The first episode of “This Old House in Londonderry,” a series featuring the renovation of the Naylor House in the Town Center, is nearly ready to hit the air waves.
Starting June 1, the show, produced by high school students in teacher Karen Robinson’s class, will air on Comcast Cable Channel 21, the School District’s Educational Channel, at 1 and 9:30 p.m. daily. The episode will also be available on the high school’s YouTube channel.
“The kids were just really professional, they acted like they were really in the business,” said Richard Flier, who completely renovated the home for future rental opportunities. “They took good shots and asked a lot of good questions.”
Flier invited the students to turn his construction site into a set to raise awareness for the historic homes that exist in town and generate pride in the center of town.
Students started shooting in November and just recently wrapped up the first episode, with plans to produce a second episode featuring the conclusion of construction at the site.
Flier said his hope is the series will generate interest in the community for the preservation of old homes in Londonderry, noting the loss of such structures is a major loss to the Town.
In a visitors’ book Flier left in the Naylor House, a local resident thanked him for preserving the home in a note describing her connection to the property.
“I grew up playing in this house. It was our Pastor’s home and his daughter was my best friend. I learned to play piano in the front parlor. Thank you for saving this house!” Cathy Graveline of 197 Pillsbury Road wrote.
Flier, who is also in the process of developing a new home for his family, has expressed interest in renovating other old homes in Londonderry in the coming year.
Students said they hope to continue the relationship with Flier and learned a lot from shooting on location at a real construction site.
“I learned weather is a really important factor in construction work,” said Cindy Miller, a junior Robinson said served as lead producer in the show and who hopes to study video production in college. “It was really cool working on location. We had to take everything into account.”
Miller said she likes the idea of the Naylor House being rented out.
“That way the whole town can enjoy it, it’s there for everyone,” she said.