Prairie Fire Returns for New Season

After more than a decade off the air, Prairie Fire made its return to WILL-TV last year. And we’re pleased to announce that season 2 premieres this month at 7:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 19, on WILL-TV.

During its first season, the Prairie Fire team produced short documentaries about a diverse roster of Illinoisans, including Paralympian Susannah Scaroni, musician Candy Foster, artist Preston Jackson, and others. They traveled to places like Arcadia, America’s playable arcade museum; Flesor’s Candy Kitchen; and Taylor Studios, which manufactures museum exhibits. They toured the newly remodeled governor’s mansion with Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker and visited former Underground Railroad locations. A season highlight included three segments featuring a “reanimated” Charles Dickens (portrayed by local actor Alan Parker), who grumpily recounted his trip through Illinois in the mid-1800s.

“We’re hearing a lot of fabulous feedback from people who knew the show from its first run and are really enjoying the reboot,” said Sarah Edwards, senior producer and director at Illinois Public Media and host of Prairie Fire. “We’re glad the careful balance of quality storytelling and creative experimentation seems to be a hit with viewers. We’re proud of the high level of production value we were able to achieve with the first season. Our aim is to bring audiences in-depth stories from all over the state with rich characters and visuals — with a dash of good humor and fun.”

The Prairie Fire team has season 2 well underway. Look for a wonderful piece from producer Taylor Plantan about the experiences of several high school students at the University of Illinois’ Hip Hop camp this summer. Producer DJ Roach is working on a feature about a man in Forrest, Illinois, who has turned an abandoned church into a hat museum. Contributor Tinisha Spain is working on a short documentary about the culture of the Black barbershop and its impacts on the community. And Edwards is working on a piece about a 24-year-old man from Downers Grove who is one of the nation’s only typewriter repair professionals.

Best of all? Prairie Fire kicks off the new season with singer Leah Marlene in our studio! The Normal, Illinois, native was third runner-up on season 20 of “American Idol,” and she sings the Prairie Fire theme song. Also this month, we visit Fresh Press on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, where students and community members make handmade artisanal paper using agricultural byproducts. The Prairie Fire team also will document a 60-mile overnight bike trip around the Champaign County Forest Preserves to showcase the beauty and history of the county’s forested lands and paths.