The edutainment video project “Who Is Sarah Kidder” is now complete. Just over one year after I worked to develop a project that would not only tell history but engage multiple generations in wanting to learn history in a fun, light-hearted manner, I am happy to say that this project did more, said more was more fun than I expected.

Why? Simple. All the amazing community members came together to contribute their time and input. From actors Mary Baird, Sands Hall, and Gladys MacWood Birdsong to our MC, Robert Trent, and on to panelists Kimberly Ewing, Adam Kline, Michael Keene, and Wendy Willoughby. Michael was joined by Ken Teichmann in creating the stage setting. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum was an awesome partner, supporting three talks, the video premiere, and an exhibit that will run through the summer. Nevada Union Broadcast Club, led by instructor Jason Searles, learned how to prep, film, and edit a game show. They are awesome beyond words and I am grateful to everyone who showed up in spades for this video. Nevada County Media provided the perfect destination for us to film.

The informative talks by Megan White of Sierra College, Bernard Zimmerman and Elinor Barnes of the Nevada County Landmarks Commission, and NY Times best-selling author Chris Enss brought a wide range of context to women in Nevada County’s storied history.

As a further benefit, I approached the Nevada County Board of Supervisors requesting March 2023 be designated as Women’s History Month in Nevada County. This resolution was accepted and granted, with a thank you from the Board of Supervisors for this community history project.

This project was made possible by a grant from California Humanities.

Thanks, everyone!

Note: California Humanities promotes the humanities – focused on ideas, conversation, and learning – as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more visit www.calhum.org