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commitment, energy, and joy, person and place are the same. Mailloux ran her restaurant with pride in its appearance and its authentic Swiss dishes, and she held her staff to high standards. At the same time, she brought a sense of fun to all of it. Her family remembers her dancing, singing, yodeling, and laughing. The title of the film refers to the circumstances of her birth—you’ll have to watch to hear the story—but also to her love of life, a love that invigorated all of Helvetia. Lehmann and Lacocque weave loving footage of the landscape and the restaurant in among interviews with family and residents and with music of all kinds—including, yes, a little West Virginia–style yodeling. Taken together, the film paints a picture of a place that has truly rediscovered its roots. Mailloux died in 2011 boss and mayor and pretty much everyone’s role model,” says granddaughter-in-law Jerianne Davis, who works at the restaurant. “She was just one of the most lively spirits I’ve ever known,” says her grandsonWillie. “A wise person, inspiring to a lot of people around her.” Although Mailloux had a lot of life left in her when her time ended, she did find satisfaction in the results of her life’s work. In the same interview where she observed that the community had been “slipping” 50 years earlier, she added with a twinkle in her eye, “All they needed was somebody that wanted to do something about it.” Born in a Ballroom premiered in January at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. You can see it on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and other platforms—or buy it on Blu-ray at borninaballroom.com . written by pam kasey at the age of 93 and is much missed. “She was like the matriarch of Helvetia and kind of the
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