GET YOUR GROVER ON (a Groovy Grover Update)

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.