution.” By the early 19th Century, they crisscrossed Britain covering more than 5,000 miles through major cities and rural hamlets. “They,” in this case, are the canals of England, Scotland and Wales. Abandoned by industry today, the canals have become a playground for holiday boaters as well as “home” for many retirees who live year round on their floating homes. In re-visiting and re-filming this unusual and colorful part of Britain, film producers Fran and Brooke Reidelberger hire an old-fashioned
canal boat to travel in the wake of history, discover modern engineering marvels, and enjoy the timeless British countryside.

FRAN REIDELBERGER, joins us for the second time this season from his home in Grayling, MI. Along with his wife, Brooke, Fran has produced over 15 travel/adventure shows and given over 4,000 film/lecture presentations from coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada. He is a past winner of the prestigious “Speaker of the Year” award in the travel film industry.