By KRISTEN PARROTT | Vernon County Museum curator
Have you ever heard of Henry J. Wood? The son of Sanford and Ellen (Williams) Wood, he was born in Viroqua in 1898 and joined a traveling tent show from La Crosse in 1910. Henry continued on the vaudeville circuit across the Midwest for the next 30 years, working as an actor, comedian and entertainer.
With such an unusual career, Henry naturally accumulated a wealth of interesting stories. Shortly after his retirement to Sparta in 1973, his granddaughter’s husband, Michael Fedo, recorded Henry’s lifetime of stories. Fedo then turned these stories into a book, which was just published last year and is entitled, “A Sawdust Heart: My Vaudeville Life in Medicine and Tent Shows.”
Fedo will be the guest speaker at the next Vernon County Historical Society meeting, at which he will talk about Henry Wood and his life in show business and will sell copies of the book. This event will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at the Vernon County Museum. Everyone is welcome to attend.
When you come to hear Fedo speak, you’ll be able to admire the new door that just has been cut into the museum’s conference room. The door connects our main research room to the conference room, making access to the new room much easier. Putting in this door was the last major step in completing the conference room. Thank you very much to all of the generous donors who have made the new conference room possible.
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Now that the weather is warmer, the Vernon County Museum will extend its hours. We will be open Monday through Friday, from 12–4 p.m., during April and May. The temperature in the exhibit halls is perfect at this time of year — not too hot and not too cold — so be sure to visit us soon.
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The Vernon County Museum, 410 S. Center Ave., Viroqua, can be reached at 637-7396 or vernoncountyhistoricalsociety.org.