The new crowd-pleasing documentary “Resurrecting Forest Grove” produced by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will kick off New Year programming at the Bettendorf Public Library on Thursday, January 18, 1:30 p.m. A Q&A with the Emmy award-winning filmmakers will follow the 58-minute film. The Bettendorf Public Library is located at 2950 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, Iowa. Seating is limited.
"This is a Bettendorf story and we can't think of a better place in Bettendorf to showcase "Resurrecting Forest Grove" that the Bettendorf Public Library, said director-writer Kelly Rundle.
The Rundles first visited Forest Grove School in Bettendorf, Iowa in 2009 while filming the decaying school in a blizzard for their Emmy-nominated historical documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation. The school appeared to be on the brink of collapse.
Photo courtesy Forest Grove School Preservation.
In 2012, a small group of preservationists stood before the hollowed-out shell of the unique and historic 1873 Forest Grove School No. 5 and decided it could, and should, be saved.
“Resurrecting Forest Grove” cinematically tells the dramatic true story behind the seemingly-impossible task of restoring a vintage one-room school to its 1920s appearance. Footage and interviews gathered over a decade depict the problems they faced and the solutions they employed as they attempted to bring this decaying rural icon back to life. The surprises and successes of this challenging restoration project are intercut with a vivid historical portrait of the 'Roaring 20s' in rural America.
The 10-year restoration project was featured in Historic Preservation’s “Preservation” magazine. Forest Grove School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Forest Grove School No. 5 received official designation as a Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) Site.
The documentary premiered on the Giant Screen at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa on September 23rd for the historic school's 150th Anniversary celebration. The event sold out. "Resurrecting Forest Grove" will be released on DVD in February 2024, visit ForestGroveMovie.com to PRE-ORDER the DVD. The film will screen at special events and film festivals in 2024, with PBS broadcasts to be announced.
Forest Grove School No. 5 is located at 24040 Forest Grove Dr. in Bettendorf and is open Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. during the summer, or by appointment. For more information, visit www.ForestGroveSchool.org.
“Resurrecting Forest Grove” was partially funded by grants from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Moline Foundation. For more information about the new documentary, visit www.ForestGroveMovie.com.
Fourth Wall Films is a four-time Emmy award-winning independent media production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.