Fayetteville, Arkansas

Wednesday (April 22), I visited Northwest Arkansas. I spoke at the Washington County Women's Republicans and talked about the drummer boy's life and the similarities between the War Between the States and the American Revolution. On Thursday, I traveled to Fayetteville Christian School and spoke with the young people in the adjoining auditorium at Mission Boulevard Baptist Church. It was a very productive trip, and we also enjoyed meeting with friends in the area and watching them cut down a hollow cedar tree!

Below, I am playing the fife for the Washington County Republican Women.

Today, I just got back from court where I disputed an expired tag ticket that I got one evening. I always find it fascinating standing before a judge. We had to sit for a long time waiting on him, and then when he appeared, we rose to honor him and waited for him to meet out justice. It is very symbolic of what it is like waiting on Christ, the Righteous Judge, to appear. I have also been studying for final exams, which are nearly over for this semester. I'm looking forward to the summer where I have a lot of fun planned taking CLEP exams.

Watch for us next in Germantown at the meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans!

Genealogy Road Show

The rain did not stop us Saturday (March 28), at the Genealogy Road Show in Paragould. Above, members of the Shaver Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and I are placing the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. We all had a great time at the Community Center, where I presented the life of the drummer boy and several others spoke on historical themes. We also manned booths and talked with the public as they came through to view Civil War paraphernalia, arrowheads, and other historical objects. My thanks goes to the Greene County Historical and Genealogy Center who hosted the event!

I will be speaking next in Springdale, Arkansas at the Women's Republican Meeting on April 22 at 11:30am and Fayetteville Christian School on April 23, from 10:55 to 11:47am. Look forward to seeing you there!

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Thursday (March 26), I was in Little Rock at the Fletcher Library and attended the meeting of the Newton Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. I gave a presentation on the drummer boy, and also "If My People" on the similarities between the Revolution and the War Between the States. My appreciation goes out to the commander Corey Dunn (far left) and all the gentlemen of the camp for their Southern hospitality.

Meanwhile, I am finished writing the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Now, it will go into the editing/proofing stage. Hopefully, I will have it out this summer, so be looking for that. I'm also excited about making a video on "how to make a drum" to load to my blog. Make sure you view that when it comes out.

See you in Northwest Arkansas on the 22nd!

Germantown, Tennessee

On Saturday (January 10), I spoke at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center. The Center was holding a history program and Harry Cloyes, a long-time Germantown resident, displayed his paintings of historic buildings. Rick Cohen also spoke about the life of a Civil War soldier. Pictured above is Rick Cohen, me, Jennifer Baker of the Center, and authors Jama and Charles Richardson.

Watch for my demonstration video about A Courier for Stonewall, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum, and my living history presentations. It will soon be available online.

Harlingen, Texas

It is a sunny December down here in South Texas. I visited the Harlingen Public Library on Saturday, December 20 to give a demonstration to three classes of youngsters at a Christmas event hosted by the library. I was able to share about the drummer boy's life and what a soldier might experience during a Civil War Christmas. I was also able to play "Joy to the World" on my fife, a song we accept as a Christmas carol today, but was originally written about the Second Coming of Christ.

There was no age limit for Civil War drummers. Here I am trying to find recruits.

Also, I showed the kids how to load a musket.

It gets pretty hot in South Texas for Santa impersonators. This one was pretty anxious to shave.

My thanks goes out to Josie Balboa (far left) and the other librarians in Harlingen who made this event possible.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Last Friday, December 5, my family and I traveled to Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Our first stop was at Hasting's Books (above) where we met up with Jamie Billings and her mom. Here, we spoke about the Civil War, and I signed some books. We also had the pleasure of meeting another author who was having a book signing there. Then, we stopped by Eugene Fields Elementary and spoke to the kids about the war. Jamie did an excellent job sharing about the women's role during the war, and the kids all seemed to have a good time. The kids really enjoyed seeing Jamie's hoop-skirt, that she made herself, and hearing the fife and drum.

Here we are in the gymnasium at Eugene Fields.

Jamie talking to the students . . .

. . . and me.

I want to thank the school principal, Jan Arnold, for setting up this event. Also, my appreciation goes to all the teachers, especially the PE teacher who leant us her class time.

It has been very hectic since August, so I have not posted since then. I am taking courses from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this semester, and have been focusing on my week to week structure. However, my classes are online, which means I have a lot of flexibility and can still travel and speak. I have done several events lately, but unfortunately did not get many pictures.

On October 9, the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society had me speak before their meeting. I enjoyed the evening immensely. Thank you Kaye Holmes and everyone at the Historical Society for your kindness.

On October 18, I did a rather informal presentation, and played the fife and drum, at a Music Festival on the square in downtown Pocahontas, my hometown. It was very relaxing to take my nose out of the books that afternoon! Thanks to all of the the librarians in Pocahontas who invited and hosted me.

I am standing on the sidewalk of the Randolph County Library in historic downtown Pocahontas. Below, a young boy is trying his hand at the drum.

On October 21, the Shaver Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans had me speak before their monthly meeting. It is always a pleasure to meet with this good group of Southern gentlemen. My thanks goes to Danny Honnoll and Ray Jones for their true Southern hospitality!

On November 7, I traveled to Riverdale Public School in Germantown and spoke for their "I Love America" celebration. The kids did an excellent job singing and performing in this celebration, and it was great to see so many people coming out to honor Veterans Day. After the speeches, etc., the students gathered in front of the school for a picnic, and I was honored to play several tunes on my fife and drum. Also, the kids had a great time trying their hand at the drum, and many of them were quite good! My appreciation is extended to all of the staff at Riverdale, especially Debbie McCoy for asking me to come. I hope to soon have some pictures posted for this event.