|
Speakers Bureau Schedule |
|
Monday, August 11 ~ 400 Miles Down the Connecticut River. New England's longest river, the Connecticut, is rich in history. Michael Tougias, author of fourteen books about New England, offers a narrated slide presentation that takes the viewer down the entire 410 miles of the river, discussing history from the days of loggers, Indian Wars, steamships, and canals. Woodstock Historical Society, 7:00 p.m. Call Jennie Shurtleff, (802) 457-1822. Thursday, August 14 ~ Civil War Sites in Vermont. The Civil War affected everyone, not just those who carried a gun. In researching a new book on Civil War home sites, historian and author Howard Coffin has found some fascinating places right here in Vermont, including a cave where a man lived for years to avoid the draft, a home where a woman sequestered herself after hearing of her fiancé's death, and an isolated house where soldiers returning with syphilis were quarantined. Come hear about these places and share your stories of Civil War sites in your community. Fairfield Town Clerk, Chester Arthur Room, 7:00 p.m. Call Kristen Hughes, (802) 827-3945.
~~~~~~~~~~ September ~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, September 3 ~ The Western Abenaki: History and Culture. Who were the native people of Vermont and how did they live? This lecture examines the importance in Abenaki society of elders and children, the environment, and the continuance of lifeways and traditions. The program, presented by Jeanne Brink, will be tailored to the host organization to include discussion and demonstrations of Abenaki language, dance, games, family stories, or basket-making. Shoreham, Old Stone Schoolhouse Museum, 7:00 p.m. Call Dall Birdsall, (802) 897-2572.
Sunday, September 7 ~ Agatha Christie: Creator of Miss Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot. In this living history performance by Helene Lang, Ms. Christie tells you how a typewriter in Torguay spawned over 80 mysteries and created Miss Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot. Learn about her life and walk in her footsteps in England. Discover why she was so knowledgeable about the poisons used in her stories; what influences in her life informed the creation of her famous leading detectives; some personal information about her family; and why she went to Yorkshire under an assumed name. Colchester, Burnham Memorial Library, 3:00 p.m. Call Ginger Gellman, (802) 879-7576. Tuesday, September 9 ~ Susan B. Anthony: The Invincible! The feisty activist comes to life—circulating petitions, getting arrested, and challenging legislators, presidents, and newsmen—in Sally Matson's spirited performance. Although Anthony received a marriage proposal from a wealthy Vermont widower, she turned down all proposals and spent her life on the road, campaigning for abolition, women's rights, and woman suffrage. Letters, speeches, and diaries reveal her wit and intellect as she deals with angry mobs, trips through the West, the Civil War, the 15th Amendment and famous contemporaries such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, William Lloyd Garrison, and Horace Greeley. Note how issues then mirror issues now. Williamstown, The Gardens, VT Rte. 14, 7:00 p.m. Call Becky Watson, (802) 433-5451.
Monday, September 8 ~ Old-Time Rules Will Prevail: The Fiddle Contest in Vermont. Fiddle contests evolved from being endurance events to demonstrations of a set number of tunes judged by certain criteria. All tried to determine who was best. These events helped raise money for local organizations of every description, as well as preserve old-time fiddling. In recent years, the fiddle contest has declined significantly, due to the waning interest of competitors and spectators, as well as diminished financial viability. This program will include listening to rare recordings of live competitions illustrating different playing styles of the past as well as some live fiddling by the presenter, Adam Boyce. Grand Isle, Block School House, Next to Hyde Log Cabin, 7:00 p.m. Call Maggie Lawliss, (802) 372-9099.
Saturday, September 20 ~ Cranky Yankees: All Together, Now! Jim Cooke is known for “Calvin Coolidge: More Than Two Words,” a one-man show that has changed popular perceptions and challenged scholarly misperceptions of Vermont's only elected president. Jim has created other one-man performances based mainly on New England characters: “Cranky Yankees” is a chance to see Calvin Coolidge, Daniel Webster, and John Quincy Adams joined by Ethan Allen, James Whitcomb Riley, Samuel Sewall, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Joseph P. Kennedy, to name but a few. While not exactly a “how to,” this lecture/performance features Jim's cranky process of giving actuality to the past. Plymouth, President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, Union Christian Church, 1:30 p.m. Call Cynthia Bittinger, (802) 672-3389.
Monday, September 22 ~ Georgia O'Keeffe: An American Master. Early in her career, Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986) clearly demonstrated her fierce independence as she charted her own course between representation and abstraction. O'Keeffe's greatly enlarged flower paintings of the 1920s brought her fame, and her long and productive life transformed her into an American icon. In 1946 she became the first woman to be the subject of a one-person retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. O'Keeffe and her husband, Alfred Stieglitz belonged to that vanguard of modernists who profoundly changed America's cultural landscape in the first half of the 20th century. Learn about this fascinating artist from retired Art History professor Bob Manning's slide show and talk. Morrisville, Melben's Restaurant Railroad Street, 11:00 a.m. Call Marion Taylor, (802) 635-2450.
Sunday, September 28 ~ Mark Twain Talks. Long before he had white hair and wore his famous white suit, Mark Twain toured the country--and the world--entertaining packed houses with his wit, wisdom, and musery. Bern Budd's award-winning show, which has entertained aged 10 to 100, is based on those live performances. Twain's humorous, wise, and slightly irreverent counsel is as needed today as it was then. Pownal, Solomon Wright Public Library, 2:00 p.m. Call Linda Hall, (802) 823-5652.
|
|
Office in Montpelier
11 Loomis Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 802.262.2626 Fax: 802.262.2620 E-mail: info@vermonthumanities.org |
