Vermont Humanities Events
Rutland
July 16 — 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 Sherburne Memorial Library. Killington, Sherburne Memorial Library, 2998 River Rd, 2:00 pm. Heather Grev, (802) 442-9765.
July 27 — A Sense of Place: Vermont's Farm Legacy. The character of a place is shaped by its cultural heritage and folklife, the informal traditions of family and community that guide the ways in which a person plans a meal, treats a neighbor, or understands civic responsibility. In Vermont the cultural legacy of farming has strongly influenced the identity of Vermonters, and it is these distinctive traditions, which have persisted even with the decline in farm numbers, that help make the state unique. This lecture by Gregory Sharrow explores the fabric of farm culture in the past and probes its relationship to the world of Vermont today. Hosted by the Mount Holly Town Library. Belmont, Mount Holly Town Library, 26 Maple Hill Rd, 2:00 pm. Joan McCallum, (802) 259-2318.
September 22 — 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 Middletown Springs Historical Society. Middletown Springs Historical Society Building, 10 Park Ave, 7:00 pm. David Wright, (802) 235-2376.
October 1 — Dorothy Canfield Fisher: A Vermonter for the World. Dorothy Canfield Fisher wrote often about Vermont, but she was a writer beyond our region who communicated to the world and to the human spirit. She celebrated the book as the surest tool for thought. In her forty books of fiction and nonfiction, she attacked discrimination, intolerance, brutality, and fraud. Her writing was vibrant and heartening with glorious aspects of living life with courage and joy. This living history presentation by Helene Lang showcases her life's works. Hosted by the Rutland County Retired Teachers. Rutland, American Legion Rutland Post 31, 33 Washington St, 1:00 pm. Martha St Onge, (802) 775-1642.
October 10 — Indian Wars of New England. Michael Tougias offers a slide lecture on the conflicts between New England's Native Americans and colonists. Tougias takes the audience on a historic journey from the Pilgrims' first arrival in New England to the closing days of the French and Indian War, as the colonists and Indians fought for control of New England. Using slides of maps, battle sites, roadside history, and period drawings, Tougias covers the Pequot War, King Philip's War, and the French and Indian War. Hosted by the Chittenden Historical Society. North Chittenden, Grange Hall, 3 Lower Middle Rd., 7:00 pm. Karen Webster, (802) 483-6471.