Noel Julnes-Dehner, Documentary Film Producer
Hosted by Larry and Rhonda Sheakley, Downtown Business District
As a documentary filmmaker, Noel Julnes-Dehner’s focuses on human interest stories. Before producing, Coming Home from the Streets, she watched many films about women trapped in prostitution. She noticed that most were about trafficking rather than the direct, personal accounts from those in the situation. Her film, Coming Home from the Streets, rises above the rest; the women and their struggles for a better life shine through. After showing the film, Julnes-Dehner will lead a discussion about this issue and local efforts to help combat it.
The Sheakley Building was built around 1850 for Capt. Christopher G. Pearce. The façade, one of the few remaining examples of its type, is an early Italianate style with horizontally incised Portsmouth or Buena Vista sandstone. From the late 1870’s to 1920, it housed the family of James Dunn Lehmer, a prominent merchant. When the neighborhood declined as a residential area, the townhouse became home to a group of American Legion and veteran’s organizations until 1960, when it became the headquarters for the Academy of Medicine. Purchased by Larry Sheakley in 2007 for his business, it has been restored to its original historical appearance on the first floor, and the second floor has been transformed into an art gallery. Hors d’oeuvre and beverages will be served.