“We Were There: Schoharie County on 9/11” Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion Thursday, October 28
The Schoharie County Historical Society is pleased to announce a public screening and panel discussion of the documentary film “We Were There: Schoharie County on 9/11” on Thursday, October 28 at 7 p.m. in the Wieting Theater located in Worcester, NY.
Produced by the historical society in 2019, the film is a powerful and moving account of what many of Schoharie County’s finest experienced that fateful September day and the dedicated action they took in the days and weeks that followed.
Woven with poignant one-on-one interviews featuring several local emergency responders are compelling images from the attacks in New York City and the monumental rescue effort that followed. While many of the images may be all too recognizable from newspapers, television screens, and previous accounts of the events, several provide a unique and rarely-seen look at what first responders encountered when they arrived and met with the massive devastation.
Those interviewed include retired New York State Trooper Chip Johnstone; Mike Hartzel, retired US Army and current Schoharie County Office of Emergency Services Director; Cobleskill EMS member John Copland; Brian Head, formerly of the New York State Emergency Management Office; and Kevin Neary, long-time Richmondville Mayor and former Chief of Operations of the New York State Emergency Management Office who sadly passed away in early July 2021.
Taking part in the live panel discussion will be documentary participants Chip Johnstone, John Copland, Mike Hartzel, Curt VanSteele, and Brian Head.
The public screening and panel discussion come as a result of the efforts of Liz Daly, a former Queens, NY resident who witnessed the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on New York City first hand. She said she was incredibly impressed with the quality of the film and found it to be one of only a few 20th-anniversary observances she could watch in light of the memories of those days still being difficult to revisit.
For more information on the October 28 screening and panel discussion of “We Were There: Schoharie County on 9/11” contact the Old Stone Fort Museum at (518) 295-7192 or visit TheOldStoneFort.org
