BELLOWS FALLS — A preview of View From Table Rock, followed by a question-and-answer session with the 30-minute documentary film's director, Lyle Sorensen, takes place Wednesday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
Guided by two antique bird's-eye-view lithographs depicting Bellows Falls in the 1800s, Sorensen explores the past and present. The film shows how most bird's-eye views were created and how a unique rock formation overlooking Bellows Falls offered artists a vantage point that hikers still visit today.
With Table Rock acting as an anchor point, local citizens share their knowledge of the days of the navigational canal, the prosperous mill era, and the creation of magnificent homes and civic buildings.
“We learn what the lithographs depicted over 100 years ago, what has disappeared, and what remains,” organizers write.
Sorensen encourages viewers to be curious about their own local history.
“My film is not a strict retelling of the Bellows Falls story, but rather it offers a wider look at using artifacts from the past to examine what is around us today and to be curious. I want my viewers to enjoy history and to explore whatever appeals to them,” he says.
The showing will be followed by a panel discussion by people who participated in the film and an audience question-and-answer session.