52 Ancestors Week 42: Adventure
Well, this doesn't have to do with my ancestors and it doesn't have to do with genealogy, but it does have to do with adventure, so if this doesn't count, please let me know, so I can do another one.
My hometown only has 3200 people in it. It was founded in 1834, and many of our buildings are well over 100-150 years old. My husband's 3rd great-grandfather, Walter B Hess was one of the original settlers of our town.
We had a Tiffany brick company just outside of town, so many of our downtown buildings are made with tiffany bricks either turned backward, or they are inside the buildings. The buildings have been kept up very well. But it was a surprise to the citizens of Momence, when we heard in 2001 that Tom Hanks was coming to town to film a movie called Road to Perdition.
We had a great time with Tom in town. He was very cordial, and the crew was wonderful. They redecorated the facades of the stores with different signs that faced backwards to fit the 1931 era. Paul Newman and Jude Law were also in the film, but we didn't see them in Momence.
Well things settled down, and then a couple of weeks ago, the whispers began again. MGM was coming to town to film another movie. The crews showed up the end of last week and worked our downtown area again. This time for the 1950 era. We were told it was for a TV show called Fargo, and that Chris Rock was in the show, but that he would not be in Momence. Then - all of a sudden, today, guess who showed up.
Chris Rock - they even made snow. It was far from snowing in Momence today. But they made it look so realistic.
Totally changed this storefront, and the fruit is real. They gave it away after filming today.
So, this has been a real adventure for our little town. We are having so much fun. The town is full of actors, they are running in and out of the local restaurants, letting everyone take pictures with and of them, and best of all - they are parked one block away from my house. They will be filming this week and next and then coming back for retakes.
This is so exciting.