Brian "Fox" Ellis presents “Steamboatin' Down the Mississippi with Mark Twain" at the LeClaire Community Library -- November 13.

Wednesday, November 13, 6 p.m.

LeClaire Community Library, 323 Wisconsin Street, LeClaire IA

Mixing true stories with doses of famed wit and wisdom by one of history's most revered authors, acclaimed storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis steps into the LeClaire Community Library on November 13 to regale his audience with the live performance piece Steamboatin' Down the Mississippi with Mark Twain, a delightful program of jokes, tall tales, and history woven together with songs and stories.

In his LeClaire library program, Ellis portrays Captain Henry Detweiler, a riverboat man who piloted steamboats for 30 years during the mid-1800s. Detweller was a friend of Abraham Lincoln; delivered troops, supplies, and top-secret messages during the American Civil War; and, like all captains, kept a log of his travels on the great river road. Throughout Steamboatin' Down the Mississippi with Mark Twain, Ellis' Detweller spins some of Twain's favorite yarns with his adventures as a cub pilot on the Mississippi, discussing Twain's craft, the life of a writer, and his boyhood spent in Hannibal, Missouri. As a noted "Riverlorian" and storyteller, Ellis has worked on riverboats for more than 30 years, and although his November 13 program will only last an hour, the storyteller has learned by heart more than three hours of Twain's most memorable material. History buffs of all ages are invited to join Ellis for an early evening of unforgettable material from one of the world's greatest humorists.

An internationally acclaimed author, storyteller, historian, and naturalist, Ellis has worked with The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The Field Museum, and dozens of other museums across the country. Ellis is also a highly sought keynote speaker at regional and international conferences including the International Wetlands Conservation Conference, National Science Teachers Association Conference, and the North American Prairie Conservation Conference, and the list of famed figures he portrays in one-man-show form includes Charles Darwin, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe, John Deere, and Mark Twain himself. Since 19809, Ellis has been touring the world as an educator and dynamic performer who, in a warmly entertaining manner, captures what is most life-affirming and beautiful in the human experience.

Steamboatin' Down the Mississippi with Mark Twain will be presented at the LeClaire Community Library on November 13, participation in the 6 p.m. program is free, and more information is available by calling (563)289-6007 and visiting LeClaireIowa.gov/i53/Library.

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