Before fireworks take to the sky in Richmond on July 3 and Wellman on July 4, a locally-produced video will be shown paying tribute to veterans and their stories.

John Choate, owner of Storyline Multimedia out of Kalona, came up with the idea after wanting to capture the service of his grandfather, Don Choate, a Korean War veteran. Unfortunately, Choate was unable to bring this project to fruition following his grandfather’s passing last year. Carrying a sense of regret, Choate decided to channel these feelings towards a new endeavor and provide this opportunity for veterans in the Kalona and Wellman areas.

Choate shared his plan with KCII, “I talked to Ryan Schlabaugh who is the City Administrator of Kalona. I said I have this idea of what if we captured local veterans’ stories and we did a tribute piece before the Fourth of July show. We did eight interviews. We’re compiling those and we’re gonna do a tribute to local veterans that plays before the fireworks show both nights.”

In addition to debuting the video in Richmond on July 3 and Wellman the following night, copies of the final product will be given to the veterans who participated as well as their families. Choate hopes that the video will preserve the stories of these individuals, something he had wished for his own family.

Storyline Multimedia was started in 2019 by Choate and his wife, Emily. The media company produces a variety of content, including podcasts, commercials, and YouTube videos. To view their work, or to have your story told, visit storylinemultimedia.com.