On May 19th and 20th, the cities of Kalona and Wellman will be collaborating with locally based Storyline Multimedia to offer area Veterans an opportunity to share their military experience.  We would look to create a 20-minute video compilation that will debut in Richmond on July 3rd, and again in Wellman on July 4th at the YMCA prior to their annual fireworks shows.

Videoing veterans’ military experience is an important way to preserve history and honor the sacrifices made by those who served their country.  Veterans possess unique insights and experiences that are valuable to future generations and capturing them on video ensures that their stories can and will be told for years to come. 

Another piece to the collaboration will be working with our local school districts in asking them to submit student questions that will be asked each veteran during their video session.  Veterans’ stories can offer a personal perspective on their experiences, providing context and insight that cannot be found in textbooks or news reports.  

So how can I participate?  If you are a veteran and would like to learn more or sign up, we have a couple of options.  You can get signed up online by going to the City of Kalona website at www.cityofkalona.org and we will have a link to Storyline Multimedia for sign-up.  Alternatively, you can call Kalona City Hall at 319-656-2310 and we can get you signed up.  We will be setting up times on both the 19th and 20th from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and anticipate each session to last 45 minutes.

What will the video process look like?  We will be filming in “The Loft” which is the old Kalona library area in the Community Center.  Prior to the 19th we will provide a list of questions to veterans so they can have some time to know what will be asked and reflect on how they might answer.  There will also be time for veterans to share personal stories and experiences outside of the outlined questions.  

Along with capturing the veterans on video, we would like to also capture and digitize any photos and artifacts that they feel would help tell their individual story.  Upon completion of the project, each veteran and their family will be presented with a copy of their individual interview and the full video.

We are excited about the opportunity this project offers and thank Jonathan and Emily Choate at Storyline Multimedia for helping spearhead the project.  There will be a lot of questions from now until we complete the interviews and we’d encourage you to reach out with those questions.  I can be reached at 319-656-2310 or via email at rschlabaugh@cityofkalona.org.