Internet advertisement for horses leads to family acting stint

When 11-year-old Kallie Dalton of Sparta opened a "Mandie book" and became entranced with her ventures, little did she know that she and her family, as well as family horses and the family cat. would one day take part in a Mandie movie.

Mother Mechelle Dalton stated her family's trek into becoming a part of "Mandie and the Secret Tunnel" when she placed an ad for a colt that she had for sale on the Internet.

"The producer of the movie, Joy Chapman, contacted me because they were going to be filming at Stone Mountain and wondered if we had any horses for rent," Dalton remembers. "Then, it evolved from that, we got to be extras in the movie."

The Experience

Each family member commented their first foray into the movie biz was a positive one. Over the course of the filming, the cast filmed locally at Stone Mountain State Park, Brinegar Cabin and Doughton Park. Other sites the cast filmed included Moses Cone Estate in Banner Elk, Chinquapin Mansion, Maggie Valley and Mt. Airy.

Father Andy Dalton admitted he would not have participated as an extra in the film had it not been for the encouragement of his wife. His favorite part was "just being in the movie and seeing how everything goes," he said. "It's kind of amazing to watch."

Mrs. Dalton added, "He had never really ridden a horse before, so he had to have a crash course on horseback riding. He's really sore today because he had to gallop a lot yesterday. I was very proud of him...he did not fall off."

She stated the family was paid for the rental of horses Sandy, Oreo and Skedaddle, but as far as payment for their time, "We didn't really get paid that much, but it was good experience."