One of the questions I get asked most frequently is, "Why Wisconsin?" As in, why does Sheep yell, "Thank you, Wisconsin!" at the end of Punk Farm? "Are you from Wisconsin?"
Well the answer is here. This is my old and dear friend, Fr. Dom from Kenosha. We met at the The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1996. I was a summer counselor and Fr. Dom was a volunteer that would come help out throughout the summer. For ten summers I was lucky enough to work with Dom on several occasions. He's a true inspiration! A survivor of cancer himself, he later dedicated himself to helping children with critical illnesses via the Hole in the Wall Gang. He also created Fr. Dom's Duck Doo, a fertilizer made from duck poop—Dom has a wicked sense of humor—with all proceeds going to charity. (You can spot these yellow bags in Punk Farm's barn.) While you can no longer buy bags of Fr. Dom's Duck Doo, you can buy (if you're 21+) bottles of Fr. Dom's Holy Spirits, a line of wines that are named after saints—again, all proceeds going to charity.
Fr. Dom and I laugh non-stop, often trading gentle barbs. And that is why I set Punk Farm in Wisconsin.
We caught up over dinner last night. I said, "Fr. Dom, why did you choose the Rainforest Cafe?!" Without missing a beat he said, "Well, I thought you'd feel more comfortable here. What, with Monkey Boy and all..."
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