By Jodi Hausen,Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – Although he didn’t know about the show, Farmington’s Don Hart was a featured guest on public radio’s “Whad’Ya Know” on Saturday.

“They threw a dart, and it landed on me,” he said laughingly, referring to the way Farmington was chosen as the featured “Town of the Week.” A dart, aimed by an audience member at a board of jumbled state cutouts, landed on Farmington at the end of the previous week’s show.

“Isn’t that something?” wondered Hart when he realized he was on national radio.

Not only was he randomly chosen from the telephone book, but he also just happened to be in his house getting a drink of water when the phone rang. He had been working outside, he said.

The World War II veteran retired to Farmington 15 years ago to be closer to his grandchildren, he said.

After listening to a brief description of Farmington, which included the University of Maine at Farmington and the town’s famed earmuff inventor, Chester Greenwood, Hart was interviewed by Michael Feldman, the show’s host.

They did a pretty good job, he said of the radio show’s description of the western mountain town.

“They did their homework,” he said.

Audience members attempted to imitate loon calls which Hart, despite being “hard-of-hearing,” said, he could hear in the background.

“I wasn’t going to join in,” he said. But they were pretty good, he added.

“I’ll be darned,” he said of his appearance heard by around 1.5 million listeners nationwide.

After listening to the show online Tuesday, he said it didn’t seem like he was there more than a few seconds.

“It was interesting,” he said. “I liked it, but wouldn’t anybody?” he asked.

“At least I didn’t make a complete fool of myself,” he said.