Local author to have book signing at Cobden museum

The Union County Museum in downtown Cobden plans to host a book signing Saturday, June 23.

Local author Mike Estel plans to sign copies of his latest book from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 117 S. Appleknocker.

Estel, of Anna, will be signing copies of his 13th book, which is titled “Riots at SIU.” 

After writing 12 books on fiction, this book will be his first work of non-fiction.

The book is about what the author experienced, as well as what happened in the country, during the turbulent 1960s.  

The nation witnessed political assassinations, civil rights protests, the Vietnam War, the 1968 Democratic convention demonstrations and the Kent State shootings in Ohio.  

Even Southern Illinois was not exempt from these tumultuous times.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale experienced riots and protests over the Vietnam War in 1970 which ended with the campus being temporarily closed.  

The writer was a student and ambulance driver for the health service during this period and he writes of his experiences.  

Copies of the book will be on sale at the museum after the book signing.

The Union County Museum’s regular hours are from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sunday.