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World War I Centennial Celebrations
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Four weeks of events.
One WWI artifact travel trunk exhibit.
Four films.
Six lectures.
A couple of weeks ago I was asked why I wanted the library to host a series of events commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the United States entering World War One. "A bunch of reasons," I replied. Then needed to expand on that rather glib statement. It's true, though. I have always felt that as Americans, we pretty much overlook the first world war. We tend to go from the horrors of the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination to Teddy Roosevelt to the great depression, skipping right over a war that changed the world and continues to have an impact today. The Great War saw the first use of tanks, the first use of chemical weapons, and the first use of airplane in battle. The horrors of trench warfare, the stalemated fighting over a few miles of terrain, the wholesale destruction of entire villages, echo to this day along the Western Front in Belgium and France. WWI brought us poppies that the legionnaires sell. WWI is the reason we have Veteran's Day in November. WWI and its aftermath are also the reason we had World War Two and continuing conflicts in the Middle East. I think it behooves us to pay it some attention and try to understand how it continues to shape our world. I hope you will agree.
You are welcome to interact with our
events
on Facebook by asking questions, posting in the discussion section, or letting us know you are coming. Tell us how WWI has had an impact in your life or in the lives of your family members. We are interested to hear your stories! Movies will be in the lower level meeting room on the big screen and we will have popcorn available.
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War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they're forced apart by war, we follow Joey's extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets.
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Erroyl Flynn and Divid Niven take to the skies in this thrilling aerial action yarn as World War I British flyboys who, whether quaffing down beers or gunning down their German foes, unite in devil-may-care gallantry and in disdain for their commander (Basil Rathbone).
But war's realities will soon tarnish their exuberance and change their disdain to understanding.
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Music served many purposes during the war: to inspire patriotism, make connections with home, entertain, and express sadness and longing. Songs and instrumental music from that conflict are a gateway to understanding the sentiments of soldiers and the families they left behind. This program will feature popular music from WWI in audio and visual formats.
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Shortly after the United States entered the European War in April 1917, Wisconsin became known as America's "Traitor State." Its large proportion of German citizens, active Socialist party, and anti-war Senator, Robert La Follette, helped create this perception. Some Wisconsinites sought to prove their loyalty and patriotism through sacrifice and hard work; others resorted to vigilantism. Leslie Bellais, of the Wisconsin Historical Society Museum, will discuss how Wisconsin experienced the Great War.
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Through the letters and diaries of average soldiers Dr. Pifer will tell the story of the greatest sacrifice Wisconsin made in the name of the war effort - the commitment of sons, brothers, fathers, neighbors and friends to trench warfare. These citizen soldiers of the 32nd Division hammered their way through German resistance to play a major role in ending the war.
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A ravishing adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's legendary novel,
A Farewell to Arms, stars Gary Cooper as Lt. Frederic Henry, a young ambulance driver for the Italian army in WWI, more interested in chasing women than the enemy. When seeking cover during an air raid, he encounters Nurse Catherine Barkley, and the world shifts under his feet. As the war wrenches them apart will they choose love or battle?
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Ernest
Hemingway's experiences in WWI as an ambulance driver caused the author to use literature -specifically about the Midwestern landscape - as a way to cope with the trauma of the war. This presentation will draw on the author's personal letters, short fiction, photographs, and other memorabilia.
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It began on October 2, 1918, when the men of the U.S. Army's 77th Division, 308th Battalion were surrounded by German troops in the Argonne Forest. Without food, water or reserve ammunition, cut off from supply and communication lines, and subjected to constant assaults and bombardments, they managed to hold off the enemy until they were finally rescued after five days of desperate action.
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Presented by our own Mike Nofz, aviation enthusiast. Mike will highlight a few of the famous planes from the WWI years, some of the famous personalities, and the rapid changes these aviation pioneers brought about in the context of the Great War.
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Join author Rochelle Pennington as she discusses the factual account of the 1914 battlefield Christmas truce. Pennington's program will detail the amazing circumstances surrounding 100,000 enemy combatants who "met in the middle" on Christmas and halted a war. The author will draw directly from the written memories of soldiers who were there, as recorded in diaries, letters home, and published in newspaper articles. Bring tissues. This program is a tear-jerker (in a good way).
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