Area residents see preview of 'Our Town' TV show

August 31, 2011

Photo by Ted Lutz – The Rev. Craig Smith (left), pastor of the United Methodist Church in Mt. Jewett and Hazel Hurst, discusses the local "Hunger Project" in the "Our Town" television program that features Kane and Mt. Jewett. Whitney Chirdon (right) is the producer/director for the show that will air Sept. 8 on public television station WPSU.

Many familiar faces are seen on the "Our Town" public television show that will air Thursday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. on WPSU.
The 70-minute show features more than 30 local "stories" as told by residents in Kane and Mt. Jewett. Many of the story-tellers attended a preview Tuesday evening at the Kane Middle School auditorium.
"You all put a lot of heart into it," Whitney Chirdon, producer/director for WPSU, said in praising those who participated in the production. "You really just opened up. Be proud of what you've done with this."
Chirdon said there still is "a little bit of tweaking" to be done before the show is finalized for the Sept. 8 viewing on the Penn State Public Broadcasting network.
Area residents who have the Comcast cable system will be able to see the show, which is not available on satellite services such as Dish and Direct-TV. Chirdon said the Barrel House Restaurant at Lantz Corners is inviting residents to view the show on a large TV screen. The show also will "stream" online at wpsu.org.
Greg Peterson, the executive producer of the show, said the Kane/Mt. Jewett program is the 62nd in the series of "Our Town" productions that began in 1996 for the 29-county area served by WPSU.
He said the series "brings the public and the public TV station together" for what he termed "a great project."
Kane and Mt. Jewett residents in July were asked to come up with segments for the "Our Town" show.
"This is an opportunity to showcase your community," Chirdon said at the July forum. "We're looking for nice personal stories."
Local residents responded to her request.
The show features segments about the history of Kane, the importance of hardwoods such as black cherry, the Enchanted Playland at Evergreen Park, the Kane Depot, the Kane Area Community Center, Kane Community Hospital, the Kane Volunteer Fire Department and various local events and activities.

See full article by purchasing the Aug. 31 edition of The Kane Republican.