Coming out of a crossover rock and country hit from the 1980's, Vicki James recapped the forecast, gave the temperature, and reset the live coverage from Gus & Tom's - "conveniently located in downtown Roseville, perfect at lunch and better for dinner" - when she noticed the line.
There were people lined up inside the front door. But, that was just the start. Behind twelve folks clad head to toe in green and gold stood a serpentine shape of mustard gold and forest green with painted faces and lots of Packer jerseys embroidered with #36.
James thought Packer fans must be the most ardent folks she ever saw. It's April. The draft is a week away. The season is five months out. The Packer hero coming in for an appearance hasn't been on the field since 2001, and there is no end in sight of the growing line. She smiled as she picked up the broadcast after the commercial, "OK Packer fans, I see you - how 'bout some 'Go Pack, Go?'"
Like a choir, she heard and felt their response, "GO PACK, GO!"
"In a few minutes, we expect LeRoy Butler to join us here in Gus & Tom's. He's speaking at the High School athletic banquet tonight. And, yes, it's sold out. We'll have him on air for 10 minutes or so and a few of you may able to get an autograph. He's on a tight schedule, so we'll see what happens.
"Meanwhile, the Girls Scouts are selling those boxes as if they were.... I don't know... Girl Scout Cookies. And the phone is ringing off the hook back at the station and inside Gus & Tom's with all kinds of commitments to put severe weather radios and prep packs in the homes of older adults and all who need them. Last report I had was we passed $2,500 in pledges - so with Gus and Tom's match that get's us half-way to the $15,000 goal.
"Stay with us on the Rose - things are hopping downtown - if you aren't here already, stay with us on the radio. Sticking with our precipitation theme this morning, here's B.J. Thomas... "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."
Pete walked in the side door, nodding at Tom and the gang in the kitchen before joining Vicki in her temporary studio. He didn't usually come out for remotes, but with the unexpected community fundraiser underway and a local appearance by a Packer - this one is big news to Rosevillians and others in the area.
After adjusting his headset, he looked up to see the crowd part like the Red Sea as the unmistakable LeRoy Butler walked in with a big smile and hands extended to give high fives and fist pounds.
He shook hands with Pete who introduced him to Vicki, Ken, and Tom. Vicki picked up as the song faded out and introduced the station's news and sports director.
"Thanks, Vicki," Pete replied, "and a warm Roseville welcome to Packer legend and father of the Lambeau Leap, LeRoy Butler." Applause reverberated off the walls and from outside as Packer fans cheered one of their gridiron heroes.
"Hi Pete," #36 responded, "let me tell you something. I was listening on the drive up here and heard about the effort to raise money to help keep people safe during storms. I'm in. The Butler Foundation wants to help. We'll add $10,000 to the total that comes in after the Gus & Tom match.
"Packer fans were good to me when I got here after playing at Florida State and have kept supporting me in retirement. This is a way for me to say thanks."
"Wow. Thanks LeRoy. That is fantastic and will keep people safe," Pete replied on air. "Can you tell me why Packer fans are so important to you?"
"Because it's about more than wins and losses. Sure, we all want the Packers to win every game. But, I've seen over the years what it means to fans when they talk to Green Bay alumni. It's a shared experience of games and days past. When those men who played from Lombardi are around, I've seen genuine love between the players and fans.
"And remember, when I came to Green Bay it had been a long time since the team won on a regular basis, and those fans still came out every week. It's more than a team and fans, this is a love affair."
"We appreciate you coming into Roseville and taking some time for us this morning. What are you going to tell the kids about tonight?"
"I'll share my story about growing up in Jacksonville and not being able to walk or run since I had to wear leg braces as a kid. By the time I got to high school, I was one of the best players in the state. Bullies made fun of me all the time, but if I can do it, so can kids in Roseville. And I have stories about the Pack too."
"Thanks, LeRoy. He's going to stick around for a while to sign some autographs. I can tell you LeRoy has another hometown now here in Roseville."
Music pours out of speakers as fans press forward and LeRoy walks down the line handing out signed photos, Packer footballs, and jerseys all while sharing quick stories and giving hugs and smiles to everyone in line.
Vicki still had a show to finish. Her last segment was with her young friend, Girl Scout Jacklyn.
"Hi Jacklyn. What can you tell me about the Girl Scout cookie sale?"
"Well, Miss Vicki. I'm glad to report that troop #317 sold out today. Thanks to everybody who helped. We even collected money after the cookies were sold. So, we have $207.75 for the community Severe Weather Prep fund."
"That's great Jacklyn and a big WRSE shout out to troop 3-1-7. Tom, how are we doing?"
Tom took the mike, "Vicki, calls are still coming in, but we've passed $5,000 already. We will top that with $15,000 and we are blessed with the generous gift of Mr. Butler of another $10,000. So we will have at least $30,000 to make this county and all who live here safe every storm season."
Tom continued, "Gus and I are proud to be part of this community. Today reminded us again why we love living here."
"This is quite a morning for us at Gus and Tom's - be sure to stop in tomorrow for the Saturday night pizza specials. Coming up after the news, back at the station Patty is ready to take you through your afternoon. I'm Vicki... thanks for listening. I'll see you Monday on the radio."
Patty opened the network line to play the sounder for the station identification for WRSE and WMJM. After three minutes of news, she was on the air.
A part-time disc jockey, Patty worked shifts whenever she could get one and this afternoon was as good as it got. She played an eclectic mix of music, taking requests during different parts of the afternoon. After the weather forecast, the two stations started on their own schedules. WRSE joined network coverage of baseball play by play as WMJM played music.
She had to make sure both stations stayed on air and log the commercials and required breaks. In case severe weather broke out, it was on her shoulders to interrupt both stations to get the watches or warnings on the air.
Patty loved it. She hoped to make it to a bigger station someday, but knew working in a community like this one on small town radio with days like the one she was just part of would be an experience to carry forever.
Time passed quickly, soon it was 5 pm and time to sign off and hand the stations over to Emjay who would handle the 5 to midnight shift. After that the station would run on automatic. If something happened, alarms would sound on Jeff and Pete's phones to alert them to get on the air.
Chapter 4 will continue the story at 3 this afternoon.
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