LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A red-carpet reveal is coming for the locally produced Fries Rebellion docudrama.
The premiere gala will be 4 p.m. Aug. 25 at Wind Creek Bethlehem casino.
Early bird tickets are listed at $129, and are now available until June 9 at the Lower Macungie Township Historical Society website.
Afterward, full-price tickets to the gala will be $149.
The gala will include drinks, music, seated dinner, behind-the-scenes presentations and a screening of the film.
"I don't know if any other films feature the Valley in a historical way like this, with such depth about our local history and featuring a Pennsylvania German culture."Lower Macungie Historical Society President Sarajane Williams
Funds raised as a result of the premiere event will be used to help pay to distribute the film to other nonprofits and media outlets.
Producers are developing distribution plans, including making the film an educational tool available to school districts in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The production team is developing an educational guide to accompany the film.
Scriptwriter and Lower Macungie Historical Society President Sarajane Williams said final edits now are being done, and she said she was thankful for all who have supported the film.
"I don't know if any other films feature the Valley in a historical way like this, with such depth about our local history and featuring a Pennsylvania German culture," Williams said.
"So I think it's going to be quite a legacy film for us, and we should all be celebrating it, not just because it's our project.
"When you learn about your history, and you have some roots and you appreciate where you live, you take care of it, so that's the next step in what we need to preserve our community."
She said Wind Creek was selected because of the greater capacity than a prior fundraising gala, which has sold out.
A lot of time and work
Lower Macungie Township Historical Society worked to get the 30-minute, professionally produced and edited film made with production companies In the Wee Hours and ubiFire Video Productions of Allentown.
The film kicked off a fundraising tour last summer after the successful filming of a teaser scene, and wrapped filming in March.
On the premiere of the trailer, the budget for the film was estimated to be about $300,000.
Funds were raised from local government grants, individual contributors, local businesses and nonprofits throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Penned as "a film about self-discovery and political protest in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley," the movie focuses on the Fries Rebellion, an armed anti-tax revolt that arose from Pennsylvania Dutch farmers in 1799.
It lasted about a year during President John Adams' administration and was led by auctioneer and Revolutionary War veteran John Fries (pronounced "Freeze").
The film explores the places and events of the Fries Rebellion seen through the eyes of a modern schoolgirl and historical flashbacks, both in the buildup to the rebellion and the crackdown by the fledgling federal government.
The film uses many regional historical locations, such as Emmaus' 1803 House, the Bethlehem Sun Inn and Quakertown's Red Lion Inn.
The film is being pursued as a part of nationwide celebrations of the United States' 250th anniversary in 2026.
