Sunday, November 09, 2014

Barns of Wisconsin


Wisconsin’s old barns remain one of the state’s major attractions.  They are photographed, artists paint them, and historians collect photos of them and make calendars featuring them (see the West Salem Historical Society’s new 2015 calendar of the “Barns of La Crosse County.”)

            Fourteen years ago I spoke about barns as part of The Sheboygan County Historical Research Center’s Second Saturday program—more than 90 people came.  This past Saturday I once again talked about Barns for the Second Saturday Program and 150 people attended.

            People like old barns, want to look at them, and learn more about them.  Why do barns attract people?  I tried to answer that question with this paragraph from my book, BARNS OF WISCONSIN (Wisconsin Historical Society Press).

            The barns of Wisconsin are history books in red paint, sociology with gable roofs, theology with lightning rods.  In many ways, barns are Wisconsin agriculture nailed together in buildings with cupolas on the top.  Here is where both life and death on the farm often occurred simultaneously; here is where farm boys and girls learned about responsibility, where many a farmer began and ended his day 365 days a year for his entire life.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Every old barn has a story to tell.

COMING EVENTS:
November 12, Noon. Wisconsin Historical Society Tour, La Crosse, Weber Center for the Preforming Arts.  The Quiet Season stories.

November 14, 6:30 dinner.  Port Washington Library.  Meeting at First Congregational Church, 131 Webster Street, Port Washington.  How I became a writer.

November 15, 4-H Hall of Fame Program, Chula Vista Resort, Wisconsin Dells.

December 3, 7:00 p.m.  Live on Milwaukee Public TV.  A Farm Winter.

December 7, 1:00-2:15 and 2:30-3:15 Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells (Two sessions) Wis Farm Bureau Meeting. Writing From Your Life for Children and Grandchildren.

December 8, 8:00 p. m.  Live on Twin Cities Public TV.  A Farm Winter.

December 13, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Barnes and Noble, LaCrosse.  Book Signing.

January 28, 7:00 p.m. Stoughton Opera House.  A Farm Winter.

Purchase Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin (a fund raiser for them): Patterson Memorial Library


The library now has available both of Jerry’s DVDs, Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps and Jerry Apps A Farm Story.

Also available are several of Jerry’s book including The Quiet Season (on which the DVD A Farm Winter is based), as well as Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm, (which are related to the DVD Jerry Apps a Farm Story). Also  Jerry’s new novel, The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.

Contact the library for prices and special package deals.
Patterson Memorial Library
50 Division St.
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.org
www.wildroselibrary.org
920-622-3835






1 comment:

Diana said...

I learned so much about barns from your book. Knowing more about them has helped me see them in a new way. Thank you.