OHIO COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMMING

Feb 7 at noon: Rosa Parks, Please Keep Your Seat

2012-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Black History Month, Pittsburgh actor Greg Kenney will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, February 7 at noon perform his one man tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks by portraying Just'n Truth, a young man who was on the bus the day Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat. Just'n will provide background to that historic day, then talk about the Civil Rights Movement that followed. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

Keith Maillard's Web Site

2012-01-26T12:09:00.001-08:00

Check out our friend's Keith Maillard's new web site. Nicely designed.

The Lunch With Books Song, featuring Yodeling Dick Brooks

2012-01-24T13:54:00.001-08:00

Here it is: the long-awaited world premier of the Lunch With Books theme song, written and performed by our friend, the legendary yodeling Dick Brooks. Please pass the word to everyone on the planet. Let's help Yodeling Dick and Lunch With Books go viral (or at least bacterial)!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvj9nnmaQV4

January 31: Favorite Sons

2012-01-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Robin Yocum, former Columbus crime reporter and Brilliant Ohio native, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, January 31 at noon to discuss Favorite Sons, his debut novel about a prosecuting attorney who must deal with a mistake and cover-up from his youth. Valley towns such as Steubenville, Martins Ferry, and Mingo Junction are mentioned by name. USA Book News named Favorite Sons the 2011 Book of the Year for Mystery/Suspense. The Akron Beacon-Journal named it one of the best books of 2011. Choose to Read Ohio selected Favorite Sons as a selection for its 2013 and 2014 programs, and the Ohioana Library Association selected Mr. Yocum as a featured author for the annual Ohioana Book Festival in May. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

Jan 24 at noon: Just Another Day in Wormwood

2012-01-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

The residents of Wormwood, West Virginia, have seen their once-thriving town slip into obscurity and decay. Under the abysmal direction of the business and civic leaders, life has sunk to new lows. Of course new ideas are always welcome—as long as they line the pockets of those in charge. So most everyone has pretty much come to accept things as they are. Besides, what else could go wrong in a town with no future? Who would even bother trying to make a bigger mess of things?

Mayor Little Dick Fleming is trying to unload his methane gas-filled coal mines on the city so he can get out from under the enormous cost of fixing them, hopefully before the town goes up in flames—and he wants a convention center built in his honor in the process.Karl Lamb, a self-styled marketing guru and slaughterhouse owner, is making one last desperate attempt to stay afloat financially—by using the town's pets as the key to his demented, cost-reduction solution.

Returning home after his last employer was shut down by the FBI, private investigator Ty Svenson launches his own business from a single-wide trailer with some serious structural issues. As Ty races to solve a murder and prevent a fresh round of civic atrocities, he falls for a former high school classmate—and a twenty-something librarian. While flood waters bear down on the city, Ty's dating dilemmas are resolved on live TV.

It's just another day in Wormwood—and that's the problem.

Robert Van Kirk spent his formative years in a small West Virginia city along the Ohio River, a delightfully quirky spot that inspired this, his first novel. He is a retired investment industry executive who currently lives in New Bern, North Carolina, with his wife, Michelle, and their two dogs.

January 17: More Tales of Wheeling's Frontier Era

2012-01-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

[PLEASE NOTE: The Lunch With Books program featuring violinist Juan Jaramillo, originally scheduled for January 10, 2012 at noon, has been POSTPONED, most likely until summer 2012. Details will be announced when confirmed. We apologize for any inconvenience. -OCPL ]

Joe Roxby will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, January 17 at noon to discuss the new, expanded edition of The Heroic Age: More Tales of Wheeling’s Frontier Era. Co-authored by William Hintzen and illustrated by artist Anne Foreman, the new edition contains an appendix of primary source materials on Fort Henry and Lewis Wetzel, plus in depth analysis of the Foreman massacre, the sieges of 1777 and 1782, and the actual location of Fort Henry. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

PROGRAM CHANGE

2011-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: The Lunch With Books program featuring violinist Juan Jaramillo, originally scheduled for January 10, 2012 at noon, has been POSTPONED, most likely until summer 2012. Details will be announced when confirmed. We apologize for any inconvenience.

OCPL

Ring in the New Year with Yodeling Dick

2011-12-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday January 3 at noon, Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library will welcome back a true American original. Known only to a select few, Richard Bruce Morriale (aka Yodeling Dick Brooks) has been composing, performing, and recording music for over sixty years. Heard over various radio stations in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and West Virginia as a singer, announcer, and D.J., Mr. Brooks will offer a “one-man folk festival,” featuring as many musical instruments as he can bring for a variety of selections, including original songs and interesting commentary. The Famous Baristas of New Martinsville called him “An American Original,” Marty Stuart presented him as “The Real Deal,” and Jay Leno referred to him as “West Virginia’s Best Kept Secret.” Now you can find out why. Ring in the New Year with Yodeling Dick’s “Feast of Sounds.” Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Dec 27: A "Light-Hearted" Career Criminal

2011-12-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

Sisters Debbie Frye and Tracy Mercier, both ex-CIA, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday Dec 27 to tell the fascinating story of their late father and his life of crime. The bizarre story, discovered by the sisters years after their father had died, has ties to the WV Penitentiary at Moundsville and to Wheeling and the local region. The book is described as “a refreshing look at a light hearted criminal, unlike many of the true crime stories on the market today. It is a book about a boy who...grew to become a notorious opportunist whose crimes netted more money than many legendary outlaws.” Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Dec 20 at noon: More Immigrants, Migrants & Neighborhoods...

2011-12-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

Pictures, snacks, good times.

Join the Family.

Next Monday Evening and Tuesday at Noon: Seamus McGraw

2011-12-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

Author of Fracking Bestseller to Appear at Library

Journalist and national bestselling author Seamus McGraw will be at “Fracking Facts” at the Ohio County Public Library on Monday December 12 at 7 PM. He will then present a second program on Tuesday, December 13 at noon at the library’s Lunch With Books series. At 3 PM on the 13^th, McGraw will stop at Books-a Million at the Highlands for a book signing. A bestselling author of national renown, McGraw will discuss his new book, The End of Country, about the battle that ensued after the discovery of Marcellus gas deposits. The conflict pitted corporate America against locals determined to extract their fair share of the windfall-but not at the cost of their way of life. McGraw, a native of the region whose own mother was one of the first to receive a leasing offer, tells the story of the cutthroat dash by petrodollar billionaires to secure drilling leases that will make some poor residents rich, and put the entire community at risk of having its land and water contaminated. About the book, Tom Brokaw said, "The End of Country" is an elegantly written and unsettling account of what can happen when big energy companies come calling in rural America. This cautionary tale should be required reading for all those tempted by the calling cards of easy money and precarious peace of mind. The result too often is bitter feuds, broken dreams, a shattered landscape."

Seamus McGraw is a full-time writer who has seen his work published in Playboy, Reader's Digest, Penthouse, Radar, Spin, and The Forward. He has received the Freedom of Information Award from the Associated Press Managing Editors, as well as honors from the Casey Foundation and the Society of Professional Journalists. McGraw is currently working on a documentary trailer about his family's experiences with the Marcellus shale. He grew up pitching hay and spreading manure on the same fields the gas companies are now prospecting. He still lives in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and four children.

Fracking Facts and Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Fracking Programs

2011-12-05T06:30:00.001-08:00

Thursday December 8 @ 7 PM: The Benefits of Marcellus Shale Fracking: Fact or Fiction?
Ohio County Public Library - Auditorium

Get an alternative view of Marcellus Shale drilling in the local region. Guest speakers Claudia & John Detwiler from the"Marcellus Shale Protest"group out of Pittsburgh, will provide a look at the other side of natural gas drilling (fracking),including an examination of the industry's claims regarding jobs numbers, freedom from dependence on foreign oil, the bridge fuel idea, and impacts on real estate values.

Also, Seamus McGraw (The End of Country) will appear next Monday Dec 12 at 7 and then again on Tuesday Dec 13 at noon. Same location.

Dec 6: The Table My Mother Set

2011-11-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

Theresa DeCaria will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday December 6 at noon discuss what began as a simple project to compile her mother's recipes as a gift for her family and blossomed into a 128 page fully-illustrated cookbook honoring family, food, and tradition. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Get the Blues as the People’s University Concludes

The Ohio County Public Library's People’s University: Music Appreciation series will conclude on Tuesday evening, December 6 at 7:00 PM in the library's auditorium with the Blues: History, Players, Geography, featuring guest lecturer Bruce Wheeler, Executive Director Wheeling Symphony & Heritage Music Bluesfest founder.

The Music Appreciation series is designed to provide an opportunity for adults to learn or refresh their knowledge of music from classical to jazz, blues and other forms of music. The courses are free of charge and meet at 7:00 PM in the library's auditorium. For more information, please call 304-232-0244.

Nov 29: Meredith Mileti

2011-11-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

Pittsburgh based author Meredith Mileti will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday November 29 at noon to discuss her debut novel, Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Next: More Marshall County Patriots & Heroes (also: The Importance of Youth Symphony)

2011-11-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

The first Wheeling Civil War 150 Fashion Show was a great success! 194 people attended, including models and volunteers -- the third highest total for any adult program ever held at the library. Many thanks to Kate Quinn and Judi Hendrickson for their tireless work. Thanks also to PD Gregg for building a terrific set, to Vicky Musicaro and Jean Bailey for the fabulous food, to Ed Phillips for going the extra mile, to all of our volunteers, to our fantastic models and to our dedicated patrons. Many, many, many thanks to all. We hope everyone enjoyed the show. Incidentally, as I was too busy to take photographs, please feel free to email any digitals to lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com

And, of course, the show goes on--Next up at Lunch With Books tomorrow:

Author Gary Rider will return to Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday November 22 at noon to discuss his second volume of Marshall County Patriots and Heroes featuring 140 military profiles and over 80 pictures. The book covers the American Revolution to Afghanistan with stories about POW's and KIA's, including more than sixty World War II veterans' stories, as well as eleven family groups -- husbands & wives, fathers & sons and brothers. Mr Rider will also bring journals and diaries that were used in writing some of the stories, and hopes to have some memorabilia from World War II. Copies of Marshall County Patriots and Heroes will be for sale at: $25.00 Hardback and $20.00 Softback. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

AND then tomorrow evening @7:

The People's University, Music Appreciation series continues with Dr. Matt Inkster on the importance of youth symphony.

A Fashionable Era

2011-11-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Civil War Fashion Show Is Nov. 20

November 12, 2011
The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Ballgowns and bonnets will abound at the Civil War Fashion Show to be held at the Ohio County Public Library, 52 16th St., Wheeling, from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20.

The event is part of the Civil War sesquicentennial observance and will highlight the fashions, including uniforms, of the period.

Organized by the Friends of Wheeling, the Ohio County Public Library and the Wheeling Civil War 150 Commission, the program will include costumes for men, women and children.

Sponsored by a grant from Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp., this program is evidence of the variety and value of the programs that Ohio County Public Library's program director, Sean Duffy, has presented to the community, organizers said.

For this occasion, the auditorium of the library will be transformed into a dazzling stage setting by P.D. Gregg, set designer for Oglebay Institute's Towngate Theatre, who has donated his time and energy to the project.

Stages will provide some of the costumes, but most were designed and made by the participating models. "Making costumes is very difficult and time-consuming, but well worth the effort," said Kate Quinn, who has made several vests, frock coats and gowns for the show.
Quinn, a Friends of Wheeling member, will narrate the program with tidbits of information about why the fashions were made the way they were and how women coped with the voluminous petticoats, hoops and skirts of the period.

Judi Hendrickson, also , a Friends of Wheeling member, is organizing the many models involved in the show. Detailed descriptions of each outfit will give the audience an insight into the types of materials used during the period.

"We are striving to make this as authentic as possible. I think the audience will be delighted with the show and learn a little something at the same time," Hendrickson remarked.

A reception with light refreshments will be held after the fashion show.

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Seating is limited. To assure a seat, send an email message to LunchwithBooks@yahoo.com or call the library at 304-232-0244 by Friday, Nov. 18.

AND Next Tuesday at NOON:

Then on November 22 at noon, Lunch With Books continues with author Gary Rider, who will return to discuss his second volume of Marshall County Patriots and Heroes, featuring 140 military profiles and over 80 pictures. It covers the American Revolution to Afghanistan with stories about POW's and KIA's, including more than sixty World War II veterans' stories, as well as eleven family groups -- husbands & wives, fathers & sons and brothers. Mr Rider will also bring journals and diaries that were used in writing some of the stories, and hopes to have some memorabilia from World War II. Copies of Marshall County Patriots and Heroes be for sale at: $25.00 Hardback and $20.00 Softback.

Then on Tuesday Evening at 7 PM, the People's University, Music Appreciation series continues with Dr. Matt Inkster on the importance of youth symphony.

Next Tuesday: The Cherokee Language and Classical Music

2011-11-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

FIRST AT NOON:

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Travis Henline, site manager of West Virginia Independence Hall, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, November 15 at noon to offer a crash course in the Cherokee Indian language. Henline will use Total Physical Response (TPR), a language teaching method developed at Dartmouth University in order to teach useable language to foreign diplomats in a short period of time. It uses nonverbal cues and is very interactive, requiring lots of student participation. Henline took a ten day immersion course on the Eastern Band Cherokee language using TPR. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

& THEN AT 7 PM: The People's University, Music Appreciation: Classical Music as a Communicative Form and the Composer's Voice with Maestro André Raphel, Wheeling Symphony.

Plus: Volunteers are still needed for the Civil War 150 Fashion Show on Sunday, November 20 from 2-4 pm. Please help!

Nov 8: Critically Acclaimed Author Marie Manilla

2011-11-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

West Virginia author Marie Manilla will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday November 8 to discuss her work, including the acclaimed collection of short stories, Still Life with Plums. A Huntington native, Manilla is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Marshall University, and WVU. Her prize-winning fiction has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Mississippi Review, Prairie Schooner, Calyx Journal, Portland Review, Kestrel, and numerous other journals. Her stories have been collected in Still Life with Plums just out from West Virginia University Press. ForeWord Reviews nominated the collection for Book of the Year in the short story category. Six of the stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and the book was a finalist for the Weatherford Award. Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish, selected her forthcoming novel, Shrapnel, as winner of the Fred Bonnie Award for best first novel. Shrapnel, set in Huntington, not only explores the legacy of war in three generations of the same family, but it examines and dispels inflated stereotypes that outsiders often hold about West Virginians. Marie continues to live in her hometown where she regularly teaches writing and American Literature at Marshall University. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

"Marie Manilla’s Still Life With Plums houses in its pages a repository of heartache and joy. Its soul lies in life’s little moments, somehow still yet perpetually fleeing. Manilla’s words take flight in the mind and dance 'like paper birds in the wind.' Inevitably, the words will root inside the reader, like the memory of a fossil or a Polaroid picture, and once there, they will cease to be still. Just as the people in these stories, they will keep on humming."Glenn Taylor, author of The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist

Nov 1: Photographing Nature

2011-10-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Naturalist Bill Beatty will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday November 1 at noon to provide some insights into the secrets of photographing the natural world. Well known for his study of the local screech owl population, Bill Beatty has been a longtime naturalist with Oglebay Institute and is the founder of a nature programming, photography and education company known as “Wild and Natural.” Bill has forty years of experience as a naturalist and has published three books and numerous magazine articles. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Oct 25: Paranormal Stories

2011-10-24T06:36:00.001-07:00

The Halloween Queen ™ Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday October 25 at noon to share ghost stories and tales of the paranormal. She will also share an amazing Halloween collectibles display in the library’s main display case. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

See You @ the Expo

2011-10-18T12:32:00.001-07:00

First Ohio Valley History Expo to be Held October 22

The first ever Ohio Valley History Expo will be held on Saturday, October 22 from noon until 4:00 pm in the lower level of the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling. The brainchild of Wheeling Area Historical Society president Margaret Brennan, the Expo is being planned and organized by members of the Wheeling Heritage Round-table, a consortium of organizations interested in preserving and promoting local history.

The logo for the Expo, featuring Wheeling's famous Mingo statue, was created by graphic artist Hilary Curto, courtesy West Virginia Northern Community College. A partnership grant to help fund the event was provided by the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation. Additional funding was provided by the Ohio County Public Library.

The Expo will provide a free educational and networking opportunity for those interested in history, preservation and genealogy by providing a one-stop-shop to "meet the experts" in those fields. More than two dozen local groups and individuals will have displays at the Expo, including regional museums, genealogical societies, historical societies, writers, researchers, educators, independent historians, archives and libraries, Representatives will be on hand to answer questions and provide information. Most will have free informational handouts and brochures and some will have books and other items for sale.

The keynote speaker for the Ohio Valley History Expo will be James Alexander Thom, who will speak in the library's auditorium at 1:00 PM. A book signing will follow.

In addition to bestsellers like Follow the River, and Panther in the Sky, Mr. Thom has written, The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction. and is at work on a new book, a sequel to 2007's St. Patrick's Battalion, which includes looks at the Sultana disaster, President Lincoln's assassination and funeral, and the tragedy of Andersonville prison, among other topics.

Mr. Thom's novels have sold millions of copies. Follow the River, the story of a young Virginia woman's 1000 mile escape from her Shawnee Indian captors, is now in its 37th printing and still sells 30,000-40,000 copies a year. Mr. Thom lives with his wife, Dark Rain, a Shawnee, in a 130-year-old cabin he reconstructed. Also a writer, Dark Rain is the author of The Shawnee:Kohkumthena's Grandchildren among other books.

Mr. Thom is known for his rigorous and often hands on research. He believes that in order to talk or write about something accurately you have to experience it. Consequently, one can find him hiking old Indian trails and canoeing rivers. He traveled, for example, the entire route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition while writingFrom Sea to Shining Sea and traced Mary Ingles' 1000 mile escape, following the Ohio, Kanawha and New Rivers while living off the land, for Follow the River. In addition to his writing, Mr. Thom is also a tireless environmentalist, and Dark Rain is always at his side during this work.

The Thoms greatly enjoy visiting Wheeling and the Ohio Valley as numerous friends and family members still live locally. When the two appeared at the library's Lunch With Books program in 2008, they drew one of the largest audience's in the program's history.

In addition to the Thoms, the Ohio Valley History Expo will feature musical entertainment by Richard Pollock and Bob Heyer of the Cabin Fever String Band, as well as a performance by Gallowglass. Formed in 2000 by musicians Michael Petersen and Patrick Coughlan, Gallowglass performs both instrumental and vocal music from the Celtic nations, played on traditional acoustic instruments. The band has performed at many area venues over the years, including the annual Wheeling Celtic Celebration and the Fort Henry Days festival.

The Ohio Valley History Expo is free and open to the public. Light refreshments, including free beverages and popcorn will be served. For more information, please call the library at 304-232-0244 or the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation at 304-232-3087.

HISTORY EXPO Next Saturday!

2011-10-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

If you have a Facebook account, please click on THI S LINK and "Like" the page.

ALA Takes Notice

2011-10-13T08:05:00.001-07:00

Lunch With Books was mentioned in the American Library Association's Programming Librarian blog by Angela Henshaw, Program Officer/Web Editor for the ALA Public Programs Office.

Thanks Angela. We appreciate the kind words.

LWB

Oct 18 @ Noon: VIKINGS!

2011-10-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

West Liberty history professor Dr. Darrin Cox will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, October 18 at noon to present “Exploring the Explorers: Vikings.” In this "hands-on" material history display, Dr. Cox will discuss the popular misconceptions regarding the first Europeans to set foot in the New World. Besides discussing Viking culture and allowing participants to try on and feel reproductions of the armor, clothes, and jewelry of these daring seafolk, he seeks to rescue the image of the Vikings from their traditional portrayal by Christian monks as bloodthirsty, horned-helmet wearing savages. Dr. Darrin Cox is an Assistant Professor of History at West Liberty University who holds a Ph.D. in Late Medieval/Early Modern Gender from Purdue University. He also earned his Master of Arts in Medieval History at West Virginia University and has been a Viking re-enactor for 15 years. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Wed Oct 12 at noon: Travels to Rome and the Holy Land

2011-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dennis Woytek will be at a special Wednesday edition of Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on October 12 at noon. Dr. Woytek is a professor of Journalism and Multimedia Arts at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He was responsible for the creation of numerous websites such as the original Pittsburgh Steelers, designing the Pittsburgh Tribune Review online edition, Pittsburgh Brewing Company, and The Pittsburgh Jazz Society. Professor Woytek's dissertation titled "Community of Memory: How Technology has Enabled Vietnam Veterans to Reunite and Narrate the Public Memory" has been presented at several conferences and Vietnam veteran's reunions. In 2010, Dr. Wotek documented (on film) a historic interfaith trip to the Holy Land and Rome as part of a group of nearly 30 lay and religious leaders. The Pursuer of Peace Pilgrimage, led by Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik and Rabbi Aaron Bisno of Pittsburgh’s Rodef Shalom Congregation, spent about three days in Rome and three days in the Holy Land, visiting spiritually significant sites. The goal of the trip was to strengthen understanding between the two faith communities as they visited holy sites, including St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican museums, the catacombs of Catholics and Jews, the Roman Forum and a meeting with the chief rabbi at the synagogue in Rome. In the Holy Land, the pilgrims visited the Church of the Nativity, the Mount of the Beatitudes, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, the Jewish Quarter and Yad Vashem, the international Holocaust memorial, meeting with leaders in the Jewish and Catholic dialogue. The pilgrimage was a celebration of Catholic-Jewish relations, a step toward bringing the Catholic and Jewish communities closer together in the pursuit of peace. Dr. Woytek’s presentation will feature a screening of a 35 minute DVD of the pilgrimage, followed by remarks by Woytek and a question and answer period. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

New People's University: Music Appreciation

2011-10-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

LIBRARY TO OFFER MUSIC APPRECIATION

The Ohio County Public Library will offer a fourth installment in its popular series of programs entitled, “The People’s University.” The new installment, "Music Appreciation," will provide an opportunity for adults to learn or refresh their knowledge of music from classical to jazz, blues and all major forms of American popular music. The courses are free of charge and will be taught by Bruce Wheeler, Executive Director of the Wheeling Symphony, Maestro André Raphel, Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony, and Dr. Matt Inkster, conductor of the symphony's youth orchestra.

Series 4 Music Appreciation, Schedule

Classes meet on Tuesday evenings @ 7:00 PM

Week 1 (Oct. 25)*: American music since 1940 and the influence of the war with Maestro André Raphel, Wheeling Symphony.

Week 2 (Nov. 1)*: The Evolution of Popular American Music with Bruce Wheeler, Exec. Dir. Wheeling Symphony

Week 3 (Nov. 8)*: Jazz: History, Players, Geography with Bruce Wheeler, Exec. Dir. Wheeling Symphony

Week 4 (Nov. 15): Classical Music as a Communicative Form and the Composer's Voice with Maestro André Raphel, Wheeling Symphony

Week 5 (Nov. 22): The Importance of a Youth Symphony with Dr. Matt Inskter (Wheeling Youth Symphony Conductor)

Week 6 (Nov. 29): Live Concert! Wheeling Youth Symphony Orchestra concert @ St. Alphonsus Church

Week 7 (Dec. 6): Blues: History, Players, Geography with Bruce Wheeler, Executive Director Wheeling Symphony & Heritage Music Bluesfest Founder

Attendees of the first 3 classes will receive free tickets to the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks II concert on 11.11.11 – An American Salute on Veteran’s Day, that will include: Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Danielpour: Come Up From The Fields Father, World Premiere; & Copland: Symphony No. 3.

To register for the People's University, Music Appreciation series, please call 304-232-0244 or email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com.

October 11: Mozart Park

2011-10-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Henry Schmulbach researcher Ryan Stanton will be at Lunch Weith Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, October 11 at noon to provide a history of Mozart Park, including Schmulbach’s incline and the casino. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Friday Oct 7: Ken Hechler

2011-10-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ken Hechler, former U.S. Congressman, West Virginia Secretary of State and advisor to President Harry Truman, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Friday, October 7 at noon to discuss his new book, Soldier of the Union. Through letters written by his ancestors, the book offers a vivid account of the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. From camp life at Parkersburg and Summersville, to the battlefields of Lewisburg, Antietam, Chickamauga and others, the experiences of the 36th regiment are described by George and John Hechler. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

The first ever Ohio Valley History Expo is coming to your Library!

2011-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

The first ever OHIO VALLEY HISTORY EXPO is coming to the Ohio County Public Library on Saturday, October 22 from noon until 4 pm.

A variety of local and regional history, preservation, and genealogy groups will have display tables throughout the lower level of the library. National bestselling author Ja mes Alexander Thom (Follow the River) will be the keynote speaker in the auditorium at 1 PM. Gallowglass will provide music.

The program is being organized by the Wheeling Herit age Roundtable.

We need your support. If you have a Facebook account, please like the OHIO VALLEY HISTORY EXPO page by following this link.

See you at the Expo!

Oct 4: Bayard Young's Photographs of Eleanor Roosevelt at Arthurdale

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Storyteller Judi Tarowsky will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday October 4 at noon to talk about the experiences of her father, freelance photographer Bayard Young, who took photos of Eleanor Roosevelt during one of her visits to Arthurdale, West Virginia in the 1930s. Judi will share some of the photographs he took with his Speed Graphic camera , which have not been seen locally since then. Judi is a member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild & the Ohio Order for the Preservation of Storytelling. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Storytelling from the School of Library Sciences at the University of North Texas, and a BS in journalism from WVU. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Good News for Kindle Owners

2011-09-26T06:53:00.001-07:00

Good news for Kindle owners!

Electronic books are now available to owners of Amazon Kindle E-Readers through the Ohio County Public Library on the West Virginia Deli web site. E-books were previously only available to non-Kindle users. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Amazon's press release:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1608874&highlight=

and here is the link explaining how it works:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000718231

Sept 27 at noon: The Sultana Disaster

2011-09-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Through pictures and words, Kate Quinn will tell the moving story of the Sultana Disaster at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, September 27 at noon. On April 21, 1865 the steamer Sultana left New Orleans with 2000 men on board. Most were Union soldiers that had been released from Confederate prison camps. The U.S. Government had contracted the boat to return the men to their homes in the North. Several of those men were from Wheeling. At 2 a.m. on April 26, the boilers exploded killing 1,547 men. The boat's legal capacity was 376. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Next Fracking Facts: Straight Talk with Dr. Bob Henry Baber

2011-09-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Fracking Series at Library Continues

The Ohio County Public Library's "Fracking Facts" series about Marcellus Shale drilling issues in the Ohio Valley will continue on Thursday evening, September 22 at 7:00 PM. Dr. Bob Henry Baber, Mountain Party candidate for Governor of West Virginia will present, "Straight Talk with Dr. Bob Henry Baber."

According to his web site at baber4governor.com, "Bob Henry Baber is running for the governorship of West Virginia on a platform of fiscal responsibility, economic growth, affordable health care, promotion of education, and environmental stewardship. He has raised over 20 million dollars in his career for economic development, education, community service, the arts, the enviroment, and for social programs."

Dr. Baber is presently employed as a Major Gifts Officer at Glenville State College in Glenville, WV, and has been a grant writer, poet, novelist, creative writing teacher, mosaic artist, keynote speaker, storyteller, environmentalist, and populist politician. He is also the former Honorable Mayor and current Poet Laureate of Richwood, West Virginia.

In addition to his talk on fracking, Dr. Baber will also discuss and sign copies of his latest book, Pure Orange Sunshine, which has been described as "Jack Kerouac’s On The Road meets Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest meets Gurney Norman’s Divine Right’s Trip – a stream of consciousness narrative with powerful conflicting themes of love and hate…peace and war. Pure Orange Sunshine is a classic chronicle of strike-breaking, strip-mining and hitch-hiking. It’s highly recommended for fans of fiction based on facts."

Like all library programs, the "Fracking Facts" series is free and open to the public. Additional events in the series will be announced as they are scheduled. Call 304-232-0244 for more information.

The Bicentennial of Steamboating

2011-09-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

October 2011 marks the 200^th year since the New Orleans steamboat passed Wheeling the afternoon of October 21^st, 1811 on its epic voyage to New Orleans. The New Orleans, the first steamboat on the Western Rivers, (rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico) was built and launched at Pittsburg, (no h then) and made the first successful steamboat trip down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. The New Orleans steamboat was jointly owned by Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston and constructed by Nicholas Roosevelt. This steamboat voyage sparked a revolution in America. On September 20 at noon, Wheeling’s steamboat historian, John Bowman will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library to tell the story of the New Orleans. John also created a scale model of the historic vessel that is now on display in the library’s main display case. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Gaspipe Rosie

2011-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Barbara Gregorich, author of Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County on Friday, September 16 at noon to share the story of Wheeling’s own Rosie Gacioch. Rosie grew up in South Wheeling, two blocks from Pulaski Field, where she first tried out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She went on to become one of the league’s most dominant players and one of the inspirations for the film, A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks and Rosie O’Donnell. Chicago based author Barbara Gregorich interviewed Rosie extensively for her book. A native of nearby Masury, Ohio, just north of Youngstown, Barbara says she strongly identified with Rosie when she interviewed her. The full program description: When Women Played Baseball-The Story of Margaret, Nellie, and Rose. In 1934 two teen girls played hardball on a bloomer girl baseball team — a team that stopped in Wheeling specifically to pick up a third teen: Rose Gacioch. These three young women — Margaret Gisolo, Nellie Kearns, and Rose Gacioch — came from very different backgrounds and had different reasons for playing baseball. When the season was over they followed different path. But playing baseball on Maud Nelson’s last bloomer girl team profoundly affected their lives and helped determine their careers. This talk, accompanied by slides, leaves audiences deeply moved. Barbara Gregorich is the author of the baseball novel, She’s on First, and the award-winning baseball nonfiction title, Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball. In addition to writing for adults and speaking on various subjects ranging from baseball to grammar, Gregorich has written more than 150 children’s books and workbooks. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Two Expert Book Reviews for the Price of One...

2011-09-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Lunch with Books, noon, Tuesday, Sept. 13, Ohio County Public Library

Tim Luke will review two books - “Priceless: How I went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures” by Robert K. Wittman and “Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art” by Laney Salisbury. Luke will bring his unique, insider perspective to these actual events, which changed the way artwork is vetted, sold at auction and protected around the world. The event is free and open to the public.

Friday 9-9: SONGS OF THE IRISH BRIGADE

2011-08-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY September 9: The Irish Volunteer!

Equal parts musician and historian, New Yorker David Kincaid will perform Civil War songs of the Irish Brigade at a special Friday edition of the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books program on September 9^th at noon. The program will be a part of Wheeling’s Civil War 150^th anniversary observance. After founding the roots-rock band the Brandos, Kincaid was inspired to become an Irish Brigade re-enactor by the discovery of an Irish-American great-great grandfather who served in the Union Army. He began researching period Irish music, and in 1997, released the critically acclaimed album “The Irish Volunteer: Songs of the Irish Union Soldier 1861-65.” Great care was taken to give the album an authentic, 19th century feel and sound, from the use of only period style instruments and vocal harmonies, to the enlisting of some of the finest musicians in Irish traditional music. Kincaid has played numerous times at the Dublin Ohio and Pittsburgh Irish festivals as well as at Gettysburg National Military Park. He also served as a consultant and performer for the Civil War film, Gods and Generals. David later released the album, “The Irish American Song,” which includes both Union and Confederate tunes. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Historic Wheeling Mural Project Greeting Cards

2011-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Now you can enjoy the beauty of the four paintings that comprise the Historic Wheeling Mural Project at the Ohio County Public Library. Prints of all four (by artists Anne Foreman-Frontier, Liz Neumann-Civil War & Statehood, Patricia Croft-Transportation, and Andree Weimer-Immigration and Industry) are available for a limited time in a pack of greeting cards prepared by artist Anne Foreman. Each pack of cards and envelopes is available for $5.00 from the library. Inquire by calling 304-232-0244 or emailing lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com.

Also, our friends at Wheeling Coffee Shop at 101 Washington Avenue are hosting a book signing from 1-3 pm this Saturday, August 27th for local author Lynn Wiles, who wrote a children's book called Nathaniel's Gift.

Aug 30: Jazz Legend Maxine Knepper

2011-08-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

Meet golden age jazz trumpeter Maxine Fields Knepper at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, August 30 at noon. Once a member of the “Sweethearts of Rhythm,” Mrs. Knepper’s career is discussed in the book, Swing Shift: “All-Girl” Bands of the 1940s. She is the widow of internationally renowned jazz trombonist Jimmy Knepper and the mother of Wheeling musician Robin Mahonen (Uncle Eddie and Robin). Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

August 23 at noon: The Works of AM Smith with David Javersak

2011-08-22T07:59:00.001-07:00

Dr. David Javersak (left) will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, August 23 at noon to discuss the works of writer Alexander McCall-Smith, who is also a medical law and bioethics expert. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

August 18 at noon: The Making of Doughboy!

2011-08-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

On the day of its world premier at Marquee Cinemas at the Highlands, meet the creators of Doughboy—the new feature motion picture filmed in Wheeling. Join Writer Ty DeMartino, Director JW Myers, and Executive Producer Kristin Seibert (and some of the actors) on Thursday, August 18 at noon at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library for a behind the scenes look at the making of the film.Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Aug 16 at noon: Seeing Drugs with Dr. Dan Weimer and at 7: People's University Class 5

2011-08-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Wheeling Jesuit University history professor Dr. Dan Weimer will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County public Library on Tuesday August 8 at noon to discuss his new book: Seeing Drugs: Modernization, Counterinsurgency, and U.S. Narcotics Control in the Third World, 1969-1976 (New Studies in U.S. Foreign Relations), which explores the U.S. government’s drug policy in the Third World, specifically, the dawn of the modern drug war during the 1970s. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

And at 7:00 PM: The People's University, American Literature, The Naturalistic Period (1900-1930)Men without Women": Frost's poems and the works of Hemingway and London, plus biographical anecdotes, with Dr. David Thomas.

August 9: The Final Days of Weirton Steel

2011-08-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Thomas Zielinsky, a former manager at Weirton Steel, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, August 9 at noon to discuss his new book about the company’s final days. The book is subtitled, “Could the collapse have been prevented?” Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Political Little Ones

2011-08-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of Lunch With Books. As you know, the first ever Wheeling Arts Fest will be held on Saturday August 20. The library has a full lineup from 10-4 and other venues include WV Ind Hall and WVNCC. See the web site at www.wheelingartsfest.com for the full schedule.

The kickoff event of the first ever Arts Fest will actually be held at West Virginia Independence Hall on Friday evening, August 19 at 8 pm, the day before the main festival. Wheeling based playwright Jeremy Richter has created an original play called Political Little Ones, based on the Lucy Bagby case (see below for details). As many of you know from a recent Lunch With Books program, Ms. Bagby was probably the last slave returned under the Fugitive Slave Act before the Civil War.

I hope all supporters of Lunch With Books and other library programs will consider attending the play on Friday August 19 to show support for the Arts Festival. Jeremy has worked very hard and I'm sure the play will be first rate.Let's make sure WV Ind Hall is filled to capacity!

POLITICAL LITTLE ONES
Friday August 19 at 8 PM Reception to follow...

On January 25, 1861, the Wheeling Intelligencer reported that "near the town of Lima, Ohio a negro man and a white man, both of whom were armed, were arrested under the suspicion that they meditated a rescue" of Lucy Bagby, a fugitive slave girl belonging to Mr. Wm. Goshorn of Wheeling, Virginia. Jeremy F Richter's new play, Political Little Ones, centers itself on the days prior to the men being disarmed and captured. Three men (and one boy) that stand accused of assisting in Ms. Lucy's escape, have been interviewed by U.S. officials and soon spin a plot that might secure an opportunity for an emancipated life; for individual, for state, for all.

August 2: Antiques 101

2011-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hugh Stobbs presented a fascinating program on Wheeling Downs and Bill Lias today before 123 guests, an impressive number 8 on the all time attendance list. Thank you Mr. Stobbs!

Next Tuesday:

Expert and collector Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County public Library on Tuesday August 2 to cover the basics of antiques: How to Collect them; what they are worth; and what to do with them. Also known as the Halloween Queen, Apkarian-Russell operates Castle Halloween Museum in Boggs Run. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

July 26 at noon: Memories of Wheeling Downs

2011-07-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

Hugh Stobbs, who worked for many years at Wheeling Downs, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, July 26 at noon to discuss his memories of the track, the horses, the gamblers, Bill Lias and all of the things that made Wheeling Downs the interesting place it was in its heyday. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

July 25 Program Canceled

2011-07-18T11:09:00.001-07:00

The Lunch With Books program scheduled for Monday, July 25 (Mimi Hughes, who swam the length of the Ohio River) has been canceled by our guest, who cited, "both health and technical issues." The program may be rescheduled. If it is, an update will be provided.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sean, Lunch With Books

July 19: Thanks Plain and Simple...

2011-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Members of the West Virginia Rosie the Riveter Project will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, July 19 at noon. The group’s mission is to say “Thanks!” to the West Virginia women who served our nation as defense workers during the Second World War by recording and gathering their stories for posterity. The effort to locate these women began in March 2009 and so far more than 70 have been found and a documentary has been produced to honor them. Included: Segments of the film, "We Pull Together." Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

FRIDAT AT NOON: THE WHEELING BRIDGE CASE

2011-07-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 15 at noon, at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library, find out how and why Pittsburgh filed suit to have Wheeling’s revolutionary new bridge (and now its most beloved landmark) removed. Dr. Elizabeth Brand Monroe, professor of History at Indiana University and the author of The Wheeling Bridge Case: Its Significance in American Law and Technology, will discuss the issues raised in State of Pennsylvania v. Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Co. Decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1852, the case involved Pittsburgh factory owners who claimed the bridge would block steamboats and interfere with commerce. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Magic Show Moved to Wheeling Park

2011-07-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Magic Show Moved to Wheeling Park

Due to a conflict with the Lunch With Books program, The Wheeling Bridge Case, the Ohio County Public Library's Children's Summer Reading Program, The Magic of Dave Powers, scheduled for Friday July 15th at noon, has been moved to the band stand at Wheeling Park. Remember: Dave Powers is not your father’s magician. The Magic of Dave Powers is not your traditional magic show. This is a very audience-involved, interactive show that attendees will remember for years to come. That's Friday July 15 at 12:00 noon at the band stand at Wheeling Park. The Magic of Dave Powers is a free library sponsored event. Please call 304-232-0244 if you have questions or need additional information.

July 12: College in a Nutskull

2011-07-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Dr. Anders Henriksson, author of the popular Non Campus Mentis, will return to Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday July 12 at noon to discuss his new book, College in a Nutskull, featuring "funnier, nuttier, more outrageous material culled from the actual exam books of real college students." Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Mozart History Event Planned

2011-07-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

HISTORY OF MOZART EVENT PLANNED

A group of Mozart residents are planning, with the assistance of the Ohio County Public Library, to compile and construct a history of the community for publication.

An event will be held at Christ Lutheran Church in Mozart on Saturday, August 13, 2011 starting at 1:00 pm, during which members of the Mozart History group will be recording oral histories and scanning old photographs and documents. Current and former residents of Mozart are invited to bring any old photographs, newspaper articles, or other Mozart related artifacts or memorabilia they would like to share.

Some things to consider include, photos of family reunions or picnics, other social or community gatherings, old businesses, store fronts, the school, the pavilion, the park, events at the “chemical building,” fire department, scouting, sporting events, carnivals, etc.

Organizers promise a fun event with refreshments and good memories shared. For those without transportation, rides to Church can be arranged by calling 304 242-2458. Those with information to share who are not available on August 13 and those who need additional information are also invited to call.

PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY 3: AMERICAN LITERATURE

2011-06-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

LIBRARY LAUNCHES THIRD PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY SERIES ON AMERICAN LITERATURE

Andrew Carnegie called the public library “The People’s University," believing it to be an essential institution of learning for people of all ages. Today, the Ohio County Public Library seeks to continue to assist local residents in the pursuit of knowledge and education by offering a third installment in a new series of programs entitled, “The People’s University.” The new series, "American Literature," will provide an opportunity for adults to learn or refresh their knowledge of the subject. The courses are free of charge and the presenters are experienced instructors of English and literature.

The third series will offer a glimpse at the seven major periods in American Literature, along with a sampling of the work some of the most important writers from each period.

Series 3 American Literature, Schedule

Classes meet on
Tuesday evenings @ 7:00 PM

Week 1 (July 19): Colonial Period 1607-1765 with instructor Dr. John W. Hattman, Emeritus Professor of English at West Liberty State University.

"God and His Sinners": The works of this period center on the relationship of (hu)man to God and the punishments for the inevitable human failure to obey God's rules. From the magnificent sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" to the incredibly awful poem "Day of Doom" to the witch executions of Salem, we will explore examples of seventeenth century American literature.

Week 2 (July 26): Revolutionary Period 1765-1809 with Dr. John W. Hattman, Emeritus Professor of English at West Liberty State University.

"The Proper Study of Mankind": The Revolutionary period changes the focus from the human relationship with God to the relationship with his fellow (hu)man. Political theory and propaganda take center stage. King George III replaces the devil. We will consider the works of Jefferson, Paine, and Franklin among others.

Week 3 (August 2): Romantic Period 1809-1865 with Dr. Paul Orr, Emeritus Professor of English at Wheeling Jesuit University.

"The Essential Walt Whitman": The class will study the works of Walt Whitman, Students will learn why "Leaves of Grass." is such an important work by focusing on Whitman's Lincoln poems, including "Oh Captain! My Captain!" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd."

Week 4 (August 9): Realistic Period 1865-1900 with Dr. David J. Thomas, Professor of English at West Liberty State University.

"The Reality of War": This presentation will be a study of the American realistic writers' various views of war. The focus will be on Walt Whitman's Drum-Taps, Howells' short story "Editha," Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," and Crane's novella The Red Badge of Courage.

Week 5 (August 16): Naturalistic Period 1900-1930 with Dr. David J. Thomas, Professor of English, West Liberty State University.

"Men without Women": This presentation will focus upon the patriarchal attitude so very prevalent during the American naturalistic period. Featured will be some of Frost's poems, Hemingway's short stories and novels, and London's short stories and novels. Biographical anecdotes will be offered to connect the authors' lives to their more popular works.

Week 6 (August 23): Nationalist Period 1930-1960 with Mr. Lou Volpe, retired English and Literature teacher, Wheeling Central Catholic High School

"Seven Modern Poets: Of Time, My Body, and the Earth": The class will look at and listen to seven poets (James Wright, Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, Langston Hughes, and three to be named later) who have something to tell us about the value of time, our mortal bodies, and this earth we inhabit. The opening segment of the class will talk about the reader's need to suspend time, emphasize the imagination, and relax and wait for meaning -- in other words, "How one should read poetry."

Week 7 (August 30): Contemporary Period 1960-2011 with Mr. Lou Volpe, retired English and Literature teacher, Wheeling Central Catholic High School.

"Observers and Seekers: Walker Percy, Denise Levertov, and Wendell Berry": The class will discuss three authors who have acutely observed society and its direction (or misdirection!) and have sought clues or signs to the possible purpose of an individual's sojourn on this earth. All three have, in one way or another, arrived at a faith/love solution to the postmodern anxiety and meaninglessness of life and a direction for persons -- and in Berry's case, communities. The class will look at excerpts from Walker Percy's last novel The Thanatos Syndrome (1987), several of Denise Levertov's poems from different periods, and a short story and poems from Wendell Berry.

Week 8 (September 6): West Virginia Writers with Dr. Paul Orr, Emeritus Professor of English at Wheeling Jesuit University.

"West Virginia Writers": The class will consider the works of important West Virginia and Wheeling writers, especially Davis Grubb and Keith Maillard as well as the plays of Sean O'Leary.

To register for the American Literature series, please call 304-232-0244 or email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com.

July 5: Arthur Phillips

2011-06-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 5 at noon, Dr. Charles Wood will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio
County Public Library to present: "Arthur Phillips- reconstruction of a home and the life of a technology pioneering family along the Ohio River from 1807 to 1869." Dr. Wood is a scientist who investigates the Moon and the planets in our solar system. He has worked extensively with NASA and now directs the Center for Educational Technologies at WJU. Five years ago Chuck and his wife Vera bought a nearly abandoned house on North Main built in 1831 for the Arthur Phillips family. While rebuilding, Chuck became engrossed with the steam engine pioneer Phillips and events in the Ohio Valley in the 1800s. In this Lunch with Books talk Wood will preview a slightly fictionalized study he has written about Phillips and his now remodeled house, perhaps the oldest in Wheeling. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Pictured: Chuck Wood and one of the boats Phillips's firm built at Wheeling in 1855.

Fracking Facts Continues

2011-06-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Library's Gas Drilling Series Continues

The Ohio County Public Library's new "Fracking Facts" series about Marcellus Shale drilling issues in the Ohio Valley will continue on Thursday evening July 14 at 7:00 PM. Charleston based oil and gas and public interest attorney David McMahon, who authored the West Virginia Surface Owner’s Guide to Oil and Gas and co-founded the West Virginia Surface Owner’s Rights Organization (WV-SORO), will share his top ten tips for leasing natural gas rights and discuss the rights of those who have already signed a lease. He will then focus on the rights of surface-only owners.

WV-SORO’s mission is to protect landowners from abuses by oil and gas drillers by focusing on public policy and regulatory changes needed to expand surface owners’ rights and help West Virginians protect their land and water resources.

A Wheeling native who grew up in Dimmeydale and Woodsdale and graduated from Triadelphia High School, McMahon said that WV-SORO frequently receives calls from people with questions about what they can do to protect their land prior to drilling as well as numerous complaints about damage once the drilling begins. “We know people have lots of questions," McMahion said, "and WV-SORO is focused on educating landowners about their rights and pushing the public policy changes needed to make these rights easier to enforce and to ensure that landowners receive fair compensation for their losses and inconveniences."

“The money may be attractive," he continued, "but people need to think about what they or future generations may want to do with the land. Most mineral owners don’t know that there are usually bad provisions in leases that can and should be crossed out and that they can insist on lease add-ons or addendums that provide additional protections for their land before they sign.”

Both surface and mineral owners interested in learning more about their rights are encouraged to attend the July 14 program. WV-SORO also has a number of resources listed on its website at www.wvsoro.org . These include the WV Surface Owners’ Guide to Oil and Gas, which helps landowners assess their situation, outlines what rights they have and gives them step-by-step suggestions on what they should do before, during and after an oil or gas well is drilled on their property. The group also has a ‘leasing’ page at their website with information for those who are considering leasing their minerals.

Like all library programs, the "Fracking Facts" series is free and open to the public. Additional events in the series will be announced as they are scheduled. Call 304-232-0244 for more information or email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com or become a fan at facebook.com/lunchwithbooks.

June 28 at noon: Nuclear Disaster in Japan

2011-06-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wayne M. Butler, Ph.D., chief physicist for the Schiffler Cancer Center at Wheeling Hospital will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, June 28 at noon to present a program entitled, “The Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Disaster.” Dr. Butler will discuss the hows and whys of the disaster and address its long-term impacts and the concerns it raises for Japan and for the world. Working with Dr. Gregory Merrick at Wheeling Hospital, Dr. Butler has published over 200 peer-reviewed medical journal papers. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Recommended Program

2011-06-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Lunch With Books fans:

Walter Rybeck, who is originally from Wheeling but now resides in Maryland, has written a book called Re-Solving the Economic Puzzle. He will be in town to discuss and sign copies of the book at the Schrader Environmental Education Center at Oglebay on Saturday July 23 at 2 pm. This looks like a fascinating read, and I thought I would pass this exciting news along to our patrons. Mr Rybeck's brother, the late Dr. S. Arthur Rybeck Jr. was a great friend of the library and appeared at Lunch With Books many times. For more information about the book and program, please see below. Best regards, Sean Duffy, Ohio County Public Library

The book. Re-solving the Economic Puzzle offers proven remedies for some of the nation's critical problems such as . . .

creating jobs,
halting urban sprawl,
reviving fading central cities,
upgrading bridges, highways, schools and other infrastructure
financing state and local government services
stopping boom-and-bust cycles

One chapter on Oglebay's nature program recounts the beginning of the author's understanding of land issues as they relate to conservation, poverty and the enterprise system. Insights from Moses, economist Adam Smith, land taxer Henry George and the author's mentors (editor Walter Locke, a native West Virginian and Illinois Senator Paul H. Douglas, among others) are relied on for developing a strategy for helping America recover from the Great Recession. Stories about places that places that already successfully apply the author's suggested land policy changes lend credence to the book's reform agenda.

The author. Walter Rybeck, a native of Wheeling, attended Triadelphia High. His journalism studies at West Virginia University were interrupted by service in the Combat Engineers in World War II. He completed his college work in economics and political science at Antioch College in Ohio. He was a reporter on the Fairmont Times, where he helped start a symphony and little theater. After a year as foreign correspondent in Latin America, he was a reporter and state editor in Columbus, an editorial writer in Dayton, and Washington Bureau Chief for Cox Newspapers. He then became assistant director of the National Commission on Urban Problems, editorial director of the Urban Institute, and assistant to two congressmen, Henry S. Reuss of Milwaukee and William J. Coyne of Pittsburgh.

He was curator of the Oglebay Nature Museum that was housed in the barn that has long since burned down. He was active in the Brooks Bird Club and the folk dance group under the late Jane Farwell. He is the son of the late S.A. Rybeck, Sr., and Rosalind Rybeck (of Rybeck studios), and brother of the late Dr. S. Arthur Rybeck, Jr. His sister-in-law Sivia Rybeck lives in Woodsdale and his niece Blanche Rybeck lives near Dallas Pike.

THAT'S SATURDAY, JULY 23 AT 2 PM AT THE SCHRADER ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER AT OGLEBAY PARK.

June 21 at noon: Appraising the Graduate

2011-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Wheeling Jesuit University professor and director of Fine Arts, John Whitehead, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday June 21 at noon to discuss his new book, Appraising The Graduate: The Mike Nichols Classic and Its Impact on Hollywood. Whitehead, whose academic focus is on film and visual studies, contemporary literature, and creative writing, often uses The Graduate in class as a teaching tool and says he decided to write the book when he found that very little of significance had been written about the film. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Today at Noon: TRAITORS IN WHEELING

2011-06-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

Well it looks as though we fell well short of our goal for the Matthew Algeo program. So we must congratulate Kansas City. Still, 79 people for a program on Grover Cleveland on a Tuesday afternoon is not all bad! Many thanks to those who attended and especially to those who donated to West Virginia Tornado Relief. -Sean

UP NEXT: On Tuesday, June 14 at noon at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library, WVU history professor Dr. Ken Fones-Wolf will present, “Traitors in Wheeling: Secessionism in an Appalachian Unionist City,” an overview of Wheeling’s prominent secessionists like William Goshorn and Daniel Steenrod, based on research Dr. Fones-Wolf presented in the Journal of Appalachian Studies in 2007. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

June 7: Matthew Algeo--Tornado Relief and Prizes!

2011-06-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET TORNADO RELIEF AND PRIZE DRAWINGS--SEE POSTS BELOW THIS ONE...

NPR journalist Matthew Algeo, who presented a most excellent program at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Harry Truman in 2009, will return to the library on June 7 at noon to discuss his new book, THE PRESIDENT IS A SICK MAN. The book is about a secret cancer operation performed on Grover Cleveland in 1893. It details an extraordinary but almost unknown and brazen political cover-up by a politician whose most memorable quote was “Tell the truth.” The facts were so well concealed that even today a full and fair account has never been published. Until now. Algeo will also discuss the so-called “1887 Banner Incident,” during which members of the Grand Army of the Republic, while celebrating a reunion in Wheeling, refused to walk beneath a banner reading “God Bless President Cleveland, Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States.” The Civil War veterans were angry with Cleveland for vetoing soldier pensions and proposing a return of some captured Confederate flags. Matthew Algeo is the author of Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure, called one of the Best Books of 2009 by the Washington Post. As a journalist, his stories have appeared on All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Update: The Halloween Queen has graciously donated one tour of Castle Halloween Museum for 4 people, a $32.00 value. Also, One copy of Tastes & Smells of Halloween $25.00 value!

GET YOUR GROVER ON (a Groovy Grover Update)

2011-05-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

There will now be drawings for prizes at the June 7 Matthew Algeo-Grover Cleveland-Tornado Relief event!

Ye Olde Alpha has donated two $25 gift certificates. We will also offer cool Lunch With Books souvenirs, books, and other prizes. Everyone who donates will get a chance to win. All money donated goes to tornado victims through West Virginia Tornado Relief.

Also, Mr. Algeo has graciously decided to donate $10 for every copy of The President Is A Sick Man sold at the program!

LET'S BEAT 116!

Help With Tornado Disaster Relief at Lunch With Books

2011-05-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

Our good friend Matthew Algeo will be at Lunch With Books again on June 7 at noon.

He did a terrific program for us two years ago on Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure. That one was attended by 85 people and fun was had by all. Recently, Matthew launched a tour for his new book, The President is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth. See the web site.

Matthew's appearance at the Kansas City Public Library drew 116 people.

My goal is for Wheeling to top that.

Yes the book is about Grover Cleveland. Yes it's a Tuesday afternoon. But it's time to stand up and be counted! Wheeling, can beat that score. Let's prove that Wheeling loves books, even books about obscure presidents. (Actually Grover Cleveland and Wheeling have a fascinating historical link. Find out what it is.)

NOTE: WE ARE ENCOURAGING EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS TO MAKE A DONATION OF AT LEAST ONE DOLLAR TO TORNADO RELIEF. THERE WILL BE A COLLECTION BOX AT THE FRONT. Details below.

I thank you. Sean Duffy, Ohio County Public Library

PS-Please spread the word! We are encouraging those who attend the Matthew Algeo (Grover Cleveland) event to help us beat Kansas City to bring a donation of at least one dollar for tornado relief. The donation will go to the Red Cross through West Virginia Tornado relief and tickets for that benefit concert will also be available at the program (see below).

WV Tornado Relief was started to raise money for the victims of the recent tornadoes in Alabama and other southern states. We are a group of musicians and small businesses coming together for the common goal of helping another community. Our main project is a concert that will be held in June but you can donate anytime! 100% of all monies raised will go towards the victims. Please join us and help in anyway that you can! Thank you!

WV Tornado Relief Concert

Sunday, June 12th 1 - 6pm

Grand Vue Park Amphitheater

tickets $10, kids 12 and under free

May 31: Wheeling's Polish Community

2011-05-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 31 at noon, Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library will welcome William Hal Gorby, a PhD Student and Graduate Instructor in history at West Virginia University. Mr. Gorby will tell us about his recent article titled, “Subcultures in Conflict in Polonia: Class, Religion, and Ethnic Tensions in the Formation of Wheeling’s Polish Community, 1895–1917,” which was published in the Fall 2010 edition of West Virginia History: A Journal of Regional Studies. Mr. Gorby, whose research has been focused on South Wheeling’s Polish American community, majors in U.S. Social and Working Class History and Progressive Era-New Deal history. His research interests include the intersections of Catholic religion, ethnicity, and the working class during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, specifically the social history of the new immigrants working in the steel mills, coal mines, tobacco factories, breweries, and smaller manufactories of Wheeling, West Virginia. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

This Week @ Your Library

2011-05-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 24 at noon: LUNCH WITH BOOKS. 150 Years Later: Lucy Bagby and the Fugitive Slave Law
Historian John E. Vacha, director of History Day at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, will discuss the case of Sara Lucy Bagby. A slave owned by Wheeling’s William Goshorn, Lucy Bagby escaped to Cleveland and became one of the last slaves to be returned to bondage under the Fugitive Slave Act when, after a struggle between abolitionists and Republicans intent on appeasing secessionists, she was forcibly removed back to Wheeling a few months before the Civil War began.

Tuesday, May 24 at 7:00 PM: THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY World Geography, Asia Part 1 with Dr. Joe Laker.

Thursday, May 26 at 7:00 PM: FRACKING FACTS: Fracking Problems
Members of the Wetzel County Action Group (wcag-wv.org), will describe some of the economic, social, and environmental Challenges associated with Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction activities and will offer Suggestions based on their four years of experience with such activities.

And don't forget: Lobster for the Arts Fundraiser for Wheeling Arts Fest at Centre Market, on Friday May 27 at 6:00 PM. Call Artworks Around Town for tickets at 304-233-7540.

NOTE: WE HAVE ONE MORE TICKET AT THE LIBRARY IF ANYONE WANTS IT: 304-232-0244. ASK FOR SEAN.

All programs are free and open to the public. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 304-232-0244 email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com OR VISIT wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us or ocplprogramming.blogspot.com.or facebook.com/lunchwithbooks.

2011-05-17T10:44:00.001-07:00

Historian John E. Vacha, director of History Day at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library to discuss the case of Sara Lucy Bagby. A slave owned by Wheeling’s William Goshorn, Lucy Bagby escaped to Cleveland and became one of the last slaves to be returned to bondage under the Fugitive Slave Act when, after a struggle between abolitionists and Republicans intent on appeasing secessionists, she was forcibly removed back to Wheeling a few months before the Civil War began. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

May 17: A Political Thriller

2011-05-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, May 17 at noon, Belmont County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Berhalter, the author of a new political thriller titled Heir to the Throne (Aberdeen Bay), will present a program on his book at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. The book follows presidential candidate Fred Downey who discovers a mystery concerning his late mother’s estate that leads to more discoveries that endanger his political career, his own life and the lives of those he loves. The man who has never failed to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences, now faces his greatest test. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Fracking Facts

2011-05-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

Library Launches New Series on Marcellus Gas Issues

The Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling is launching a new series of informational programs on local Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and fracking issues.

Titled, "Fracking Facts," the series will begin on Thursday evening, May 12 at 7:00 PM, with the first of two presentations by members of the Wetzel County Action Group. The presenters will share their four years of experience with gas extraction activities and the impact those activities have had on their community. The first presentation titled, "The Process," will focus on site preparation, drilling, fracking, compressor stations, traffic issues, and completion.

The second presentation by the Wetzel County Action Group will be offered at the library on Thursday evening, May 26 at 7:00 PM, and will be called, "Challenges and Suggestions." This program will focus on the economic, social, and environmental issues raised by activities related to Marcellus Shale gas extraction.

During it's third installment in the "Fracking Facts" series, the library will welcome Dee Fulton and Duane Nichols of Frack-Check West Virginia (frackcheckwv.net), who will discuss their organizations activities and goals. Frack-Check West Virginia's mission is to ensure that Marcellus Shale gas drilling in the state is conducted responsibly and safely. The program is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 at 2:00 PM.

Additional programs in the "Fracking Facts" series will be announced as they are scheduled. Like all library programs, the series is free and open to the public. All programs will be held in the library's auditorium unless otherwise noted. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

May 10: Ohio Valley Cold Cases

2011-05-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Investigative reporter and True Crime writer Fred Connors, who operates a blog called Ohio Valley Cold Cases, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday May 10 at noon to talk about some of the Valley's infamous unsolved murders, questionable deaths, and missing person cases. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and complimentary beverages are provided. Call 304-232-0244 for more information.

The Whistling Irishman is Heading to Wheeling

2011-04-27T04:11:00.000-07:00

First-ever biography of Danny Murtaugh to be featured at Lunch With Books.

Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling will welcome a very special guest: legendary Pirate Manager Danny Murtaugh’s granddaughter, Colleen Hroncich, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at noon.

Against all odds, Murtaugh led the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates to an upset victory against the mighty New York Yankees. As Pirate fans (and Yankee foes) around the country remember that magical season they can re-live the “good ol’ days” in The Whistling Irishman: Danny Murtaugh Remembered.

With hustle, determination, and strength of character, Danny Murtaugh scraped his way out of poverty and became a two-time World Championship manager. In The Whistling Irishman, Hroncich tells his life story through in-depth research and first-hand accounts from those who knew him best: family, friends, teammates, players, and fans. Hroncich interviewed over 50 sources for the book, including such Pirate greats as Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Bill Virdon, Dick Groat, Vernon Law, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen, and more. Former Pirate pitcher and current announcer Steve Blass, who pitched complete game victories for Murtaugh in Games 3 and 7 of the 1971 World Series, wrote the book’s foreword.

According to Hroncich, “In addition to a remarkable baseball career, my grandfather was a
very good, humble, and down-to-earth man. I look forward to introducing him to
the great baseball fans visiting Lunch With Books.”

This Lunch With Books programs is free and open to the public. It will include a lecture, a Q&A session, and a book signing. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages and popcorn will be provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Benwood Mine Disaster Remembered

2011-04-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Joseph A. Tellitocci of Boggs Run, Benwood, has done extensive research on the Benwood Mine Disaster of April 28, 1924 in which 119 men— mostly Polish, Italian, and Hungarian immigrants— lost their lives. Among those killed was Istvan (Stephen) Vargo, Mr. Tellitocci’s great-grandfather. Mr. Tellitocci will present a program about the disaster on Tuesday April 26 at noon at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling. The presentation will include a summary of the events surrounding the explosion and a heartfelt tribute to the men who died and the families they left behind 87 years ago. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Mural City

2011-04-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Ohio County public Library will soon be joining Wheeling's mural initiative. Four local artists --Anne Foreman, Liz Neuman, Patricia Croft and Andreé Weimer--are creating murals representing four major periods in Wheeling's history (including the Civil War/Statehood period) to be displayed in the library's auditorium. A reception will be held in August at which the murals will be revealed. Stay tuned for more information.

April 19: Author James Foreman

2011-04-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Author James Foreman (son of Noel and Anne Foreman of Wheeling) will present a program on social media, blogs, e-books, and self-publishing and how these new developments have impacted modern writers. The program is called “Making Stuff Up on the Internet: How New Media Helps Us Tell New Stories” and will be presented on Tuesday April 19 at noon at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. James is the author of a short story called “Heat Death of the Universe” published in Machine of Death (Bearstache Books) a collection of stories about people who know how they are going to die. James Foreman is a 1995 graduate of Linsly School and a 2000 graduate of West Virginia University. He writes primarily satire/humor and magic realism (science fiction, fantasy and horror). For more about the author, visit: jamesforeman.com. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Wheeling Civil War 150

2011-04-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this new Facebook page for Wheeling's Civil War and Statehood 150 activities .

http://www.facebook.com/wheelingcivilwar150

New People's University Class Begins April 26!

2011-04-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

LIBRARY LAUNCHES SECOND INSTALLMENT IN THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY SERIES THE PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY, SERIES 2: WORLD GEOGRAPHY Andrew Carnegie called the public library “The People’s University.” He believed the public library was an essential institution of learning for people of all ages, and he knew that a vital part of the library’s mission was to provide the information and knowledge citizens needed. Today, the Ohio County Public Library seeks to continue to assist local residents in the pursuit of knowledge and education in order to promote an enlightened citizenry and to enrich their quality of life. As a key element in achieving this goal, the OCPL will offer a second installment in a new series of programs entitled, “The People’s University.” The program will cover the full range of liberal arts and provide an opportunity for adults to learn or refresh their knowledge of art, music, history, government, philosophy, and a variety of other areas of learning. Courses will be free of charge and presenters will be experts in the fields. The first series, A History of Wheeling with Dr. David Javersak was a huge success, and the second series, World Geography, will offer a glimpse at the landscapes, cultures, histories, and economies of the planet's major regions. Series 2 Schedule: World Geography Classes meet on Tuesday evenings @ 7:00 PM Week 1 (April 26): NORTH AMERICA with Dr. David Javersak Week 2 (May 3): AFRICA Part 1 with Dr. David Javersak Week 3 (May 10-): AFRICA Part 2 with Dr. David Javersak Week 4 (May 17): EUROPE with Dr. Brian Crawford (WLU) Week 5 (May 24): ASIA Part 1 with Dr. Joseph Laker Week 6 (May 31): ASIA Part 2 with Dr. Joseph Laker Week 7 (June 7): LATIN AMERICA with Dr. John Poffenbarger (WJU) Week 8 (June 14): OCEANIA & ANTARCTICA with Dr. Joseph Laker To register for the World Geography series, please call 304-232-0244 or email lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com.

The Forgotten First Campaign of the Civil War

2011-04-05T14:09:00.001-07:00

W. Hunter Lesser, noted Civil War author of Rebels at the Gate, and a member of the West Virginia Sesquicentennial Speakers Bureau will present a talk entitled “The Forgotten First Campaign: Western Virginia, 1861” at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday April 12 at noon. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

April 5: Wheeling in the Great War

2011-03-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

In commemoration of the U.S. entry into World War I in April 1917, Ohio County Public Library programming coordinator Seán Duffy will present a program called “Wheeling and the Ohio Valley in the Great War” on Tuesday April 5 at noon as a part of the library’s Lunch With Books series. Duffy will examine the impact of the First World War on the Wheeling area, including a look at those who served, the war’s impact on Wheeling’s German community, and the establishment of Post 1 of the American Legion. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

MARCH 29: CIVIL WAR STEAMBOATS

2011-03-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Steamboat historian John Bowman will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday March 29 at noon to discuss his new book, Steamboats on the Western Rivers in the Civil War. The program will feature, among other things, information about the designer of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. In a segment called "Charles Ellet, Jr., Civil Engineer, War Strategist and Creator of the Civil War Ram Fleet,” Mr. Bowman will explain Ellet's ambitions and efforts to have the Navy accept his steamboat "Ram" idea for use during the war. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Tuesday, March 22 at noon: Pittsburgh Poet Sam Hazo

2011-03-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday March 22 at noon, Pittsburgh based poet Sam Hazo will read from his work at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. Hazo will be in town under the auspices of the distinguished Hughes Lecture Series at West Liberty University. The son of Lebanese and Assyrian immigrants, Hazo has a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and is a professor of English at Duquesne. Hazo is the author of 30 books of poetry and was the commentator and
narrator on National Public Radio, KDKA, in Pittsburgh. He was appointed the first state poet for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Governor Robert Casey in 1993, and held this position until 2003. Themes in Hazo's poetry include family, Christianity, war, suffering, the absurdity in life, and the mystery of death. His work reflects a strong association to the importance of observation and wonder. Samuel Hazo is the Founder and Director of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which seeks to demonstrate poetry’s relevance and centrality to the public through its oral presentation. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Jaimy Gordon at LWB!

2011-03-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

76 people attended the delightful reading and Q&A by National Book Award winner Jaimy Gordon (Lord of Misrule). It was the 5th straight program with more than 70 in attendance--another program record. Thanks to all who attended!

Special Monday Program: National Book Award Winner!

2011-03-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Author Jaimy Gordon will be at the Ohio County Public Library for a special Monday edition of Lunch With Books on March 21 at noon. Gordon will discuss her new National Book Award winning novel, Lord of Misrule. Set at Indian Mound Downs, a fictional horse racing track south of Wheeling, the book explores the ruthless and often violent world of cheap horse racing. Lord of Misrule has been called “a vivid, memorable and linguistically rich novel." A Baltimore native, Gordon now lives in Michigan and has family in the Ohio Valley, which she describes as “a kind of second home - the rags of fog from the river, the fragile, chocolaty earth and red dust and the close-packed hills.” She has written three previous novels. Copies of Lord of Misrule will be available from Words & Music, Wheeling’s Fiercely Independent Bookstore. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Shamrocking with Black Slaney!

2011-03-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

The craic was grand! (and for non-Irish speakers, "craic" means "fun") Black Slaney put on a great Irish music show at Lunch With Books. 121 attended driving the 2011 average up to an astounding 85! Quint, we're gonna need a bigger auditorium! Thanks again to Matt, Erin, Clifton, and Greg.

Celebrate St. Pat's at the Library!

2011-03-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish folk band Black Slaney will entertain at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, March 15 at noon. Founded by local musicians Matt Smith and Matt Heusel, Black Slaney offers a rousing mix of traditional Irish songs and original acoustic roots music featuring a blend of banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Press Release: Peace Corps Program (March 8)

2011-03-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

FORMER PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS TO PRESENT 50TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM

The Ohio County Library’s Lunch with Books Program will present “The Peace Corps Experience: 50 Years and Counting” on Tuesday, March 8th at noon. Highlighting their memories as Peace Corps volunteers, local residents Bill and Susan Hogan and Robert Gaudio have planned a multi-media presentation featuring a discussion of their host countries as well as an overview of the evolution of Peace Corps since its creation by President John F. Kennedy in March, 1961.

Throughout its history, Peace Corps has adapted and responded to the issues of the times. Teaching everything from basic reading and language skills, clean-water technology, AIDS education, emerging technologies, environmental preservation and new market economies, Peace Corps volunteers have worked in villages, towns and cities around the globe representing a legacy of service that has become a significant part of America’s modern history and positive image abroad. Peace Corps volunteers’ unique heritage continues to inspire our young citizens. Since 1961, over 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps and served in 139 countries, making a positive difference with an American face every day.

Susan Hogan, former executive director of the Wheeling Symphony, and Bill Hogan, a retired businessman, were volunteers from 1987-1991 in the Republic of Benin, a tiny nation in west Africa, where they taught life skills to the poor and handicapped. Gaudio, a local attorney, spent his volunteer service as an English teacher and hospital-maintenance supervisor in the Yemen Arab Republic from 1977-1979.

On March 8th, these former volunteers plan to present a lively, informative program about their experiences in celebration of Peace Corps’ 50th birthday. The Library’s Lunch with Books program is open to the public and free of charge. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and complimentary beverages are served. Call 304-232-0244 for more information.

More Photos from Judge Buergenthals' Program

2011-03-07T06:30:00.001-08:00

Judge Buergenthal Ties Record!

2011-03-04T13:44:00.001-08:00

One hundred ninety-eight (198) people attended the presentation given by Judge Thomas Buergental today at a special Friday edition of Lunch With Books! The number matched the all time attendance record for the program. The huge crowd also pushed the average LWB attendance for the year to 81, another record. Judge Buergenthal discussed and answered numerous questions about his memoir, A Lucky Child, which recounts his experiences as one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz. Judge Buergenthal served on the International Court of Justice from 2000 until 2010 -- just one the entries on an extraordinarily impressive list of professional accomplishments.

March 8: Peace Corps: 50 Years & Counting!

2011-03-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

Susan & Bill Hogan (below) along with Bob Gaudio (in Yemen at right) will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday March 8 at noon to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps. Tracing its roots and mission to 1960, when then Sen. John F. Kennedy challenged students to volunteer to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries, the Peace Corps grew into a federal government agency devoted to world peace and friendship established in 1961 under director Sargent Shriver. Since then, more than 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 139 countries. Susan and Bob will invite Wheeling volunteers to share their experiences. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Friday March 4 at noon: Auschwitz Survivor Judge Thomas Buergenthal

2011-02-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

On Friday, March 4 at noon, Judge Thomas Buergenthal will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library to discuss his memoir, A Lucky Child, in which he recounts his experiences as one of the youngest survivors of the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen. Judge Buergenthal served on the International Court of Justice from 2000 until 2010. Between 1979 and 1991, he was a judge and president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In the 1990s, he was a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the UN Truth Commission for El Salvador. After graduating from Bethany College and the New York University Law School, he received LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees from the Harvard Law School. Professor Buergenthal was the Dean of the Washington College of Law at the American University from 1980 to 1985 and is currently Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School. Buergenthal is the author of more than a dozen books and numerous journal articles dealing with international law and human rights. Copies of A Lucky Child will be available from Words & Music, Wheeling’s Fiercely Independent Bookstore. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

ArtsFest is Coming to Wheeling!

2011-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

Wheeling's First Arts Festival was announced yesterday, and the library will play a prominent role!

Library guests will include critically acclaimed Wheeling authors Keith Maillard, George Fetherling, and Marc Harshman along with playwright Sean O'Leary and a number of additional local writers.

Be sure to mark your calendars for Aug. 19 and 20.

Stay tuned for more.

Tuesday March 1: ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

2011-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Eleanor Roosevelt will visit the Lunch With Books program at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, March 1 at noon. Portrayed by the excellent living historian Patty Cooper, Mrs. Roosevelt will be in town to drum up support for the war effort. She will hold a press conference at the library during which she will answer questions about her volunteer work for the American Red Cross among other things. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

A Tribute to Doc White, February 22, 2011

2011-02-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Curtis and Chu Jazz Up Lunch With Books

2011-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Curtis Johnson's amazing tribute to Leon Chu Berry today was attended by 110 people! Surely one of the best programs we have ever offered. Certainly one of my personal favorites. Thank you Curtis and thanks to all who attended. There's nothing like jazz and Chu was a true jazz pioneer.

Feb 22: Share your Memories of Doc White

2011-02-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Black History Month, the community is invited to Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, February 22 at noon to share memories of James “Doc” White, the Wheeling pharmacist whose tireless work and generosity changed the lives of countless people and made Wheeling a better place to live. In 1986, Doc was elected to the Wheeling Hall of Fame “in the area of public service on the basis of a lifetime of devotion to the betterment of his community and its citizenry.” Rev. Willie Nevels will provide introductory remarks and Ann Thomas will facilitate the discussion. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Next Tuesday: REMEMBERING CHU BERRY

2011-02-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Black History Month, Wheeling’s own saxophonist Curtis Johnson, will celebrate, through words and music, the tragically brief life of the great tenor saxophonist Leon “Chu” Berry on Tuesday February 15 at noon at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. Born in Wheeling in 1908, Chu Berry performed with Cab Calloway and Count Basie, among many other legends. Had he not died in a car accident at only 33, Berry might have become the most significant jazz saxophonist of the 20th century. In addition to teaching at West Liberty and WVU, Curtis Johnson has performed with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, and Ray Charles. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Schedule Change

2011-02-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: Due to a conflict, the appearance by Jaimy Gordon, author of the National Book Award winning novel Lord of Misrule originally scheduled for March 28, has been moved back one week to Monday, March 21 at noon.

For a nice overview of the program see this column by Linda Comins. But please keep in mind that the date is now MARCH 21 AT NOON.

Feb 8: Joe McCarthy's Wheeling Speech

2011-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Feb 9, 1950, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a speech at the McLure Hotel during which he claimed to hold a list of known communists in the U.S. State Department. The speech grabbed national headlines and launched the era of paranoia and persecution now known as “McCarthyism.” On February 8 at noon Dr. Elizabeth Fones-Wolf, Chair of the department of history at West Virginia University (a U.S. Labor and Cold War History specialist), will talk about the significance of the speech and McCarthy’s rise and fall at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Feb 1: The 13th Amendment in Wheeling

2011-01-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

On February1 at noon, Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library will host a celebration of National Freedom Day. Dr. Connie Rice, lecturer at WVU and member of the W.V. Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, will discuss the impact —in Wheeling and in the state —of the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. According to America’s Library.gov, National Freedom Day was created “to promote good feelings, harmony, and equal opportunity among all citizens and to remember that the United States is a nation dedicated to the ideal of freedom.” Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

January 25: BILLY SUNDAY COMES TO WHEELING!

2011-01-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

Kate Quinn will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, January 25 at noon to talk about the eccentric traveling preacher and baseball player Billy Sunday, who insisted that each town he visited build a "tabernacle" for his sermons. Wheeling complied, erecting a 6000 seat structure in just 4 days that would become the place to be seen in town. The Wheeling newspaper adored Sunday, awarding him daily front-page coverage. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.
Attendance: 72

Jan 18: Marshall County Heroes

2011-01-11T13:58:00.001-08:00

Author Gary Rider will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, January 18 at noon to discuss his new book, Marshall County Patriots and Heroes, which features 131 military profiles of men and women from Marshall County who served at Gettysburg, Antietam, Appomattox Court House, the Little Bighorn, Philippines, Bataan Death March, Hiroshima, D-Day, Heartbreak Ridge, Kuwait and Iraq. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

History of Wheeling Bibliography Compiled by Dr. David Javersak

2011-01-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

THE PEOPLE’S UNIVERSITY

OHIO COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

HISTORY OF WHEELING

FALL 2010

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

COMPILED BY

DR. DAVID T. JAVERSAK

GENERAL HISTORIES

West Virginia History

Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review

History of the Northern West Virginia Panhandle

Peter Boyd

History of Wheeling City and Ohio County

Gibson Lamb Cranmer

Wheeling: An Illustrated History

Doug Fetherling

History of the Pan Handle

J. H. Newton

History of Greater Wheeling and Vicinity

Charles A. Wingerter

LECTURE 1

“One Place on this Great Green Planet Where Andrew Carnegie can’t get a Monument with his Money”

West Virginia History Vol. XLI, No.1

David T. Javersak

The Library: An Illustrated History

Stuart Murray

LECTURE 2

Chronicles of Border Warfare

Alexander Scott Withers

History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia

Wills De Hass

That Dark and Bloody River

Alan Eckert

The Tales of Wheeling’s Heroic Age

William Hintzen and Joe Roxby

Every Home A Fort Every Man A Warrior

Michael Edward Nogay

The Shepherds and Their Mansion

David T. Javersak

LECTURE 3

The National Road

Phillip Jordan

Route 40

George R. Stewart

LECTURE 4

“Traitors in Wheeling” Journal of Appalachian Studies

Vol. 13, No. 1 & 2

Ken Fones-Wolf

Bits of Gossip

Life in the Iron Mills

Rebecca Harding Davis

LECTURE 5

“The Ohio Valley Trades & Labor Assembly: The

Formative Years, 1882-1915” Dissertation

David T. Javersak

Stifel: An Historical Perspective of the Stifel Family in

Wheeling, West Virginia”

David T. Javersak

Principio to Wheeling, 1715-1945

Earl May

“Labor Day in Wheeling”

“The Pollack Memorial Monument”

David T. Javersak

Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review (1978 & 1979)

LECTURE 6

“The Trial of Alice Bradford: A Study in the Politics of

Prostitution in Wheeling, West Virginia”

“The Committee of One Hundred”

“Prostitution and the Sporting Life: Aspects of Working

Class Culture and Sexuality in Nineteenth Century

Wheeling”

David Rose

Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review (1985-87)

LECTURE 7

“Valley of the Ohio” Holiday (1960)

Davis Grubb

Dr. William M Seaman

Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review (1979)

The Wheeling Family: A Celebration of Immigrants and Neighborhoods, by Sean Duffy (Creative Impressions: 2008)

LECTURE 8

Wheeling in the 20^th Century

Tom Dunham

Fort Henry Mall (planning document)

LECTURE 9

IMPORTANT STRUCTURES IN WHEELING

North Main Street (between 7^th and 9^th Streets)

Pollack Monument

Suspension Bridge

Capitol Theatre

Stone & Thomas Department Store

National Bank of West Virginia, 12^th Street and Main

Artisan Center

Flat Iron Building

Main Street Bridge

Wagner Building

Orrick Building

Centre Market Houses

Menkemeller Building

Bennett Square (Wheeling Public Library)

St. Alphonsus Church

Maxwell Center

B & O Station

Chapline Street Row Houses (2300 Block)

West Virginia Independence Hall

First English Lutheran Church

St. James Lutheran Church

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

First Presbyterian Church

German Fire Insurance Building

Paxton House

Kepner Funeral Home Buildings

Fort Henry Club

14^th Street Buildings (between Chapline and Eoff)

First Capitol of West Virginia

Reymann Carriage House

St. Joseph’s Cathedral

Fourth Street Methodist Church

U.S. Court House

Schmulbach Building

STRUCTURES EAST OF WHEELING HILL

Hempfield Viaduct

Vance Memorial Church

Kenwood Place, Woodsdale

Willow Glen

National Road, Washington Avenue to Wheeling Park

Greenwood and Mt. Calvary Cemeteries

Elmhurst

Mount de Chantal

Shepherd Mansion

Wheeling Then & Now by Sean Duffy and Paul Rinkes (Arcadia: 2010)

January 11 at noon: Church & State in Communist Poland

2011-01-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

Rev. Marian S. Mazgaj will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday January 11 at noon. Born in Poland in 1923, Rev. Marian S. Mazgaj is a pastoral associate at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church. He will discuss his new book, Church and State in Communist Poland: A History, 1944-1989, which explores Polish Catholicism under Soviet Communism and how the strong Polish culture prepared the populace to resist attempts to destroy the church. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are provided. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.