(Radio Iowa) – Iowa author Dan Henderson will visit two southwest Iowa towns this week to share the stories behind his new non-fiction book, “Rhythm and Pep: The Vaudeville Career of the Pearson Brothers.” The brothers were from Clarinda and the project sheds light on both local history and a major era in American entertainment. Henderson will appear at the Shenandoah Public Library tomorrow (Wednesday) and at the Clarinda Public Library on Thursday.

“I’ll be in the area two days in a row, and I’ll have lots of books, lots of great stories to share,” Henderson says. “I think people will really enjoy hearing about a couple of local boys that grew up in that area and did well.” The book traces the history of what he calls the unlikely rise of Earl and Lester Pearson, who grew up working in their father’s coal mine just west of Clarinda. They performed from coast to coast from 1918 through 1928, including a show for President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C.

“I’m going to be sharing their story, of course, but I’m also going to share a little bit about Vaudeville and America’s cultural history,” Henderson says. “You’ll see some video of actual Vaudeville performances, some of the music of that era.” The presentation will include slides taken of photographs and artifacts from a Pearson family scrapbook, materials that served as the foundation for his research. Henderson, who lives in Council Bluffs, hopes to show Iowans the role their own communities played in shaping early American entertainment.

He’s to appear in Shenandoah tomorrow at 4:30 PM and in Clarinda at 5:30 PM on Thursday. The events are free and open to the public.