New book recalls ‘Days Gone By’ in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) – Long before smart phones, video games and the internet arrived to serve the nation’s youth with idle gratification, young people relied on a vivid imagination and a keen spirit of adventure to create experiences ripe with exhilarating adventure and a lifetime of memories.
Such is the case for author John Wirth, who draws on those special youthful memories in his new book recently released by Pedal Down Promotions.
“Days Gone By The Falls – Growing up in small town Wisconsin” is John Wirth’s poignant, colorful account of growing up in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. in the 1950s and 1960s.
The book features a collection of 39 newspaper columns, which have appeared on a regular basis in The Sheboygan Falls News weekly newspaper since 2007. The book takes readers back to a time when imagination, creativity and the pursuit of good, clean fun ruled the lives of youngsters long before the clutches of modern technology swooped in to stifle such endeavors.
Wirth, who now resides in Largo, Fla., paints a whimsical portrait of an era in time when people worked hard without question and played hard without considering the possible dangers of youthful exuberance. Readers will meet several unique characters who inhabited many memorable locales in the quant, picturesque, Midwestern city of Sheboygan Falls.
While the book touches on the people, places and things located in Sheboygan Falls, Wirth says the themes of that by-gone era can resonant with one and all, regardless of their place of origin.
“These stories are not a reflection of one small town, in one state,” Wirth said. “I have found that what I experienced could have happened in ‘Anytown USA.’ Since the release of the book, I received an email from a friend who lives in Byron Bay, Australia. He said that reading my stories brought back memories of those days even in Australia.
“Writing these stories was an opportunity to share some of the memories with others, and putting them in book form was the best way I could think of,” he said. “Having Jeff Pederson, from Pedal Down Promotions put this all together for me made my dream come true.”
The book is currently available for $10 at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center (518 Water St. in Sheboygan Falls, online at schrc.org), Sheboygan Falls Chamber-Main Street (504 Broadway St. in Sheboygan Falls) and the Sheboygan Falls News-Plymouth Review office (113 Mill St. in Plymouth).
It is also available by mail order through Pedal Down Promotions, 517 South St. 27th in Manitowoc by emailing pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com or calling 920-323-7970.
In addition, the book can be ordered online via Amazon.com.
For more information on “Days Gone By – Growing Up in Small Town Wisconsin,” contact Jeff Pederson at Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com by phone at 920-323-7970 or online at www.pedaldownpromotions.com.
About the Author
John Wirth grew up in Sheboygan Falls, and after graduating from Sheboygan Falls High School, he served two years aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. In 1967 he married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Verhage. They lived in Sheboygan Falls for three years. In 1970, John and Marilyn left the cold Wisconsin winters and moved to their new home in Largo, Florida They have two sons Robert and Donald and two grandchildren. John worked in the telecommunications business for 40 years, working for three large corporations before retiring. Marilyn followed him in retirement from a long teaching career two years later. John enjoys his passions of photography, travel and writing.
“Days Gone By – Growing Up in Small Town Wisconsin” is John’s first book. He welcomes any comments or just a friendly hello at his email address john@solarbright.com.