DeKALB — The DeKalb Public Library will be hosting the “Space Race- Getting to the Moon, a Tale of the Cold War, Bringing Nazis to America and Cutting Corners!” event from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday via Zoom. It will be presented by speaker and author, Evan Weiner.

“The space race was only a part of the overall Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Americans,” Weiner said. 

The event pulls back the curtain on the Cold War and the state of the world surrounding it. This event will take a deep look into the Apollo 11 moon landing and diving in the space program’s roots, looking into its successes and failures. It also takes a look at German scientists who worked toward America’s space exploration, according to the event page.  

“It’s a miracle that we landed on the moon. So many corners were cut, getting there —  it’s nothing short of miraculous,” Weiner said. “Lyndon Johnson barely got the funding for the project, Wally Schirra didn’t trust the spacecraft, but somehow they got everything going within seven months, and that’s what (the event) goes over.”

These shortcuts taken during the space race are what Weiner makes the focus of the event, adding that the most important takeaway for the audience is to not take things at face value.

“The space race was not all about going to the moon,” Weiner said. “It was just one of the aspects of the Cold War.”

The DeKalb Public Library reworked their set-up to be able to still bring the community programs, events and workshopping, said Samantha Hathaway, public relations and event manager for the DeKalb Public Library. 

“We discussed topics for what he (Weiner) could do for us, and the ‘Space Race’ event seemed very engaging,” Hathaway said. “Just from the title itself,  I thought this event was something we needed to get booked and bring to our patrons.”

The event will be free to attend for all ages. For more information and how to register to attend, visit the event page at the DeKalb Public Library website.