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"Mussels, Moonshine, and Music: Mississippi Valley Migrant Life in the Early Twentieth Century" Live Virtual Program at La Salle Public Library

Where:
La Salle Public Library
 
When
Sunday, July 26, 2020

On Tuesday, July 21st at 6:00 p.m. the La Salle Public Library will host virtually, Musician, Historian, Singer and Educator, Dennis Stroughmatt when he presents, "Mussels, Moonshine, and Music: Mississippi Valley Migrant Life in the Early Twentieth Century." 

In this intriguing program, Dennis will transport audience members to a time almost forgotten, when the Midwest and upper South were home to thousands of Americans  who lived and worked on the rivers as sharecroppers, fishermen, mussel shellers, button cutters, traveling minstrels, and even moonshiners.   Work was their life in cities like Muscatine and Cairo, and the work was hard, but they played too, enjoying the music of Memphis and St. Louis along the way.  In this program, find out about the often-unknown migrant work of the river-based mussel shellers, moonshiners, and musicians who worked in late 19th century and early 20th century Illinois, via photos, oral histories and fiddle music.  

At the conclusion of the presentation, Dennis will answer question via live chat.  This is a free program open to the public, made possible through a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, a state agency, Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly, through the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations.