In honor of WGTD's 50th anniversary, we are replaying special Morning Show interviews from the past. This interview from approximately 25 years ago is with best-selling novelist Jane Hamilton ("The Book of Ruth," "A Map of the World") who has ties to southeastern Wisconsin and has lived in this area for much of her adult life.

From 2007- We speak with Dr. Seuss expert Charles D. Cohen about the 50th anniversary edition of the book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

From 2017- Martha Brockenbrough, author of "Love, Santa" - a book designed to help families navigate that tricky time when a child becomes old enough to begin doubting the existence of Santa Claus.

We speak with local actor Tony Lazalde, who keeps very busy this time of year portraying Santa Claus. We talk about the history of the legend of Santa Claus, how Tony's background as a trained actor comes in handy, and the sorts of things that he says and does NOT say as Santa.

Amy Wagner shares the story of the fire that completely destroyed her home and everything in it- the kindness that was shown to her and her husband by neighbors and friends- and their decision to 'pay it forward' by creating the Wagner Family Fire Fund to aid other families who have suffered a similar sort of disaster.

From 2000- Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Nikita Khrushchev. The occasion of this interview was a visit to Carthage College, where he gave a talk titled "After the Cold War." Sergei Khrushchev died in 2020.

In the wake of the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and Micele Reiner, we are replaying a memorable interview with Rob's father, Carl Reiner, one of the great legends from the early days of television. This interview was recorded more than a decade ago.

From the archives- a 2007 conversation with choral legend Weston Noble talking about Handel's Messiah. This interview took place just before the third annual Sing Along Messiah at First United Methodist Church in Kenosha. Also participating in the conversation was Carthage graduate Trevor Parker, who was the tenor soloist for that particular performance. (Recently, the 20th anniversary Messiah Sing Along took place at First United Methodist Church.)

In honor of The New Yorker magazine's 100th anniversary this year, we replay this 2008 conversation with Robert Mankoff, who served the venerable for many years as its Cartoon Editor. The occasion of this interview was the publication of The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Book. In this contest, each issue features a cartoon with no caption attached. Readers are invited to contribute their own potential captions. The staff of magazine chooses three finalists- and readers are invited to select the winning entry. The contest began in 1999 as a one-shot deal, but it was so enormously popular that it quickly became a continuing series.

Kailyn Palomares is back- and her guest this month is Marcia Wensing, a plant pest and disease specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. She inspects Christmas tree farms and plant nurseries of all kinds, looking for pests, diseases, and invasive species.