Author James Gardner to speak after the show

Makeshift Theater is presenting “Camping with Henry and Tom” as a rehearsed reading in its Senior Matinee series. This play is based on a real event in 1918 when Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone went on an extended camping trip. These titans wanted to get away from it all and rough it in the great outdoors. But of course, they took a chef and complete entourage so it wouldn’t be too rough. They called themselves the “Vagabonds.”

Local author James Gardner has written about their excursion in “A Chance to Breathe: A 1918 Road Trip.” Traveling by car the men met in Western Pennsylvania and spent two weeks traveling through Pennsylvania and West Virginia. On Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30, Gardner will talk about his book and the “Vagabonds” after the performance of the play. Autographed copies will be on sale.