Author to sign non-fiction book "Struthers Revisited"

Staff report

STRUTHERS

Patricia Beach delights in the everyday.

Her most recent book, “Images of America: Struthers Revisited,” picks up where her last collection left off and pays tribute to daily life in Struthers during the 20th century.

Beach will sign copies of “Struthers Revisited” in conjunction with a Stephen Foster Wine Soiree at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Struthers Historical Society at 50 Terrace Street.

The soiree’s theme is a nod to iconic songwriter Stephen Foster, who spent part of his childhood summering near Youngstown at the farm of his uncle, John Struthers. Land owned by the Struthers family eventually became the city of Struthers. The city, formerly known as Marbletown, was renamed by popular vote sometime around 1903.

Beach also will sign copies of her book from noon to 6 p.m. at the Shop with a Cop car show Sept. 13 at Fifth Street Plaza.

Beach, a registered nurse, grew up in Struthers near Yellow Creek Park but has since moved to Toledo.

She assembled “Struthers Revisited,” a book that she described as a sort of scrapbook, from a hodgepodge of interviews, newspaper clippings and photos. The collection, published through Arcadia Publishers, combines fond memories of ice skating at Crick Park and swimming at a now-defunct Wetmore Drive pool, which was nicknamed the “bird bath” with more-sobering stories such as those of young men who lost their lives during the World Wars.

Much of the material came courtesy of the Struthers Historical Society, with the help of its founder, Marian Kutlesa.