***For Immediate Release***
You can now purchase the DVD on our site.. Go back to the home page and click on store,, it is in the upper right hand corner….. Then in the category section click on touchdown in the heartland.
***For Immediate Release***
Friday Night October 23rd, Casey’s General Stores will present a check in the amount of $5,500 to the Ed Thomas Family Foundation(edthomasfamilyfoundation.org). The check will be presented at the end of the first quarter of AP’s final home game. The amount comes from the sales of the DVD “Touchdown in the Heartland” that Casey’s has sold. Casey’s still has a few left at various locations. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Documentary please E-mail us at kimsports@msn.com and we will inform you how to purchase the DVD in the near future. DDB
***For Immediate Release***
“Touchdown in the Heartland” Honors Parkersburg Community and Coaching Legend Ed Thomas
August 26, 2009 (Ankeny, Iowa) – A documentary covering the events of the Aplington Parkersburg 2008 football season will be showcased on ESPN, at the Iowa Hall of Pride, and will be available for sale at Casey’s General Stores statewide in Iowa. Portions of the DVD sales are going to the Ed Thomas Foundation. Casey’s hopes to have the DVD in stock in early September. The two-hour documentary “Touchdown in the Heartland” was completed prior to the loss of Coach Ed Thomas. Now, with the blessing of the Thomas family, Keep it Memorable Sports, Casey’s General Stores, The Iowa Hall of Pride and WOI-ABC-5 are all working together to support this documentary.
ESPN will air part of the documentary during the pre-game of their Broadcast of the Aplington-Parkersburg vs. Dike-New Hartford football opener at 6 pm CST, Friday August, 28th.
In central Iowa, ABC-5 will simulcast the ESPN broadcast. The Friday Night Blitz and Blitz Extra shows will follow the broadcast with more live coverage of the game and a special look back at Aplington-Parkersburg vs. Emmetsburg Quarterfinal Game from last season.
The Iowa Hall of Pride will also pay tribute to Coach Ed Thomas throughout the football season. The Documentary and several other video clips will be on Display along with other memorabilia honoring Coach Thomas.
ABOUT “TOUCHDOWN in the HEARTLAND”
In just 34 seconds 220 houses were knocked to the ground, 22 businesses destroyed and six people died.
The high school and the Ed Thomas Football Field was the heart of the small town, also taken by the tornado. It was the home of one of the best football programs in the state of Iowa.
The idea to create this documentary was to capture the Aplington-Parkesburg football team and its role in the rebuilding and rebirth of a community.
Aplington-Parkersburg High School Football Coach Ed Thomas stands in the center of this amazing story. Despite the devastation, Thomas encouraged everyone that the Falcon football team would take the field for their first home game. His perseverance generated a spirit of pride that brought the community together, and helped everyone move forward.
Thomas coached for 37 years. His teams won two state championships, made the playoffs 19 times…and four of his former players are currently in the NFL.
Upon the completion of this documentary, Coach Ed Thomas was tragically killed.
Keep it Memorable Sports covers Iowa sports through the minds of the athletes and captures the heartfelt moments found on the sidelines and behind the scenes. Since 2001, KIMS is a leader in preserving high school sports for years to come.
4:59 pm May 25th, 2008 a Tornado hit the Town of Parkersburg, Iowa.
Parkersburg is a strong Iowa community. The high school is the heart of the town, and now it was gone. In just 34 seconds 220 houses were knocked to the ground, 22 businesses destroyed and 6 people died in a category EF5 tornado.
“Touchdown In the Heartland” is a documentary that will honor those lost and those that sacrificed their time and resources to rebuild Parkersburg in a very special way. The success of the Falcon football team helped drive this spirit that has revived this small Iowa farm town.
Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach, Ed Thomas stands in the center of this amazing story. Thomas has coached for 37 years. His teams have two state championships, four runner-up finishes, and made the playoffs 19 times…He also has four former players in the NFL. Now watch as Coach Thomas and his falcons help inspire hope for their town as it rebuilds from the destruction.
Look back on the first home game
Highlights from Falcons first Game @ Dike
