By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

Congressman Gary Palmer is creating a documentary film series for Alabama Congressional District 6, which includes Chilton County.

Palmer recounted how he was raised in a small town without a traffic light, and how this contributed to his affinity for small towns. The goal of the project is to tell the story of the counties the Congressman represents and draw visitors and businesses to small towns.

“We want to drop in interesting things that will make people say ‘I’d like to drive down there,’” said Palmer.

The idea for the series was inspired by Absolutely Alabama with Fred Hunter, according to Palmer.

The videos will share a common format, going through each county’s history and moving on to discuss its infrastructure, economy and culture.

One film has already been made for Bibb County, and a couple more counties’ videos are scheduled before Chilton County’s can be completed. The project has been ongoing for about eight months, according to Palmer, because there is so much research and planning to do.

Chilton County will be included in the series and, when its time comes, will have plenty to offer viewers.

“I know we’ll be talking about peaches,” said Palmer. He plans to expose interesting topics that are important to Chilton County like the Peach Festival, the new hospital and the town’s economy.

There are also plans to follow up the county videos with videos focusing on the individual cities. These videos will be more zoned in on the stories of the community.

“Everybody ought to have a chance to have their story told,” said Palmer