Walt Harrington

Alex Elliot and Walt Harrington

From left to right: Alex Elliot, Walt Harrington, Bobby Elliot and Carl Martin

Premiering this Thanksgiving, KET presents a moving new documentary, The Everlasting Stream , based on the memoir of the same name by Walt Harrington. The program airs Thanksgiving eve, Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 3/2 p.m. and 10/9 p.m. CT on KET2 and on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, Nov. 23 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1.

The television documentary of The Everlasting Stream recalls Walt's first hunting trip with his father-in-law, Alex, in Barren County. Walt had never shot a rabbit. A high-profile Washington Post reporter with a taste for manicures and expensive suits, he felt silly in his borrowed hunting gear, not quite knowing how to hold the shotgun Alex had given him as a gift. And he worried about whether he would get along with Alex's hunting buddies Bobby, Lewis and Carl--three rough-edged African American country men who seemed to have nothing in common with the white city slicker. Little did he know that over the next two decades, these four "good ol' country guys" would change not only his opinions about hunting, but his feelings about the things that mattered to him most.

When his son turned 12, Walt began to take him hunting too, believing his suburban boy would benefit from spending time in the forests and fields and seeing his grandfather with men whose idea of love and friendship always put actions before words.

Over Thanksgiving morning rabbit hunts and a steady stream of wisecracks (especially about the time he accidentally sprayed his father-in-law with shotgun pellets), Walt came to appreciate the value of old-fashioned friendship and masculinity, the complexities of guilt and responsibility, and the enduring magic of a memorable moment.

By turns witty, revelatory and profoundly elegant, The Everlasting Stream reminds viewers of the small and not-so-small things that should be treasured in life.

The Everlasting Stream is a KET production, produced/written by Walt Harrington, produced/directed by Timothy Bischoff and co-produced/directed by Matt Grimm. Nancy Carpenter is executive producer. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.