Special Forest Grove School restoration presentation March 10 at Butterworth Center

The Moline Preservation Society will host a special program on Forest Grove School at the Butterworth Center. Award-winning film producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, and Sharon Andresen of Forest Grove School Preservation will give a special presentation at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 on the restoration of historic Forest Grove School No. 5 and the new feature-length documentary Resurrecting Forest Grove, now in production.  The Butterworth Center Library is located at 1105 8th St., Moline, Illinois.

The Rundles first visited Forest Grove School in Bettendorf, Iowa in 2009 while filming snow scenes for their Emmy® nominated historical documentary Country School: One Room – One Nation. The school appeared to be on the brink of collapse and unrestorable.

In 2012, a small group of local preservationists headed by project coordinator Sharon Andresen decided the 1873 Forest Grove School No. 5. could, and should, be saved.

The Rundles’ Resurrecting Forest Grove, will cinematically tell the dramatic true story behind the seemingly-impossible task of restoring the vintage one-room school to its 1920s appearance. Footage and interviews gathered over a seven-year period will depict the problems they faced and the solutions they employed as they attempted to bring this 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.

"It has been an exciting experience to watch and document the ‘resurrection’ of Forest Grove over the past seven years,” said producer Tammy Rundle. “It took a dedicated and hard-working group of visionaries to bring the school back to life. It is an inspirational story that will make you think twice about saying, ‘It can’t be done.’"

Resurrecting Forest Grove received partial funding from Humanities Iowa and is slated for release in 2021.  For more information about the new documentary, visit www.ForestGroveMovie.com and the film's Facebook fan page.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning and Emmy-nominated independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

HELP US MAKE THE FILM! To make a donation and add your name to the film credits and receive some great perks, visit: https://docublogger.typepad.com/resurrecting_forest_grove/crowdfunding-campaign.html.

"Who am I to whine?" Winter production continues on Forest Grove films

Resurrecting Forest Grove producers Tammy & Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films spent several brutal cold February days filming winter scenes for their new documentary feature film and for the newly restored School's museum film. 

"We were waiting for a fresh snow fall at the school's location," said producer/writer Tammy Rundle. "In addition, we wanted a bright blue sky and sunshine." It was 8 degrees outside with a windchill of -15, when the day arrived with all of the 'elements' satisfied.

It wasn't the first time the Rundles found themselves in frigid conditions while filming Forest Grove. In 2009, the couple drove out to the delapidated one-room school in the country during a blizzard to gather footage for their award-winning and Emmy-nominated documentary Country School: One Room - One Nation.

"The snow and ice were pelting my face while I filmed the decaying building," said director/writer Kelly Rundle. "We seriously thought it was the last time we would see the school standing. It looked like it could fall in on itself at any moment, and the brisk wind that day made it seem even more precarious."

But, that was not the case.  After seven years of fundraising and intense restoration work by volunteers and preservationists with Forest Grove School Preservation, the historic Forest Grove School No. 5 is set to open for public tours early this summer.  The Rundles have been documenting the restoration progress from the beginning.

"On a day like today, with that bitter wind stinging your face, your eyes tearing up, and the cold cutting through your clothes, you really consider your sanity," said Tammy. "But then again, look at that shot! It was worth it! Besides, there are a lot of people who worked in all kinds of weather to bring Forest Grove back to life. So, who am I to whine?"

HELP US MAKE THE FILM! To make a donation and add your name to the film credits and receive some great perks, visit: https://docublogger.typepad.com/resurrecting_forest_grove/crowdfunding-campaign.html.