Dan Smith

Local historian Dan Smith, an expert on the Battle of Westport, discusses the battle that would later become known as the "Gettysburg of Missouri" on Thursday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

The Battle of Westport was fought on October 23, 1864. U.S. Army troops under ... (more)Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumbered Confederate Army force under Major General Sterling Price. The battle was the turning point of Price’s Missouri Expedition and helped force his army to retreat.

Smith is a battlefield preservationist and president of the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund.

Author Howard Monnett's book, Action Before Westport 1864, will be available.

The program is being held in conjunction with Stand of Colors, a large-scale Civil War re-enactment scheduled for the weekend of May 17-18 in Jerry Smith Park, 139th and Holmes.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Complete the form below or call 816.701.3407 to indicate your interest in attending.

"Our monthly poetry reading features deepcleveland poets Miles Budimir, JoAnn Cornelius, Josh Gage, Mark Kuhar, Dan Smith and J.E. Stanley.

They will be joined by Armenian poet Arpine K. Grenier, author of Part, Part Euphrates published by NeoPepper Press."

"How often have you wondered about the meaning of life? Dan Sterling Smith's fictional saga Primal Ancestor will compel you to contemplate that ancient mystery and your place in the universe. The question about the meaning of life is different for everyone. The solution to that mystery can come ... (more)easy for some and yet others might spend their entire lifetime trying to find that elusive answer. For many, the answer begins in a most unexpected place -- the imagination. Primal Ancestor opens new doors of thought you will find you have already begun a journey through time and space."