NOVEMBER 2025 Movie of the Month: WEAPONS Starring: Josh Brolin as Archer Julia Garner as Justine And Alden Ehrenreich as Paul Directed by: Zach Cregger Reviewed by: Alex Huizar What happens when 17 students from one classroom disappear one night at exactly 2:17 in the morning, but only one student is left behind? This is the question that stays in our head throughout the duration of the film. Weapons is told not in a linear fashion but in a non-linear fashion where the film concentrates on one character for a time, watching what they go through, then move on to another character and see how it overlaps to different characters. This was a smart move by director Cregger who also wrote the screenplay. This film wouldn’t have the same punch if it was told in a linear style. The performances are also well done, there’ll be some characters that you’ll root for and some others that you’ll despise, but in a good way since they are supposed to be disliked. There is also some well-done cinematography throughout the film, some shots being unique and fun, especially at the end of the film. This is one of the best films of the year and a contender for best film of the year. I give Weapons 4 and a half out of 5 stars! Call your local library to reserve your copy today. We’re thrilled to announce that new magazines subscriptions are now available at the Oak Harbor Public Library. Don’t forget that magazines are also available through the Libby and Hoopla app! Happy reading! s
2 NOVEMBER 2025 NEW RELEASES It’s getting chilly out and time to curl up with a good book. And that time of year our favorite authors release their newest offerings. Janet Evanovich continues her Recovery Agent series (a spin-off of the Stephanie Plum saga) with King’s Ransom due out November 11th. Time for a new Jack Reacher, Lee Child’s Exit Strategy also hits on the eleventh. James Patterson revisits his Alex Cross series with Return of the Spider. Expect new books by David Baldacci (Nash Falls), Mike Lupica (Robert B Parker’s Showdown) Nora Roberts (Seven Rings) and Danielle Steel (Color of Hope). On the more serious side we have 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Biography of a Mountain: The Making & Meaning of Mount Rushmore, Heart Life Music by Kenny Chesney and Breath of the Gods: The History & Future of the Wind by Simon Winchester. And certainly worth reading is 100 Rules for Living to 100 by Dick Van Dyke. Coming soon for kids is the graphic novel Diary of a Nature Nerd by Tiffany Everett; Not-So-Sweetie Pie by Maureen Fergus and How to Drive Your Brother Bananas by Diane Shore. Have a great fall and let us help you find your next great read! By Robin Vail
3 NOVEMBER 2025 SNAPSHOTS We love our Friends. The Friends of the Oak Harbor Public Library sponsor the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and the Crafting with Mary programs. They plant the geraniums in the spring and supply cookies and punch in December. They also assist with many of the programs at the library. You will see them at the Summer Library Program, the Halloween Party, and the Open House in December. They were instrumental in arranging for Wistinghausen Florists to answer all questions about gardening last May. Anyone interested in joining the Friends is encouraged to contact the Oak Harbor Public Library at 419-898-7001. To learn more about the Friends group, go to their facebook page. School kids and vaccines and books parties crafts And winners! Kylie (right) had the winning guess for the candy jar and Lily (lower right) had the winning ticket for the t-shirt. A new shirt has been ordered in her size.
4 NOVEMBER 2025 PROGRAMS By Ann Chio
5 NOVEMBER 2025 LAST WORD By Kathy Huffman The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald The Great Lakes provides us with raw beauty, lighthouses, year-round recreation, and a rich livelihood steep in maritime history. However, when the gales of November howl, the lakes churn with fierce and turbulent storms. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the most mysterious and debated shipwreck on the Great Lakes. On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men. These men were not simply names on a manifest, but locals from places like Oregon, Millbury, North Olmsted, Toledo, Ashtabula, and Fremont, to name a few. The region is home to various shipyards, including the Toledo Shipbuilding Co. (1905-1945) now owned by the Am. Shipbuilding Co. who built ships like the USCG Ice Cutter Mackinaw. The Toledo shipyard now focuses on repair and maintenance. The Am. Shipbuilding Co, in Lorain built the Arthur M Anderson, made famous for its tandem voyage with the Edmund Fitzgerald that fateful November. The Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan, just across the border near Zug Island built the Edmund Fitzgerald. (And) one can still watch crushed limestone being loaded onto freighters at the Marblehead Quarry Dock. The Great Lakes have a long history of shipwrecks from the 1679 sinking of Le Griffon with its cargo of furs to the 1975 loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald. An estimated 6,000 ships and 30,000 lives have been lost according to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Known as the Pride of the American Side, the Edmund Fitzgerald was an incredible 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, had a depth of 39 feet, and weighted 13,632 gross tons. The ship was named after the President and Chairman of the Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, Edmund Fitzgerald. The Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan, was contracted to build the ship in 1957 by Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company at a cost of $8.4 million. After construction, the Fitzgerald was placed with the Columbia Transportation Division of Oglebay Norton Company, based in Cleveland. The Fitzgerald was launched on June 7, 1958, on the River Rouge. Although it was a remarkable sight, the launch was plagued by misfortunes. When Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Edmund, tried to christen the ship by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three attempts to break it. It took the shipyard crew a grueling 36 minutes to release the keel blocks. Upon a sideways launch, the ship created a large wave which doused spectators, then crashed into a pier before righting herself. A gentleman, Jennings B. Frazier of Toledo suffered a heart attack and later died. The Fitzgerald was popular with boat-watchers and was known for setting records such as the largest loads, fastest runs, and the largest seasonal hauls. It was the first to move over one million tons of iron ore in a single season through the Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Locks. On November 10, 1975, Lake Superior was struck by one of the worst storms in its recorded history, with hurricane-force winds, massive waves, and blinding snow squalls. During the storm other ships on the lake reported swells reaching 35 feet with rogue waves over 40 feet and wind speeds reaching 100 mph. November 9 at 2:15pm the Fitzgerald, captained by McSorley, loaded with 26,116 tons of iron ore departed the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock in Superior, Wisconsin. Pictured is the last known picture taken of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Around 5pm the Anderson, captained by Cooper, departed from Two Harbors, Minnesota. Together the two ships made their way in tandem across the stormy waters of Lake Superior. At 6:30am on November 10 dawn broke, and the Fitzgerald was on its last leg towards Whitefish Point and the safety of the bay when the full force of the storm struck. On November 10 at 3:30pm McSorley radioed Cooper. “Anderson, this the Fitzgerald, I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, (con’t on page 6)
6 NOVEMBER 2025 OAK HARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY 147 W. MAIN ST OAK HARBOR OH 43449 419-898-7001 Oakharborpubliclibrary.org ohpl@seolibraries.org (con’t from page 5) two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish?” Cooper asked McSorley if he had his pumps going, and McSorley said, “Yes, both of them.” At 6pm a series of 25-foot waves struck the Anderson. Then at 6:55pm Cooper reported that a rogue wave engulfed the Anderson but fortunately the ship rose back up and continued onward. Cooper believes the same wave hit the Fitzgerald and was likely when the ship was lost. At 7:10pm that evening the Anderson radioed the Fitzgerald, “how are you making out?” McSorley replied, “we are holding our own”. Those were the last words from McSorley. There was no further radio contact, no radar indication, the ship had simply vanished. The wreck is located roughly 17 miles from Whitefish Point at a depth of 535 feet. The wreckage lays in two main sections: 235 feet of the stern lay upside down while 276 feet of its bow remains right side up. There is a 170-foot gap filled with strewn metal which was the middle section of the hull. On July 4, 1995, the Fitzgerald’s 200lb bronze bell was recovered and is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum located at Whitefish Point as a memorial to her lost crew. A replica of the bell, engraved with the names of the crew, was placed on the wreck. Although no exact cause has yet been determined, a combination of powerful winds, massive waves, structural issues, and inaccurate charts are the main attributes to its sinking along with the theory that the Fitzgerald unknowingly struck a shoal and took on water before plunging below the surface of the lake. To date, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the largest maritime disaster in the history of the Great Lakes.
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