The documentary film, “Wardensville: Tales from Tiny Town” will be featured in a special screening for the public at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester, Virginia, on Saturday, August 22, 2026. The film weaves a tapestry of stories, photos and memories from 31 local individuals and area archives to celebrate the life of growing up in the small town of Wardensville, West Virginia. The film received the “Best Writing Award” at the Martinsburg Apollo Film Festival in 2025.
Some of these “tales” include the devastating town fire in the 1940s that prompted the founding of Wardensville’s Capon Valley Fire Department — and how, decades later, that fire department fought the massive wildfires that struck the George Washington National Forest in March of 2024. The film includes first-person remembrances of attending a one-room school and in one case, what it was like being the first African American female to graduate from Wardensville School. Some of these “tales” include the devastating town fire in the 1940s that prompted the founding of Wardensville’s Capon Valley Fire Department — and how, decades later, that fire department fought the massive wildfires that struck the George Washington National Forest in March of 2024. The film includes first-person remembrances of attending a one-room school and in one case, what it was like being the first African American female to graduate from Wardensville School.
There are stories about the history of the Alum Bank school and cemetery, and an account of the longest running pick-up basketball game in the state and its origins at the “Sheep Palace Barn” at the Upper State Farm.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is located at 181 Kernstown Commons Blvd, Winchester, VA 22602. Proceeds from the screening will benefit the Capon Valley Fire Department.
“Wardensville: Tales from Tiny Town” was produced with financial assistance from the WV Department of Arts, Culture & History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission of the Arts, and the Town of Wardensville.
