CURWENSVILLE – Do you have connections to the Curwensville area?
Perhaps you live there, work there or grew up there. Perhaps you have a story to tell, your love for the lake, Irvin Park or a certain person who always makes you smile.
Whatever it is, you have the chance to tell that story or share your love of Curwensville with the world, because WPSU’s “Our Town” series is coming to town.
Our Town began about 20 years ago as the brainchild of Greg Peterson, who is director of broadcasting at WPSU. He said in the 1970’s, people would produce “A Day in the Life Of” books where they would take pictures of their lives, their homes, their families, etc. and produce books.
Peterson said he got the idea to do the same thing, only with video, allowing people to tell stories about their homes. WPSU then takes the best of the video and edits it to broadcast on television locally and now, thanks to the Internet, around the world.
If you’re thinking Our Town came to Curwensville before, you remember correctly. WPSU is revisiting the towns because there are always more stories to tell and different ways of showing the world what we love.
Videographer Bill Wallace explained local people have the opportunity to tell everyone what they love about their town. Usually about 20-25 people get involved, telling their stories through video and still photos. Then, the edited shows premiere during the membership drive and fundraising campaign.
Thursday night was the kick-off meeting where WPSU met with some community members to get the word out. On March 22 a larger community meeting will be held at the Curwensville Area High School at 6:30 p.m.
This is where people can come together to talk about ideas and learn how they can tell their story. Wallace said after that WPSU will make four video cameras available to the community to use. The cameras can be signed out for about 48 hours at a time to allow individuals to record images relating to their story.
On April 22, WPSU will hold an production/interview day where those who took video, or someone they choose, can talk about the images and why they are important. Wallace said if the date doesn’t work for whatever reason people can contact WPSU for options, such as filming their own interviews.
About a week or so before the show airs, the community will be invited to a preview night, currently scheduled for May 31. The premiere of Our Town: Curwensville will be June 8. And while it is being broadcast on television, it will also stream on the Internet, reaching across the globe.
“The enthusiasm is what we really appreciate,” Wallace said, adding they have a wide range of ages and experiences who participate in the programs.
A series of clips from previous shows were shown to give those present at the kick-off meeting an idea of some things they could think about. Stories came from historical societies and chambers of commerce, industries past and present, hobbies, major events, such as floods, sports, heritage and more.
Wallace said one thing they love is for people to come up with something unusual or “quirky,” but something they love and want to share with others.
Wallace added that there is another reason this particular show is very important. It will be the last one hosted by Peterson, who is retiring after 28 years at the end of June.
Anyone interested in participating can attend the community meeting March 22 or contact Cassie Caldwell, producer/project manager, at cgm17@psu.edu or 814-865-6255.
