The McCleary Historical Society and the McCleary Timberland Library are hosting “Grays Harbor Happenings: the Newsreels of C.D. Anderson” on the big screen.

The event, scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon at the library Saturday, March 24, is appropriate for teens and adults.

The documentary highlights the discovery of newsreel footage of the 1920s from Grays Harbor County, the preservation of the films and a community embracing its history. It is produced, written, and directed by Ann Coppel, with narration by Grant Goodeve of the popular KING-TV series “Northwest Backroads.”

The project is the result of efforts by staff of the University of Washington Special Libraries to restore 53 deteriorating 35mm nitrate newsreels found in a commercial storage unit in Seattle.

Once archivists learned the films chronicled events from Grays Harbor, they contacted local researcher Roy Vataja who combed through more than a decade’s worth of microfilm of old Daily World articles to track down information about the events.

In addition to the half-hour movie, view clips of restored footage showing historic local events such as the dedication of Finch Playfield, the raising of the Harbor Queen, a wedding performed at the county fairgrounds in front of thousands of witnesses and other noteworthy celebrations.

After the screening, the McCleary Historical Society will have displays of historic items from the newsreels time period, and there will be time to share personal stories of local history.

Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the McCleary Timberland Library.