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It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … in this episode we talk with Jenna McGuiggan, one of the co-authors of the new book Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Visual History. Jenna is a freelance writer who spent many hours in the Fred Rogers archive to compile this new book about his life and work. Jenna talks with Stephanie about some fun facts about Fred Rogers and visiting the Fred Rogers Center at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
Jenna McGuiggan // The Word Cellar
Jenna McGuiggan is a freelance writer who lives in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She is one of the co-authors of the book “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Visual History.” In addition to freelance writing, Jenna offers writing workshops through her website The Word Cellar.
Follow Jenna McGuiggan online:
- Twitter: @TheWordCellar
- Instagram: @TheWordCellar
- Facebook Page
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Visual History
Jenna is one of three authors who collaborated on this book about the life and work of Fred Rogers.
“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: A Visual History” was written by:
- Jenna McGuiggan
- Melissa Wagner
- Tim Lybarger – founder of the Neighborhood Archive – All things Mister Rogers website (We included The Neighborhood Archive on our list of Mister Rogers inspiration on Twitter.)
Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College
Fred Rogers’ archives are a part of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
The center works with educators on how to use media to enrich the lives of small children.
The Fred Rogers Center has an exhibit of material from the Fred Rogers archive that is open to the public. The public exhibit is free and is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Researchers can make an appointment to access the archives.
Jenna’s favorite Mister Rogers moments & some fun facts about Fred
In this episode, Jenna and Stephanie talk about several of the things that Jenna learned about Fred Rogers while researching the book.
- Rick Sebak’s Nebby – My Interview with Fred Rogers. Rick Sebak has released a new episode of his show “Nebby,” which includes footage from his 1987 interview with Fred Rogers.
- Fred Rogers was color blind.
- You can see a photo of Mr. Rogers learning to roller skate at the old Romp N’ Roll in Glenshaw here.
- Fred Rogers was a music composer in college.
- Jenna talks about the song “You’ve got to do it” — you can read the lyrics to the song here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCrKy03-9Tg
The Fred Rogers Trail
Visit PA has put together The Fred Rogers Trail, an itinerary of stops in Pittsburgh and Westmoreland County of places with significant to Fred Rogers.
Some of Jenna’s favorite places in Pittsburgh & Greensburg
In Pittsburgh:
- Bricolage Theater’s immersive productions. [Check out out our story about “Project Amelia,” one of the most recent immersive theater productions from Bricolage.]
- Everyday Noodles is located on Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill
In Greensburg:
Fresh Fest tickets go on sale on February 1
Fresh Fest is the nation’s first craft beer festival that celebrates people of color and their accomplishments in the beer industry. You can watch our video to learn more about the history of Fresh Fest here.
The 3rd annual Fresh Fest Beer Fest will be held on August 8, 2020, in the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Tickets will go on sale on February 1.
You can read about some of the collaboration beers from the 2019 Fresh Fest Beer Fest here.
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