Follow in the Footsteps of an American Icon

New York Times bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald sets off into the heart of America, following the path of the legendary Johnny Appleseed on an epic journey that both takes him far from home and brings him closer to it.

Join the Friends of DCDL for an entertaining author visit that will be part memoir, part history and part travelogue taking place at Preservation Park's newly renovated Bicentennial Barn located in McCammon Creek Park on Thursday, September 17th from 6pm-8pm. Tickets for this event are $40 and include a hardback copy of American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed. Registration will open at 5:30pm to allow guests time to enjoy an apple cider slushie while shopping authenticated Johnny Appleseed trees, culinary seasonings, fruit preserves, herbal teas, salves & tinctures, local honey, apple cider vinegar, and beeswax candles from Stillwater Valley Orchard and Apiary. The book discussion moderated by our very own Friends board member, Monte Stevens will begin at 6pm. After the discussion and Q & A, Isaac will sign copies of his book. Back copies of his other books will also be available for purchase that evening from Beanbag Books.

About the Book

American Rambler follows Issac on a year-long journey from Massachusetts to Indiana tracing the real and mythic steps of John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed. Isaac walks, drives, and floats along the historic heartland route from Chapman’s birthplace in Leominster, Massachusetts, through Ohio to his final resting place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, examining monuments, festivals, and landscape.

Interwoven with the travel narrative are real facts about Chapman, including his spiritual background in an obscure Christian sect and the reality that his planted apples were largely meant for hard cider rather than eating.

Isaac uses the physical trek to unpack personal themes of grief, loss, a turbulent childhood, his struggles with alcohol, and the passing of his mother during the final stages of writing.