By Althea Greaney, SCTV volunteer
Published: Saturday, August 06, 2011 on foothillsmediagroup.com
Submitted photo. Albert (Buzz) Holmes, a volunteer at Simsbury Community TV for nine years, is the producer of “Our Simsbury,” a half-hour show.
SIMSBURY — Simsbury Community Television recognizes producer Albert (Buzz) Holmes, a man of passion and vision, who, for the past nine years has been able to obtain enough support for SCTV to ensure its future in the Simsbury community.
The half-hour program “Our Simsbury,” which Holmes created, has been a staple on SCTV from October 2002 through today. Wherever he went, Buzz was always talking about SCTV and how important it is for Simsbury to have its own television studio. When Buzz talks with you, his eyes twinkle and you know he is thinking of a new idea.
Failing health has forced Buzz to stop producing “Our Simsbury” and give up his position on the board, but ask him what he wants for SCTV and he’ll tell you: enough money to buy the cameras and equipment needed to keep the volunteers coming in to keep freedom of speech alive and well.
Buzz began ‘Our Simsbury’ after retiring from his job as a Simsbury high school teacher. His plan was to involve as many people as possible in SCTV, so he originally had high school students as his hosts and recruited camera people from among his many acquaintances, family, and friends. Eventually he began recruiting people he would meet shopping to be his host and camera operators. His guests were local people who had interesting hobbies, occupations, or provided services in Simsbury. As time passed, Buzz perfected and streamlined his technique for producing “Our Simsbury” by providing his guests with a document on how to prepare for their appearance. Some shows that appear regularly include the AARP tax program, the Simsbury Fly in, and the Farmington Valley VNA. In 2009, Buzz started filming the Senior Men’s luncheon speakers. He always loved filming the Tariffville Memorial Day Parade, and this year’s rain storm prevented him making this his last parade program.
But creating more than 250 programs for SCTV was not his only contribution. Buzz has been an active member on the SCTV board of directors, and for several years wrote for and obtained grants totaling $83,000 for SCTV. His impassioned pleas for assistance have helped SCTV obtain the cameras and equipment needed to stay active in the Simsbury community, filming events, meetings, and providing Simsbury residents with a forum to speak their mind.
To celebrate his contributions to SCTV and give Simsbury residents a chance to review some of the programs Buzz has created, SCTV will be replaying many of his programs next weekend, Aug 6 and 7, and you can also view some of “Our Simsbury” programs on-demand at www.simsburytv.org.