The Mount Joy Area Historical Society will host Bruce E. Mowday as the guest speaker at its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 15, at the Cemetery Road Schoolhouse, 120 Fairview St., Mount Joy. Refreshments will follow the program. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Mowday, an award-winning author and newspaper reporter, will discuss the Marquis Lafayette in a presentation titled "Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero." Mowday will discuss how Lafayette risked his life and spent his fortune in the fight for America's independence from England. Thanks to Lafayette's influence, America won a valuable ally in France during the Revolutionary War.

An author of more than 20 books on history, sports, business, and true crime, Mowday has been featured on numerous television and radio shows, including C-SPAN, Our American Heritage, Journey Into the Civil War, Pennsylvania Cable Network, and Counter Culture, a PBS Emmy-winning show. The Congress of Civil War Round Tables has named Mowday a "5-star speaker." He has served as chairman of the Chester County Historical Society and president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates. A member of the American Friends of Lafayette, Mowday is the Chester County coordinator for the Lafayette Bicentennial Celebration in 2024 and 2025. He is also a member of the county's committee that is planning to celebrated the United States' 250th anniversary. For more information on Mowday, visit http://www.mowday.com.

The society building is open every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors are welcome to stop by to conduct research and see the many displays related to Mount Joy's history. For more information, visit http://www.mountjoyhistory.com.