Vermont Humanities Events   

Rutland

March 7 — The History of Herbal Medicine in America. Expert herbalist Rosemary Gladstar examines the early history of herbalism in America and how herbs play a role in healthcare today.A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Rutland Free Library. Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St, 7:00 pm. Paula Baker, (802) 773-1860. 

March 9 — Vermont and the Civil War. From Cedar Creek to Gettysburg, Vermonters were central to the Union cause. Vermont author and Civil War historian Howard Coffin addresses the Vermont contribution to the Civil War. Hosted by the Shrewsbury Library. Cuttingsville, Shrewsbury Library Meeting Room, 7:30 pm. Joan Allan Aleshire, (802) 492-3550.

March 13 — Letters to Vermont. The Civil War saw newspapers come of age in reporting war news. Soldiers not only recorded their daily activities in journals and letters; they also shared their experiences in the home press. Thirteen correspondents wrote anonymously to the Rutland Herald from different regions of the United States. This presentation by Donald Wickman introduces the audience to the eloquent prose of the writers, and tells of their careers during the war. Nearly all the letter writers have been successfully identified. Hosted by the West Rutland Historical Society. West Rutland Town Hall, 35 Marble St, 7:00 pm. Mary Reczek, (802) 688-8561.

April 4 — Poetry’s Spiritual Language. Using the poetry of Dickinson, Kenyon, Rumi, and Kabir—poets from diverse religious traditions—poet Nancy Jay Crumbine examines poetry’s language of spirituality.A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Rutland Free Library. Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St, 7:00 pm. Paula Baker, (802) 773-1860. 

April 10 — The Irish "Wave" in the Green Mountains . Beginning in the late 1840s and lasting through the 1860s, thousands of Irish immigrants, escaping the potato famine in their homeland, settled in Vermont. They arrived in the Green Mountain State just as Vermont was undergoing a mini industrial revolution—a revolution based on railroad construction, the quarrying of slate and marble, and on textile production. Vince Feeney, author of the recently published history of the Irish in Vermont, Finnigans, Slaters and Stonepeggers, tells the little-known story of the impact of Irish immigrants on Vermont life in the middle of the nineteenth century. Hosted by the West Rutland Historical Society. West Rutland Town Hall, 35 Marble St, 7:00 pm. Mary Reczek, (802) 688-8561.

April 18 — The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont’s Traveling Entertainer. Having grown up in Topsham, Vermont, Charles Ross Taggart went on to a forty-year career performing in countless stage shows across the country, including the famous Red Path Chautauqua circuit. A fiddler, piano player, humorist, singer, and ventriloquist, he made at least 25 recordings with the Victor, Edison, and Columbia companies, and appeared in a talking movie picture four years before Al Jolson starred in The Jazz Singer. Fiddler Adam Boyce portrays Mr. Taggart near the end of his career, circa 1936, sharing recollections of his life and career interspersed with live fiddling and humorous sketches. Hosted by the Gilbert Hart Library. Wallingford, Gilbert Hart Library, Klock Room, 7:00 pm. Betty Emery, (802) 446-3366.

May 2 — Horses Like Lightning: A Story of Passage through the Himalayas. Dartmouth anthropologist Sienna Craig recounts her years spent living in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Mustang, Nepal. A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Rutland Free Library. Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St, 7:00 pm. Paula Baker, (802) 773-1860.

October 2 — The Changing Music Scene of the 1940s. Catamount Arts’ Martin Bryan takes a look at the popular music scene of the 1940s — how it was affected by war, the musicians’ union, and the war’s aftermath — and how music styles evolved from the beginning of the decade to its end. Martin’s talk includes selections from original 78 rpm recordings, ranging from Big Band swing to wartime music, from popular Broadway musicals to bebop, and more. Americans marched off to war and returned to a changed society; Martin documents that time through its music. Hosted by the Rutland County Retired Teachers. Rutland, American Legion Post 31, 33 Washington St, 1:00 pm. Martha St. Onge, (802) 775-1642.