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Thursday February 09 2012
Charlie Birger
Charlie Birger

click to enlarge and to read photo caption and credit

Rick Gardner displays his trusty shotgun, used in reenactments in Buncombe, IL at the Lick Creek General Store.


 Posing in front of their 1927 Hupemobile, Mr. and Mrs. Don Raush of Pinckneyville (far right) stand with (L-R) reenactors Mick Davis, Candace Wells, and Sam Daugherty. Photo: Mark Wetstein. Taking a quick break during the reenactments at the Lick Creek General Store in Buncombe, Tracey Webb (middle left), theater director at Rend Lake College, and her student watch what is being taped on the monitor feed. A refurbished beauty, this 1929 Buick owned by Mike Stanart of McLeansboro was used in several reenactments during the documentary.
In a scene right out the 1920s, four men gamble in a reenactment of a speakeasy/roadhouse at the Lick Creek General Store in Buncombe, IL.




 Patience counts! Matt Booker knows that he must be at his most alert during the scene, so while the crew is repositioning themselves, Matt catches some shut-eye. Photo taken by Mark Spitsock during a reenactment at the Williamson County Historical Society Museum in Marion. The WSIU crew and volunteers prepare to shoot a reenactment of a shoe store at the Williamson County Historical Society in Marion. A quick reenactment involving the Shady Rest generator where WSIU's own Mike Vendl actually got a period generator to run and generate electricity! Grant Morrow and Jonathan Fuschi look on. Photo: Mark Spitsock.
During a reenactment in front of the township hall in Benton, IL; Rick Gardner (L) and his friend grab a minute to snap a picture with a replica tommy gun. The Clark gas station (behind) on E. Main provided much needed power.


 David Kidd (L), senior producer, and Grant Morrow (R), associate producer, determine how they are going to shoot a reenactment of tommy guns being fired at the Elite Firearms testing range in Paducah, KY. Will Garretson and his David Kidd and Robert Rea take a minute for a candid photo while finishing up reenactments at the Franklin County Historic Jail in Benton, IL.
In a crazy switcharoo, the sealed trap door was taken out of the reconstructed gallows at the Franklin County Historic Jail in Benton, IL and replaced for a short time with a functioning one that was actually used back in the 1920s, on loan from the White County Historical Society in Carmi, IL.

 Cold days don't stop shoots, and on November 30, 2002, Scott Ollar, a repelling and climbing enthusiast, uses his expertise to be dropped a few feet in a reenactment of the hanging of Charlie Birger at the Franklin County Historic Jail in Benton, IL. Mark Wetstein, WSIU TV Production Coordinator, and Mike Vendl, WSIU TV Producer and Uplink Operator, prepare for a scene that involves blowing up Charlie Birger's safe.
WSIU Public Broadcasting, Carbondale, Illinois 62901-4306, 618-453-4343
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