Bettendorf Public Library’s Global Gathering Mexico celebration will feature the new documentary Riding the Rails to Hero Street by award-winning local filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films on Thursday, October 17 at 1:30 p.m. The program is free to the public and sponsored by Terrostar Interactive Media, Morgan Stanley and the Bettendorf Public Library Foundation. Q&A with the filmmakers and others will follow the 27-minute film.
Riding the Rails to Hero Street, part one in the Rundles’ Hero Street documentary series, tells the story of the immigrants’ journey from Mexico to Cook’s Point in Davenport, Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad train yards and boxcar homes in Silvis, Illinois. The families experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new communities. Around the time of the great depression, the families were removed from the rail yards and some moved box cars or built new homes on 2nd Street in Silvis. Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America. Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 100 service members since World War II.
The multi-part Hero Street documentary series will explore the personal and family sagas behind the eight heroes and tell the compelling true story of an ongoing struggle to memorialize Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Soliz, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.
Interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians will be combined with vintage photos and film, and archival materials to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.
The Bettendorf Public Library is located at 2950 Learning Campus Dr, Bettendorf, Iowa. Global Gathering Mexico is a two-month celebration of the culture, heritage and tradition of Mexico. Throughout September and October, the Bettendorf Public Library will feature programs and activities related to Mexico and its people. For additional information visit www.bettendorflibrary.com/programs.
A World Away from Hero Street, part three in the series focusing on hero William Sandoval, will premiere at the Putnam Giant Screen on Sunday, November 10th at 3 p.m. Riding the Rails to Hero Street will also screen during the premiere event. The Putnam premiere of the Hero Street films is sponsored by The Beiderbecke Inn, Jennie's Boxcar Mexican Restaurant, and the Quad Cities Chapter of Sigma Lamda Beta International Fraternity.
Letters Home to Hero Street (another part in the series) was co-produced with WQPT-PBS and received an Emmy® nomination in 2015. The film is also featured on the national PBS Learning Media website along with lesson plans for teachers.
Riding the Rails to Hero Street was awarded two media grants from Humanities Iowa through Fourth Wall Films’ fiscal sponsor the Moline Foundation to fund a portion of production and post-production on the project.
Visit www.HeroStreetMovie.com for more information about the Hero Street documentary series, visit
Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning and Emmy-nominated independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles and now based in Moline, Illinois.
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