Author event at Modesto's McHenry Museum

MODESTO -- The McHenry Museum will honor local authors Saturday with a reception and book signing event from 1 to 4 p.m. About 15 authors will display and sign their books, which will be for sale in the museum store.

Selections include historical books, children's literature, novels and nonfiction. All of the writers are from Modesto and Oakdale, and many of their topics are regional.

The event's celebrity writer is Barrett Thomas Beard, author of "Wonderful Flying Machines: A History of U.S. Coast Guard Helicopters." He will have his own books, along with those of his father, Franklin Beard, author of "Grain Fields to Green Fields."

Barrett Thomas Beard's former Modesto High School classmate Tom Thompson, a nationally recognized organist who plays at the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton, will provide piano music. Regular museum exhibits will be open, and refreshments will be available.

The event is free, and the museum is at 14th and I streets in Modesto.