September 01, 2015: Wheeling's Coney Island

Lunch With Books. Event starts at 12:00 PM.

Ever hear of Wheeling's Coney Island?

Once upon a time, there was an amusement park on the largest of the Sisters Islands just south of the Pike Island Dam. The island was called Coney Island by locals, and on its opening day, 6,000 people arrived by steamboat and pontoon bridge. There they enjoyed rides, a dance pavilion, a picnic area, a swimming beach with lights for night swimming, and even an ostrich farm.

The park was busy and popular and was the site of operas, circuses, and the Saengerfest. Unions often rented the park for a whole day. The park was damaged by floods in 1906 and $100,000 worth of renovations were done for the 1907 season.

What happened to the park? Find out from Kathleen Quinn at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library​ on Sept 1 at noon.

 

Lunch With Books: Author Susan Spencer-Smith August 25, 2015

Event starts at 12:00 PM.

Weirton based writer Susan Spencer-Smith’s “inspirational, cozy” mysteries are set in fictional Biddlebourne, WV. Her cookbook features recipes of “southern comfort” foods of West Virginia and Ohio.

Aug. 18 A Visit from Sacagawea

Meet the lone female member of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. Aside from her value as an interpreter and guide, her presence with the expedition communicated to tribes along the way that the Corps had peaceful intentions. Sacagawea is portrayed by Mary Dailey courtesy WV Humanities, History Alive.

Aug. 11 “Situations of I” with David Weimer

Explorations of life, meaning and existence are among the subjects of Weimer's 4th published work. This collection of philosophic essays, speculative short stories and prose poetry emerged from the author's life and observations while living in Flushing, Ohio.