The Dunkirk Historical Society's Folk Arts Program is pleased to present "Locomotion: The Story of Horatio Brooks and his steam Locomotive Works."
Created by artists Michele Costa and Valerie Walawender, this is the tender tale of one man's journey and the eternal quest of the spirit.
Inventive puppetry, movement and music to connect time and travel in the "story," which was inspired by the life of Horatio Brooks, the first mayor of Dunkirk.
For the show, Michael Harris provides the voice for Horatio Brooks.
Premier performances will be held at: Adams Art Gallery, 600 Central Ave., Dunkirk, Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public. Each performance runs about an hour and is suitable for children ages 6 and up, as well as adults.
Horatio G. Brooks began his railroad career during the construction of the New York and Erie Railroad. At the time of its completion, in 1851, it was the longest railroad in the world. The six-foot gauge railroad connected Piermont on the Hudson River with Dunkirk, New York on Lake Erie. Horatio was at the controls of the first train to arrive in Dunkirk over the new road when it opened. But, it was soon realized that Buffalo, and not Dunkirk, would be the major Lake Erie port for New York State. In 1869, Horatio Brooks came to the rescue. He leased the former Erie shops and founded the Brooks Locomotive Works.
The introduction of railroads provided the first major advancement in land transportation for centuries, and their placement and application radically altered the ways people could live and rapidly and reliably obtain necessary commodities, fueling major urbanization movements in countries across the globe.
The first railroad in the United States may have been a gravity railroad in Lewiston, New York in 1764.
The railroad was considered the greatest American technological feat of the 19th century.
Trade expansion was enabled by the introduction of canals, improved roads and railways. The introduction of steam power (fueled primarily by coal) and powered machinery (mainly in textile manufacturing) underpinned the dramatic increases in production capacity. The development of all-metal machine tools in the first two decades of the 19th century facilitated the manufacture of more production machines for manufacturing in other industries. The effects spread throughout Western Europe and North America during the 19th century, eventually affecting most of the world. The impact of this change on society was enormous.
The "Locomotion" "story" was inspired by these facts: Horatio Brooks ran a steam locomotive factory in Dunkirk, his locomotives were sent all over the world. Time passes, and though we may prefer to linger in yesterday's dream - there will always be change.
Artists Michele Costa and Valerie Walawender received an individual artist award by the New York State Council on the Arts to create this original production for the Dunkirk Historical Society. "Locomotion" is part of the Folk Arts Program of the Dunkirk Historical Society, made possible by the generosity of: New York State Council on the Arts, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Wal-Mart, City of Dunkirk, Adams Art Gallery, OBSERVER, Time Warner Cable, 96 KIX F.M., WDOE, Arkwright Printing and Cliffstar Corp.
