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.