6:30am - 11am

Pancake Breakfast

Fire Station

Inisfree 5K Run/Walk

John Wayne Statue site

Special Commemoration for the Irish Who Served in the Civil War

Grandma Sweeney’s Corned Beef and Cabbage

Pheasant Run Tavern

”Pie Squared” Events

Courthouse Square

John Ford–Dreaming The Quiet Man Documentary, $10
followed by a reception at the Birthplace

Iowa Theatre

John Ford–Dreaming The Quiet Man Documentary, $5

SPECIAL FILMS AT THE IOWA THEATRE

The Iowa Theatre, right on Winterset’s Courthouse Square, will be showing the following films:

The Quiet Man (FREE)
Legendary director John Ford received his fourth Best Director Oscar® for this beloved film, which also won for Best Color Cinematography and was nominated for five other categories including Best Picture! Wayne plays Sean Thornton, who swears off boxing after accidentally killing an opponent, and returns to the Irish town of his birth and falls in love with Mary Kate, played by the stunning Maureen O’Hara. A delightful love letter to Ireland, filled with memorable characters and gorgeous scenery.

John Ford–Dreaming the Quiet Man Documentary Midwest Premiere!
Saturday, May 26th
Director and producer Sé Merry Doyle of Loopline Film is proud to present the Midwest Premiere of this new documentary that delves into the story of the making of the film and features contributions from well-known commentators like Maureen O’ Hara and filmmakers including Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese and Jim Sheridan. You’ll be transfixed by the astounding archive of treasured memories and rare photographs, and get a real feel for just what it took to get this cinematic masterpiece made. This premiere showing will include a special introduction by Maureen O’Hara and interview with Aissa Wayne recorded in Ireland last fall.

Afterwards, join your fellow Quiet Man enthusiasts at a Special Reception in the garden at the John Wayne Birthplace. Meet playwright Frank Mahon who wrote the stage adaptation of Maurice Walsh’s The Quiet Man on which the film was based. Mahon and former Chicago Tribune writer Brian Downes will discuss their impressions of the enduring allure of The Quiet Man.

OSCAR® and ACADEMY AWARD® are trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Quiet Man Live Stage Play

The John Wayne Birthplace is especially pleased to announce that "Maurice Walsh’s The Quiet Man, a play by Frank Mahon, will be presented in Winterset as a special feature of this year’s John Wayne Birthday Celebration. For more information about the play and the playwright, visit www.thequietmanonstage.com.

The live stage play, produced for our event by The Winterset Stage, premiered in 2009 at the legendary Chicago Theater. Hailed by audiences and critics alike, the play—adapted from the same source material as John Ford’s film—was nominated for two Equity Jeff Awards: Best Adaptation and Best Supporting Actor.  

PERFORMANCES:
Friday, May 25th at 7pm
Saturday, May 26th at 2pm
Saturday, May 26th at 7pm
Sunday, May 27th at 2pm

All tickets are $12. Tickets are now available at www.thewintersetstage.org and at the door.

Inisfree 5K Run/Walk

“Race To The Line” watercolor image courtesy of artist Katy Sodeau, www.equinepainting.co.uk

No, it’s not horses but humans who will be racing through downtown Winterset. Participants can partake of the 5K Run or the 5K Walk, with several different age groups (medals will be awarded in each age group). View or download the race .pdf brochure here.

Proceeds benefit Healthy Kids Initiative and Wildwood Hills Ranch. Sponsored by Winterset Rotary and Madison County Health Care System.

Live Irish Music

Painting: Grafton Street, courtesy of Barrie Maguire, www.maguiregallery.com

Just off the Courthouse Square, The Litttle Dublin Irish Pub will be presenting live authentic Irish music with “The Quiet Men (and a couple of ladies),” Iowa’s premiere traditional Irish music session band starting at 9pm Saturday. Stop by and see why Irish eyes are smiling!

Tour of the actual home where Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907. The house features a unique collection of John Wayne memorabilia including such items as an eyepatch from True Grit, a prop suitcase used in the film Stagecoach, a hat from Rio Lobo and more.

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Hundreds of rare photographs of Duke are on display as well as letters from Lucille Ball, Gene Autry, Maureen O’Hara, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan and George Burns. Tours are available from 9am to 5pm.

Admission fees are $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors 60 and over, and $3.00 for children 12 and under.

Pie Squared—An All American Celebration of Pie

What’s more American than John Wayne and Pie? Pie really is an American icon—much like John Wayne—so combining Pie Squared with the John Wayne Birthday Celebration was a natural union and by all accounts a good one! Last year over 2000 pieces of genuine homemade pie of every imaginable kind (baked by the “church ladies” of Madison County) were consumed by Pie Squared attendees!  So join us on Saturday, May 26th from 12:30pm until 3:00pm for the SECOND ANNUAL Pie Squared—An All American Celebration of Pie event in conjunction with the John Wayne Birthday Celebration. Pie stations will be set up around the historic Madison County Courthouse Square and tasting tickets will be available for one dollar each. Each ticket will be good for one taste (one tenth of a pie) and attendees can sample as many homemade pies as they choose. Savor the delights from the legendary “church ladies” from all over Madison County, who will be baking over 225 pies. The proceeds will be split between the participating churches and the Madison County Chamber of Commerce which provides community programs and services to residents of Madison County.  In addition to pie, ice cream and fresh squeezed lemonade will be available.

Ride An Authentic Irish Jaunting Car

From the opening scenes of The Quiet Man until the movie’s happy conclusion, the uniquely Irish jaunting car jogs along throughout the film. Driven by matchmaker Michaeleen Oge Flynn, the horse drawn cart delivers Sean Thornton to Inisfree and carries Sean and Mary Kate in their delightful courting scenes,

It’s easier to find a leprechaun in Madison County than an authentic jaunting car, but we’ve got one exclusively for this event which will be available for rides on Saturday, May 26th for our evocative salute to The Quiet Man. Just $10. You’ll feel as close to the film as one can on this side of the Atlantic!

Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast

Fire Station, one block east of John Wayne Drive on Court

Sit yourself down for a fabulous morning meal! All you care to eat with pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, milk, orange juice and coffee. Get a great start to your day! Just $6.

Proceeds benefit Winterset’s volunteer Fire Department.

Grandma Sweeney’s Corned Beef and Cabbage

Pheasant Run Tavern, one block north of the John Wayne Statue

The Pheasant Run tavern will be serving Grandma Sweeney’s corned beef and cabbage on Saturday from 11am through supper time. Dinners and sandwiches both cost $8. Celebrating the spirit of Ireland, the tavern will also offer a wide selection of Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur.

Photo courtesy Steamy Kitchen

Special Commemoration for the Irish Who Served in the Civil War

At 11am on Saturday, May 26th, the Madison County Civil War 150 Committee will present a special commemoration at Monumental Park honoring the Irish who served in the Civil War.

Included will be biographical sketches of the Madison County’s own Michael Morrissey, James Gillaspie and Martin Waldron, a history of St. Patrick’s Church and a roll call of Irish Civil War veterans.

Painting “Fight’n Irish” by Dale Gallon. Courtesy of Gallon Historical Art
Gettysburg, PA www.gallon.com

JOHN WAYNE BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM BENEFIT DINNER

Background painting Dawn on the Hills of Ireland by Edmund Sullivan, www.edmundsullivan.com    Join us Saturday, May 26, 2012 for another fabulous Benefit Dinner event to raise funds for the new John Wayne Museum and Learning Center. Enjoy a delicious traditional Irish meal as vocalist Lindsay Nevins, accompanied by Lacey Black on piano, embrace their own Irishness by performing the sentimental folk tunes of old Ireland featured throughout Victor Young’s memorable score from The Quiet Man. Lindsay is trained in classical opera and Lacey (www.laceyblack.net) records and performs in her native Rocky Mountains. John Wayne’s grandaughter Jennifer Wayne and Caroline Cutbirth of the band Stealing Angels (www.stealingangels.com) will be opening our John Wayne Birthplace Museum Benefit Dinner program with the National Anthem. Don’t miss it! SPECIAL MUSEUM BENEFIT DINNER AUCTION Join in the excitement as John Wayne’s daughter Aissa hosts a lively auction of unique John Wayne and Irish-inspired / Quiet Man items. Auction services by Garrison Auction Service, conducted by renowned auctioneers Chuck and Jon Garrison, who are a show onto themselves!   One of the many items at the auction will be “Last Light, Connemara.” Before creating this master artwork, Irish landscape painter Edmund Sullivan visited and photographed many scenes from The Quiet Man including this bridge where, in the film, John Wayne imagined his idyllic childhood in Inisfree. Click for a larger view. www.edmundsullivan.com Artist Kim Lockman paints in a realistic style that drew rave reviews for her “Lest We Forget” painting at last year’s auction. This year she’s outdone herself with a stunning rendition of a wistful Sean Thornton seated on the stone bridge. The “Dreaming of White O’ Morn” original oil painting will be one of the many items at the auction. Don’t miss your chance—get your tickets to the Museum Benefit Dinner and auction below! P.J. Freileigh of Winterset created this stunning 47" x 47" one-of-a-kind wall quilt in the “Round Robin” style. It is machine pieced and hand-stitched using eleven different high-quality cotton fabrics. There are more than 700 individual pieces in this quilt, and it includes a hanging rod, reminiscent of branding irons. Don’t miss your chance to own this gorgeous example of Midwestern quilting at its finest! All of the items included in this year’s auction can be viewed until the afternoon of May 26th in the window at Madison County Mercantile, 58 Court Avenue on the south side of the Courthouse Square. Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band Most of us call them "bagpipes" but for 500 years the Irish have referred to them as “warpipes.” This distinction is especially appropriate to the Shannon Rovers. Organized in Chicago in the 1920s by Tommie Ryan, Pat Roche and other veterans of Ireland’s recent War of Independence, these award-winning musicians are today considered among the premiere pipe and drum bands in the United States. In their storied career, which includes thousands of performances, the Shannon Rovers have played for Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, George W. Bush and Barack Obama and even Pope John Paul II. The John Wayne Birthplace is exceptionally proud to welcome the Rovers to Winterset where their deafening pipes will salute The Quiet Man—their favorite movie—with tunes familiar to all fans of the classic film. See more about them at www.shannonrovers.com #8140, 2012 Birthplace Museum Benefit Dinner $100.00 Or call TOLL-FREE (877) 462-1044

Previous Birthday Celebrations: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 Centennial

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