A new documentary detailing Blair County’s history is returning to the big screen following popular demand, according to its film team.
“Blair County: A People’s History” debuted on April 18.
“We had a sold out crowd at the historic Mishler Theatre," said Mark Frederick, the documentary’s director. He estimated there were about 500 people there. He said since then, the community has expressed a lot of interest.
That's part of the reason he gave a presentation last week to about 30 people in the Railroaders Museum in Altoona about the making of the documentary. It was one of the filming locations.
Following the lecture, Frederick said he wants the documentary to inspire community participation.
“If you learn from the history and heritage of where you live, and you have that context for what works, what doesn't work, what someone has done, then you have a better idea as a citizen of what you need to do as a community member to make the world a better place," Frederick said.
During the lecture, Frederick shared behind-the-scenes insights from the documentary's production. He said changes in the surrounding community added obstacles. He mentioned renovations to the Walter L. Maine monument in Tyrone.
“But then you also had not-so-good things like the demolition of the Roaring Spring Paper Mill," Frederick said.
He also discussed problems the team had getting drone footage of the Horseshoe Curve. He said they filmed during the Canadian wildfires in 2023.
”So you can kind of see how smoky and hazy it is there," Frederick said, pointing to the video which had to be fixed in post-production.
Another Horseshoe Curve scene depicts Italian immigrants building that stretch of railroad in the 1900s. To this day, Frederick said it is still a major corridor for railroad commerce in the United States.
Carla Dente-Firment is from Altoona, but currently living in nearby Hollidaysburg. She said it’s important for her to learn the area’s history.
“Because it’s my family history. My family are just two to three generations out and immigrants," Dente-Firment said.
Dente-Firment said she’s given a DVD of the film to her children who live in California and Pittsburgh.
“It's just important to know where you come from," Dente-Firment said.
The next viewing of "Blair County: A People’s History” will be at “The Church in The Middle of The Block” in Altoona on July 20th at 7 p.m..
