COLUSA, CA (MPG) – The history of agricultural aviation and the pilots who helped shape farming in the Sacramento Valley will take center stage Tuesday, Oct. 27, when author Hal Tacker discusses his book, “Blue Fires at Dawn,” at the Colusa branch of the Colusa County Library.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments and an opportunity to meet fellow readers. Tacker will discuss the book and his experience as an author beginning at 7 p.m.
Co-authored by Tacker and Mike Meier, “Blue Fires at Dawn” chronicles the more than 60-year aviation career of Tacker’s father, Harold Tacker, whose work as an agricultural pilot took him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the farmland of California’s Sacramento Valley.
Based on a screenplay by Hal Tacker, the book traces his father’s aviation career from his first flight with Fred Key in Mississippi through his early years as a crop duster.
His experiences included flying in Nicaragua, a violent encounter with disgruntled crop dusters in Reynosa, Mexico, and a brief period bootlegging for Louise Hathcock and the State Line Gang, figures connected to the events portrayed in the “Walking Tall” movies.
As economic conditions deteriorated in the cotton-growing regions of Mississippi and Texas, Harold Tacker and his family moved west to California. He spent more than 30 years dusting, spraying and seeding agricultural fields throughout the Sacramento Valley.
The book also examines the evolution of agricultural aviation, from the closing years of the barnstorming era to the development of the modern agricultural aviation industry.
Through Harold Tacker’s experiences, the authors recount the challenges and risks faced by early crop dusters, many of whom built their livelihoods around flying.
Organizers are also seeking volunteers to provide sweet or savory refreshments for the event. Those contributing food should deliver it to the Colusa library branch by 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.