Here is a newspaper article I wrote for a local paper after Mike's visit to our great state of Maine. It was GREAT! Thanks for coming Mike -
Meeting Mike Rowe
Thanks to Shelly Nowak, I had one of the best days ever last Saturday, September 9, 2006. Shelly wrote to the television show “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel and asked them to visit Maine to check out lobster fishing. Low and behold, they answered and arrived in Harrington on the 8th. Host, Mike Rowe, his producer and his camera crew were greeted by a lobster feed and several very adoring fans.
The next morning began with the crew getting a taste of the bait business. Entrepreneur, Stewart Crosby, along with his co-worker Rich Ackerman, took Dirty Jobs to J. & K. Bait. Here, television host, Mike Rowe, was able to drain blood, dip and salt bait, load a truck and then clean up the dirty mess when finished. My son Bryan and I were fortunate enough to watch taping as well as meet Mike in person. (I’ll call him Mike since he comes across as a guy who would be insulted if you called him anything else). Mike finished his taping and came up to me to introduce himself. Now, my list of celebrity sightings, let alone meetings, is very short. I have to tell you, I would say that Mike Rowe is one of the most personable celebrities ever! I told him who I was and that I was there to cover his visit for the DCP. He walked me to my car for my handy dandy little note pad and camera as we chatted a bit about the show.
I had read a bit about Mike and discovered that he had been a Tylenol spokesman as well as an opera singer and narrator. He said he had the idea and thought a small series would do. So much mail was sent in regarding the shows, he decided to make a few more to find out if it was a fluke or the real deal. Low and behold, a Dirty Job series was born. I asked a few of the typical questions in which he stated, “You can read all about me on the internet.” He told me that he wanted people to know why he did the shows. Mike said, “We like to point the camera at people who never have a camera pointed at them. Other reality shows aren’t real reality shows. Ours is. We try to find genuine people – the world is held together by honest, hard working people. We try to find places that Life Styles of the Rich and Famous doesn’t go.”
My actual brush with fame was near complete. I was able to finish watching the filming at J. & K. bait before we headed to the Town Landing in Harrington. The fog was thick, the air was heavy and the hairstyle was falling! I am not big on flat hair, but for Mike Rowe, I would suffer.
Stewart Crosby, owner of Crosby’s Downeast Lobster, along with his sidekick, Rich Ackerman, guided Mike through his visit at the dock. Mike was filmed unloading bait from the truck, helping with the purchase of lobsters, and learning the trade of the lobster fishermen.
Shelly and Rich had made arrangements for the Dirty Jobs crew to go out on the boat, A Loan Again. Josh and Jason Strout were to navigate the trip. The director of the show told Shelly that they had been waiting for the past three years to receive an invitation on a lobster boat. You see, Director Dave used to summer in Jonesport as a child and always wanted to go out on a boat.
As luck would have it, the fog began to lift. Flat hair and all, there was still a lot to watch. The boat left the dock at approximately 11:30. Those of us not privy to the voyage, decided a quick trip to Irving for lunch would be a great deal. It was tough though because the celebrity mentality was quickly entering Stewie’s head! We saw a man cut in front of him in line and figured he must not know who he was dealing with!
The boat returned at the Town Landing at approximately 3:30 p.m. where we heard nothing but compliments for the trip. Mike told Josh and Jason’s father, Joel, that he should be proud of his boys. Mike stopped to talk with us for just a few more minutes. He was asked what his worst job was. He told us that before doing 100 shows, he had a snappy comeback. But now with so many shows behind him, he had put them in categories. He thought the hardest work he had done was on a railroad. He thought the stupidest was trying out a shark bite suit where he wondered why he ever thought that was a good idea. The stinkiest was something to do with a “poo” shaft. He said when that let go it “was a sound that would haunt him forever!” Mike was then called off to eat a few lobsters before the light was too low for his crew to tape. That is one of the downfalls of being a celebrity I guess! He did inform us that he did not eat tamale for if “it’s green and not a vegetable” he would not be consuming it. Mike then looked at me and asked if I had enough for the paper. Silly me said, “Oh, I think so!” Can you imagine? I had a chance to spend a few more minutes with one of the most adorable men I have ever met and I said, “Oh, I think so!” Guess the hairspray had soaked into my head and I wasn’t thinking clearly. That ended our visit with the Dirty Jobs crew and our brush with stardom. I shouldn’t forget though, that I am now friends with Stewart Crosby so I can get a brush with the famous any time I want! Thanks for reading my extensive recollection of a fabulous day!
Fabulous article Nancy. Thanks for sharing it. I believe we all think Mike is as nice off camera as he is on, but it's nice to see stuff like this to confirm it. Kay
I have to say that I am not surprised by your assessment of Mike. He really is a "what you see is what you get" kinda guy. How refreshing! (But we already knew that, right?)
Nancy, great article. You're one lucky lady to see Mike and crew in person. I always thought Mike was a charming guy and it's nice to hear you say so in your article. Thanks for sharing with us. Kim
