Uncategorized

Agnes documentary to debut June 24

MILTON -- Fifty years after staff members from Milton’s hometown newspaper took to the streets to cover the Hurricane Agnes flood and its impact on the region, the newspaper is still thriving in the community and continuing to highlight the lasting legacy of the historic event.

The Standard-Journal will debut its new documentary, “Reflections of Agnes,” during a free outdoor screening to be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at the Milton Public Library, 541 Broadway, Milton. Those attending may begin arriving at 7.

In the event of inclement weather that evening, the screening will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 27, at the library.

Adam Slother, a staff member with The Standard-Journal, started working on the documentary in February. As part of the process, he interviewed approximately 20 local residents who vividly recall the devastating high-water event.

“I had this idea for years,” Slother said, of producing an Agnes documentary.

Slother’s grandmother Molly Brown and mother Susan Slother lived on Front Street in Milton when the floodwaters rose.

“Growing up, I’ve always heard them tell stories about the flood and how it hit their house,” Adam Slother said. “My gram said they had 7 feet of water on their first floor. That’s hard for me to imagine.

“They had to leave their home in a boat,” he continued. “The water came up a lot higher than what they were expecting it to.”

Slother has also long had a love of video production.

“I first got into filmmaking when I was 11 or 12 years old,” he said. “I got my first camcorder. From a young age, I’ve been interested in movies and the whole filmmaking process.

“I’ve almost been more interested in watching the behind-the-scenes documentaries on movies than the movies themselves.”

Slother approached Amy Moyer, publisher of The Standard-Journal, about producing an Agnes documentary when he saw newspapers from the time of the flood sitting on a table near Moyer’s office.

“When Adam saw these, I could tell he was extremely excited about producing a documentary,” Moyer said. “He convinced me in no time that he could do this, despite only having a few months to complete it.”

From there, the project took off.

Slother started reaching out to potential interviewees in late February. Interviews were conducted throughout March. Editing and production has been ongoing since early April.

“I’ve been very appreciative of everyone’s time, and giving me the opportunity to capture their stories for other people to hear,” Slother said. “Their stories are worth telling.”

Moyer noted that staff members at The Standard-Journal compiled a list of individuals who should be invited to share their stories in the documentary.

“So many of our staffers from that time (in 1972) are gone, William ‘Bill’ Hastings, Charlie Johnson, Harold Prentiss, Nancy Minnick, Skip Westley, Dick Smith, Dick Lewis and Leroy Sweitzer are a few names that come to mind,” she said. “Nearly all of the downtown store owners are deceased as well.”

Of the nearly 50 people on the list of potential interviewees, Moyer said some were “camera shy.

“But we found those to take the time to tell us their story,” she said. “That is what we have done for 132 years, tell the stories of our community. The good stories and the not so good. It is our job to document the history of our local communities.”

Slother enjoyed hearing the stories of those he interviewed for the documentary.

“I got to hear a lot of stories I never heard before,” Slother said. “I’ve learned a lot in the process. I’ve always been interested in local history. Getting to hear stories that were new to me was very rewarding.”

He was especially interested to learn the story of the late Vic Michael.

“From the stories I heard, he was an amateur meteorologist,” Slother recounted. “He did the weather forecast for WMLP (radio).

“When (Hurricane) Agnes was coming through, they were getting hit with all that rain, Vic Michael was saying the flood forecasting services predictions were too low.”

The documentary is slated to include audio recordings of flood predictions.

“(Michael) got in trouble with the police and the officials,” Slother said. “They were upset because he was causing an undue panic with the public. He ended up being right.”

Slother is impressed with how vividly those he interviewed recounted their memories from the 1972 flood.

“A lot of them shared a lot of details,” he said. “Some of the phone calls, when I first reached out to them over the phone, they told me some stories (of the flood). Once I started up the interview, they gave me the same story, word for word.”

One common theme with those he interviewed centered around what they encountered while cleaning up from the flood.

“Everybody had vivd recollections of the smell and the cleanup, and all the stories about the garbage and personal items set out on the curb to be picked up,” Slother said.

Moyer praised Slother for the work he has done on the documentary.

“He poured his heart and soul into this project, and what he has done is quite impressive,” she said. “Listening to the interviews he conducted were amazing.

“The memories were so vivid in everyone’s mind, despite the passing of 50 years,” Moyer continued. “What I heard over and over was how this community came together and did anything needed to help their fellow Miltonians.”

Not everything which was said by interviewees is able to be included in the documentary. However, their stories will be preserved.

“Our newsroom staff will listen to these interviews, and they will put what is, and what is not, in the documentary into print, telling an even more complete story for our readers,” Moyer said.

Those who were interviewed as part of the documentary are being invited to attend, along with their family and friends. The screening is also open to the community.

Anticipation is building across the community for the screening, which is being held 50 years to the date after the floodwaters crested, at 35.1 feet.

Kris LaVanish, Milton Public Library director, said the library is excited to partner with the newspaper as the host of the screening.

“I think it is really important to highlight local history and especially local historical events, like the 1972 flood,” LaVanish said. “I think we are very fortunate to have a local paper that is dedicated to keeping the community informed about current events, and also reminds us of the significant historical milestones in our community.”

Moyer praised the library for embracing the project.

“We are thankful to the Milton Public Library for partnering with us, and we invite everyone to view the documentary,” she said. “This community is very fortunate to have a local library dedicated to providing services to our communities. Reading, rather it be a book or newspaper, teaches many life lessons.”