Ariz. joins national PBS movement to learn Gettysburg Address

Eight, Arizona PBS welcomes Arizonans to relive the Gettysburg Address through the premiere of "The Address," a 90-minute, feature-length documentary by Ken Burns, at 8 p.m., April 15, on Eight HD.

The film tells the story of a tiny school in Putney, Vt., the Greenwood School, where each year, the students are encouraged to practice, memorize and recite the Gettysburg Address. "The Address" also focuses on unlocking the history, context and importance of President Lincoln’s most powerful address.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, documentarian Ken Burns, along with numerous partners, has launched a national effort to encourage everyone in America to video record himself or herself reading or reciting the speech.

The collection of recordings on www.learntheaddress.org already features all five living U.S. presidents reciting the address, as well as a variety of major figures from politics, business, entertainment and public service. The collection will continue to grow, and everyone in the United States is encouraged to submit a recording.

Eight, Arizona PBS is spearheading an effort to encourage Arizonans to submit videos. Arizona Horizon host Ted Simons and U.S. Congressman for Arizona David Schweikert were among the first to have submitted videos of themselves reciting the address.

Eight encourages all Arizonans to take part by visiting www.azpbs.org/theaddress and uploading their own video. A widget hosted on the site will automatically upload any entries submitted via the Eight, Arizona PBS site to the national PBS website, as well. The state with the most entries will win a national contest hosted by PBS. And Eight is also offering prizes of up to $100 to spend at www.pbs.org for video submissions in various categories, including best overall, and:

• youngest person

• oldest person

• historical dress

• filmed at the Grand Canyon

• Picacho Peak (site of a Civil War battle)

• museum

• on water

• school assembly

• in the desert

• in snow

Prizes provided in the Eight, Arizona PBS “Learn The Address” contest are offered courtesy of a grant from WETA Washington, D.C.