 Folks in Bemidji got to travel back to the 18th century tonight and experienced the adventures of American poet Walt Whitman. Artist Patrick Scully was the man behind the show. He wrote the entire show and performed it himself. Scully says he feels his life parallels Whitman's, so his performance is genuine. When asked to describe the play, Scully says the audience would be taken on an interactive journey and would get to see both the triumphs and setbacks of Whitman's life. What the audience gets from the performance tonight is that they get a more complete picture of who was the human being behind the great poetry that we know in Leaves of Grass. And that they also realize that there's a strong resonance between many of the political challenges and discussions that we face in contemporary society today in the United States with those that Whitman faced 150 to 200 years ago. The performance served as a fundraiser for the Beltrami County Historical Society. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.