There's a new kids television show which you may not have yet heard about called "The Rusty Bucket Kids." Being dubbed as an "edutainment" series, it's filmed entirely in the Apex, North Carolina area and stars exclusively local and regional talent. In a "Back to the Future" meets "The History Channel" theme, the gist of the show is that two young siblings learn from their grandfather that they can travel back in time via an old steam train, so they begin to visit famous historical figures as teenagers before they became famous. Set in the small southern town of "Peak City," Roxanna and JohnColeman "Peakssen" (played by real-life siblings, Roxanna and JohnColeman Demers) travel on adventures that are both entertaining and historically accurate, not to mention safe for the whole family to watch.
I've been enlisted to be a part of the creation of this series working on staff as the Graphic Designer, creating posters, CD and DVD artwork, and a myriad of other tasks. It's definitely stretched my design skills to new boundaries, as I am originally a web designer and video producer by trade.
The first show, "
Lincoln, Journey to 16," premiered on April 17, 2010 in three markets across North Carolina: Raleigh, Wilmington and Charlotte. We did a big launch for the Raleigh market station,
WRAL, in conjunction with the
CoolKidz Expo taking place that weekend at the new Raleigh Convention Center, but only a soft launch for the other two markets.
However, this weekend is the big push for Wilmington, NC, as the CBS affiliate, WILM, is re-broadcasting "Lincoln, Journey to 16" on Saturday, May 22 at 12:00 pm (noon). If you're in the Wilmington/Cape Fear area and can pick up WILM, I encourage you to set your DVR/VCR for the show this weekend! (There will be a re-airing of the show in Charlotte on WJZY at on noon on Saturday, July 10.) I have been asked several times about whether the show will re-air anytime soon in the Raleigh area, but I do not yet have an answer about that. Eventually we hope it will be airing nationwide on a regular basis!
This Saturday (5/22), from 4:00-6:00 pm, following the WILM broadcast of "Lincoln...", there will be a massive launch party at the Golden Corral in Monkey Junction (
map) with live music by The Rusty Bucket Band, as well as appearances by many of the cast members and directors. Actress
Irene Santiago, who plays the infamous "Carlina" in the show, lives in the Wilmington area and has appeared in "High School Musical," "Hounded," "One Tree Hill," and "Touched by an Angel." Sunny 104.5 FM will be on site at the restaurant doing a live remote as well, so it should be quite an event. If you live close enough, or just want to make the drive down to Wilmington, please come join us for the event!
If you live in the Raleigh area, be sure to visit the original location for the show's inspiration -
The Rusty Bucket Store on Salem Street in historic downtown Apex. They have "Songs From and Inspired by The Rusty Bucket Kids" on CD as well as "The Rusty Bucket Kids: Lincoln, Journey to 16" on DVD available for sale.
Read more about the show at the (soon-to-be-redesigned) official website:
http://www.rustybucketkids.com or just
ask Google about it.
