FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — To mark the 50th anniversary of NASA’s successful landing on the moon’s surface, the Fort Fairfield Public Library will host a preview of the PBS documentary “Chasing the Moon” on Saturday, June 29.
As part of PBS’s American Experience series, “Chasing the Moon” will premiere at 9 p.m. Monday, July 8, with Parts 2 and 3 airing at 9 p.m. on July 9 and 10, respectively.
But local folks can experience at 40-minute preview of the film at the library beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. The screening is free and open to the public and all ages are welcome. Library aide Dianna Leighton noted that seating is available on a first come/first-served basis and a short discussion will follow the film.
“The screening is part of a PBS initiative to invite public libraries to host screenings of their films before they premiere,” Leighton said. “We thought this would be a great opportunity to highlight the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.”
This year marks the second time that the Fort Fairfield Public Library has hosted a screening of a PBS American Experience film. In 2018, they hosted a preview of “Decoding the Weather Machine” that included a similar community discussion.
According to PBS, “Chasing The Moon,” directed by Robert Stone, “reimagines the space race to the moon for a new generation, upending much of the conventional mythology surrounding the effort.”
The film features previously unseen or archival footage and the stories of Poppy Northcutt, who became the first woman to serve in NASA’s Mission Control station in Houston, Texas, at age 25, and Ed Dwight, an Air Force pilot whom President John F. Kennedy’s administration chose to train as the first African American astronaut.
Leighton encourages community members of all generations to come take part in a discussion on what the moon landing means to them.
“What’s unique about the moon landing is that some people remember where they were when they watched it on TV while others in our community weren’t even born yet,” Leighton said. “For the younger generations, I hope they gain a greater understanding of what the moon landing was and how amazing of an accomplishment it was in 1969.”
The film screening is one that Leighton said correlates well with the library’s NASA At My Library programming. In 2017, the library was one of 75 selected across the country to participate in NASA At My Library. The library received a $500 stipend, two NASA facilitation kits that included ultraviolet reactive beads, books for science-themed storytimes, a thermal camera, a Samsung tablet, and rock and meteorite identifying kits, as well as $800 for Leighton to attend a NASA workshop in Denver, Colorado.
Last year the library began phase two of its NASA programming with a $1,500 stipend that will cover special activities and events until the end of 2020.
Since starting the program, the library has hosted space-themed family storytimes and STEM and arts-based projects designed to educate children about the solar system. On June 26, local children will be able to build their own “moon” out of food during the library’s “Recipe for a Moon” activity.
For information on the “Chasing the Moon” screening or NASA At My Library, contact Leighton at (207) 472-3880 or dleighton@fortfairfield.org.
