City of Enumclaw to Start Work on Commemorative Centennial Video Project

Enumclaw turns 100 years old in January, and thanks to a new $15,000 grant from 4Culture of King County, it will be able to create its own documentary-style film looking back at the city's history.

According to a city press release, the project is inspired by the city's centennial and will focus on the historic buildings in downtown Enumclaw. City cultural programs coordinator Gary LaTurner said news of the grant is still very new and planning is just beginning, but the idea is to center on the downtown corridor and feature buildings like the old bank building that currently houses Almost Necessities and Sweet Necessities.

"I was thinking of it in terms of decades," LaTurner said, "but I don't know if we'll actually go that way for sure or not."

Producers will conduct interviews with people and important groups who have made their homes in Enumclaw throughout its history, and LaTurner envisions including actors to recreate some historic scenes with the help of narration and available images.

Hero Labs of Seattle and writer/director Staci Bernstein are collaborating with LaTurner to design and produce the 10-minute video. The completed video is anticipated to be shown publically in November of 2013.

Hero Labs recently produced a short-film series about historic Neely Mansion in Auburn.

Bernstein brings more than 20 years of professional movie-making experience to this project. Her company was selected as an Outstanding Woman & Minority Owned Business by the city of Seattle, and her previous clients include MTV, Washington Film Works, Seattle Center, Washington State Library Association, Northwest Asian American Theater, Pike Place Market, Seattle Audubon Society, and many others. Find many samples of work at http://www.herolabs.net/demos.html.

She worked with Enumclaw city staff to develop the initial grant application. For oversight, LaTurner plans to work with the Arts Commission and city staff to provide community input, organizational inspiration, and on-going project review.

Along with in-kind donations, the 4Culture grant brings the total project budget to about $30,000.

As the project progresses, LaTurner aims to extend an open invitation to the community to take part in the project. "We’ll be looking for information about some of the historic downtown buildings and interesting stories community members are willing to share," he said in the release. "Watch the local media for a call to artists to participate in some aspect of the video production."   
 
For more information, please call Enumclaw Cultural Programs office at 360-802-0239.