Wega Arts to shoot documentary on 1996 train derailment
By Angie Landsverk
Wega Arts is ready to start its documentary film project about the 1996 train derailment and its impact on the community.
“We will be interviewing firefighters, people who lived here, people who helped save the town,” said Kathy Fehl, who is the nonprofit’s artistic director.
The movie will be shown on March 4, 2022.
“It’s going to be a big community event inside the George Gerold Opera House,” Fehl said.
The historic opera house is located in downtown Weyauwega.
It was in the early morning hours of March 4, 1996, that a Wisconsin Central freight train derailed in the city of Weyauwega.
The fire burned for more than two weeks and resulted in the emergency evacuation of about 2,300 people for 18 days, including the entire city.
Wega Arts and the Weyauwega Area Historical Society collaborated this past March 4, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the train derailment.
The event took place in the parking lot at Cenex Co-op, near the railroad tracks where the train derailed.
It served as a kickoff for the film project.
The film is to include people recounting memories, as well as news footage and a report on the national impact on fire department training and other safety issues.
Wega Arts will begin organizing the interviews this month.
Those who want to share their stories about that time in Weyauwega’s history and its impact may email Amanda Loehrke at [email protected].
Panel members needed
In addition, Wega Arts is seeking people ages 14 to 24 to be part of the panel that will interview the people.
Those who are interested may also email Loehrke.
Fehl said the members of the panel will learn about something that occurred before they were born.
As those who lived through it talk about the derailment and its impact on them, the panel members involved in the interview process will think about their own lives as they put it into context, she said.
The interviews will be scheduled to take place in July.
“We’re excited about the project,” Fehl said.
She said Wega Arts is also excited about its other upcoming events.
This includes shooting the film this September for the winner of last year’s Script to Screen workshop for area youth.
Fehl and her partner Ian Teal are also busy watching hundreds of films for next fall’s international film festival.