A 1971 photo of the four Crow children, taken before their adoption by the Billing family.
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| A 1971 photo of the four Crow children, taken before their adoption by the Billing family. |
New at this year’s Canal Days Celebration is the inaugural event for the newly constituted Community Arts and Lecture Series, a program which seeks to highlight the many and varied accomplishments of current and former area residents.
For the 2009 Canal Days Celebration, the Community Arts and Lecture Series (CALS) has invited former resident Mr. Chris Billing, a documentary film maker and former Beijing Bureau Chief for NBC News, to show his film, Lost Sparrow. Mr. Billing’s film documents the events surrounding the deaths of his two adoptive brothers who were killed on the railroad tracks near Little Falls on the morning of June 27, 1978.
On June 26, 1978, the two Crow Indian children ran away from their adoptive family, the Billings,
who occupied the Burrell Overlook Mansion, a sprawling 19 th Century Castle which had more than enough room to
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A 1972 family photo, taken shortly after the four Crow Indian children, Bobby, Lana, Tyler and Janelle, were adopted. |
accommodate the ten Billings children; four biological and six adopted. Many long-time residents will remember the shocking news on that June 27 th morning that Bobby and Tyler were struck and killed by a freight train near Little Falls, prompting many to ask why these two children ran away from an environment so seemingly compassionate and safe.
The film, as Mr. Billing writes, is his “journey to bring Bobby and Tyler home and confront the painful truththat shattered his family.” Following the film, Richard Buckley, Author and Little Falls native, will host a discussion where audience members are invited to ask questions of Mr. Billing. The event will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, August 6 at the Valley Cinema in Little Falls, with a $5 suggested donation. The donation covers the costs of this year’s event and future CALS events. Due to the expected popularity of the film, advance sale tickets can be purchased for $5 at Valley Cinema, the Little Falls Family YMCA or through Tracy Coulson. Due to the sensitive nature of the film content, it is not recommended for those under 13.
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| An undated photo of the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, home to the Billing family |
The official film site, which contains family photographs and a film trailer, is www.lostsparrowmovie.com. For more information, or to suggest candidates for future CALS events, contact Tracy Coulson at 315-508-4355.
This event is funded in part from a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.