Live from Kalispell

'Pea Green Boat' drops anchor for local show

The "Pea Green Boat" set sail in uncharted territory Thursday.

That's when Skipper Annie Garde and crew docked at the Flathead County Library in Kalispell. It was their first-ever live broadcast from anywhere other than the Montana Public Radio children's show home port of Missoula.

By all counts, it was a smashing success.

"That was fun," said 4 1/2-year-old Libby Goldhirsch of Whitefish after sitting in the very front of the bank of kids on the floor during the hourlong show.

She's a big fan, Libby said.

"I got asked two questions," she said. She reveled in her moment of radio fame less than an hour earlier, when program host Ch/rie Newman had held out the microphone as Garde knelt down to talk with her shipmates on the "Pea Green Boat." "She asked me my name and if I liked to dance."

She also got to be there when Garde played one of Libby's favorite songs, the "Hamster Dance." Libby, with little coaxing, jumped up from her cozy chair in the children's section of the library to show off her own dancing technique.

Just a few feet away, Garde still was surrounded by a crowd of adoring young fans anxious to meet their heretofore-unseen radio hero.

"Thanks for putting that on," 12-year-old Robert Putnam was saying to Garde moments later. He, his mom, and four brothers and sisters had visited the "Pea Green Boat" to cap their day at the Whitefish skate park, City Beach and picnic grounds. "It was fun."

That's just what the skipper ordered.

Decked out in her bright red Montana Public Radio Kids T-shirt and endowed with her natural kid-magnet personality, Garde took the final moments before going on-air to coach the young crowd on the sound effects that were to be their part in the show - grrr!, and giggle-giggle!, and thwack!, and more.

Earlier, she had talked about how youngsters can clam up when a microphone is in their face, but sympathized with what could be their nervousness.

"I'm nervous every day before I go on the air," Garde admitted.

But she hoped children would go far beyond that with the songs and stories and jokes and performers floating on the Pea Green Boat.

"If children grow up thinking the world is a place of beauty and happiness …"

She hadn't gotten to finish her sentence before being whisked away by Program Director Michael Marsolek.

He had just finished equipment checks for the live feed.

"We wanted a tangible, on-the-ground outreach," he said of the station's decision to broadcast live from Kalispell. Other shows have been taped in Great Falls and Helena, then broadcast later.

"It's important to be in the communities Public Radio reaches, meet the people face to face," he said.

"I'm anticipating this being very exciting, because it's live," Marsolek said. "Annie designed this show especially for Kalispell."

Excitement was a given for the 40 or so children and adults.

"There's a couple firsts going on here today," Garde told her audience. "Today is June first … And this is the first time we have broadcast live from another town. We are broadcasting from where?"

"KALISPELL!" came the raucous response from the children.

She reeled off a mini-history of the town. She talked to Lucas, who is 4 and goes to Montessori preschool. She moved over to Alex, who goes to lunch there sometimes because it's right next to his school.

"Well, we know where he eats lunch now," Garde announced.

She delivered her own version of the nonsense story about a Hungry Horse named Creston who dated a Yellow Bay named Kila.

She met another Annie in the audience - "we all know Annies are especially intelligent and delightful," she nodded - and introduced her first three artists for the day.

Betsi Morrison, Luke Walrath and David Ackroyd showed off their best British accents from their Alpine Theatre Project production of "My Fair Lady" and did some teasers from their upcoming "Camelot."

The energetic "Hamster Dance" song prompted plenty of hand-clapping and dancing. Everyone got to meet Todd, who had been doing a special dance learned from his uncle, who calls it "the gopher," Todd said.

Then Katrina, who had dressed in her Eskimo Indian maiden's dress and braided her hair in pigtails, got a minute on the radio.

Next, the Henderson family from Eureka stepped up to the microphone for Garde's second special artists' presentation of the day. Mother Mindy sang, "Garrrummp, went the little green frog one day …" then sisters Sarah and Faith sang Sarah's original "Starfish."

Little brother Moshe and little sister Tifila stepped up for a group rendition of another original, "Girl From Montana." Warm vocal harmonies joined with

skilled work on the guitar and spoons, serving as an entry to a dragon story from Garde.

Then she wrapped up the day with another all-time-favorite song for "Pea Green Boat" listeners.

Children joined in boldly on the opening strains, "Nora, Nora, open the door - everyone asked about you." As Newman crawled through the crowd with her microphone, many more children shared a few seconds of their musical talents before the final strains of the song faded away.

The show airs on KUFM and KGPR from 4 to 5 p.m. weekdays, and some of the children said they listen just about every day.

In the Crawford family of Kalispell, it's a generational heritage.

Nico Crawford, who stated his age as "5 and change," was front and center for the live broadcast. His favorite segment was the story of Duke David of Dundeedle who gave his daughter Dora a diamond "D," which Donald the dreadful dragon of Dundeedle tried to swipe - before he was declared to be a dog and told to live forever in the doghouse.

Nico's dad, Ian Crawford, said he grew up in Missoula as a faithful "Pea Green Boat" listener and, now in Kalispell, has passed that on to his son. Grandma Sue Crawford came along for the live show, and grandpa stayed at home to capture it on tape.

Clapping, singing and dancing were "Hamster Dance" contributions from Adrionah Wilcox, 9, who came with her mom in hopes of hearing that and her other favorite song, "My Little Potato."

After Pea Green Boat was tucked away for another day, the Montana Public Radio crew that had made the drive from Missoula met the public in a reception at the front of the library.

During that session, program host Joan Richarde confessed that, many days, she receives more phone calls from listeners in the Flathead and other outlying areas than from those in Missoula.

"There's nothing like getting to meet our listeners face-to-face," Richarde said. "That's my favorite thing to do."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com