STOCKTON, Ill. — Stockton Heritage Museum will host a presentation by Alan Wenzel on 1970s movies and how and why these films continue to affect the movies we see today. 

The presentation, “Hollywood’s Greatest Train Movies,” will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9 at the Stockton Heritage Museum, 107 West Front Street, Stockton, Ill. The event is free and open to all audiences.

Since Hollywood’s earliest days, railroads have played an important part in some of the greatest films ever made. For decades, trains have taken movie passengers on exciting, thrilling, suspenseful, scary, funny, and romantic rides through cinematic landscapes. This program will highlight several memorable films, which featured trains in lead roles or very capable supporting roles. 

A native of northwest Illinois, Wenzel is a retired Speech Communications/Film Instructor from Highland Community College in Freeport, where, over a 39-year career beginning in 1974, he taught a variety of courses in film, business communication, public speaking, leadership development, argumentation, political communication, and small group behavior. From 1992 to 2017, Wenzel served as Director of the Stephenson County Leadership Institute and of the Jo Daviess County Leadership Forum, community leadership development programs offered by Highland.   

Wenzel’s interests include golf, classic films, local history, family genealogy, and current events. He co-hosts, along with Ed Finch, a monthly classic film series at the Lindo Theatre in Freeport.  

For more information, visit www.stocktonheritagemuseum.org, or find the museum on Facebook: Stockton-Heritage-Museum-309324911534. The museum can be emailed at info@stocktonheritagemuseum.org or called at 815-947-2220.

Stockton Heritage Museum is a not-for-profit entity dedicated to the preservation and teaching of Stockton area history. Visit the museum May-October on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment.