Authors on Delmarva series to feature Carol Psaros May 24

Carol Psaros will be next presenter at Authors on Delmarva from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Thursday, May 24,  at WestSide Historical Society Inc., 413 Main St, Mardela Springs, Md.

In southern Delaware in the mid-1930s, the Delmarva poultry industry was beginning and there were plenty chickens, plus lots of low, swampy land swarming with mosquitoes.

“Chicken and Mosquitoes - Depression Day Delaware,” written by Delaware native Carol Kelley Psaros, is a fascinating account of this area during those times. But it also depicts the resiliency of the human spirit and friendships carved out of hard times. Central to the story is the friendship between Carol Psaros’ father Jim Kelley of Delmar and Jack Lewis, a Delaware artist who painted the people and places they knew.

Psaros’s book, subtitled “The Art of Uncertain Times,” recalls the riverside playgrounds of Oak Orchard, Riverdale, and Rosedale Beach where jazz greats Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong performed. It resurrects daily life in the Civilian Conservation Corps barracks camp in Lewes, at Fort DuPont and at the Seaford nylon plant as its employees worked around the clock to produce nylon for the war effort.

Psaros is a retired Delaware educator with experience as a high school and community college teacher, counselor, coach and public school administrator. She began her career teaching English, health and physical education at Dover High School in 1966 and retired in 2000 as assistant secretary of education for the State of Delaware. She also is the author of “Come Back To Bethany,” a story of families in Bethany Beach during three different centuries.

This series is offered by Westside Historical Society as part of its mission to preserve and promote the rich heritage of the Nanticoke watershed/western Wicomico area. Programs begin with a meet-and-greet for the author followed by an informal talk about his or her work. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and participate in the discussion. There will be an opportunity to buy copies of the featured book at the end of the program. This series is free, and light refreshments are provided.

For more information, email westsidehistorical@gmail.com or call 410-726-8047.