MONROE - All things quaint and quirky about Monroe were on display Saturday during a premiere of PBS' "Around the Corner with John McGivern." The 100 area residents in attendance at the Monroe Arts Center reveled in the chance to see their town showcased in a light-hearted manner, as laughs and cheers greeted the 18 interviews featured in the 30-minute show that will air at 7 p.m. Thursday on Wisconsin Public Television.

"You really captured Monroe," Mayor Bill Ross told the Emmy award-winning McGivern, who hosted the screening and conducted a question-and-answer session afterward. The show's theme is to celebrate the unique qualities and simple treasures found in Wisconsin communities, with McGivern adding comedic touches along the way. It provides snapshots at the pace of a slideshow on steroids.

Ray and Eleanor Becker are big fans of both the show and Monroe. The regular visitors made the drive in from Blanchardville for the screening.

"Just fabulous - and what great publicity," Eleanor said.

"I liked his humor," Ray added. "McGivern has taken Monroe to another level."

The Monroe footage was shot last summer over five days, requiring McGivern to recreate his look each day, knowing it would be whittled down to a half-hour show.

"Hey, I had to wear the same shirt and pants for nearly a week," he said with a smirk.

Much of the show was educational, the early stages focusing on - what else - cheese. Viewers learned that in the late 1800s as many as 150 cheese companies were operated by Swiss settlers in Monroe and many did business on a global level. That's correct, the Wisconsin Swiss were even selling cheese to the European Swiss.

McGivern also sampled some Limburger cheese - handling it a bit better than Larry the Cable Guy did during his 2011 "Only in America" visit - and reported that transport of the stinky stuff was once banned on local roads. During a visit to the Chalet Cheese Co-op, which prides itself on the only locale in the country producing Limburger, McGivern noticed the place stood in the middle of nowhere. "And for good reason," he concluded.

Moments later, McGivern was proudly sporting a cheese brassiere.

But enough with the cheese. Soon thereafter, McGivern found himself in a dizzying array of activities, including yodeling, hot-air ballooning, firefighting, robotics, auctioneering, opera signing, hypnosis and the making of loofahs. Yes, you read that right. Now exhale.

"It was super. We have such a broad spectrum here, and he covered just about everything," Mornoe resident Jim Glessner said after the showing.

McGivern also visited a sheep farm north of town where a llama serves as guard of the flock. For the record, the sheep ran in fear upon the sight of McGivern. He gave no explanation other than the raising of an eyebrow, and with that he brought the house down.

"That sheep part was wonderful," said Julie Zimmerman afterward. Undaunted by McGivern's cool reception, she said she had no idea such a farm existed just north of town and that she now planned a visit.

Zimmerman actually appeared in the show, playing piano for a performance by opera singer Shannon Kaszuba. Zimmerman was among several locals starring in the show and many were on hand Saturday to soak in their new-found fame. They all received a copy of the show on DVD and a commemorative photograph.

There were more adventures from McGivern, as he donned a robe and served as judge at the old courthouse on the Square, banging away at the gavel like a kid.

He then met another kid at heart in Monroe's Jane Swiggum, also known as Dotty the Clown. The longtime entertainer put on her funny face and size 99 shoes, but had to admit that "these days my juggling is more like jiggling."

Toward the end of the show, McGivern marveled at the long list of events posted publicly on the Square. Not bad for a town of 11,000, eh?

Kaszuba told him it reflected a place of perfect balance.

"It's large enough where there's always something going on, but small enough where everyone knows one another," she said.

Local business owners were also in the spotlight, and Russ Brown was one of them.

"It was pretty cool to see myself up there," said Brown, co-owner of Pancho and Lefty's Outlaw Grill, one of many establishments visited by McGivern. "We're a weird little restaurant that depends mostly on word of mouth and we let our food speak for itself, so this is exactly the kind of advertising we could use."

Added his co-owner wife, Nadine Brown, "Looks like we'll have to staff up," in a tone far from complaining.

McGivern agreed that such publicity is precious.

"We hear time and time again that it really makes a difference," he said of the impact of the show, now in its fourth season. "After learning about a town, people say "We couldn't wait to visit your community.'"

A grinning Ross held McGivern to his word in declaring, with a pump of his fist, "Tourism in this city is just going to explode."