On Saturday, Apr. 25, West Virginia Writers, Inc. Region 3 will present Lions and Authors and Books… Oh My! at the Alderson Community Center. This one-day family-friendly and free author extravaganza will feature an interactive environment where shoppers can meet talented writers from their own backyard. The event, sponsored by Alderson Main Street, is supported by the Alderson Lions Club and the VFW Tri-County Memorial Post No. 6723.
Join us at the Alderson Community Center for the Arts and Humanities, Inc., a beautiful and spacious former school given new life and purpose. Visitors to this free event will be greeted on the lawn with fun activities including Pioneer Games, On-the-Spot Poetry, and an Add-a-Line Story. If weather is uncooperative, these great presenters will be moved inside so no one misses out on the fun.
The main attraction will be held just through the front doors in the gym. Guests will be greeted at a central group of tables where they will find a map of our author and activity locations, scavenger hunt forms, information about local sponsors and businesses, door prize entries, and friendly faces who can answer questions. Authors will be seated at round tables throughout the gym ready to introduce you to their books, talk about writing, and sign off on scavenger hunt items. Cub’s Corner, a children’s area complete with plenty of books and an interactive table on loan from the Visitor’s Center, will be set up to entertain our younger visitors. Story time with local volunteers is sure to be a big hit, and there is a good chance that Leo the Lion will make an appearance!
Throughout the day, readings and presentations will take place in the library. This cozy corner offers just the right atmosphere for guests to relax, get comfortable, and sink into new and beautiful written landscapes. Shoppers can take a coffee break while they enjoy the entertainment or participate in question/answer sessions.
The Alderson Community Center for the Arts and Humanities, Inc. will be cooking up good things for hungry participants. Stop by the Home Ec. room for a meal that is sure to please. All proceeds go toward this lovely, historic building’s upkeep and operation. Visitors looking for new recipes are in luck as well. Cookbooks that support a variety of local organizations will be on offer in this area, too.
Door prizes will be announced throughout the day with a grand prize announcement just prior to the evening entertainment. Prizes include offerings from local businesses and organizations along with special selections from the authors present. Winners must be present when their name is called to claim their prize, but with all of the wonderful activities, it won’t be hard to stay.
Here is what is going on in the Old Library presentation area:
10:20 Alderson Main Street – Judy Lewallen: Alderson Grand Opening
10:40 WV Writers, Inc. – Learn more about our great group!
11:00 Phyllis Campbell Whitley – “Barn Raisin‘“ raise awareness of the importance of preservation of our barns and their history.
11:20 Allan Clower – “It Took 100 Years To Publish” – How the book came to be.
11:40 Fred Powers – “A Mine Rat Story”
12:00 Joan C. Browning and Andrea Pendleton – Rainelle
12:20 Joyce Mott – What is the value of a name: The use of pen names through literary history.
12:40 Joan C. Browing – Deep in Our Hearts
1:00 Kirk Judd – “This Will Stay”- Some threads in my poetry and the music and the culture.
1:20 Rusty McQuade – Stickyman Movements – Have less illness, less medical bills and a better life.
1:40 Cat Pleska – Mountain State Press: How publishers appreciate readers.
2:00 Theresa Flerx – “Writing and Reading As an Emotional Release.”
2:20 Anna Osborne – Seeds, Weeds, and Good Reads: Growing a Community Seed Library
2:40 Rebecca Dean – The poetry of Miles Dean
3:00 Belinda Anderson – “Oh, no, you didn’t” – meet the characters in Belinda Anderson’s fictional universe.
3:20 Kristy Brown – “The Mystery of Pen Names”
3:40 Kirk Judd and Joan C. Browning – Pearl S. Buck Foundation
4:00 Courtney Smith – A reading of the first two chapters of Lies: Based on True Stories.
4:20 Suzanne Williams – “Writers are People who can Talk/Sign…”
4:40 WV Writers, Inc. – Learn more about our great group!
5:00 Greg Johnson – The Upcoming Lewisburg Literary Festival
5:20 Alderson Main Street – Moving Forward
Visitors who want a break from the written word are invited to explore the newly opened shops in Alderson including the Green Grocer Market; the Alderson Artisan’s Gallery; the Bridge Walk Shops and Wolf Creek Gallery in a new location near the Alderson Memorial Bridge. An old favorite, Alderson’s Store, will be open as well.
At the end of the day, the very talented Kirk Judd will be performing his poetry to the musical accompaniment of Bob Shank. This captivating duo can be heard on Judd’s CD My People was Music. Their down-to-earth magic is sure to make a poetry lover out of anyone with strong, homegrown Appalachian roots. Their performance also is free to the public.
With the timing just right for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduation gift shoppers, Lions and Authors and Books… Oh My! is the perfect place to spend a beautiful April Saturday. We welcome one and all to come meet their new favorite book and the author who penned its words while getting to know the beautiful town of Alderson a little better.
