TV series airs in S. Indiana, Kentucky this fall

One of the most exciting aspects of any adventure is coming home and sharing it with family and friends. And when you can’t do that, you feel so let down. In fact one, that is one of the hardest parts of being a widow. A friend of mine who is a widower says he feels like he is away on a business trip and never comes home because he can’t share the little everyday things that happen to him.
I’ve spent the past three years traveling in Indiana and around the world on mission trips. I carry a television camera with me and record the stories of amazing people and events. As a result, we are now producing our third season of the TV series ‘Communities Building Community with Judy O’Bannon.’ Our program runs on Public Television in Indiana and this new season will also be shown in Southern Indiana and Kentucky via KET television. Now you know why I am about to burst at the buttons. Many of our stories have come right out of Southern Indiana, and you haven’t been able to see them. I feel like I can again come home and tell of the wonderful and inspiring world I’ve seen.
In the past I’ve been so pleased to hold up for praise the work of marvelous people. I could never have dreamed of such a great opportunity for our communities to get the recognition they deserve and to learn from each other.
When our last season’s show received a regional Emmy Award, it was for a regularly broadcast series in the area of public affairs. This was like a big green flag for me. No more just feel-good stories. We could tackle issues and ideas. And so we are.
Oh, I hope I can do justice to the people, events and communities we have witnessed. We have so much great footage to interpret and edit. I sit in my little TV room in my home and view hours and hours and hours of the most amazing stories. I beg not to wear out before it is through or give in to the easy spinning of a tale. This is why you don’t see me around Corydon much these days!
This season, you will hear testimony to the horrors of persecution and the triumph of the human spirit through the voices of at least seven survivors. You will travel with us to more than a dozen countries and see the interweaving of our differences and similarities as human beings in community. And wait until you see Jane Owen and her beloved town of New Harmony, Ind. We will discuss the new immigrants in our state and examine the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. You will hear folks tell how they healed after discord and disease broke them into pieces. We will together examine the aftermath of the Gulf Coast storm Katrina and look for lessons for our inland cities and towns. Neighborhood, cultural institutions, volunteerism and heritage will be highlighted by Hoosiers who are living the life. And through it all we will see and hear of the generosity and love of people ‘ all kinds of people ‘ in all kinds of places.
The world has a boat load of sorrow and discord today. But it also is overflowing with a desire for peace, a spirit of good will and an undying hope for the future.
I know as I write this column twice a month, I sound like a rusty horn sounding the same tune over and over. I can’t seem to help myself. And my dream is that as you see what we’ve seen and hear what we’ve heard you will feel encouraged and energized in your involvement in this place you call home.
So clear out your easy chair, make yourself some popcorn, and get ready for the series ‘Communities Building Community’ television. We will be moving into your living room soon.