Photo: ASU student Rebecca Jones spent nearly six months writing, editing and recording the voice over for a documentary about the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion. A free preview will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the FarmPark.

ASU student Rebecca Jones spent nearly six months writing, editing and recording the voice over for a documentary about the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion. A free preview will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the FarmPark.

 

 

Denton Girl Produces Documentary About Threshers Reunion

 

DENTON, N.C. – Henry Ford liked the old barn at the Reid Plantation so much he offered to buy it. Owner A.C. Reid turned him down – and later sold the barn – and all of the buildings that were on the plantation - to farmer Brown Loflin. Today, you see them at the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion in Denton.

            This is just one of the tales you hear on the new documentary, “Denton FarmPark: Living History,” produced by former Denton resident, Rebecca Jones. The 30-minute video was a project the 22-year old embraced while getting her undergraduate degree in Communications from Appalachian State University this year. A free public viewing of the documentary will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 7 p.m. in the FarmPark amphitheater. Copies will be available for sale.

            When Jones was in high school, she used to practice cross-country running at the FarmPark. “It felt like home to me,” she recounted. “And because my dad had grown up on a farm, I was somewhat familiar with old tractors and such. When it came time to do the video project, I thought it would be neat to tell Brown’s story – how he got the land, created the events and kept it all going.”

            The Southeast Old Threshers Reunion started in 1970 with a fundraising idea for the local rescue squad. Pilots Brown Loflin and Howard Latham came up with the idea of doing a fly-in.

            Since, the event has changed to focus upon threshing, steam engines and antique farm equipment. “Some 50,000 people attend the Reunion annually, bringing their tractors from more than five states,” said FarmPark general manager Karen Miller. “We see many of the same families year after year. They spend their July 4 vacations watching and learning how people once lived on the farm. This is truly a fun, family educational experience.”

            Dr. Larry Gustke, professor of parks and recreation studies at N.C. State University in Raleigh, has attended the Reunion for the past six years. “I’m fascinated by the engines – and the people there,” he commented. “The tale of the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion is a story begging to be told.”

            And Jones has done that.

            ASU faculty members, Steve Smith, a former radio announcer and engineer and Kevin Balling, a noted producer of documentaries, guided her through the process. They helped her with the script, video, music and her voice-over. In all, she had 11 hours of footage to whittle down to 30 minutes. She said it took her from August to December 2008 to write the script. She guesses the editing process took about 80 hours.

            Prior to tackling this project, she was an intern with XM Satellite Radio in Nashville, Tennessee and worked with Kyle Cantrell, producer of “Bluegrass Junction.”

            Jones is the daughter of teachers Carolyn and Gary Jones in Denton.

            For more information, contact Karen Miller at 336-859-2755.

 

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