TWO RIVERS – Patrick Dewane will perform “The Accidental Hero” at The Washington House Museum, 1622 Jefferson St., at 7 pm Nov. 2.

The show will be in honor of Veterans Day. Veterans will receive free admission, while general admission is $15 and Two Rivers Historical Society members pay $10. Tickets and more are at https://www.tworivers-history.org/ticketed-events/.

The one-man show is based on Dewane’s grandfather’s long-lost manuscript—the haunting true story of Two Rivers’ Lt. Col. Matt Konop.

Konop’s native language was Czech, the only language spoken on his grandfather’s farm near Stangelville, Wisconsin.

And the Czech would be his superpower in the final week of World War II, earning him the designation of commander of the advance party for the liberation of Czechoslovakia.

History: See what this Manitowoc Civil War soldier wrote about from the front lines in April 1864

Of all places to cross the border, the U.S. Army sent Konop to the same remote villages his grandparents left behind in Stangelville in the 1860s.

The jubilant Czechs gave Konop a hero’s return, parading him through town on their shoulders as their liberator, hailing him as “one of our own”.

The experience changed Konop’s sense of who he was. Instead of running away from his poor, bohemian upbringing, it became his greatest passion.

However, like many returning combat veterans, Konop did not talk about the war. And back in Czechoslovakia, the communist regime outlawed his story.

So, 23 years after Konop’s death, a long-forgotten manuscript was discovered in a basement, and Dewane, Konop’s grandson, turned the manuscript into a one-man show, The Accidental Hero.

History: The Waverly was a first class hotel in Two Rivers. Today, it houses the Waverly Inn Pub & Pizzeria.

The show became a hit, both in America and in the free Czech Republic, and the second life of Konop’s heroism led the towns of Two Rivers and Domažlice, Czech Republic, to become Sister Cities.

Seating for the November 2 performance in The Washington House Museum’s Grand Ballroom is limited. People are advised to book tickets in advance.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or [email protected] or follow X at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Two Rivers to Stage ‘Accidental Hero’ Matt Konop’s World War II Story