Despite delay, Town founding film to debut July 15
Three months after a planned April unveiling to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Farragut, the new “Birth of a Town” film will finally premier next Wednesday, July 15, in Farragut Community Center.
Unfortunately, due to a continued emphasis on social distancing and limiting capacity, only past and present elected officials, select dignitaries and individuals who were interviewed for the film will be allowed to see the finished piece at that time.
Directed by noted award-winning Oak Ridge filmmaker Keith McDaniel, “Birth of a Town” focuses specifically on the Town’s founding and relies on interviews from key founding Town members, including Betty Dick, Ron Simandl, Eric Johnson and Marianne McGill, along with Marty Rodgers (wife of the first Town attorney Dave Rodgers) — who formed “Farragut Community Group.”
“It tells the story of the incorporation and the challenges they faced in setting up the Town,” McDaniel said of the 30-minute film.
The process toward incorporating the Town started in 1979, following several years of concern over development and a potential to be annexed by the City of Knoxville. Residents voted to incorporate in January 1980, then elected its first governing body, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, in April.
“We’re in a frustrating situation because we don’t yet have a way for the public to view it,” said Wendy Smith, Town public relations and marketing coordinator. “When the museum opens on Aug. 11, we won’t show anything on the screen in the back gallery because we’ll want people to keep moving.
“The gift shop will also be closed, although we’re thinking of selling copies of the film at the Parks & Rec office, but it won’t happen until the end of July,” she added.
McDaniel, a native of Kingston and founder of the Secret City Film Festival (now the Knoxville Film Festival), has won numerous awards for his documentaries, including “The Clinton 12.”
He also created “A History of Concord and Farragut,” which premiered in early 2019. That piece led officials to ask him to film the follow-up “Birth of a Town.”
McDaniel produced more than 30 copies of the film, which will be sold at a later date. He also is providing the Town with a 10-minute version that can be continuously shown during special events.
