Military author book signing at Kern County Museum a success

On Saturday, July 11, the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield hosted a book signing event for authors of books on military history. Despite the stifling heat (111 degrees outdoors!), which, no doubt, had a negative impact on attendance, the event was considered quite a success by everyone involved.

A big shout out goes to Brenna Charatsaris, the museum events coordinator, for her terrific support and enthusiasm. Also deserving of gratitude are Dr. David Day and his wife Kathy, who supported event efforts every step of the way.

The event featured six military history authors along with two representatives from the Kern County Historical Society, Leah Huber and Cynthia Chase, who offered some wonderful books on local Kern County history. Among the authors were: Vietnam veterans Todd Lander, Barry Bongberg and Rich Garcia; Israeli Air Force expert, Bill Norton; Kern County aviation historian, Barbara Schultz; and WWII author, Craig Luther. The event also featured four speakers – myself, former Vietnam nurse Diane Tharp, Marty Pay and Karl Bender.

An attendee emailed me after the book signing: "Gosh, I sure had a great time yesterday. I want to thank you and everyone else involved for putting this on. . . We're big military history buffs, ya' think?"

We would be remiss if we did not thank Bakersfield Mayor, Karen Goh, for attending the event and purchasing several books!

Another book signing at the Kern County Museum will be planned for later this year, shortly before Christmas, when the temperature should be a cooler.

If you would like to know more about our books, please give me a call or email (661) 303-88