Nick Offerman returns home to Minooka to promote book

MINOOKA – Nick Offerman took the stage Wednesday night to cheers, decked out in his black and orange senior year varsity jacket after being introduced by his father, Ric Offerman.

“Twenty-nine years ago, I don’t think anybody, Nick included, would’ve thought he’d be here signing books,” Ric Offerman said to the auditorium crowd of about 730.

Offerman returned to his hometown of Minooka for a book tour stop that included a reading and signing at the Minooka Community High School Central Campus, coordinated by Anderson’s Bookshop of Naperville and Three Rivers Public Library.

Perhaps best known for playing Ron Swanson on the NBC TV show “Parks and Recreation,” which broadcast its finale in February, Offerman has played many roles in movies and other TV series.

But Offerman’s latest work is his second book, following 2013’s “Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living,” for which he also made a stop in Minooka.

“I played the elementary school last time,” Offerman said. “I consider it a great compliment to get upgraded to the high school.”

His sister, Laurie Offerman, director of Three Rivers Public Library District, said she asked Nick to make a stop in Minooka the first time he wrote a book.

This time, he told her he was coming to Minooka in support of a second book. Nothing her brother does surprises her anymore, she said.

“When he said he was going to write the first book, I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever. We’ll see,’ ” Laurie Offerman said. “But he does whatever he sets his mind to.”

Laurie Offerman said her brother has always been intelligent and well-spoken, but she was impressed with his ability as an author.

“Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers,” is a collection of writings about his favorite heroes, which includes everyone from George Washington to Carol Burnett, and why they inspire him.

Offerman said he wrote a second book because he was pleasantly surprised with the response to the first book.

“I was astonished anyone would care about my writing,” Offerman said. “I’m very thankful.”

It’s surreal to return to Minooka for a book tour stop, Offerman said. He was joined at the event by his parents, siblings and other family and friends. The last time Offerman was on stage in Minooka, he portrayed Jud Fry in “Oklahoma!”

Offerman brought in another local tie, when he read a passage to the audience about Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, who makes his home in Chicago and whom Offerman met years ago, that drew laughter after seemingly every other sentence.

He’s come a long way from his days in the fields of Minooka. Offerman moved to Chicago and co-founded Defiant Theatre in 1993.

“It was great for him to move to Chicago,” Laurie Offerman said.

He went on to land various film and TV roles, and performed his standup tour “American Ham” across the country – and now, he’s an author of two books.

“I always knew he’d go beyond Minooka,” Laurie Offerman said. “It’s inspirational to the community to see someone start from humble beginnings and do so well for themselves.”

When he’s not performing or writing a book, Offerman can be found in his woodshop in Los Angeles, which is home to a group of woodworkers handcrafting everything from pencil holders to canoes.

“I hope to write more books,” Offerman said. “My third would be a book about woodworking and my woodworking shop.”

With several more stops on his book tour, Offerman hits the Merle Reskin Garage Theatre Thursday in Chicago, the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Friday and the Javits Center in New York City on Saturday.