TLC's Matt Roloff to Appear in Paducah

Just learned this morning that Matt Roloff, star of the TLC reality TV series, "Little People, Big World" will appear in Paducah at the Carson Center for the Performing Arts Friday August 10 at 6:30 at an event that will benefit both the River's Edge Film Festival and Maiden Alley Cinema. Get all the details here.

Matt (pictured above red sweater) is the patriarch of a family comprised of his wife Amy (also a "little person" with dwarfism) and their four children, three of whom are normally sized and one, Zach (green tee-shirt), who is also a little person like his parents.

If you're not aware (and I think most everyone is by now), the Roloffs live on a farm outside Porteland, Oregon and have submitted to having their daily lives documented for television for the last several years. It will come as no suprise that I am a fan, considering my love of all things documentary.

Interestingly, the Roloff's lives are on one level surprisingly normal. Once one gets over the size thing, it's all the usual drama surrounding child rearing and teenagerhood. Roloff's wife, Amy, though frequently doing it standing on a stool, is a harried mother of four chauffering her kids to soccer practice, grocery shopping and endlessly cleaning the kitchen while Matt works as an engineer.

What's unusual is the Roloff Farm that Matt and Amy have transformed into a magical playground for their kids and tourist attraction for everybody else. See a map here.

Also out of the ordinary, of course, are the physical deficits inherent with dwarfism. Young Zach underwent surgery after he was stricken with severe headaches in a past season and Matt's physical limitations and struggles are obvious. Both Matt and Amy are surprisingly articulate and obviously very open about their situation.

I was unaware that Matt is a motivational speaker, but not surprised. The man is truly an inspiration.

Interestingly, Eric Streit, the field producer of "Little People, Big World" is a native Paducahan. Streit will give a free talk about his experiences during seventeen years in the industry immediately preceeding Matt's talk on August 10th.