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.

My brother and I stand outside the window at the Randolph County Library.

It has been a busy couple of weeks. On Friday, the 15th, I joined with author Christine Lynxwiler in a book signing at The Bread of Life Bookstore in Melbourne. It was a pleasure to finally meet Christine and talk with her about her publishing experiences. (Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of that event). I would like to thank all those at the bookstore, especially the owner, Phyllis Cowan, for their hard-work.

On the 2nd, I was at my hometown Randolph County Library in Pocahontas, which has almost become my home away from home in downtown Pocahontas. It was great to be there with all of our outstanding librarians. Thanks to Jackie Salyards, Diane Evans, Phyllis Davis, and all of the wonderful ladies at the library, who helped organize this signing, and whose effort has made our library very special.

(Below is pictured one of our unique sites at the library: a soldier blaring away on a fife.)

We had a great time at the Bartlett Senior Citizens Center Wednesday, July 23. It was a real treat to share with the audience about the drummer boy and our War for Southern Indpendence. Rick Cohen (below), who had joined me at the Germantown Genealogy Center earlier this year, spoke about the life of a soldier during the war.

My thanks goes to Tina Sansone, the Southeast Director of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, and Holly Eggenberger (below), the Activities Coordinator of the Senior Citizens Center, for their hard work organizing and hosting this event.

I look forward to seeing you all on August 2 (10 am - 11:30 am), at my hometown library in Pocahontas. Hope you can make it. Punch and cookies will be available, so stop by hungry!