Rock Island, IL: The Rock Island Public Library is the place to begin a search for stimulating ideas, cultural offerings and understanding history. Get started with two free programs at the Main Library in May:
Tuesday, May 27, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 6:30 pm. The Waldorf Theatre Company, a professional touring company sponsored by The Waldorf College Theatre Department in Forest City, Iowa, proudly presents a 45 minute version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Waldorf College prides itself on "original practices" from Shakespeare's time, and will present a fast-moving, fun-filled play full of mistaken identities, fairies, and puppets.
Saturday, May 31, The Men of the Normandy Invasion, 2:00 pm. Just in time for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, historian, author and guide Robert Mueller, of French Battlefields, will present the story of the American forces' seaborne and airborne invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. His presentation details the critical roles of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions who parachuted into France shortly after midnight and of the 1st, 4th, and 29th Infantry Divisions which landed in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944. The lecture describes the invasion through the actions of individual soldiers; some of whom returned home and some who didn't. His presentation includes clearly drawn maps of the battlefield terrain, along with historic and contemporary photographs of battle sites. The presentation ends with a visit to Normandy American Cemetery, site of the bloodiest fighting and now a fitting tribute to the sacrifices of American troops at D-Day.
Retirement brought Robert Mueller the opportunity to visit and study the battlefields of Europe. After five years of on-site research, he completed Fields of War: Fifty Key Battlefields in France and Belgium, which has received four national book awards including a Bronze Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. His second book, Fields of War: Battle of Normandy, launches a series of visitors' guides describing sights and individuals of the Second World War's European battlefields. This volume presents the Allied assault to liberate France from German occupation starting with the invasion of the Normandy coast to the climactic Battle of the Falaise Pocket and eventual liberation of Paris.
Both events are in the 2nd floor Community Room of the Main Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island. For more events at Rock Island Public Libraries, visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, follow the library on Facebook or Twitter, or call 309-732-READ (7323)
Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.
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