Thank you Warwood!

157 people turned out for the Warwood Memories program yesterday. Sorry we underestimated the seating but many thanks to all who were there and especially to those who shared. We enjoyed it immensely and thought it a great success. And since it ...was such a success, we now hope to do a similar program for every neighborhood from North Wheeling to Benwood. THANKS WARWOOD!

Our next program will be Tuesday, January 8, 2013. Hal Gorby will return to discuss his research on Wheeling during the Progressive Era.

Happy Holidays!

Next: REMEMBER WARWOOD!

Dec. 18 Warwood Memories: Share your memories of growing up in Warwood at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday December 18 at noon. From long lost island amusement parks and airplane factories, to exotic places like “the jungle” and “the bloody bones,” plus standards like Brooke’s Restaurant, Hecks, McNamara’s Drugstore, Lincoln Theater, Sobray’s Bakery and more — discover the history and nostalgia ofWarwood from those who lived it. Copies of the new local history book, The Wheeling Family Volume 2: More Immigrants, Migrants & Neighborhoods, which contains sections called "Warwood Memories, an Experiment in Nostalgia Through Social Media" and "Warwood A to Z" will be available for purchase. One dollar for every book soled will be donated to the library. 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.

Reflecting on the end of a classic rivalry...

John Antonik, Director of New Media for Intercollegiate Athletics at WVU, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday December 11 at noon to discuss his book, The Backyard Brawl: Stories from One of the Weirdest, Wildest, Longest Running, and Most Intense Rivalries in College Football History. 
WVU Press website description: The West Virginia University Mountaineers and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, separated by less than eighty miles of highway, have battled it out on the football field for more than one hundred years. Now, with Pitt announcing its departure from the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and West Virginia becoming a member of the Big 12 Conference, this intense rivalry has come to an abrupt end. Thousands of players and dozens of coaches - some among the very best to ever play the game - have been a part of this famous series known as the “Backyard Brawl.” With fantastic tales about this feud’s star-studded rosters, including White, Slaton, Harris, Luck, Huff,Nehlen, and Rodriguez for West Virginia and Fitzgerald, Marino, Dorsett, Green, Majors, and Sherrill for Pitt, The Backyard Brawl celebrates the tradition, heritage, and pride of two outstanding universities. With unparalleled access, John Antonik, a 20-year West Virginia University athletic administrator and WVU alumnus, unearths the fascinating and humorous stories that make up this revered, colorful, and cherished football game-and more importantly, the great passion and pride these schools exhibit every time they take the field.

John Antonik, a New Martinsville native, is Director of New Media for Intercollegiate Athletics, West Virginia University and author of West Virginia University Football Vault: The History of the Mountaineers and Roll Out the Carpet: 101 Seasons of West Virginia University Basketball.
A representative from WVU Press will accompany Mr. Antonik and will have copies of the book available for purchase and signing at $19.99 per copy. 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.

Wheeling Film Society Screening and Conversation!

The Wheeling Film Society is a partnership among Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Cinema, Wheeling Jesuit University’s Fine and Performing Arts Department & Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. See a classic film for free on a Friday on the big screen at Towngate, then join in a discussion of the film the following Tuesday at the library!

SEE "Play It Again Sam," at Towngate Cinema, Friday November 30, 7 pm.

THEN join the Conversation with WJU film professor John Whitehead on Tuesday December 4 at noon at LWB at the OCPL.

Woody Allen originally wrote his relationship-comedy fantasia on Humphrey Bogart’s persona in Casablanca and other films as a stage play, adapted here for the cinema exactly three decades after the Bogart-Bergman classic as the first of many screen-pairings of Allen and Diane Keaton.  Allen’s character, pushed around by his ex-wife and hapless in a series of blind dates, becomes so obsessed with trying to “be like Bogart” that he conjures a Bogie avatar by his side to advise him on his romantic moves and missteps.  Allen’s legendary love of cinema was first introduced on screen in this early film, which pointed the way to Annie Hall and Manhattan later in the 70s.

All programs – screenings and conversations – are FREE. Attend as many as your schedule allows. All are welcome, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Parental Guidance is recommended for all programs.

Nov. 27: Immaculate Reflections of Jim O'Brien

Pittsburgh author Jim O’Brien will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, November 27 at noon to discuss his new book, Immaculate Reflections. Subjects covered include the “Immaculate Reception” on the 40^th anniversary of the pivotal event in the Steelers’ history, Steeler greats like Troy Polamalu and Franco Harris, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, and the Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski.  Steelers’ founder Art Rooney Sr. called O’Brien “a real Pittsburgh guy,” and the late Myron Cope called him “Pittsburgh’s premier sports historian.” 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.

Nov 20: The Music of Angela Easterling

Angela Easterling, an Americana-Roots Singer-Songwriter based in Greenville, SC, will perform at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, November 20 at noon. Her program, "A Songwriter's Journey Through American Music,” was presented as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, "New Harmonies: CelebratingAmerican Root’s Music.” It includes original songs interspersed with selections of classic folk, roots, country and rock tunes. Easterling will discuss the craft of songwriting and tell the stories behind her songs and how they came to be, weaving in some of the history of roots music and the artists who have influenced her writing. Roger McGuinn, founder of the Byrds, called Angela "a bright shining star on the horizon!" For more info, visit www.angelaeasterling.com. 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.

The Unknown Soldiers

Dr. Art Barbeau, emeritus professor of history at West Liberty College/University, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday November 13 at noon to discuss his book, TheUnknown Soldiers: African American Troops in WWI in honor of Veteran’s Day. During WWI, thousands of African Americans labored, fought, and died to make the world safe for a democracy that refused them equal citizenship at home. 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.

Book Description from Amazon.com: During World War I 370,000 African Americans labored, fought, and died to make the world safe for a democracy that refused them equal citizenship at home. The irony was made more bitter as black troops struggled with the racist policies of the American military itself. The overwhelming majority were assigned to labor companies; those selected for combat were under-trained, poorly equipped, ad commanded by white officers who insisted on black inferiority. Still, African Americans performed admirably under fire: the 369th Infantry regiment was in continuous combat loner than any other American unit, and was the first Allied regiment to cross the Rhine in the offensive against Germany.The Unknown Soldiers, the only full-scale examination of the subject, chronicles the rigid segregation; the limited opportunities for advancement; the inadequate training, food, medical attention, housing, and clothing; the verbal harassment and physical abuse, including lynchings; the ingratitude, unemployment, and unprecedented racial violence that greeted their return. The Unknown Soldiers is an unforgettable, searing study of those wartime experiences that forced African Americans to realize that equality and justice could never be earned in Jim Crow America, but only wrested from its strangling grip.

IT'S WHEELING STEEL!

The Wheeling Big Band Society has spent years compiling a pictorial history book about the famed radio program. Now, the Wheeling National Heritage Area has partnered with the society to produce It’s Wheeling Steel: The Story of Wheeling’s ‘Coast toCoast’ Celebrated Radio Program. The book looks at how the program started, its role during WWII and the nation’s reaction to the show throughout its broadcast. Big Band Society members Lee Kelvington and Baird Kloss will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, November 6 at noon to discuss the story of one of Wheeling’s greatest cultural treasures. 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.

WHEELING FILM SOCIETY LAUNCHES INAUGURAL SEASON

Film Enthusiasts to Discuss Classic Films

The Wheeling FilmSociety, a new addition to the Ohio Valley arts scene, brings film enthusiasts together to watch and discuss some of America’s iconic films.

Presented through a partnership between Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Cinema, Wheeling Jesuit University’s Fine and Performing Arts Department and the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch with Books Program, the Wheeling Film Society will present four classic films and host post-screening discussions on each. All programs are free and open to the public.

Those interested in learning more about the Wheeling Film Society can attend an introductory program at noon Tuesday, October 23 at the Ohio County Public Library.  Wheeling Film Society host John Whitehead, professor of film studies at Wheeling Jesuit University and author of Appraising The Graduate: The Mike Nichols Classic and Its Impact in Hollywood, will present the screening/conversation format for the Society, give a sneak preview of the selections as well as provide a specific introduction to the first offering of the season, Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. 



Pictured are program partners John Whitehead, Wheeling Jesuit; Kate Crosbie, Oglebay Institute and Sean Duffy, Ohio County Public Library.

 

Whitehead, who spearheaded this project, says film is “one of the important democratic impulses that we still gather to share with each other.”

“For better or worse, movies also have an enormous influence on us -- they sometimes reflect who we are, but often also shape who we are,” he said. “My hope is that in talking about and thinking about iconic films from America's, and in future seasons, the world's past, we not only gain a deeper appreciation for cinematic achievement, but also learn some things about ourselves.”

The Society’s inaugural season comprises four films – the 1942 romantic World War II drama Casablanca, Woody Allen’s Play it Again Sam, Francis Ford Coppola’s blockbuster The Godfather and the baseball classic The Natural, starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close. All films will be shown on the big screen at Towngate Cinema at 7 p.m. on select Friday evenings, and discussions take place at the Ohio County Library at noon on the Tuesday following each screening.

The complete schedule is as follows:

Noon October 23            Introductionto the Wheeling Film Society, Ohio County Library

The Wheeling Film Society (WFS) announces its inaugural season with a sneak preview of the four classic films to be screened during the year.  WFS Host John Whitehead, professor of film studies at Wheeling Jesuit University and author of Appraising The Graduate: The Mike Nichols Classic and Its Impact in Hollywood, will present the screening/conversation format for WFS offerings as well as provide a specific introduction to the first offering of the season, to be screened later the same week: Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

7 p.m. October 26                                Screening: Casablanca, Towngate Cinema

Noon   October 30                              Conversation:Casablanca, Ohio County Library

One of the most heartbreakingly romantic films ever made, Casablanca is a miracle of the Hollywood Golden Age and its assembly-line production model – a B-movie of foreign intrigue that transcends the limitations of its genre.  Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine in the most iconic role of an iconic career, an American expatriate whose cool and detached intentions to remain uncommitted, both personally and patriotically, melt away in the heat of Ingrid Bergman’s vulnerable presence.  Filled with great character acting from America and particularly from European refugees fleeing Hitler, Casablanca is propaganda that became art.

7 p.m. November 30                           Screening,Play it Again Sam, Towngate Cinema

Noon December 4            Conversation:Play it Again Sam, Ohio County PublicLibrary

Woody Allen originally wrote his relationship-comedy fantasia on Humphrey Bogart’s persona in Casablanca and other films as a stage play, adapted here for the cinema exactly three decades after the Bogart-Bergman classic as the first of many screen-pairings of Allen and Diane Keaton.  Allen’s character, pushed around by his ex-wife and hapless in a series of blind dates, becomes so obsessed with trying to “be like Bogart” that he conjures a Bogie avatar by his side to advise him on his romantic moves and missteps.  Allen’s legendary love of cinema was first introduced on screen in this early film, which pointed the way to Annie Hall and Manhattan later in the 70s.

7 p.m. January 25            Screening:The Godfather, Towngate Cinema

Noon January 29            Conversation:The Godfather, Ohio County PublicLibrary

 

Debates about The Great American Movie usually vacillate between Coppola’s blockbuster (which won the “Big Three” Oscars for a filmmaker – Picture, Director, and Screenplay) and Orson Welles’ 1941 Citizen Kane.  Each is an epic panorama that both reflects and critiques the values of the American political and economic systems.  Each is ultimately a tragic masterpiece.  Coppola’s depiction of the promise and problems of post-WWII prosperity are brought to life by one of the great ensemble casts of Hollywood history, including Marlon Brando, who won Best Actor for the title role; James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino, all of whom were nominated for Best Supporting Actor; and Diane Keaton, scandalously neglected in the nominations.

7 p.m. April 19                                     Screening:  TheNatural, Towngate Cinema

Noon April 23                                      Conversation,The Natural, Ohio County PublicLibrary

In honor of the return of spring and a new baseball season, our final screening of 2012-2013 is the adaptation of Bernard Malamud’s modernist novel updating the Fisher King legend to the world of mid-century baseball.  Both novel and film are based in the 1949 scandal of a promising major league ballplayer whose career was altered when he was shot and wounded in his team hotel room by a mystery woman.  Levinson’s film was controversial upon its release: the novel’s downbeat ending received a spectacular Hollywood “makeover,” complete with Randy Newman’s greatest soundtrack score, climactic slow-motion fireworks, and Robert Redford getting the girl.

********************

 

Whitehead said this lineup was chosen for the first season because organizers wanted to start off with much-beloved films that people will want to see on Towngate’s big screen, even though they may have seen them many times in the comfort of their own living rooms. He said he was also interested in diversity of genre.

“There's a romantic spy story, a romantic comedy, a crime epic, and a sports drama,” he said. “But more important, I wanted to choose films in this first season that dealt with iconic myths of our shared past: the war hero, the romantic loner, the rags-to-riches businessman, the natural athlete.  And for me, what's interesting about these films we're showing is that they don't present any of these icons without irony.  Part of what makes these films great is that they challenge us to think more deeply about our myths and heroes than we sometimes do.”

Oglebay Institute’s director of performing arts Kate Crosbie said, “This new venture adds another dimension to our already established performing arts schedule.  We are pleased to partner with Wheeling Jesuit and the Ohio County Library to present this new opportunity for film lovers to get together with others who share an interest in film, learn more about the art and history of cinema, view good films and engage in thought-provoking conversation.”

All screenings and conversations are free and open to the public. Guests may attend as many or as few events as their schedules permit.

Oct 16: Meet Edgar Allen Poe!

On Tuesday October 16 at noon, in anticipation of Halloween, George Bartley, who has worked at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, will portray "America's Shakespeare" at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library, courtesy of the History Alive! program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. Bartley has a degree in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance and has reenacted Poe in theaters, universities, high schools, libraries, and churches.

 

The presentation is free, open to the public, and made possible through the History Alive! program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

The presentation interweaves many of the tragic events of Poe's life with some of his greatest works. Special emphasis is given to Poe's connections to the area of the United States that became West Virginia.

While perhaps best known for his tales of terror and the macabre, Poe also wrote "The Raven"- the most famous poem ever written by an American and "Annabel Lee." Often referred to as "America's Shakespeare," Poe also wrote the first detective story and the first modern science fiction story.

Poe is one of the many available character presentations offered through the West Virginia Humanities Council's History Alive! program as a means of exploring history by interacting with noteworthy historical figures. These programs provide audiences with the opportunity to question those who have shaped our history. Historical characterization is the vehicle for this program. Humanities scholars have carefully researched the writings, speeches, and biographies of the characters they portray and whenever possible, use their original words.

The West Virginia Humanities Council is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing educational programs in the humanities for all West Virginians. For over thirty years, the Council has been providing educational programs in the humanities across the state. This program is available to interested nonprofit groups such as libraries, museums, and historical societies. For more information call The West Virginia Humanities Council at 304-346-8500 or visit the website: www.wv.humanities.org

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.

 

"It all began in Wheeling: Wheeling Steel Products that changed America."

Lunch With Books, October 9 at noon: "It all began in Wheeling: Wheeling Steel Products that changed America."Next Tuesday October 9 at noon, Wheeling Steel enthusiast and researcher Dr. Raymond Boothe will return to Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library to present "It all began in Wheeling: Wheeling Steel Products that changed America." Dr. Boothe will discuss the many innovations pioneered by Wheeling Steel that changed American life. Dr. Boothe invites anyone who attends to bring some kind of Wheeling Steel artifact if theyhave one. He promised to bring his artifacts and a large storyboard describing the construction of the BOF furnace at Mingo Junction. 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.

The Poetry of Marc Harshman (Oct 4)

 

Oct. 4 (Thurs.) The Poetry of Marc Harshman

West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman will read from his work courtesy the distinguished Hughes Lecture Series at West Liberty University.

 

Sept. 25: Dr. Michael Strada

Dr. Michael Strada, an award-winning professor of international studies at West Liberty College/University for many years, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday September 25 at noon discuss his book, Behind West Liberty’s Sports Renaissance. 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.

Local Historic Landscape Preservation Sites

Landscape architects Andy Barger of the Wheeling Park Commission, and Wm. Gabriel Hays of Hays Landscape Architecture Studios, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday September 18 at noon. The two experts will showcase local parks, estates, roads and points of interest designated as historic sites and the importance of their preservation. 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.

A Constitution Day Celebration

Happy 225th Birthday: U.S. Constitution

In celebration of the 225th birthday of the U.S. Constitution (September 17, 1787), the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling, in partnership with the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation, is offering a full day of free programming on Monday, September 17, 2012 beginning at 11 am in the library’s auditorium.
The theme of the event will be “federalism,” defining the power relationship between the state and federal governments that has always challenged the nation’s founders, leaders and lawmakers. First up at 11 am, Patrick Henry will visit the library to explain why, despite being invited as one of Virginia’s most prominent leaders, he declined to attend the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Portrayed by the veteran living historian Tony Steer of Cincinnati, Mr. Henry will also field questions from the audience.
At noon, the highly regarded and nationally known Constitutional historian and legal scholar Dr. Michael Les Benedict will deliver the keynote address, “Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution.” The talk will explore the constitutional issues President Lincoln faced, his contribution to American constitutionalism, how he defended his actions to the American people and how his decisions were made through constitutional politics.
Dr. Benedict (Ph.D., Rice University) is Emeritus Professor of History at The Ohio State University, where he also served as Adjunct Professor of Law. The author of The Blessings of Liberty, a leading textbook on American constitutional history, he has also written numerous books and articles on the constitutional history of the Civil War era, including The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (1973), A Compromise of Principle (1974), and Preserving the Constitution: Essays on Politics and the Constitution in the Reconstruction Era (2006). He is a regular presenter and commenter at national historical conventions and specialized conferences and symposia. Professor Benedict has held many prestigious research and teaching fellowships and has been visiting professor at universities and law schools in the United States, and in Japan and the United Kingdom. He is an elected member of the Society of American Historians and a member of the presidentially appointed Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise committee. He has served as president of the Society of Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, on the board of directors of the American Society for Legal History, and is the long-time parliamentarian of the American Historical Association.
Following the keynote address at approximately 1 pm, community leaders from various fields will read aloud the text of the Constitution. Each reader will then sign an enlarged facsimile of the original document symbolically reaffirming the enduring contract between the government and the people. The event will also feature free snacks and beverages and display items.

Later that evening at 7 pm, Dr. David Javersak will lead another installment in the library’s Making Sense of the Civil War book discussion series. Appropriately, the discussion will focus on the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, which was fought 150 years ago on September 17, 1862. Made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, the reading and discussion program is a part of the library’s Civil War sesquicentennial observance. The primary texts for the discussion will be Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James McPherson, and America’s War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries, edited by Edward L. Ayers.
All of the library’s Constitution Day programs are free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 for more information.

Sept 11: Tim Luke on Antique Toys

Tim Luke of Cash in the Attic fame will return to Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday September 11 to talk about antique toys, courtesy Oglebay Institute and their “Toys from Wheeling Childhood” exhibit. Tim will be reviewing the following two books that he has authored: Toys From American Childhood 1845-1945 published in 2011,and Miller's American Insider's Guide to Toys & Games published in 2006. He will also touch on the Antiques Roadshow Guide to 20th-Century Collectibles published in 2003, for which he was a contributing editor. 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.

Thursday Sept 6 at noon: VJ-Day Memories

Special Thursday Lunch With Books

John S. Marshall will discuss his father’s memoir, Civilian in Uniform: Wartime Experiences at a special Thursday edition of Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on September 6 at noon. Following the presentation, the audience will be invited to share their own memories of the end of the Second World War, particularly of the surrender of the Empire of Japan (V-J Day). Dr. Jeffrey Rutherford, professor of history at Wheeling Jesuit University, will host. 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.

The Unbroken Circle

Wheeling native and teaching artist Tom Breiding will be at the Lunch With Books program at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at noon. In honor of Labor Day, Breiding will deliver unique musical stories of life in American towns that span the last century. From the coalfields of West Virginia to Pittsburgh's steel mills, Tom shares his original compositions and traditional folk tales, featuring guitar, banjo, and harmonica. Tom teaches about early life in the coalfields, the struggles of the labor force to organize, and specific events surrounding the mine wars of 1921. He also delivers songs depicting generations of workers in the steel, coal, and glass industries of Pittsburgh. This entertaining program pays homage to the laborers of our region who made great sacrifices to build our country. Tom will also bring a small traveling museum with early mining artifacts, gear, scrip, etc. 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.

The Quiet Man: A Great Event!

Be sure to check out our photos of The Quiet Man pub reading on the Lunch With Books Facebook page at facebook.com/lunchwithbooks.

Many thanks to Frank Mahon for writing a great play and allowing and supporting our humble production. Special thanks to Tim Thompson of our partner Oglebay Institute's Towngate Theater, who did a fantastic job organizing, directing, acting--we could not have done it without him. Thanks also to our other fine actors (Arlene Merryman, Tom Stobart, P.D. Gregg, Greg Sberna, Michael Ramsay, Rachel Thompson and Vince Marshall), our gracious volunteers from Harmony House, Ye Olde Alpha (esp Charlie Schlegel), Besty Bethel-McFarland and her pipes, Matt Smith and Erin Huffman, Bishop Whelan Div. 1 AOH, celticattitudes.com, Linda Comins, Phyllis Sigal, Steve Novotney, and Howard Monroe. And many many thanks to you, our guests and audience. Because of your generosity and patronage, we were able to raise a lot of money for a great and courageous organization: Harmony House Children's Advocacy Center. And finally thanks to the great Irish writer Maurice Walsh for starting it all.

 

So fill to me the parting glass. Good night and joy be with you all!

Today at Noon: Discussing The Quiet Man

John Whitehead, professor of film studies at Wheeling Jesuit University, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Friday, August 31 at noon, to lead a discussion of “The Quiet Man” in all its forms: from the real history of 1921 Ireland, to the 1933 short story by Maurice Walsh, to the 1952 film starring John Wayne and, finally, the new play by Frank Mahon (which will be read at the library the prior evening). Find out what was changed and why. The program is part of the observance of the 60^th anniversary of the popular film, which opened  in Wheeling at the Victoria Theater on Thanksgiving Day, 1952.  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.

Quiet Man Warm Up. It's Almost Halfway to St Patrick's Day.

Matt Smith of the band Black Slaney will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, August 28 at noon to play traditional Irish folk songs, a few of which were featured in the film, The Quiet Man. The program, will provide a warm-up for the library’s presentation of the play version of the classic film, scheduled for Thursday August 30 at 7 pm. 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.

August 30 (Thursday at 7 pm): Pub Reading: The Quiet Man

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the release of the beloved 1952 film, The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen and Ward Bond, Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library, in partnership with Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theater, will present a reading of the pub version of the play, The Quiet Man, adapted for the stage by Frank Mahon. Directed by the great John Ford, the film version was based on the same source material as the play, a short story by Irish writer Maurice Walsh first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1933. The staged reading is scheduled for Thursday August 30 at 7 pm. A cast of veteran actors from Towngate Theater will read the play, including Vince Marshall, Rachel Thompson, Michael Ramsay, Tom Stobart, P D Gregg, Arlene Merryman, Greg Sberna and Tim Thompson, who will also direct. The evening performance will include music by Matt Smith and Erin Huffman of the local Irish band, Black Slaney plus free Irish style “pub grub.” Tickets for the evening performance are $10.00 and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Harmony House Children’s Advocacy Center. Playwright Frank Mahon has written for major television productions. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Irish American Artists & Writers, and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. When asked permission to do the readings at the Ohio County Public Library, Mr. Mahon said “What a great compliment to have a library want to do a reading of our play.” He also promised “to let the Walsh family know right away…” as he believed it would “mean a lot to them to hear that their grandfather ("Mossie") will be back in a library.” The Quiet Man play has been well received by audiences and critics in Mahon’s hometown of Chicago and across the country, including at the John Wayne Museum in Iowa. Maureen O’Hara herself called it “A wonderful script…” featuring “strong and interesting” characters and a “tale well told…” that “brings us into the homes and lives of the Irish living in those difficult times.” For more information or to purchase tickets, please send an email to lunchwithbooks@yahoo.com or call the library at 304-232-0244 and ask for Sean.

August 31 (Fri. @ noon) Discussing The Quiet Man

John Whitehead, professor of film studies at Wheeling Jesuit University, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Friday, August 31 at noon, to lead a discussion of “The Quiet Man” in all its forms: from the real history of 1921 Ireland, to the 1933 short story by Maurice Walsh, to the 1952 film starring John Wayne and, finally, the new play by Frank Mahon (which will be read at the library the prior evening). Find out what was changed and why. The program is part of the observance of the 60^th anniversary of the popular film, which opened  in Wheeling at the Victoria Theater on Thanksgiving Day, 1952.  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.

Aug 21 @ noon: Walter Rybeck

Wheeling native Walter Rybeck, now the director of the Center for Public Dialogue in Maryland, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, August 21 at noon to discuss his book, Re-solving the Economic Puzzle, which pinpoints a flaw in prevailing economic practices that explains why so many families in the richest nation on earth are mired in poverty, homelessness, joblessness, and hunger. Rybeck suggests a reform to correct this flaw. The book contains sections on Rybeck's life in Wheeling.  Mr. Rybeck's book is now carried by Words & Music book store at Stratford Springs 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 served. Please call 304-232-0244 for more information.

August 14: Nazi Policy on the Eastern Front in 1941 with Dr. Jeff Rutherford

Dr. Jeff Rutherford, professor of history at Wheeling Jesuit University, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, August 14 at noon to discuss the book, Nazi Policy on the Eastern Front, 1941:Total War, Genocide, and Radicalization, that he co-edited with Alex Kay and David Stahel. The collection of essays, written by young scholars of seven different nationalities, provides readers with the most current interpretations of Germany's military, economic, racial, and diplomatic policies toward the Soviet Union in 1941. 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.

August 7: Fort Henry

Researcher Gary Timmons will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, August 7 at noon to share stories from his efforts to compile a list of all individuals who stayed at Fort Henry during its 13-year existence. The compilation was published as “Fort Henry: Builders, Defenders & Occupants.” It contains a reprint of “The Fort Henry Story” by Klein and Cooper.

Gary Timmons was born and raised in the Wheeling area. He graduated from Triadelphia High School and attended West Liberty College.  He is retired from Consol Coal. Gary is a member of the Pennsylvania and Ohio State Societies of the Sons of the American Revolution and is Past President of the George Washington Chapter and current Secretary of that chapter as well as a District Deputy in the Pennsylvania State Society.  He is also a member of the National SAR Color Guard at all levels and participates in parades, historic marker and memorial grave dedications. His work on the Fort Henry book, received the Minnesota – Steven Tyler award at the National Congress of the SAR in 2011 that was held in Winston-Salem, NC. In 2009, Gary was recognized as a West Virginia History Hero.   He is a member of the Board of Fort Henry Living History and leads his SAR  

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.

New People's University Series Launches August 14

The next installment in the Ohio County Public Library's popular People's University series, American History 1, a survey of the important events and people of the pre-colonial, colonial, and Founding periods, will begin on Tuesday, August 14 at 7 pm and run for 8 weeks through October 2. Instructors will include Travis Henline, David Javersak, Richard Owens, and Donna Simpson. The classes are free and open to the public. Please call the library at 304-232-0244 to RSVP.

Full Schedule (all classes begin at 7 pm)

Aug. 14 Class 1: Pre-Colonial America
A general overview of pre-contact Native America, covering aspects of archaeology, linguistics, migrations, creation stories and oral histories, among other areas.
Instructor: Travis Henline, Coordinator, American Indian Initiative- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Adjunct Instructor- Native American Studies program, West Virginia University.

Aug. 21 Class 2: Frontier Ohio Valley
A look at eastern woodland American Indian history during the period of European contact through the early nineteenth century, with an emphasis on the Ohio River valley.
Instructor: Travis Henline, Coordinator, American Indian Initiative- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Adjunct Instructor- Native American Studies program, West Virginia University.

Aug. 28 Class 3: The American Revolution
Instructor: Dr. Richard Owens, Professor of History, West Liberty University.

Sept. 4 Class 4: George Washington: Man or Monument?
Instructor: Dr. David Javersak, Emeritus Professor of History, West Liberty University.

Sept. 11 Class 5: The Real Greatest Generation: Founding Brothers
Instructor: Dr. David Javersak, Emeritus Professor of History, West Liberty University.

Sept. 18 Class 6: The Real Greatest Generation: Founding Mothers
An overview of the oft-neglected women of the Founding period, including Molly Pitcher, Abigail Adams, Patience Wright, and Martha Washington. This talk will examine the role of these women and others in the American Revolution and foundation of the United States.
Instructor: Dr. Donna Simpson, Professor of History, Wheeling Jesuit University.

Sept. 25 Class 7: The War of 1812: Bicentennial

An examination of a truly neglected and perplexing war.
Instructor: Dr. Richard Owens, Professor of History, West Liberty University.

Oct. 2 Class 8: The Hero in American History
Instructor: Dr. David Javersak, Emeritus Professor of History, West Liberty University.

A Capital Battle: Wheeling vs. Charleston

Billy Joe Peyton, chair of history at West Virginia State, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, July 31 at noon to tell the fascinating tale of West Virginia’s break with Virginia and the ensuing, spirited battle between Wheeling and Charleston to be the new state’s capital. The government moved so often between the two cities by steamboat that the state's seat of government became known as the "Floating Capital." 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.

July 24: The Wheeling Ambulance & More...

Betsy Estilow, President of the board of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and instructor in Civil War history at Hood College, will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling on Tuesday, July 24 at noon will discuss medical transportation of the wounded during the Civil War. The program will cover the ambulances, especially the Wheeling ambulance, as well as hospitals trains and hospital ships. Estilow earned an MS degree in clinical microbiology at WVU and was the co-founder of the Society for Women in the Civil War. 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.

July 20: A Special Friday Program--Around the World Through Music

On Friday, July 20 at noon, as part of the Ohio County Public Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program themed “Novel Destinations,” Lunch With Books favorite Rev. Bob Willits will perform international folk songs. 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.     

July 16 at 7 pm: Civil War Book Discussion & July 17 at noon: African Travels

Tonight, Monday July 16 at 7 pm, don't miss the 3rd installment of our Making Sense of the American Civil War book discussion, "Making Sense of Shiloh," featuring scholar Dr. David Javersak.


And on Tuesday July 17 at noon Author Jana Jirak will be at Lunch With Books to discuss the amazing series of memoirs she transcribed, detailing her grandfather’s 19th-century African travels, including, “Prague to Africa 1882-1884”, "25 years in Africa,” “Under the Scorching Sun," and "The Sons of  the Desert.” 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.