WTVI and Mint Museum of Art host premiere event on November 9
CHARLOTTE, NC (October 31, 2011) – On Veterans Day, November 11, 2011, at 9 p.m., WTVI will bring Charlotte's World War I training camp to life when it airs the locally-produced television documentary, City of Canvas: The Story of Camp Greene.
CHARLOTTE, NC (October 31, 2011) – On Veterans Day, November 11, 2011, at 9 p.m., WTVI will bring Charlotte's World War I training camp to life when it airs the locally-produced television documentary, City of Canvas: The Story of Camp Greene.
Completed after more than 20 years of research, this documentary tells the story of an important but somewhat overlooked chapter in Charlotte’s history, drawing parallels to the recent efforts to land the 2012 Democratic National Convention. During World War I, Charlotte was selected as the site of one of 32 training camps to prepare troops for war in France. Camp Greene was built in 90 days on 2,400 acres near uptown Charlotte. The camp later expanded to nearly 6,000 acres. More than 100,000 soldiers from across the country received training at Camp Greene in 1917 and 1918.
The project was written and produced by Jack Dillard, working closely with the WTVI production staff. A team of advisors for the project included Dr. Dan Morrill, professor of history at UNC Charlotte and consulting director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission; and Joyce Reimann, manager, and Jane Johnson, librarian, with the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
“I first became aware of Camp Greene in 1983 when I wrote a brief history of Home Federal Savings and Loan for its 100th anniversary. As I looked into it, I was surprised that the story wasn’t better known. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I had taken on the cause of getting the word out,” says Dillard.
Former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory, whose grandfather served at Camp Greene, opens the film from the Dairy Queen on Wilkinson Boulevard. A highway marker stands near the intersection of Remount Road and Wilkinson Blvd. in western Charlotte to honor the service of the troops at Camp Greene. Just beyond the marker on Monument Drive stands the Dowd House. For a time, it served as the camp’s administrative headquarters. The Dowd House is the only remaining structure of the camp.
The public is invited to a free screening at the Mint Museum of Art on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. The reception starts at 6 p.m., and the screening begins at 6:45 p.m. To set the historical tone, the event will be complete with a WWI re-enactor, Camp Greene artifacts and a local boy scout to play the Call to Colors. R.S.V.P. to 704.372.2442WTVI will air City of Canvas: The Story of Camp Greene numerous times after the initial broadcast on November 11. The entire PBS system will have access to the program across the country. DVD copies are available to any school or educational enterprise. The project is supported in part by the Dowd Foundation and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. WTVI completed project funding by raising donations from the public on the Arts & Science Council’s website, power2give.org.
About WTVI, Charlotte’s PBS station
WTVI is an essential community resource that connects people in the heart of the Carolinas. A public television station, WTVI offers a diverse mix of quality programs and services designed to inform, educate and entertain. From award-winning children’s programming to groundbreaking documentaries and original music performances, WTVI offers quality content viewers can trust. WTVI reaches more than 380,000 households in its 13-county area in both North and South Carolina: Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Rowan, Iredell, Stanly, Union, Anson, Catawba, Cabarrus, Cleveland in North Carolina and York and Lancaster in South Carolina. http://www.wtvi.org/
Contact:
Jack Dillard
704-301-4317
Jack.dillard@alert-the-media.net
WTVI
Jeff Vawter
704.371.8839
jvawter@wtvi.org
No comments:
Post a Comment