Why did farmers turn corn into liquor and some Iowans travel to Denver, Colorado weekly during the 1920s?

Those questions and more will be answered at the next program hosted by the Stuart People Active for Library Service (PALS). Iowan author Linda McCann will be speaking about her book, “Prohibition in Eastern Iowa.” Stuart Library patrons may recall McCann from her program “POWS in Iowa” that she gave last April. This program will discuss what went on in eastern Iowa during the United States’ constitutional ban on the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of alcohol from 1920-1933.

McCann says that making alcohol illegal made it even more popular for Iowans, and it led to popular beverages that are drank today. “Before Prohibition we never had mixed drinks, everybody drank their liquor straight up. The mixing of juices, of pop, all this stuff with liquor began during Prohibition to mask the taste of the moonshine. So from what I have heard, it tasted terrible.”

There won’t be moonshine at the event, but the PALS will be serving root beer, wine, and other refreshments for attendees. The program will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 9th at the Stuart Public Library, and is free and open to the public.