Something occurred at the Meadow Mall last week that should make members of this close-knit community proud.

An event that began at 6 p.m. under a tent outside Camden National Bank and ended at around 8:45 in the Harbor Theatre was a one-of-a-kind happening for Boothbay Harbor, and should be the start of putting the town on the map of film-making in Maine.

Sept. 8 marked the world premiere of the film, “Walking Home, Part 1,” by Boothbay Harbor native Ryan Leighton, with a lot of help from BRCTV’s Cody Mitchell.

The 45-minute documentary is about a father and son, Boothbay Harbor natives Steve and Karl Berger, who trekked the Appalachian Trail in 2015. It was a little over a six-month journey, starting on March 15 at Amicalola Falls at Springer Mountain in Georgia. They hiked the entire 2,181 miles, through 14 states, to Mount Katahdin.

Leighton joined the two in Tennessee and hiked with them for a week to Virginia, then met up with them later in Vermont for a week, and finally on Mount Katahdin, covering a total of 480 miles while documenting the adventure.

When Leighton met up with the Bergers in Tennessee, they were hiking around 15 miles a day. “That doesn't seem like a lot, but with a 30 to 40-pound pack, hiking up 4,000-foot mountains, it's arduous work,” he said. But when he met up with them again in Vermont, they had worked up to 18 to 24 miles a day. “That damn near killed me, trying to keep up with them.”

Steve Berger is over 60. Leighton said fewer than 500 people over 60 have hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. “He's part of an exclusive group. I realized after making the film that I could never have done what they did. And the fact that they did it as father and son is remarkable.

“Karl and Steve hiked the full 2,181 miles. I only did 480.”

Karl Berger said there were plenty of both physical and mental hardships, but that he and his father had been preparing for months in advance, and they were pretty well-prepared for their journey. “You can put the physical stuff in the back of your head, until it becomes a real problem, like serious foot, joint, knee and/or back problems,” he said. “My father lost a handful of toenails, and his feet were pretty hurt, but that can all get put aside. What is really difficult is convincing yourself to keep on trucking. And we persevered.”

The Bergers were equipped with iPhones and a GoPro camera from the time they started, and a lot of the footage used in the film was from their own videos and recordings. “I filled in the blanks with my own footage,” Leighton said.

Emily Leonard was another shining star in the film. From Lowell, Maine, Leonard went by the trail name Mama Black Bear. “She was kind of a mother figure and liked to take care of people on the trail,” Leighton said. “When I met her she took care of me as well.” Leonard was in the audience during the premiere.

Part 1, which ended at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, the exact halfway point of the Appalachian Trail, took Leighton a year and a half to produce. It was labor-intensive, but clearly a labor of love. “Undertaking a film like this by myself — the filming, editing, directing, producing — was a gargantuan task,” he said. “It was an experiment for me as a filmmaker to see if I could even do it.”

And Leighton said he couldn’t have done it without Mitchell’s expertise. “I’m not all that handy with a camera. Cody was the brains behind the ‘behind the scenes’ part of making the film. He did a lot of the aerial cinematography. I know how to edit as a story teller and can get by, but Cody has a vast knowledge of cinematography and technical things.”

Karl Berger said he didn’t know what to expect when he sat down in the theater. “I thought it was great. I’m curious to see how it wraps up because I know how it ends, but it will be interesting to see what another person’s perspective is on the greater story and the thought lines following the four of us — my father, myself, Black Bear and Eric (Lorraine).

Volunteers helped set up the tent outside Camden National Bank, and decorated the area with trees and shrubs from Boothbay Region Greenhouses and Conley's Garden Center, transforming it into a virtual Appalachian Trail site. Michelle Amero, who is employed by the Boothbay Harbor Country Club, was in charge of Event Design.

Other volunteers included BRCTV treasurer Anya Heyl, Jeromey House, Savannah Simmons-Grover, Sally Bullard, Anya Heyl, Dick Reid, Lori Renoylds, Tom Dewey and Desiree Scorcia.

Heyl, who was hands-on throughout the whole event, said Camden National Bank and Jason Sheckley were invaluable in their help and support, and Ralph Smith “as always, was extremely generous and helped us with the bar set-up and provided us with the dynamic bar-tending duo of Jen and Will.”

Hors d’oeuvres and an open bar helped get attendees in the mood for an entertaining evening.

The event was one in a long list featuring music, food, entertainment, wellness, fashion and art, during the fifth annual, 10-day festival, Boothbay Region Harbor Fest, thanks in great part to event originator and organizer Lori Reynolds and her business, One Event Productions.

The premiere was sponsored by Camden National Bank, Harbor Theatre, Conley’s Garden Center, Boothbay Region Greenhouses, East Boothbay General Store, Little Village Bistro, Mine Oyster, A Maine Wedding, Wannawaf, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Coastal Maine Popcorn, Harborside Tavern and Boothbay Harbor Fest.

The second half of the documentary is in the works, and Leighton said the entire film, including both parts 1 and 2, will be shown at the Harbor Theatre sometime in October. Everyone who bought a ticket to the first part is invited to attend the final showing.

Over 50 tickets were sold, and $4,200 was raised. All the proceeds will go to BRCTV.

“We hope to grow the BRCTV Film Fest into an annual event and something that people will look forward to every year,” Anya Heyl said.

Leighton said ‘Walking Home’ is the first full-length documentary to ever come out of the Boothbay region, and he’s proud of his accomplishment.

At the close of the film, Leighton was rewarded with a standing ovation.

“It was a good feeling to be in the spotlight for a little while. It's also terrifying to premiere your own work in front of a hundred or more people. I got my 15 minutes of fame.”

SIDE BAR: What some folks had to say about “Walking Home”

A Maine Wedding‘s Sally Bullard had this to say about the film: “Even though we only saw Part 1, what we did see was incredible — especially on the big screen. Three members of our community — two who walked the whole trail, and one who documented it — simply beautiful. We do need to keep Ryan here to continue to tell stories — I can't wait for Part 2!”

Rick Prose, executive director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, agreed. “It’s always hard to objectively judge a film made by and starring local talent, particularly if they’re people you know, but I’m pretty sure that ‘Walking Home’ is a documentary that will appeal to folks from anywhere. It was obviously a labor of love, and I think that shows. Seeing Ryan and Cody, kids I’ve watched grow up, tackle such a big project and do it so professionally was the best part of the event for me.”

“The BRCTV premiere presentation of 'Walking Home' was wonderful,” said local businessman Tony Heyl. “The cinematography is stunning, great soundtrack, wonderful human interest story, starring local characters. My hat's off to producer Ryan Leighton, cinematographer Cody Mitchell, station manager Jonne Trees, Steve and Karl Berger, and supporting cast, and all involved in what is probably BRCTV 's most interesting and professional production yet.”