Nov 1: Photographing Nature

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

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

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!

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

ALA Takes Notice

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!

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

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

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

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

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.