COURTHOUSE GIRLS OF FARMLAND DOCUMENTARY

TO SCREEN AT BRECKENRIDGE FESTIVAL OF FILM

DOCUMENTARY ALSO FEATURED AT DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL

Inspired by the women and town in its title, this new documentary has been in production for over two years and now adds official selection status at the Breckenridge Festival of Film in Breckenridge, Colorado to its list of honors. Courthouse Girls of Farmland will screen June 7^th, 2008 at 12 pm  in the Speakeasy Movie Theatre during the 28^th annual festival, June 5-8. The film previously screened at the DC Independent Film Festival in Washington, DC March 8^th. 

“We are very happy to have presented Courthouse Girls of Farmland at the 10^th annual DCIFF.  This film weaves a story that is funny, touching and inspiring.  Watch it and see how we are never too old to effectuate a positive change in our world.”

                               Carol Bidault de l’Isle, Executive Director/Founder, Washington, DC Independent Film Festival

Producers Angela Soper, Laurence Francer, and Jerome Herron were compelled to make the documentary the summer of 2005 after witnessing the reaction to the Courthouse Girls calendar they helped create.  With many in the small community calling the calendar an affront to their morals and even some demanding that a few of the women “repent” to their church’s congregation, the project became an issue that the trio felt deserved closer examination.

With help from public television station WIPB in Muncie, Indiana, the producers began shooting throughout the area in an attempt to answer some important questions:  Why were some people so outraged by the calendar?  Does historic preservation play a role in maintaining a community’s identity and future viability?  How had Farmland’s innovative promotions bucked the tide of small town decay? And who exactly were these seven bridge club members who dared to defy convention for the sake of making a personal statement?

The result was the documentary, Courthouse Girls of Farmland.  “When Angela said the word ‘naked,’ I was all ears,” says director Norman Klein with a laugh.  “But seriously, as an aging person myself, I was heartened by what these women did.  So many of us never created necessary change in society in our youth, and I think as we get older we start asking ourselves, ‘Not if, but when?’  I was really impressed by these women and their courage to—literally—put themselves on the line for a cause they believed in.  And as a man who grew up in New York City, I was intrigued with this tiny town and everything Historic Farmland USA has done to keep the town from dying.  I feel like other communities can learn from it.”

We invite you to view this short preview and tune in later this year when the film airs on WIPB.  We are indebted to many people and organizations who donated their time, talent, and money to make this project a reality.  Most of all we are inspired by the seven women who demonstrated that “old age” is merely a definition of time—it has nothing to do with a person’s value, beauty, and ability to make a difference.

"It Happened in Farmland ... Revenge of the Courthouse Girls"

Courthouse is Saved from the Wrecking Ball

In the spring of 2006 the county commissioners’ rescinded their 2005 decision to destroy the historic Randolph County courthouse and plans are now underway to restore the old building.  With the help of a few people who were inspired by the Courthouse Girls' innovative and brave activism the previous year when their Courthouse Girls calendar was launched, the Girls proved once again that a sense of humor and a commitment to a cause can make a difference.  Our 2007 calendar featured the women with several men from the area who joined in the cause—and the clever photography—to celebrate the courthouse’s stay of execution.

As a result of the fight over whether to save or destroy the Randolph County courthouse, in 2007 Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana created the Indiana Courthouse Task Force.  Made up of architects, community and state leaders, preservationists, and economic development professionals, the Task Force’s goal is to promote the significance of Indiana’s courthouses and to create legislation to foster courthouse preservation.  Senate Bill 176, recently authored by Senator JamesMerritt Jr. (R-Indianapolis), will create a 12-member commission that will investigate the need for preservation, restoration, and maintenance of historic courthouses as well as assist county officials with such projects.  According to Wayne Goodman, director of the HLFI eastern regional office, the commission will help to ensure  county officials are prepared for renovation and preservation projects before final plans are developed and work begins.

NOW REALLY… WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

Back in 1933 when a group of Farmland, Indiana women first got together for their bi-weekly game of bridge, the last thing they expected was that 72 years later they’d be posing in a … let’s say scintillating fashion … for a calendar.

But in 2005 seven women who have withstood over three-quarters of a century with more than their share of grace and good looks did just that. It created quite an uproar, not only in Farmland but throughout the nation as well. Even Canada caught wind of the story.

It all started in the kitchen of one of the club members in early June. Incensed over the county commissioners’ decision that morning to destroy the county’s historic courthouse, Eileen Herron (then 86) and her family devised a plan: photographing Eileen and her bridge club friends in “intriguing” poses using porcelain replicas of the courthouse as strategic cover-ups. After all, they reasoned, what better way to demonstrate the 1877 structure’s worth than to showcase the lovely longevity found in these women, all of whom have lived long and full lives in the Farmland area. Not only would the calendar be the women’s personal protest against demolishing the old building, $5 from the sale of each calendar would be contributed to a Save the Courthouse Fund set up by Historic Farmland USA.

Soon the first photographs were taken by local photographer Mary-Ellen Bertram, approval for the calendar was granted by the Historic Farmland USA board (HFUSA has a history of preserving historic structures and promoting events and projects with innovation), and the Muncie Star/Press made it front page news the next day.

And the rest, so they say, is history. And that’s what this is really all about--preserving a part of Randolph County’s history and giving its citizens a “new” courthouse in a structure that on the outside is like … well, a beautiful older woman.

We invite you to enjoy our Courthouse Girls in print and now in film. (The film was originally titled It Happened in Farmland and underwent a name change after the publication of our 2007 calendar.)  We still have 2007 calendars and a few 2006 calendars available.  And although the calendars may be “out of date,” the Girls’ courage and spirit is timeless.  These calendars are lovely tributes to the women and others in the community who believe history—in all its many realms—is worth preserving and celebrating.

May we all have the Courthouse Girls’ passion, sense of humor, and zest for life when we enter our golden years.