American Pickers’ Frank Fritz visit Gibson City home

American Pickers Visit Gibson City: Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz Get Their Hands Dirty
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A Legendary Pick in Gibson City
Mike Wolfe flashed a smile as he posed for photos and cuddled up with fans during a recent American Pickers taping in Gibson City, Illinois. The popular History Channel star—along with his longtime co-host Frank Fritz—dug deep into the dusty, cluttered collection of Jim Leisure, a local collector with a treasure trove of antiques.

“We worked and worked to get some of it out,” Jim said. “Mike, Frank, and I were all covered in dirt, dust, and cobwebs. I kept apologizing, and they just laughed and said, ‘No, this is perfect. This is exactly what we want.’ I said, ‘Well, you got it, buddy.’”

A Town-Wide Spectacle
Leisure, 73, described the day as unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

“There were crowds of people on the street—neighbors, fans, and cameras everywhere,” he recalled. “We’ve never seen so many people outside our house. There must have been 500 people with cameras. They probably had a better view than I did!”

The excitement came after American Pickers put out a casting call in August. Leisure was selected, and the show’s team spent all of Sunday filming at his property.

Although he can’t reveal what items were purchased or for how much, Leisure says he’s allowed to talk about the experience freely.

Behind the Scenes: A Day of Hard Work
Filming started around 10 a.m. and lasted until dusk, with a crew that included cameramen, sound engineers, and producers.

“By the end of the day, I was exhausted. My back was hurting. I sat down and next thing I knew, it was 2 a.m. I had cramps in both legs from all the lifting and moving.”

Jim has been collecting since he was 12 years old. His sprawling collection is stored across five buildings—and even with a full day of picking, Mike and Frank barely scratched the surface.

The Motivation He Needed
Leisure originally applied for the show to help offload some of his collection, but he admits the visit gave him a newfound energy.

“I told them, ‘I think this is a disease, and you guys are the doctors!’ But their visit really got me pumped up. I’m finally ready to start organizing all this stuff. I’ve put it off for years, always finding something else to do. But now, I’m committed.”

He even joked that Mike and Frank are welcome to come back anytime.

“Maybe next time I’ll have things more organized for them,” he said with a laugh.

Waiting for His Moment on TV
Though the air date hasn’t been set, Leisure was told his episode could premiere in December, and that he’ll get two weeks’ notice before it airs.

He also plans to host a viewing party and was promised a DVD copy of the episode.

“They were here for over eight hours, but I know they’ll probably cut it down to five or ten minutes. I don’t know how they do it—but I know they’ll do a good job.”

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