On Saturday, December 8, 2012, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, the Marion County Historical Society will host its Annual Book Signing featuring authors from across Ohio as well as Marion. Held at Heritage Hall at 169 East Church Street in Marion, the event provides an opportunity for visitors to shop for books covering a wide range of topics and, in several cases, to meet the authors and have them sign their books.
As an added bonus, admission to Heritage Hall and the Wyandot Popcorn Museum will be free for the event. Visitors can view the current exhibit “War and Peace: 1812 to 1859”, see the recently unveiled exhibit in the Wyandot Popcorn Museum on the Brown family and their contributions to the snack food industry, and enjoy visiting with authors from the central Ohio area while shopping for holiday purchases in the Museum Gift Shop.
Among the authors expected to be participating is Frank Kuron, author of Thus Fell Tecumseh. In addition to signing his book, Mr. Kuron will give a presentation from 1:30 to 2:30pm on the writing of the book and his research into the death of the great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh at the battle of Thames in 1813. For almost two hundred years, historians have debated the details of Tecumseh’s death. In his book, Kuron draws upon quotes from over one hundred and sixty people who had something to say about this event. Readers are encouraged to draw their own conclusions!
Trella Romine, historian and longtime MCHS member, will be present to autograph her memoires, My Not So Ordinary Life. Romine is a charter member of the Marion County Historical Society who has served in numerous MCHS Board positions including president and secretary, and is now an honorary trustee. She has also authored or edited several other local history publications including Day Before Yesterday, a compilation of columns on local history originally published in the Marion Star.
Scott Fields, an author of fiction novels who once lived in LaRue, will be at Heritage Hall. Scott will debut his most recent book, The Mansfield Killings. This novel is based on true events that are often considered the worst two-week killing spree in Ohio’s history. In 1996, with a lifelong dream of becoming a writer, Scott Fields started writing short stories. Within two years, he had four of his stories published. Since then, he has authored five novels including All Those Years Ago, A Summer Harvest, The Road Back Home, Last Days of Summer, and Summer Heat. Scott and his wife, Deb, live in Mansfield, Ohio.
Terry McKinley, who co-authored Just Believe with Scott Fields, will be also in attendance. Just Believe tells the story of Tony, a young man who escapes from prison and hides out in a small town. Pretending to be a priest, he is accepted by the people of the rural community. A life-changing event involving the near death of a youngster in a traffic accident sets the stage for Tony to begin a life whose destiny took him from the streets of Detroit to the service of many.
Other authors present to autograph their books will include Willis Thomas and Randy Winland who co-wrote The War of 1812 – The Role of the Area Now Known as Marion County, Ohio. The book features a review of key events of the war from national, state and local perspectives as well as numerous maps and supplemental materials. The publication coincides with the current Heritage Hall exhibit “War and Peace: 1812-1859.” Thomas is also the author of Schools of Marion County, Ohio 1809-2004. Over the course of several years, Thomas analyzed the maps and traveled the roads of Marion County seeking evidence of former one-room schools and meeting with those who remembered them. His work coincides with and supplements the information presented in the book There’s No School Like an Old School written by former Marion resident Donna Lawrence. Also available for purchase will be the Marion County Historical Society Activity Book, an award-winning publication edited by Winland which features a wide variety of puzzles, coloring pages, code-breaking, and other fun activities combined with fun-to-read historical information about Marion.
Carroll Neidhardt, author of several books on local folklore including A Vanished Past – Traditional Tales of Central Ohio, A Mystery Walking Tour on the Underground Railroad –Old Village Marion, and most recently one on the War of 1812, will be in attendance as well.
There will also be a large selection of other books available for purchase including: Haunted Marion by Josh Simpkins; Tales from the Sage of Salt Rock by the late Judge Charlton Myers (a treasure of forgotten Marion County history and trivia based on his WMRN Radio programs in 1960); The Life and Loves of Catherine Loudenslager (the reminiscences of a farm wife in the mid-twentieth century); Jim Thorpe and the Oorang Indians by Robert Whitman of LaRue, and many more.
All of the listed books and more are for sale at Heritage Hall, at 169 East Church Street in Marion, during the Book Signing event on December 8 from 1-4 PM as well as in the Museum Gift Shop. For more information on Gift Shop hours, call 740-387-4255 or visit www.marionhistory.com
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