"The Dust Bowl," a new two-part, four-hour documentary by Ken Burns, airs Sunday and Monday, from 7 to 9 p.m. CST on Smoky Hills Public Television.
The film chronicles the environmental catastrophe that, throughout the 1930s, destroyed the farmlands of the Great Plains, turned prairies into deserts and unleashed a pattern of massive, deadly dust storms that for many seemed to herald the end of the world. It was the worst manmade ecological disaster in American history.
The film chronicles this moment in American history and is, in part, oral history, using interviews with 26 survivors of those times — what will possibly be the last recorded testimony of the generation that lived through the Dust Bowl. Filled with seldom-seen movie footage, previously unpublished photographs, the songs of Woody Guthrie and the observations of two women who left behind written accounts, the film is also a historical accounting of what happened and why during the 1930s on the southern plains.
A preview website for film is available at www.pbs.org/dustbowl and includes video clips, opportunities for users to share stories, background information on the film and filmmakers, and information on engagement activities. PBS also has launched a social media campaign designed to engage audiences online in conversations and discussions around the themes in the film. Fans can follow Burns on Twitter @KenBurns or on Facebook at facebook.com/kenburnspbs.
The film also will be available on DVD and Blu-ray from PBS Distribution at ShopPBS.org.
Library board to meet Monday afternoon
The Finney County Public Library board of directors will meet at 5 p.m. Monday at the library, 605 E. Walnut St.
Museum host to Christmas exhibit
The "Christmas Traditions of Southwest Kansas 2012" exhibit continues through Nov. 26 at Stauth Memorial Museum, 111 N. Aztec in Montezuma. Southwest Kansas individuals, clubs and merchants have created small exhibits of collections and traditions showing how they decorate their home and businesses for Christmas.
The 13 displays are: "Christmas Gathering" by Clark Pharmacy of Cimarron; "Old Fashioned Christmas" by Carolyn Shultz and "Christmas with Aunt Jemima" by Vicki Peterson, both of Dodge City; "A Luncheon Learning Christmas" by Bluelight FCE, "A KU Christmas" by Jodi Holmes, "Elf on the Shelf" by Montezuma Township Library, "The Magic of Christmas" by Just For You, "Red White and Blue Country Christmas" by Kim Legleiter, a "Reproduction 1880s Buggy" by Doug Classen, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by Norma Salisbury and "Winter Fun" by the Senior Girl Scout Troop No. 60024, all of Montezuma; "Christmas Delights" by Betty Johnson of Spearville and "Pink (Depression Glass) Christmas" by Joanne Lance of Ulysses.
Museum hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.