On Sunday, July 1st, Bethel Wesley United Methodist Church will host a benefit performance of a new play, The Chronicles of Lincoln and Grant. The Civil War show is co-authored and performed by Quad City actors Tom Swenson and Dan Haughey, who will portray Lincoln and Grant, respectively in a 50-minute, two-person performance. Showtime will be 6:30 p.m. A free-will offering wil be taken, all of which wil be donated to the Wounded Warriors Project.
This original play features key reflections of Lincoln and Grant as they struggle through the early years of the Civil War, attempting to grapple with their public and private lives and their faith and to balance loyalties to family, friends, their fellow citizens and history. A question and answer period with the performers wil immediately follow the performance and then the audience will be invited to enjoy dessert. Swenson, of Davenport, and Haughey, of Moline, who have portrayed their interpretations of Lincoln and Grant separately as solo artists in schools, libraries, and museums across the nation, now combine their talents in this compelling drama.
The Wounded Warriors Project has provided assistance to the church's pastors, Sonia and Julio Alvarado, whose son, Sgt. Luis Alvarado, was critically injured in Afghanistan last November. He has been in an ICU unit in San Antonio and now in Tampa. Recently, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Church members hope this performance will enable people to celebrate the Fourth of July while also giving thanks to the Wounded Warriors Project for its support of the Alvarados and others in need of their services.
Bethel Wesley United Methodist Church is handicapped accessible. For more information, contact Karen at 309-764-0619 or go to www.bethelwesley.org.
