Waukon native Pete Grady to kick off "Thunder in the Park" Friday with Ulysses S. Grant presentation

by Lissa Blake

Waukon native Pete Grady will return to his hometown this Friday to help bring history alive during Allamakee County’s "Thunder in the Park" Civil War re-enactment event being held in Waukon this weekend, June 7-9.
Grady, a 1971 graduate of Waukon High School, will present a one-man show about the life of Ulysses S. Grant this Friday, June 7 at 6 p.m. at the Main Feature Theatre at Pizza Pub located on Main Street in downtown Waukon. Tickets for Grady’s show can be purchased from the Main Feature or the Visitor Center in Waukon. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. The presentation is sponsored by Martin Funeral Home and kicks off a weekend full of events.
“Unconditional Surrender: An Evening with President Grant” is written, directed and performed by Grady, originally as a production of the Marshalltown Community Theatre of which he is an active member in Marshalltown.
Grady said that while he has always been interested in history, he decided to portray Grant after friends had commented on his resemblance to the famous historical figure. “I started reading about him and got really interested in his life,” said Grady.
Grady serves as a board member, actor and director for Marshalltown Community Theatre productions, and he initially created the Ulysses S. Grant presentation as a fundraiser for the theatre. He has performed the "Unconditional Surrender" program in Marshalltown at the Iowa Veterans Home (including a special performance for veterans with Alzheimer’s disease) and at the Iowa Historical Museum in Des Moines. He is scheduled to reprise the production July 3 at the Historical Museum in Des Moines, and will appear as General Grant in a special performance at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, MN July 4, the 150th anniversary of General Grant’s victory at Vicksburg, MS.
Grady’s performance lasts approximately one hour and features period music, photographs and stories of Grant’s childhood and family life, his military training, his participation in the Mexican War, the Civil War and his presidency.
Grant’s story is told from the last year of his life, when, dying of cancer and bankrupt, his friend Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) helped him publish his memoirs to provide an income for his family after his death. The program being presented Friday in Waukon is appropriate for all ages.

ABOUT GRADY
Grady was active in high school plays and speech contest while a student at Waukon High School. He later attended St. Ambrose College in Davenport and the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City.
In his professional life, Grady serves as an Assistant Attorney General to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. He provides training to law enforcement officers and prosecutors throughout the state of Iowa.
The youngest son of Ed and Margaret Grady who grew up in the Cherry Mound area, Grady is married to Jeannine Marie Seigel, who is originally from Marion, and they have four children - all of whom have been active in high school and community theatre productions.
“Although I don’t get back to Waukon very often, I have tried to make it to every class reunion,” said Grady. “I have a great deal of fondness for the area and I am excited to be able to perform this show for my hometown."