CURWENSVILLE – It’s a love letter to a hometown and an opportunity to showcase a little borough to the rest of the world.
Last night, Our Town Curwensville had its preview showing at the Curwensville Area High School auditorium.
The Our Town series has been a part of WPSU’s line up since 1996 and was the brainchild of Greg Wallace. Originally the series was called “Your Town” and started with Bradford.
Wallace said they broadcast it during their fundraising campaign “on a whim” and it was such a hit, with all nine phones ringing off the hook, that it became part of the campaign tradition and the producers immediately asked for four more.
Wallace is retiring at the end of June, and so Our Town Curwensville will be his last production.
If you’re thinking that Curwensville had an opportunity to do this before, you would be right. WPSU has taken the opportunity to revisit towns to provide viewers with new stories and viewpoints from the people who live there.
One of the enduring themes through the program is for people to express how much they love Curwensville and why. For nearly everyone, it is the feeling of community, of being part of something where neighbors care for neighbors and everyone feels at home.
Some expressed their love of nature and the beauty surrounding Curwensville, while others talked about the past and hope for the future, and how Curwensville has touched the world in little ways.
There are many segments in the program, and a few highlights include the Irwin family, Clearfield Cheese Co., education, outdoor activities, the Fuel Aid program, which has given over a quarter of a million dollars in heating fuel aid and Russell Stone Products, where it was noted sandstone quarried from Curwensville has been used in buildings in Washington D.C., Mt. Vernon and as far away as Dubai.
All of the segments come from Curwensville residents, not only prominent citizens, but the also everyday person who makes Curwensville what it is. And if you watch closely, you may see pictures of family, friends or even yourself.
The first public broadcast of Our Town Curwensville will be June 8 at 8 p.m. and volunteers are being sought to man the phones during the broadcast.
If you have family or friends living outside of the broadcast area, they can watch by logging onto www.wpsu.org/live. Copies of the show will be available for purchase via donation that night as well.
