Locals to appear on 'Good Morning America'

Greencastle residents Anita and George Edenfield (at left) went to the Putnam Inn to eat Tuesday and wound up being asked to talk about presidential candidate Barack Obama on national TV. Seated (wearing brown shirt) is producer Ted Elbert.

Putnam County residents whose morning routine includes sipping a cup of coffee and watching "Good Morning America" are in for a surprise.

Several local residents will be shown on today's edition, which airs between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on ABC, giving their opinions about the race for the White House.

Greencastle residents George Edenfield and his wife Anita dropped by the Putnam Inn Tuesday evening to eat with George's mom Dorothy from North Carolina and were shocked when a camera crew from ABC's Chicago affiliate approached their table.

"We had no idea this was happening when we walked in," Anita Edenfield told the BannerGraphic.

It seems that with presidential hopefuls turning their attention to Indiana for the first time in decades, so too are the national news networks as everyone awaits next Tuesday's primary.

Chicago-based producer Ted Elbert and his camera crew were directed to find a small town in Indiana where they could locate a restaurant and talk to Hoosiers about the election. Specifically, the news crew was asking Greencastle residents for their take on Tuesday's statements by Barack Obama about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose statements about race from the pulpit have drawn much criticism in the last few months.

"I haven't dwelt on that part of it," Anita Edenfield told the BannerGraphic after her TV interview. "I'm more interested in what he's offering in his campaign."

George Edenfield said he doesn't understand the connection everyone is trying to make between the presidential candidate and the minister.

"I don't think Obama is responsible for what Wright says and Wright isn't responsible for what Obama says," he said. "I've been impressed with Obama's character."

The Edenfields weren't the only local residents to be interviewed by the TV news crew Tuesday night. They spent quite a bit of time there, going from table to table and asking people for their thoughts.

A member of the crew told the BannerGraphic that as far as she knew, Greencastle was the only stop planned for the day and that the interviews would likely be aired on Wednesday's show.

They will likely be part of a special report by TV reporter Jake Tapper, she said.

For anyone who misses the live show, they can visit the website ABC.com and view reruns of the broadcast all day.