WAVERLY -- The spirit of giving transcends Christmas among people who care about their community. But the holiday season is an appropriate time of year to premiere a film devoted to philanthropy.

"Waverly -- A Legacy of Giving" will open at the Palace Theatre on Thursday and will continue through the end of December. Admission is free. The 20-minute film captures the history of giving by those who love the city.

"I have a passion for the town," the film's producer Jim Infelt, a Waverly native, said.

Infelt serves on the Waverly Quality of Life Foundation board of directors. He is also a partner in ME&V in Cedar Falls, an in-house production film company. More than a year ago, he offered to create something for his hometown.

"I want to do one on Waverly," Infelt said.

Infelt's partners liked the idea, too, and the agency helped make the film.

"We didn't watch the clock. We put our best people on the job, including Steve Holm, the director," Infelt said.

The film was prepared in Los Angeles by the same production company that worked on "Lord of the Rings."

Infelt and Holm needed authentic historic photos and stories of the town's history and about people who gave back to the community. Mary Cheville, a former employee at the public library, helped create the Waverly Historical Photograph Collection. She provided what they needed.

"I saw the need for it and just took care of it," she said. "Giving and taking care of Waverly isn't brand new."

Most of Waverly's history has been told in one form or another but not in a movie for the big screen. Working on a detailed spreadsheet, Cheville offered 42 instances of unique giving.

"We narrowed it down to six or seven Waverly institutions," she said.

Infelt and Holm scouted locations to film Waverly as it was in 1851. Moviegoers familiar with the community will recognize Babcock Woods and Bremer County Conservation Park.

Founder William Harmon, an immigrant from Maine, settled on the area because the river offered a good site for a sawmill. When the Civil War broke out, he offered land as an incentive for men to enlist. Harmon died after only living in Waverly 10 years.

Others followed his legacy of giving with a vision of improving the community. In l904, four newspaper men -- J. F. Grawe, George Grossman, W. H. Tyrell and C. W. Miller -- saw the need for a power plant. With an investment of $13,500, they built the plant and later turned it over to the city. Today, Waverly Light and Power is a $40 million enterprise celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Jim Lynch, Grawe's great-grandson, is a native of Waverly and has seen "A Legacy of Giving."

"The movie conveys what a special place Waverly is. It's time to share our community with the world," Lynch said.

The film includes black and white historical footage and testimonials from people who call Waverly home -- Glenn Cannon, Jim Rathe, Ed Droste, Ron Matthias, Kelly Bowels, Fred Hagemann, Jeff Plagge, Susy Johnson, John Kurtt, Sue Taiber and Wilbur Schield. Cal Corson appears on behalf of the Corson Family Endowment Fund, created in 2001 by his late father Jim Corson.

But the film's credits include another large and important force: The people of Waverly.

The spirit of giving will continue during each showing: A Quality of Life Foundation board member will attend each session to answer questions from the audience.

Mayor Ike Ackerman liked what he saw.

"This film accurately shows the type of community we were back to the W. P. Harmon days and how the town has carried forward the legacy of Waverly he started," he said.