Movie extras gather for early showing of ‘Big Stone Gap'

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WJHL – Big Stone Gap will be rolling out the red carpet this weekend as it celebrates the opening of a Hollywood film named after the Southwest Virginia town.

The movie depicts life in the small town in the late 1970s. Much of the film was shot in Southwest Virginia, and most of the extras are folks that live in Big Stone Gap.

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Hundreds of those extras got together to see if they could catch a glimpse of themselves on the big screen.

"I played one of the wives, or family members that went to the hospital after the mining accident in Appalachia," Carla Kincer was an extra in the film.

"We're really excited about whether or not we're going to see ourselves, or if we got cut from the movie," said Dan Minahan, who was also an extra.

Many of the folks we spoke with said they're excited to see a movie about their home town make it to the big screen.

"Everything that was filmed was filmed right around where I was born and raised and where I went to high school, during the time that I went to high school, so it's just a really neat thing," Kincer said.

Roxanne Wheeler drove 400 miles to see the premiere. "All the places I grew up, my first job was at mutual pharmacy when I was 15, I was raised on the lonesome pine stage," she said.

Mary Swinney, who got to the drive-in 5 hours early to be the first in line, said she hopes the film show the true heart of Big Stone Gap.

"It's home, it's people, it's family, it's neighbors helping each other," Swinney said.

"It's such a small town, but it's just a beautiful place, beautiful people, kind, friendly people," Kincer told News Channel 11.

Saturday in Big Stone Gap, movie enthusiasts can enjoy a 7:00 am pancake breakfast, a 5K race beginning at Trinity United Methodist Church at 8:30 am, and a movie event parade around 10:00 am that will travel through the heart of town.

There will also be a special event at noon at the Southwest Virginia Museum where the author of the book and writer of the movie Adriana Trigiani will be in attendance.