PBS-featured author and avid paddler, Doc Fletcher, will speak at Rhinelander District Library Monday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. He returns for another one of his popular presentations, sharing the joys of kayaking and canoeing, with a slide show and a lively narrative. In this program, attendees will learn how urban paddling trips are very different from the rural/ deep-woods trips that paddlers are more familiar with, and how they can be fun and rewarding.

Fletcher will share stories from his new book, “Paddling & Pastimes: Six Midwest Cities – The Rivers that Made Them, the Baseball Teams that Entertained Them.” The author writes about how Midwest cities with great rivers and great baseball teams are positively impacted by both.
“Pittsburgh… Minneapolis… Chicago… Milwaukee… Cleveland… Detroit… One landmark each city has in common is a major league ballpark either along or near the river. The birth of our national pastime of baseball coincided with the 1800s industrial development of these six Midwest cities,” according to Fletcher. “The grand old game of baseball offered an escape from our country’s often painful and turbulent shift from a society of primarily family farmers to Industrial Revolution factory workers.”

The discussion will also feature a traditional rural paddling trip, with information and photos from his July 2014 trip down the Kickapoo River in southwest Wisconsin, which he describes as “the most beautiful river we have ever been on.” There will be a large display of informative brochures and maps from canoe/kayak liveries in Wisconsin and Michigan to assist attendees in planning river trips. You don’t have to be a paddling enthusiast to enjoy the program, but you may become one by the time the evening ends. Baseball fans are encouraged to attend.

Doc Fletcher is a life-long Michigan resident. He took his first canoe trip in 1978 on the Pere Marquette River and gets back into a canoe as often as possible. He worked for 30 years for Duracell. Now, Fletcher writes about the special joy of paddling in his six books, and enjoys speaking to audiences about “the rivers, the towns, the taverns” that he encounters on his canoeing adventures. His books will be available for purchase and signing.

This event is funded by Northern Arts Council. Please call the library at 715-365-1070 with any questions.