Du Quoin library hosts entertaining history of Civilian Conservation Corps
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Du Quoin Public Library is planning a program about the Civilian Conservation Corps for early April.<br /> The program, to be presented by Michigan-based author Bill Jamerson, will consist of music, storytelling, a clip from his PBS film and excerpts from his novel. <span class="contextualExtensionHighlight ms-font-color-themePrimary ms-border-color-themePrimary ident_665_742" tabindex="0">It will be free and open to the public and begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 6.</span><br /> Jamerson's novel, "Big Shoulders," follows a year in the life of a 17-year-old youth from Detroit who enlists in the CCC in 1937. The CCC was a federal works program created by President Franklin Roosevelt in the heart of the Great Depression. During its nine year run from 1933 to 1942, more than 3 million young men between the ages of 17 and 25 years of age enlisted across the country. The enrollees lived in work camps run by the army and were paid a dollar a day. <br /> A CCC camp opened outside of Du Quoin in June 1933, and the 200 men encamped there worked on dozens of farms in Perry County on soil erosion control projects, digging ponds, cleaning out ditches, putting out fertilizer and other work. They spent an average of $5,000 a month in Du Quoin, which was an important economic stimulus during the Depression. They also came into town for church services and helped the community during emergencies.<br /> In Jamerson's novel, the enrollee joins 200 other young men at a work camp in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is a coming-of-age story of an angry teenager who faces the rigors of hard work, learning to get along with a difficult sergeant and coping with a bully. <br /> Some of the songs Jamerson perform in his program include "Chowtime," a look at the camp food; "City Slicker," which tells of the mischief the young men get into in the woods; "Wood Tick," about the nicknames the locals gave the enrollees; and "Tree Plantin', Fire Fightin' Blues," which tells of the hardships of work. The folk songs range from heartwarming ballads to foot stomping jigs<br /> In his talk, Jamerson will share stories he has picked up from former CCC boys and also discuss their projects in Illinois. He will sign books after his talk. People are encouraged to bring photo albums and CCC memorabilia. <br /> For more information about the program, call the Du Quoin Public Library at 542-5045 or visit Jamerson's website at www.billjamerson.com. </span></span>