South Meets Midwest: A W3! Anniversary Special

Whitney Reynolds, the host that everyone loves, is a true southern girl at heart.  After moving to the Midwest she still hasn't lost her Southern Girl Charm!

So, it only makes sense that on our anniversary WEEKENDSwithWHITNEY celebrates in a true South Meets Midwest - style!

Join us at Joe's Bar, where Tom Disanto and Ed Warm (the owners) talk about their bar's lively history and what made them pick a country western theme.  We also join Tom VanPetten at the BBQ to discuss what new menu items you can look forward to!

To keep your belly grumbling we're also interviewing Sarah Grueneberg, the Executive Chef from Spiaggia and Top Chef Finalist.  Sarah teaches us how to make a simple, yet extremely tasty, Pico de Gallo that she uses as a base for three different salsa recipes.  Sarah also has a surprise treat in store for Whitney, what do you think it is?

Our celebration wouldn't mean anything to our team if we didn't share how W3! gives back to our community.  After all, that is truly something to celebrate!

Dr. Sev Hrywnak (MD, DPM), is the co-founder of Project HUGS (HUGS stands for Helping Uninsured Get Surgery) which is an official philanthropy of WEEKENDSwithWHITNEY.  Dr. Hrywnak shares the history of HUGS and how the program has helped people already!

We also have Dr. Robert Wolf (DDS) from SmileActives, which is a state of the art teeth whitening pen.  Dr. Wolf explains that a portion of the proceeds of SmileActives goes directly to help Project HUGS.

These two organizations prove that it's all SMILES and HUGS with W3!

Our night is just beginning.  Are you ready to kick up your boots and dance to some great bands?

Well, get ready because Country Pat Stamer from Chicago Country, the home of Rock and Country teaches us a Texas style line dance!  Do you think you can keep up with him?

Also, Whitney interviews two amazing country singers, Kevin Fowler and Roger Creager.  Kevin won BEST LIVE ACT at the Lone Star Music Awards for his hit single "That Girl," and Roger's new record, "Surrender," is rumored to his best yet!  Get all the scoop on these two country talents and be sure to keep watching to catch their performances!


THAT'S NOT ALL!  Throughout the show Whitney's friends and family have a special surprise for her.  Watch to catch what those closest to Whitney have to say about our host!  Do you think you know everything there is to know about Whit?   Find out during our W3! Anniversary Special!

And as always, everyone here at WEEKENDSwithWHITNEY wants to thank our loyal fans for their enduring love and support.  We wouldn't be here today without each and every one of you!


***Watch W3! EVERY Saturday and Sunday at 12pm on NBC Chicago Nonstop!***If you're not in the Chicagoland area check out www.weekendswithwhitney.com to never miss an episode! Also, for the latest news and updates follow us on at @WeekendsWhitney on Twitter!***

April: National DONATE LIFE Month

April is National Donate Life month and we want YOU to be educated on how you can help save a life!

Jessica MacLean, from the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, will discuss how to become a LIVING donor. Are you unsure what organs you can donate or what being a living donor would mean for you? Well, don't worry W3! covers all of these questions and more!

Jessie White, Secretary of State, shares with WEEKENDSwithWHITNEY what his program for organ donation consists of and how every single one of us can help give life to someone in need. He explains how simple it is for us all to sign the back of our driver's license so in death we can donate life!

That's not all! John Tait, former NFL Chicago Bear, will talk with us about his transition from being a professional football player to a documentary film student at Columbia College Chicago. John's interest in living donations and documentaries led him to create a short film, The Search and the Gift, about living kidney donations.

WEEKENDSwithWHITNEY hopes this episode inspires our fans to become organ donors. We also hope this helps our former guest, Harvey Mysel, find a kidney donor!

Are you an organ donor or had an experience with organ donation? Share with us your story and how it affected you or something you love.

Watch W3! EVERY Saturday and Sunday at 12pm on NBC Chicago Nonstop!***If you're not in the Chicagoland area check out www.weekendswithwhitney.com to never miss an episode! Also, for the latest news and updates follow us on at @WeekendsWhitney on Twitter!***