By Marty Trese, KnoxPages.com Editor
GAMBIER – One of the ways the Knox County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 100 year anniversary is by collaborating with I-Conn Video Production to create a documentary about local business called Uncommon Brilliance, Then and Now.
The 25-minute video was premiered at a private screening at Kenyon’s College’s Bolton Theater Monday night for those involved in making the project and the local news media. It is a historic timeline of the challenges and successes of Knox County featuring historians Lorle Porter, David Greer, Janet Wacker, Ric Sheffield, Billl Bridges, Jim Gibson, Gloria Parsisson, Howard Sacks, Tom Stamp, and Aubrey Brown. The interview segments were shot at the Knox County Historical Society Museum on Harcourt Road in Mount Vernon.
Producer/Director Matt Starr said the project started about a year ago with discussions about how the Chamber could celebrate the anniversary. They decided to create a documentary to tell the story that future generations could build upon.
“The purpose of this to create an engaging and entertaining story of business in Knox County and to examine the impact that our business community has had both locally, nationally, and around the world. We know we needed to go back our early years and we condensed 200 years into 25 minutes. We used broad brushstrokes but this is the beginning of the storytelling that these archives will create,” said Starr.
The film shows interviews, photos, maps, and film archives and is narrated by Starr. Those who watch the film will learn that a Knox County company had a significant role in the step renovation of the Statue of Liberty. Another local company was instrumental in the construction of Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
The public is invited to view the documentary at a screening during the next First Friday event downtown on August 5 at 6:00 p.m. at the Knox County Memorial Theater. There will be an admission charge. KnoxPages.com has several pairs of tickets to give away to the screening. Readers who would like to be entered in a drawing for tickets can send an email to Editor@KnoxPages.com with TICKETS in the subject line. Include your name and contact information.
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