CUMBERLAND — “Our Town — Cumberland,” a citizen-filmed production of Maryland Public Television, will be aired for the first time March 9 at 7 p.m. and will feature actor William H. Macy talking about growing up in the Queen City of the Alleghenies.
“Our Town — Cumberland” includes Frostburg footage and follows similar MPT programs featuring Chestertown and Hagerstown.
Following local successful fundraising to finance the effort — just shy of $40,000 — MPT put cameras in the hands of area residents and told them to have at it, to capture on video the things that make Cumberland a special place in which to live and work.
Filmers supplied MPT producer Steve Smith with 40 hours of film on Cumberland that has been whittled into a 60-minute show.
MPT Vice President Rick Lore said Friday that he had just seen the first 30 minutes that morning and that he considered it to be terrific.
“Flying our producer Steve Smith to Los Angeles to interview William Macy turned out great,” Lore said.
The program will feature education, health care, economic development and the arts scene among other pieces of Cumberland life.
Dave Williams of McClarran & Williams, a local advertising/marketing firm, was a filmer.
“My big reaction right now is curiosity,” Williams said Friday. “Essentially, MPT put the content of the show in our hands so it won’t be colored by the views of others.”
Williams said he knows that MPT asked for extra footage of Heritage Days and downtown Cumberland.
Lore said MPT had learned from its first two productions and, with the help of local citizens, more tightly scripted the Cumberland version.
Earlier in the process, Stu Czapski, executive director of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, called the local cost a bargain.
“To pay the full cost of this kind of production, including bringing a film crew here, would be $200,000,” he said.
Frostburg resident Gary Horowitz is a member of the MPT Foundation. He said “Our Town — Cumberland” will have a long shelf life.
“There are repeat showings on MPT that is also received in D.C. and Northern Virginia. It will air as well on public television in West Virginia, and WQED in Pittsburgh will televise it,” Horowitz told the Times-News part-way through production.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.
Latest news
‘Our Town – Cumberland’ to air for first time on Maryland Public Television
- Latest news
-
-
CSX sees rail use potential in sites, especially Barton Industrial Park
A CSX Transportation representative told a gathering of local economic development officials Wednesday that there are properties locally that may be attractive to rail use companies and recommended the Barton Industrial Park for consideration for marketing by the transportation giant.
-
Garrett County commissioners approves transportation plan
The Garrett County commissioners approved the county planning commission’s recommended priority list for nine projects, one of which is new, to the State of Maryland Consolidated Transportation 2014 Plan. The planning commission recommended that a new project, state Route 135/Sand Flat Road intersection, be added to the list for safety reasons, according to John Nelson, director of planning and land development.
-
U.S., Taliban to start talks on ending 12-year conflict
The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country’s security to the Afghan army and police.
-
Jury selected in Bedford County manslaughter case
A Bedford man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a western Bedford County man he called his best friend will attempt to convince a jury that he should not be held responsible for his death.
-
Grim: ‘I want to see things through’
Mayor Brian Grim made it official Tuesday when he filed the required paperwork to seek a second term as mayor of Cumberland.
-
Canal Place authority pursuing plan to develop branding, marketing strategy
The Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority voted Tuesday to pursue a plan of action to develop a branding and marketing strategy for the tourism hub and surrounding Canal Place Heritage Area.
-
Historic bell to toll for West Virginia's 150th anniversary
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A bell that rang on June 20, 1863, to herald the news of West Virginia achieving statehood will ring again to mark the state’s 150th anniversary.
-
New York man injured in 40-foot fall from Gunter Hotel
FROSTBURG — A 53-year-old New York man was found unconscious on Main Street late Monday after he apparently fell from the third-floor balcony area of the Gunter Hotel, according to the Frostburg Police Department.
-
Local doctor named West Virginia’s most loyal
The West Virginia University School of Medicine Alumni Association has named a local physician as its 2013 Most Loyal West Virginia Physician.
-
Scouts reunite after 55 years
Eighteen boys left Cumberland on July 4, 1958, to travel by train to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M., for a two-week adventure of a lifetime. Fifty-five years later, 10 men of Explorer Post 10 reunited at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg on April 27.
- More Latest news Headlines
-
CSX sees rail use potential in sites, especially Barton Industrial Park
