Milesburg documentary created by Arts and Architecture team set to premiere

“Memories of Milesburg,” a historical documentary created by Stephanie Swindle Thomas, director of social media and visual assets for the College of Arts and Architecture, and her multimedia communications interns, in partnership with the Milesburg Museum and Historical Society (MMHS), will premiere on July 23 at 7 p.m. at the Milesburg Community Center. The event is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available for sale as well as an opportunity to reserve DVD copies of the film. "This project was a labor of love and pride for our historical town and the people who experienced the joys of growing up here. We can’t wait to share it," said Debbie Arnold, marketing director of MMHS. To create the film, 26 Milesburg community members were interviewed over the course of three days in July 2021 following a phone call inquiry that Swindle Thomas received from Pamela McCloskey, a MMHS board member who wanted to capture the stories of residents to preserve as part of the history of the borough. As part of her position in the College of Arts and Architecture, Swindle Thomas leads a year-round internship cohort that learns a range of multimedia marketing and communications skills. Larissa Long, a 2022 graduate of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications is part of that cohort and teamed with Swindle Thomas on the project. Last July, from a makeshift film studio in the Milesburg Museum, Long operated cameras and interviewed participants. It was the buzz around town, Swindle Thomas said, with residents and former residents sharing their stories. Long experienced a professional film set with microphones, lights and a three-camera setup, but also got a taste of the Milesburg from a craft services table that featured homemade sweets made by Milesburg natives who also offered her a recipe for cookies and flowers on the last day of filming. “I heard these amazing stories about this wonderful town that so many people love and adore,” Long said. “There were tales about funny characters in town, buildings with cherished thoughts and people whose memories live on. Doing this work has been a huge honor and something I will remember for the rest of my life.” As with all film projects, the work was only beginning. Swindle Thomas, Long and intern, Tess Dubler, spent almost a year in post-production piecing together a story to share with the generous people who have become “like family” to the three of them. "I grew up in a small town like Milesburg, so hearing the memories and meeting the folks felt like I was sitting around my childhood dinner table,” said Dubler, who graduated from Penn State’s Department of Art History in December 2021 and is now helping MMHS with social media and collections management. “I feel honored that the people of Milesburg have trusted us with putting their story together.” The music used in the film was written and provided by Joe Pillot, a Milesburg native, local musician, Penn State alumnus and father of a 2018 graduate of the College of Arts and Architecture. Pillot and Swindle Thomas have been playing music together since they met in 2018 when she was working in the Stuckeman School of Architecture, and he was with Penn State Media and Technology Support Services. “This project spoke to me on so many levels – as a musician, a storyteller, a videographer and as an internship supervisor and instructors,” Swindle Thomas said. “Every project is special, as is every one of my students’ journeys, but when what we do helps a community like Milesburg share its story, it’s a win-win.”