Annual Events

Friends of the WCPL Annual Art Auction & Dinner

Thank You Sponsors & Contributors!

For a complete list of Sponsors, Contributors & Donors, click on the link below:

Sponsors & Donors Art Auction2018


 

 

winston-groom-tix2http://larrahmelissaphotography.pass.us/winstongroom/

Three decades after the first publication of Forrest Gump, Winston Groom returns to fiction with this sweeping American epic.

Long fascinated with the Mexican Revolution and the vicious border wars of the early twentieth century, best-selling author Winston Groom brings to life a much-forgotten period of history in this episodic saga set in six parts. Pitting the legendary Pancho Villa against “the Colonel,” a thrill-seeking Bostonian railroad tycoon whose fading fortune is tied up in a colossal ranch in Chihuahua, El Paso opens during a time of dramatic upheaval in Mexico―its government being squeezed on one end by Villa’s revolutionaries and on the other by “filthy” American capitalists.

Content to observe the war from aboard his dazzling yacht, the Ajax, the Colonel is suddenly pulled into this drama when his famous Valle del Sol ranch is raided for nearly “two million and a half dollars in beef on the hoof.” Oblivious to the realities of war and hoping to salvage his losses, the Colonel whisks his family down to Mexico where they make a disturbing discovery: it was Villa who not only stole the cattle but also murdered their beloved ranch manager. Even worse, Villa’s henchmen abduct the Colonel’s grandchildren in another daring raid only days later.

Frantic, the aging patriarch and his adopted son race to El Paso, hoping to gather a group of cowboys brave enough to hunt down the generalissimo on his own turf. As the desperate Yankees quickly learn once they return to Chihuahua, their deep pockets and political clout mean next to nothing in a crumbling nation rife with communist sympathizers. After weeks of searching and with no trace of Villa, the Colonel fears all is lost―that is, until a twist of fate unites his party with that of Johnny Ollas, an aspiring matador whose wife has also been kidnapped by the marauding revolutionaries. Bloodied and battered, the two factions unite, galloping off on an extraordinary manhunt through some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth: the vast and snake-ridden Sierra Madre.

The novel explodes into an epic as an extraordinary cast of characters from both history and imagination begin to emerge, all vying to get their hands on the ever-elusive Villa. But no matter what prize each player ultimately seeks, no one is left unscathed in this sprawling story of heroism, injustice, and love. Replete with shootouts, daring escapes, and an unforgettable bullfight, El Paso brings to life a crucial moment in history and, in the process, becomes an indelible portrait of the American Southwest in the final days of the wild frontier.

ADMISSION
$100 | 11:30 am
Themed Luncheon with guest speaker and famed Alabama author, Winston Groom. Includes signed first edition of his new hardbackbook, El Paso gift package, and free professional photo with author.
$35 | 1:00 pm
Book signing admission includes signed first edition of new
hardback book and outdoor refreshments.
Additional books and previous titles available for purchase.
Visit wcpls.org for more information or call us at 251.847.2097

Claire C. Ramsey Annual Summer Reading Program

On Your Mark, Get Set… Read!

Beginning June 20, 2016

This summer-long program offers daily, age-appropriate events for children in preschool through middle school.  Each event is promised to be educational and fun!

SRP Calendar 2016 (1)

SRP2016RegistrationForm

 


Friends of the WCPL Annual Art Auction & Dinner

Thank You Sponsors & Contributors!

“Achieve” $5,000.00
Chatom-3D-Logo-1-300x300

“Believe” $2,500..00

WCHNH 

 

For a complete list of Sponsors, Contributors & Donors, click on the link below:

Sponsors & Donors Art Auction 2016