Shelby in focus for film by native

SHELBY - A Shelby native has created a documentary film paying homage to his native community.

George Thelen, a television major at San Francisco State University and a 1992 Shelby High School graduate, made the 45-minute program highlighting Shelby for its 125th anniversary, which was celebrated in May.

Included in "Shelby, An Original Documentary of a Small Nebraska Town," is the history of the farming community shown through interviews with residents, archival footage and historical photographs.

Thelen, whose family was one of the original families settling in Shelby from Germany in the 1860s, said creating a historical film about the village had interested him for some time.

"This was always in the back of my mind. I wanted to do it but never had an excuse to do it," Thelen said.

The excuse finally came when the 30-year-old visited Shelby during its anniversary celebration. A book and a video was complied about the village, but Thelen took it upon himself to create a more in-depth look at Shelby.

Thelen, son of George and Cindy Thelen of Shelby, had always been interested in history, especially the history of his family. That was sparked by his grandfather, Hubert George Thelen, who shared many stories about the past with him.

"I had a pretty good understanding (about Shelby) from my grandfather passing down oral stories," Thelen said.

It was the older generation of people like his grandfather whom Thelen sought out for the documentary.

"I wanted to include everything that really made the town of Shelby what it is today. The most difficult thing was deciding what not to include," Thelen said.

Trying to cram 125 years of history into 45 minutes was difficult, but the final product captures the struggles and accomplishments that early pioneers went through when establishing the town.

It took about seven months of research, including gathering the photographs and conducting interviews for the documentary. Because he lives in California, Thelen had to have a lot of help to do research and gather information which was sent to him electronically or through the mail. Many of the interviews were conducted over the phone and filler footage was shot at the anniversary celebration.

This was his first foray into documentary making, and since the project was released to coincide with the anniversary, Thelen said he has received favorable responses.

"There has been a lot of positive feedback from the older generation and that is really important because they are the ones who lived it."

Even though he said he knew a lot about Shelby, the project made Thelen even more appreciative of his roots and he now has a greater understanding of what people went though.

"I sort of got the feeling that we take for granted the struggles that really went into establishing these communities in the 1800s. They were coming from all over the world where they might have been the only German family and other people there were speaking a different language. And we think we have it rough now," Thelen said.

The documentary is available on DVD and VHS and can be purchased through the Shelby Clerk's office at 527-5198.

Through the documentary, Thelen said he wants those who live in Shelby and in other small towns to be aware of the challenges faced by those who helped build those communities.

"I hope people see the value. The stories are important and need to be told. ... I hope they take pride in where they are from. I'm very proud of where I'm from because of the struggles people had who came here."

Reach Julie Blum at 563-7535 or jblum@columbustelegram.com.