Experience life in Orchard Park, N.Y. through the eyes of two dozen enthusiastic residents. In midsummer, these volunteer videographers filmed people, places and happenings in their hometown for the latest installment of WNED-TV’s OUR TOWN series.

Their videos showcase local points of pride ranging from an NFL stadium to the oldest active house of worship in Erie County. They also take viewers behind-the-scenes at the courthouse, a veterinary clinic and a compost site.

All of the video footage was edited and compiled into the television program, OUR TOWN: Orchard Park. The volunteers also were interviewed about the topics they covered, and their commentary serves as the narration behind the program. The resulting “video scrapbook” premieres on WNED-TV Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 pm.

The Orchard Park project illustrates two key benefits of WNED’s OUR TOWN series. For viewers, it helps build awareness about regional gems in Western New York and Southern Ontario. For participating volunteers, the experience often engenders a greater appreciation of ‘home.’

Exploring the eternal flame behind a waterfall at Chestnut Ridge Park became a lesson in nature and science for Robert Woodley and his son. A segment by Joe Wales highlights the value of local businesses to the Orchard Park community, with a focus on two century-old establishments (Arthur’s Hardware and Anthony-Brown Pharmacy). But most Orchard Park volunteers chose topics that convey the quality of life in a place that one young videographer says is “very cool to me now.”

Ten-year-old Wilhelm Aubrecht, whose film topic was “Municipal Government,” was among several young people participating in the production. In fact, this project involved “more independent, individual contributions from youth than any other OUR TOWN,” noted Senior Producer Lynne Bader-Gregory.

OUR TOWN: Orchard Park was produced by WNED with support from Citizens Bank, the Buffalo Bills Alumni and Fox Run Orchard Park.

Since 2003, WNED has produced 12 other OUR TOWN programs, featuring Dunkirk/Fredonia, Jamestown, East Aurora, Kenmore/Tonawanda, Lockport, and Ellicottville in Western New York and St. Catharines, Kitchener/Waterloo, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Welland, Oakville and Markham in Ontario, Canada. The series adopts the concept of “a day in the life” picture books, using video instead of photographs.

–List of volunteer videographers and their topics follows–

Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright TV, Classical 94.5/WNED-FM and WNED-AM 970 The Information Station, the member-supported WNED Buffalo/Toronto provides high quality programming and services that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. Additional information about WNED can be found at www.wned.org.