Come hear local author Virginia Wright-Peterson read from her new book, “Rochester: An Urban History” at Garden Party Books on September 23 at 7PM.

After the reading we’ll have a Q&A time along with a signing. The book will be available for purchase. This is a great way to learn more about the history of the place you call home! This event is free!

In this brief and engaging history of Rochester, Virginia M. Wright-Peterson explores fascinating stories of the community: the area’s indigenous people; the importance of the region’s agriculture on the karst, driftless, prairie landscape; the persistent flooding of the Zumbro River; the hidden histories held in the unmarked graves of Potter’s Field; the cyclone of 1883 and the famous medical center it spawned; the emergence of an increasingly diverse community; and Destination Medical Center, a twenty-year plan to develop the area as a global destination for health care—and the largest public-private economic initiative in Minnesota’s history.