Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $30,000, Vermont PBS has released the pilot of "Mister Chris and Friends," an original children's television program featuring local musician Chris Dorman, founder of Music for Sprouts family music classes at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne. The inaugural episode premiered November 20 and is now available for streaming. The show, targeted to the preschool set, follows a three-act structure, said Dorman. It starts in the barn studio with a wish to learn something and a musical wishing well that offers a clue to the lesson. In the pilot, Dorman wishes to learn how apple blossoms turn into apples, and the clue is honeybees. In the second act, Dorman and friends embark on an adventure, which Dorman describes as the "opportunity to be brave and explore the beauty of the world around us." Act three features a live barn concert with Mister Chris and Friends, featuring local families in the audience. Special guests in the inaugural episode include singer Kat Wright, dancers from the Farm to Ballet Project and Shelburne Orchards owner Nick Cowles, giving the program a decidedly Vermont flavor. Those who can't get enough of Dorman's catchy tunes and sweet delivery are in luck. More episodes are in the works for 2018.

Stream "Mister Chris and Friends" at vermontpbs.org.