Documentary on 'National Barn Dance' screening in Schaumburg

For almost four decades, WLS radio and television's "National Barn Dance" was one of Chicago's biggest exports in entertainment, featuring stars such as Gene Autrey, George Gobel, Pat Buttram, and Bob Atcher before he became Schaumburg's first mayor in 1959.

A documentary about that period, "The Hayloft Gang," will screen at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court.

The one-hour documentary is narrated by Garrison Keillor, host of NPR's popular show "A Prairie Home Companion." It will be presented by Producer/Director Stephen Parry, who will host a question-and-answer session after the film's screening.

Through the lens of the "National Barn Dance," the film weaves rare performance footage, home movies, and candid photographs with firsthand accounts from fans and performers to chronicle a changing America, from the Great Depression through the hardships of World War II, and leading up to an increasingly urbanized America.

Tickets are $10 at www.prairiecenter.org, or (847) 895-3600.

The program is sponsored by the Prairie Center Arts Foundation.