Columnist to visit library

AGAWAM The Agawam Cultural Council, as part of the third season of their "Applause" series, will welcome Michael Tougias, newspaper columnist and author to do a slide presentation on his newest book, "Ten Hours Until Dawn: A True Story of Heroism and Tragedy aboard the Can Do". The event will take place at the Agawam public library, 750 Cooper Street on September 15 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

"Ten Hours Until Dawn" tells the story of what happened on that awful night when the seas were producing monstrous waves of 40 feet and the wind was screaming at 100 miles per hour. Using slides of the boats, the men involved, and photos of the storm, Mr. Tougias will take the audience through this incredible night where many lives hung in the balance members of the Club said.

This is one of the few tragedies where we know exactly what happened due to the existence of audio recordings which were taped the night of the storm and feature both the voices of the men of the Coast Guard and the Can Do. Tougias will play a portion of the tape at this presentation members of the Club said.

Tougias is the author of 15 books including, "There's a Porcupine In My Outhouse: Misadventures of a Mountain Man Wanna-be", which won the Independent Publishers Association Award for "The Best Nature Book of the Year". He has also written books about Quabbin Reservoir, The Connecticut River, and New England Wild Places.

The Agawam Cultural Council, an all-volunteer organization, is funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is charged with enhancing opportunities to enrich the lives of the community through the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences. More information about this and other events can be found at www.agawamcc.org and at locations throughout Agawam.