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John Gordon and Cynthia Gordon Millsop, owners of Gordon's Grocery, are seen at the store on Cypress Street in Hagerstown in this Dec. 6, 2010 file photo. The store is among the Hagerstown-area attractions and people to be featured in an upcoming Maryland Public Television documentary. (File photo) |
HAGERSTOWN—
Hagerstown will make its way into homes across the state this month when Maryland Public Television highlights the city in its second installment of “Our Town.”Hagerstown and its surrounding attractions will be featured in the one-hour documentary that will air June 14 at 8 p.m., said Matt Rains, coordinating producer.
The documentary will give people across Maryland an intimate look at the Hagerstown community, he said.
From landmarks like Krumpe’s Do-Nuts, Gordon’s Grocery and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts to lesser-known parts of the area, its people and its history, the documentary will show Hagerstown’s unique flavor and culture, Rains said.
It took about a year to film, produce and edit the “Our Town-Hagerstown” episode, he said. The previous “Our Town” featured Chestertown, Md., home to Washington College.
MPT began working on the Hagerstown documentary in May 2010, Rains said.
“Our Town” is not your average documentary, he said.
“It turns the tables on the standard documentary,” Rains said. “Usually, MPT is the one in control of the story. In this, the cameras were turned over to the people who know the town best.”
The story of “Our Town” is told by community members.
About 25 Hagerstown residents participated in the documentary.
Alesia Parson-McBean said she was interviewed by MPT for the episode.
Parson-McBean, a former Hagerstown City Council member, said she was asked about her experiences growing up in Hagerstown, which she said included watching MPT and PBS.
“I was honored to be a part of it,” she said, adding that it is also an honor to know that her experiences are going to be part of history.
While some participants were interviewed for the episode, others were given camcorders.
Citizen videographers filmed more than 52 hours of footage for the episode, Rains said.
Professional musician Candice Mowbray carried a camcorder around with her for the project to show Hagerstown through her eyes.
“I went around filming an average portion of my life,” she said. “In the end, I thought it might be a little dull.”
Mowbray said she filmed her life in Hagerstown: Practicing her guitar, teaching students at Hagerstown Community College and working from home.
Focusing the lens on the community where she was born and raised created in Mowbray a new sense of pride for her home, she said.
