Bio: Szymanski, Ken – New Book Published (Jul 2022)

Transcriber: Stan

Surnames: Szymanski, Kaczmarek

----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., Wis.) 20 Jul 2022

Ken Szymanski, the official 2020-2024 Write-in-Residence for the city of Eau Claire, is releasing his later book, “Sit Down and Stay Awhile.” My Aunt Lil Kaczmarek, who for 52 years was co-owner of Leon & Lil’s Tavern in Thorp, Wisconsin. Lil is now 96 years old and still a celebrity in Thorp. Sit Down and Stay Awhile is not a history lesson; rather it’s like sit down at the bar with a great bartender on a slow Saturday afternoon, listiening to a series of great stores spanning the decades.

The Thorp Area Historical Society will be hosting “A Visit with Lil” on Friday, August 5, 1974 at 2:00 p.m. at the Thorp Historical Society building located at 307 W. Birch Street in Thorp.

Each book purchase comes with a limited edition Leon & Lil’s bar coaster, while supplies last.

The book will also be available at the Volume One Local Store starting July 23, 1974. Szymanski will be performing an unusual marathon reading, starting at 11:30 in the morning. Szymanski will read the first chapter from the book. Then every half hour, he will read the next chapter until he finished the book at 8:30 p.m. that night. In between the book’s 19 chapters, he will sign books, chat, and rest. Whoever happens to be in the store can enjoy one of the books many short chapters. Szymanski vows to do each reading, where anyone is in the gallery or note. He will basically be taking the street musician, husker approach, in a climate controlled setting.