1. science
2. social science
3. history

OCTOBER
• 2014
Celebrating four decades of connecting people with ideas
Join us at signature events that will mark milestone anniversary
O
ur celebration of four decades of connecting people with
ideas began last month with our Annual Dinner featuring
Michael Chabon. The festivities continue in October as
we launch a year of celebratory public programs.
40th Anniversary events this month include a film
showing, a teacher workshop, and the launch of our
pub-based discussion series, Ideas on Tap.
Who am I Going to Be, a documentary chronicling the experiences of resettlement from
the perspective of five refugee youth living
in New Hampshire, will premiere at Red
River Theatres on Tuesday, October 21
at 6 p.m. Jo Radner will lead a postscreening discussion of the film. This
documentary directed by Lynn Clowes
explores the constellation of new realities that African youth face as they rebuild
their lives in New Hampshire. Teens, teachers,
and community leaders talk about the complicated
path to becoming American, particularly for young
immigrants and refugees of color. Community values
and expectations often contradict or undermine learned
behavior and family roles have undergone a seismic shift.
Encountering racist attitudes while learning a new language
and recovering from deadly conflict and trauma often require
a determination and strength of character beyond their years.
The film explores these challenges, honestly confronting both
communal and individual successes and failures. It asks how we
as a society either contribute to or interfere with the newcomer’s
sense of belonging. The film leaves viewers with a profound
message to ponder: what, if any, are our moral obligations to one
another?
The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are
required. Reserve your seats on Red River Theatre’s website at
www.redrivertheatres.org. A second showing will be held at the
NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in November.
Also on Tuesday, October 21, Genevieve Aichele, Director
of the NH Theatre Project, will facilitate a workshop for North
Country teachers demonstrating how they and their students can
use dramatic techniques to unleash the power of personal stories,
deepening their capacity to make connections with larger stories
of history. The day-long workshop, titled Making Connections:
Using Drama & Storytelling Across the Curriculum will be
held at the Medallion Opera House in Gorham.
North Country educators of grades K through 12 are invited to
attend this free workshop which will equip educators with techniques and activities to help students incorporate personal stories
into both written narrative and spoken word, to animate history
in the classroom, and to use theatre to discover commonality
and connections among people. Representatives of local
theaters are also invited to participate.
The workshop is made possible by a grant from
the Saul O. Sidore Foundation and is a
partnership between the NH Humanities
Council, the NH Theatre Project, and the
Arts Alliance of Northern NH. Lunch will be
provided.
Participants will attend a follow-up workshop day in the spring where they will have
an opportunity to discuss with Genevieve
Aichele and one another their use of these
applied drama techniques in the classroom.
For more information or to register, contact
Frumie Selchen at [email protected] or
323-7302.
Our new brown ale, Jefferson’s Moose, will be on the menu
when we launch Ideas on Tap, a series of pub-based humanities
discussions slated for communities across the state. The first
Ideas on Tap will be held on Monday, October 27 at 6 p.m. at the
Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery in Woodstock. The event
will begin with a tasting of Jefferson’s Moose and offer participants a chance to reflect on the myths and realities of the American Dream in a conversation led by UNH professors Jack Resch
and Reginald Wilburn. Ideas on Tap is free and all are welcome.
Preregistration is suggested. Register on our website at
www.nhhc.org.
Anniversary programs in our
events listings will be designated with the 40th anniversary logo shown on this page.
Every month the Calendar
will feature the latest news on
anniversary events.
Learn more on our
website at www.nhhc.
org/40thAnniversary.php.
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
NH HUMANITIES COUNCIL
117 Pleasant St., Dolloff Bldg., Concord NH 03301
(603) 224-4071 • Fax 224-4072
www.nhhc.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Robin O. Kenney, Chair
Peterborough
Daniel M. Nelson, Vice-Chair
Dartmouth College
Martha McLeod, Treasurer
MMcLeod Consulting
Bob Odell, Secretary
New London
Stephen P. Barba
Plymouth State University
Jane Christie
Kingston
Stephen Christy
Mascoma Savings Bank
Jada Keye Hebra
St. Paul’s School
Patricia Hicks
University of New Hampshire, Manchester
Jamison Hoff
Hollis
Lourdes N. Jiménez
Saint Anselm College
Kristina Lucas
NHTI - Concord’s Community College
Inez McDermott
New England College
Daniel Thomas Moran
Webster
James E. Morris
Orr & Reno, P.A.
Rusty J. Mosca
Nathan Wechsler & Company, PA
Ellen Scarponi
FairPoint Communications
Evan A. Smith
Hypertherm
David Watters
University of New Hampshire
Two new members join Humanities Council Board
T
he Humanities Council is pleased to welcome two distinguished
members to our Board of Directors.
James Morris is an attorney with Orr & Reno, P.A., in Concord. Jim
grew up in Berlin and attended Berlin High School. He worked at the
Brown Company paper mill to put himself through college and law
school. He also taught social studies at Berlin High School before
embarking upon his career in law. Jim is admitted to practice in New
Hampshire and California. His practice areas include real estate
development and finance, title insurance, eminent domain, zoning
and land use, and tax abatement. Prior to joining Orr & Reno, Jim served as a law clerk to
Justice Laurence I. Duncan of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and was an Assistant
Attorney General for the State of New Hampshire and chief counsel to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. He was also Associate General Counsel at Allianz
Insurance Company in Los Angeles, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree,
magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1970, and his Juris Doctor degree from
Boston University School of Law in 1974. He has been married for 32 years to Deborah
de Peyster. They have two children, Allison, 25, and Ben, 22.
Evan A. Smith has been with Hypertherm since 1992, where he has
worked in a succession of marketing and business management roles.
In 2001, he assumed the role of Vice President, General Manager,
overseeing Hypertherm’s business units, global sales organization,
engineering, marketing, and strategic planning functions. In 2012,
he was appointed President, overseeing all business operations and
functions, reporting to Chairman and CEO Dick Couch. The Hypertherm Board of Directors recently elected him to the position of Chief
Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2015. Prior to joining Hypertherm, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy and worked in financial and
health services consulting. He resides with his wife and two children in Hanover, New
Hampshire, where he also currently serves on the board and executive committee of the
Granite State United Way and recently concluded a two-year term as President of the
Board of Elders at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College. Evan holds a BA from
Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard.
Daniel E. Will
Devine Millimet
Susan DeBevoise Wright
Sunapee
Ken Burns
Director Emeritus
STAFF
Deborah Watrous
Executive Director
Susan Bartlett
Connections Program Coordinator
Sue Butman
Office Manager
Anne Coughlin
Marketing Director
Lynn Douillette
Development Associate
Jessica Eshleman
Development Director
Susan Hatem
Community Grants Director
Mary Anne LaBrie
Finance Officer
Kathy Mathis
Program Director
Rachel Morin
Data Entry Clerk
Celebrate NH History week with events across the state
T
he Humanities Council sponsors
hundreds of history, literature, ethics
and other humanities programs throughout
the year. This month we are
delighted to join colleagues from
other cultural organizations
and people around the state in
celebrating New Hampshire
History Week. State Senator,
UNH professor, and NH
Humanities Council Board
Member David Watters, sponsor
of the bill that established NH
History Week, will be on hand at a public
reading of the Governor’s Proclamation
in the Statehouse’s Executive Council
Chamber on Thursday, October 16 at
11 a.m. Light refreshments in the
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Statehouse Cafeteria will follow.
Our October NH history programs are
marked in this calendar with the NH
History Week logo at left. Find a
full listing of NH History Week
events on the NH Preservation
Alliance’s website at
www.nhpreservation.org.
For more information or to share
your own NH History event
details, contact Dr. Judith Moyer,
Coordinator of NH History Week,
at [email protected]. This effort is made
possible through a Humanities Council
grant to the NH Preservation Alliance and
additional support from the UNH Center for
New England Culture.
OCTOBER 2014
Thanks to the sponsors who made our 2014 Annual Dinner our most successful ever
T
he Humanities Council is deeply grateful to our keynote speaker, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, our dinner guests,
and the record-breaking list of sponsors who made our 2014 Annual Dinner the most successful in the event’s 25 year history.
Proceeds from our Annual Dinner support the hundreds of free programs we make possible each year. We’ll share photos from this
year’s event in the November Calendar.
Lead Sponsor for the 24th Year
Humanities Sponsor
Keynote Sponsor
Reception Sponsor
Book Sponsor
Technology Sponsor
Beer Sponsor
Wine Sponsor
Book Signing Sponsor
Innovation Sponsor
Hops & Barley Sponsor
Business Inspiration Sponsor
Salad Sponsor
Coffee Sponsor
Dessert Sponsor
Hospitality Sponsor
Book Signing Reception Sponsor
Benefactor
The MacDowell Colony
Plymouth State University
Patrons
Antioch University - New England
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
People’s United Bank
Checkmate Payroll
New Hampshire Public Radio
Phillips Exeter Academy
The Derryfield School
Orr & Reno
Radisson Manchester
Harvest Capital
Parker Education
Saint Anselm College
Hypertherm
Pax World Investments
St. Paul’s School
McLane Law Firm
Southern New Hampshire University
Friends of the Humanities
Centrix Bank
Granite Investment Advisors
Rivier University
Fidelity Investments
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
The Rowley Agency
Merchants Fleet Management
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NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
City Council Meeting: Performed Participatory Democracy in Keene
T
he Redfern Arts Center at Keene
State College is spearheading a
unique project that will explore civic
engagement through a variety of programs.
The goal of the project is to put a performative frame around bureaucracy, and put
adversaries into the same artistic space.
The project will open with an exhibit at
the Keene Public Library titled Engage!
Picturing America through Civic
Engagement beginning on Monday,
October 6 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and running
through October 27 in the library’s Kay
Fox Meeting Room.
A public talk on The Connection Between
Creativity and Civic Engagement will
take place on Sunday, October 12 at
2 p.m. at Keene Public Library’s Heberton
Hall at 60 Winter St. Aaron Landsman and
Mallory Catlett will lead this exploration
of the civic self, the performed self, and
the dramaturgy of local government meetings. The talk will include slides and video
from City Council Meeting performances
in four US cities, as well as stories from
the creative process in each.
The Redfern Arts Center will host
The Long Table: A Public Dinner
Party and Forum on Presentation of
Self on Monday October 13 from
6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Arts Center’s Main
Theatre. Brian Kanouse will lead the
discussion. Conceived by artist Lois
Weaver, The Long Table is an open-ended
improvisatory conversation set in a public
space through which participants can
select and alter their participation in a
formal conversation. Taking on a dinner
table atmosphere - participatory, theatrical
and unique - the event will invite college
students and community members from
the Keene area to engage in discussion
surrounding how we come to construct
and perform our social and self-identities
within the public sphere. For more information, contact Sharon Fantl at sfantl@
keene.edu or 358-2167.
Rebecca Rule will present Moved and
Seconded: Town Meeting in New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 15 at
7 p.m. at Heberton Hall. Drawing on
research from her book, Moved and
Seconded: Town Meeting in New Hampshire, the Present, the Past, and the Future,
Rebecca Rule regales audiences with
stories of the rituals, traditions and history
of town meeting, including the perennial
characters, the literature, the humor, and
the wisdom of this uniquely New England
institution.
On Tuesday, October 21 the Keene State
College Debate Club will lead a discussion on The Role of Students as Local
Citizens at 6 p.m. at the Putman Science
Center at Keene State. This Keene State
Debate Club-led event will focus on the
questions of engaged citizenry, and the
role of students in the processes of civic
engagement. They will engage in a conversation about the roles temporary citizens
can play in the life of their adopted city.
The debate students will first discuss their
experiences within the American Democracy
Project as well as on campus at Keene
State College. This will be followed by an
open forum in which other students and
community members will be invited to
share their own experiences and insights.
What are strategies for giving students a
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greater sense of agency, responsibility and
collaboration in the life of Keene? Should
students think beyond their time at college?
How can the life of the college and the life
of the city intersect more seamlessly?
Community members, students and the
artists to take part in City Council Meeting
will have an open dress rehearsal on
Tuesday, October 28 at 7 p.m. at Heberton
Hall. Project organizers and artists will also
be on hand to talk about the process and
answer questions.
The main event, City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy, will
take place on Wednesday, October 29 at
7 p.m. at Heberton Hall. Created in a yearlong residency in Keene with New York
artists Aaron Landsman, Mallory Catlett
and Jim Findlay in collaboration with
the Keene Public Library, City Council
Meeting is performed participatory
democracy, local government filtered
through the lens of art and performed by
the audience. Come and be a part of live
democracy in action.
A public discussion and debriefing will
conclude the project on Thursday,
October 30 at 6 p.m. at the Keene Public
Library. The discussion, led by Brian
Kanouse, will focus on the direct experiences that performers underwent during the
preparation, rehearsal and performance of
City Council Meeting. As a debriefing, this
conversation-style engagement will elicit
insights, critiques and humorous recollections from participants.
Learn more on Keene State College’s
Redfern Arts Center website at
www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
OCTOBER 2014
New Hampshire and the Revolutionary War project continues in Berlin
QuezairePresutti, Ona’s
tale provides
an alternative
perspective
on the new
nation’s
social,
political and
economic
development,
from one
Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti as Ona Judge.
whose personal
experience so contradicted the promise of the principles embodied
in the nation’s founding documents.
T
he Humanities Council has awarded a grant to White
Mountains Community College’s Fortier Library, the
Gorham Public Library, and the Berlin Public Library for a
discussion series on New Hampshire and the Revolutionary
War. The project includes lectures, a book discussion, and a living
history presentation.
The project began in August and continues this month with “If I
am Not for Myself, Who Will Be for Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave. Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti will present
this living history program on Ona Judge Staines, a young woman
who escaped slavery in George Washington’s household with the
help of Portsmouth’s citizenry, on Wednesday, October 15 at
6 p.m. at the Fortier Library for the general public, with a repeat
performance the next morning for the students of Gorham MiddleHigh School.
The final discussion in the series, led by Marcia Schmidt Blaine
and titled New Hampshire Voices from the Revolution, will
wrap up the project on Wednesday, November 19 at 6 p.m.
Ona Judge Staines, according to the Constitution, was only threefifths of a person. To her masters, George and Martha Washington,
she was merely “the girl.” All she wanted was the freedom to
control her own actions, but her account of escaping the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia, fleeing north and establishing a life
in New Hampshire is not a typical runaway story. Portrayed by
For more information, contact the Berlin Public Library at
752-5210, WMCC Fortier Library at 342-3086, or the Gorham
Public Library at 466-2525.
The Refugees of Shangri-La explores the experiences of Bhutanese immigrants
I
will explore issues such as
immigration, racism, ethnocentrism, and questions of
identity through the lens of
the refugees’ stories. The film
knits together international
and local issues while also
serving as a mirror, allowing
attendees to examine their
own roots and cultural
identity.
n the last five years more
than 75,000 Bhutanese
refugees have been resettled
in the United States. New
Hampshire is home to 1,700
of them. How are our new
neighbors navigating the
extraordinary leap from their
lives in refugee camps in
Nepal to their new lives in
America?
The next showing and
The World Affairs Council
discussion will take place on
of New Hampshire is
hosting screenings and
Wednesday, October 22 at
discussions featuring The
7 p.m. at the Belknap Mill,
Refugees of Shangri-La:
25 Beacon St. East
Exploring Modern Immiin Laconia. The final
Still image from The Refugees of Shangri-La. Courtesy of Doria Bramante.
gration and Identity,
showing will take place on
a documentary that explores these
Wednesday,
November 12 at 7 p.m. at the
and lives in the Granite State.
questions. Directed by New Hampshire
Congregational Church, 21 Front St.
The Humanities Council has awarded a
residents Doria Bramante and Markus
in Exeter. Learn more about the film at
grant to the World Affairs Council for
Weinfurter, the film provides historical
www.therefugeesofshangrila.com.
three screenings of the film beginning
background on the vast humanitarian
Both showings and discussions are free
last month. Each screening of the hourconflict that has left 1/6th of Bhutan’s
and open to the public, but registration is
long film will be followed by a discussion
population nationless. The film follows
suggested. Register on the World Affairs
facilitated by Sara Withers, Lecturer in
a group of Bhutanese families from the
Council of NH’s website at www.wacnh.org
refugee camps in Nepal to their new homes Anthropology at UNH. The discussion
or call Elyse Harris at 314-7970.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
Humanities in New Hampshire
Your monthly map to programs around the state
Use this map to locate programs being held in your area.
Complete descriptions are listed chronologically in the following pages.
For the most up-to-date listings, visit our searchable calendar at www.nhhc.org.
Humanities to Go programs are made possible
in part by the generous support of
North Country
Bethlehem, October 3
Berlin, October 15
Warren, October 18
Bath, October 18
Gorham, October 21
Gorham, October 23
Woodstock, October 27
Lakes Region
Groton, October 5
Gilford, October 7
Gilmanton Iron Works, October 14
Plymouth, October 14
Moultonborough, October 14
Madison, October 21
Freedom, October 22
Wolfeboro, October 22
Laconia, October 22
Center Barnstead, October 24
Meredith, October 28
Tamworth, October 29
Meredith, November 2
Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee
Charlestown, October 4
New London, October 14
Claremont, October 16
Newbury, October 27
Orford, October 28
Monadnock Region
Peterborough, October 4
Richmond, October 4
Keene, October 6 - 27
Temple, October 8
Ashuelot, October 9
Keene, October 12
Keene, October 13
Keene, October 15
Hillsboro, October 21
Keene, October 21
Swanzey, October 22
Francestown, October 23
Lyndeborough, October 27
Keene, October 28
Keene, October 29
Fitzwilliam, October 29
Keene, October 30
Seacoast
Strafford, October 4
Madbury, October 14
Hampstead, October 15
Newmarket, October 16
Brentwood, October 16
Newfields, October 21
Kingston, Novemer 6
Merrimack Valley
Derry, October 1
Milford, October 1
Hudson, October 1
Milford, October 3
Atkinson, October 7
Milford, October 8
Concord, October 8
Hooksett, October 9
Manchester, October 12
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Brookline, October 14
Epsom, October 14
Canterbury, October 14
Milford, October 15
Concord, October 16
East Andover, October 16
Chester, October 19
Concord, October 21
Goffstown, October 21
Bedford, October 22
Milford, October 22
Merrimack, October 23
Concord, October 23
Pittsfield, October 28
Litchfield, October 28
Dunbarton, October 29
Milford, October 29
OCTOBER 2014
Calendar of Events • October 2014
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Derry
Wed., 6:30 p.m., Derry Library, 64 E. Broadway
Moved and Seconded:
Town Meeting in New Hampshire
Friday, 2 p.m., Wadleigh Memorial Library,
49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War Film Showing
Edward Zwick’s Glory
Drawing on research from her book, Moved and Seconded:
Town Meeting in New Hampshire, the Present, the Past, and the
Future, Rebecca Rule regales audiences with stories of the rituals,
traditions and history of town meeting, including the perennial
characters, the literature, the humor, and the wisdom of this
uniquely New England institution. Contact: 432-6140
1
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
4
Milford
Traditional Russian icon painting has been a living and evolving
art form for more than 1,000 years. This illustrated presentation
by Marina Forbes deals with the spiritual and secular significance
of Russian religious art from the 10th century to the present day.
Icon-making involves the painting of stylized religious images on
wood using traditional natural materials and techniques which are
determined by longstanding conventions. Using a slide show and
numerous exhibits, including examples of her own work, Forbes
examines the history of icon painting in Russia and the unique
nature of the icon as a sacred object and a product of an artistic
tradition. Participants may bring personal icons for examination
and comments. A potluck breakfast will precede the program at
9 a.m. Bring a dish to share if you plan to attend the breakfast.
Contact: 332-6265
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
Hudson
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Rodgers Memorial Library,
194 Derry Rd.
Brewing in New Hampshire:
An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State
Glenn Knoblock explores the fascinating history of New
Hampshire’s beer and ale brewing industry from Colonial days,
when it was home- and tavern-based, to today’s modern breweries
and brew pubs. Unusual and rare photos and advertisements
document this changing industry and the state’s earliest brewers,
including the renowned Frank Jones. A number of lesser-known
brewers and breweries that operated in the state are also discussed,
including the only brewery owned and operated by a woman
before the modern era. Illustrations present evidence of society’s
changing attitudes towards beer and alcohol consumption over the
years. Whether you’re a beer connoisseur or a “tea-totaler,” this
lecture will be enjoyed by adults of all ages. Contact: 886-6030
3
Strafford
Saturday, 9:30 a.m., Bow Lake Baptist Church,
530 Province Rd.
Russian Iconography:
1,000 Years of Tradition
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Wadleigh Memorial Library,
49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War book discussion
1
Milford
4
Peterborough
Saturday, 9:30 a.m., Monadnock Center
for History and Culture, 19 Grove St.
Native American History of New Hampshire:
Beyond Boundaries c 1700-1850
The northern frontier of New England was a risky place during
the Colonial Period. Maine was nearly lost due to a series of
Indian wars. New Hampshire only succeeded in settling the
coast and as the frontier moved inland, both settlers and Indians
found that their cultures had changed. Another set of wars to
wrest Canada away from the French gave rise to several
attempts by the Indians to assert their autonomy and stewardship
over the land. By the time of Ethan Allen Crawford, the
New Hampshire frontier had become a place for reflection
on a new relationship with the environment, and tourism into the
mountains was born. David Stewart-Smith muses that as the
“last” Indians died off in the 1830s, perhaps a legacy was born
that would insure a place for the landscape and the spirit of
the Indians in New Hampshire’s future.
Contact: Michelle Stahl, 924-3235
Bethlehem
Friday, 7 p.m., Bethlehem Public Library,
2245 Main St.
Witches, Pop Culture and the Past
“Hang her!” cries the raucous spectator. In 1692, nineteen
people were executed in Salem and hundreds imprisoned during
a witch hunt we still discuss today. Robin DeRosa, Plymouth
State University, explains that when Salem tells its witch stories,
history, tourism, and performance collide, and “truth,” both moral
and macabre, vies with spooky thrills for its authentic place in
history. Contact: Laura Clerkin, 869-2409
7
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
4
6 to 27 Keene
Charlestown
Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Silsby Free Public
Library, 226 Main St.
A Woman That Keeps Good Orders: Women,
Tavern Keeping, and Public Approval
Monday to Saturday, 3 to 4:30 p.m.,
Keene Public Library, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
Engage! Picturing America Through
Civic Engagement exhibit
Government regulations, licensing, handling drunks, controlling
the flow of information — why would the Colonial-era
government allow women to run a tavern? When her husband
died in 1736, Ann Jose Harvey became the owner of a prominent
Portsmouth tavern and sole guardian of seven small children.
For at least twenty years, Harvey ran the increasingly prosperous
establishment. Using documents related to Harvey’s venue,
Marcia Schmidt Blaine, PSU, explores the world of female tavern
keepers. A tavern was potentially the most disruptive spot in town.
Why would a woman want to keep one? Contact: 826-7793
4
See the article on page 4 to learn more about this project or visit
www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
7
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Kimball Library, 5 Academy Ave.
Baked Beans and Fried Clams:
How Food Defines a Region
Baked Beans, fried clams, fish chowder, Indian pudding - so
many foods are distinctive to New England. This talk offers a
celebration of these regional favorites along with an examination
of how contemporary life has distanced us from these classics.
What makes them special and how do these foods define our
region? Edie Clark draws from such diverse resources as Fannie
Farmer, Julia Child, and Haydn S. Pearson for enlightenment
and amusement as well as on her own experiences, writing and
traveling for Yankee magazine over the past thirty years to places
where baked beans are still featured prominently on the menu.
Contact: Diane Heer, 362-5234
Richmond
Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Camp Takodah,
55 Fitzwilliam Rd.
New Hampshire’s Grange Movement:
Its Rise, Triumphs and Decline
Much of rural New Hampshire in the late 19th century was locked
in a downward spiral of population decline, abandonment of farms,
reversion of cleared land to forest and widespread feelings of
melancholy and loss. The development of the Grange movement
in the 1880s and 1890s was aided greatly by hunger for social
interaction, entertainment and mutual support. As membership
surged it became a major force in policymaking in Concord, and
its agenda aligned closely with the Progressive politics that swept
the state in early 20th century. Many Grange initiatives became
law, placing the state at the leading edge in several areas of reform.
Steve Taylor analyzes the rapid social and economic changes that
would eventually force the steep decline of the once-powerful
movement. Hosted by the Richmond Historical Society.
A potluck supper will precede the program at 5 p.m.
Please bring a dish to share if you plan to attend the supper.
Contact: Norma Thibodeau, 279-4548
5
Atkinson
7
Gilford
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Village Knolls 2,
41 Potter Hill Rd.
Harnessing History: On the Trail of New
Hampshire’s State Dog, the Chinook
This program looks at how dog sledding developed in New
Hampshire and how the Chinook played a major role in this
story. Explaining how man and his relationship with dogs won
out over machines on several famous polar expeditions, Bob
Cottrell covers the history of Arthur Walden and his Chinooks,
the State Dog of New Hampshire. Cottrell will be accompanied
by his appropriately named Chinook, Tug. Hosted by the Gilford
Thompson-Ames Historical Society. Contact: 524-3390
Groton
Sunday, 2 p.m., Groton Town House,
754 N. Groton Rd.
Harnessing History: On the Trail of New
Hampshire’s State Dog, the Chinook
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Milford
Wed., 6:30 p.m., Wadleigh Library, 49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War book discussion
See the listing for October 7 in Gilford for a description of
this program which is hosted by the Groton Historical Society.
Contact: Sherry Nelson, 744-9744
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
Your gifts help make these free programs possible. Please make a gift today using the form on page 19
or give securely on our website at www.nhhc.org and double your gift
through our McIninch Foundation Challenge for first-time on-line gifts.
8
OCTOBER 2014
8
9
Concord
Ashuelot
Wednesday, 2 p.m., Goodlife Programs
& Activities, 254 N. State St.
Wit & Wisdom: Humor in 19th Century New England
Thursday, 7 p.m., Sheridan House Museum,
403 Back Ashuelot Rd.
Writing From Home
Whatever did New Englanders do on long winter evenings before
cable, satellite and the internet? In the decades before and after
the Civil War, our rural ancestors used to create neighborhood
events to improve their minds. Community members male and
female would compose and read aloud homegrown, handwritten
literary “newspapers” full of keen verbal wit. Sometimes serious,
sometimes sentimental but mostly very funny, these “newspapers”
were common in villages across Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont and revealed the hopes, fears, humor and surprisingly
daring behavior of our forebears. Jo Radner shares excerpts from
her forthcoming book about hundreds of these “newspapers” and
provides examples from villages in your region.
Contact: Emily Whaun, 228-6630
Edie Clark has written a monthly column about her life and her
garden for Yankee magazine for more than twenty years. Writing
personal essays and maintaining one’s privacy are sometimes
mutually exclusive. Readers are essentially invited into her home,
her garden, and her life by virtue of the column’s appearance in
the magazine. Of Clark’s work, novelist Howard Frank Mosher
writes, “Ms. Clark shows us how the small and large satisfactions
of living close to nature can inform a life with grace, meaning,
and beauty.” In this presentation Clark talks about the process
of writing from home and reads from her work. Hosted by the
Winchester Historical Society. Contact: Jenn Bellan, 239-7206
8
Sunday, 2 p.m., Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St.
theatre KAPOW ARTiculate Play Reading Series
Artist Descending a Staircase by Tom Stoppard
12
Temple
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Main St.
Moved and Seconded:
Town Meeting in New Hampshire
See the article on the back page to learn more about this project or visit
tkapow.com. The playreading is included with museum admission.
See the listing for October 1 in Derry for a description of this
program which is hosted by the Temple Historical Society.
Contact: Phil Lauriat, 731-9481
9
Manchester
12 Keene
Sunday, 2 p.m., Heberton Hall, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
The Connection Between Creativity
and Civic Engagement
Hooksett
Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Hooksett Library,
31 Mount Saint Mary’s Way
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals:
How New Archaeology is Changing Old History
See the article on page 4 to learn more about this project or visit
www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
There is treasure here but not the pirate kind. Scientific “digs”
on Smuttynose Island are changing New England history.
Archaeologist Nathan Hamilton has unearthed 300,000 artifacts
to date on this largely uninhabited rock at the Isles of Shoals.
Evidence proves prehistoric Native Americans hunted New
Hampshire’s only offshore islands 6,000 years ago. Hundreds of
European fishermen split, salted, and dried valuable Atlantic cod
here from the 1620s. “King Haley” ruled a survivalist kingdom
here before Thomas Laighton struck tourist gold when his family
took over the region’s first hotel on Smuttynose. Laighton’s
daughter Celia Thaxter spun poetic tales of ghosts and pirates.
J. Dennis Robinson, a longtime Smuttynose steward, explores
the truth behind the romantic legends of Gosport Harbor in this
colorful show-and-tell presentation. Contact: 485-6092
12
Keene
Sunday, 3 p.m., Congregation Ahavas Achim,
84 Hastings Ave.
(Not So) Elementary, My Dear Watson:
The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes
The recent spate of Sherlock Holmes movies, television shows,
and literary adaptations indicate the Great Detective is alive and
well in the 21st century. Holmes is the most portrayed literary
character of all time, with over 230 film versions alone in several
different languages. Over the past century, Sherlockians created
societies like the Baker Street Irregulars, wrote articles sussing
out the “sources” of Doyle’s works, and, most recently, developed
an entire online world of Holmesian fan fiction. Sherlock Holmes
is
i now a multi-million dollar industry. Why is Sherlock Holmes
so
s popular? Ann McClellan, PSU, explores the origins of Arthur
Conan
C
Doyle’s famous detective and tracks his incarnations in
literature,
film, advertising, and modern media in order to crack
l
the
t case of the most popular detective. Contact: 352-6747
For the most up-to-date listing of events,
visit our web calendar at
www.nhhc.org/calendar.php.
9
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
13 Keene
14
Monday, 6 p.m., Redfern Arts Center, Wyman Way
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
The Long Table: A Public Dinner Party
and Forum on Presentation of Self
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Town Hall, 11 Town Hall Rd.
Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New
Archaeology is Changing Old History
See the listing for October 9 in Hooksett for a description of this
program which is hosted by the Madbury Historical Society.
Contact: 749-9011
Conceived by artist Lois Weaver, The Long Table is an open-ended
improvisatory conversation set in a public space through which
participants can select and alter their participation in a formal
conversation. Taking on a dinner table atmosphere - participatory,
theatrical and unique - the event will invite college students and
community members from the Keene area to engage in discussion
surrounding how we come to construct and perform our social and
self-identities within the public sphere. Learn more in the article
on page 4. For more information or to register, contact Sharon
Fantl at [email protected] or 358-2167.
14
14
The AMC’s Hut System is a unique institution in the White
Mountains of New Hampshire. Allen Koop, Dartmouth College,
explores how the huts and the people who built, maintain and use
them have formed a world apart, a mountain society with its own
history, traditions, and legends. Contact: Susan LeClair, 783-4386
Brookline
14
Plymouth
Tues., 7 p.m., Pease Library, 1 Russell St.
Powerful as Truth
Using the well known scenes of Homer’s Odyssey, Sebastian
Lockwood delivers the passion and intensity of the great epic that
deserves to be heard told as it was by Bards in the days of old.
Lockwood says, “The best compliment is when a ten-year-old
comes up and says, ‘I felt like I was there.’” That is the magic of
the performance that takes students and adults alike back into the
text. Contact: Erin Kennedy, 673-3330
This documentary and discussion, facilitated by John Gfroerer,
tells the story of William Loeb, publisher of the Manchester Union
Leader. It traces Loeb’s rise to be one of the most influential
voices in New Hampshire. Through interviews, archival material,
and news footage, it documents his influence on the state. The
documentary also chronicles the history of New Hampshire from
1950 to 1985, bringing to life such figures as Governors Walter
Peterson, Wesley Powell, and Meldrim Thomson. Hosted by the
Plymouth Historical Society. Contact: Lisa Lundari, 536-3600
Epsom
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Epsom Public Library, 160 Dover Rd.
(Not So) Elementary, My Dear Watson:
The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes
14
Moultonborough
Tuesday, 7:15 p.m., Moultonborough Public Library,
4 Holland St.
Spies in Time
See the listing for October 12 in Keene for a description of this
program. Contact: 736-9920
14
Canterbury
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Elkins Library, 9 Center Rd.
The White Mountain Huts: Past and Future
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Brookline Library, 16 Main St.
Homer’s Odysseus
14
Madbury
Gilmanton Iron Works
How have spying and intelligence activities influenced the course
of history? Investigate case studies of how great powers have used
spies in war and peace. This program traces the history of spying
from the Dreyfus case in France (1894-1906) to the Aldrich Ames
case in the U.S. (1980s and 1990s). Douglas Wheeler focuses
the discussion on how human motives, traits, and ideas shape the
search for secret information and how that information is used and
misused in international affairs. Co-hosted by the Moultonborough
Historical Society. Contact: Nancy McCue, 476-8895
Tues., 7 p.m., Gilmanton Library, 1385 NH Route 140
The Capital Crime of Witchcraft:
What the Primary Sources Tell Us
On first impression, the witchcraft trials of the Colonial era
may seem to have been nothing but a free-for-all, fraught with
hysterics. Margo Burns explores an array of prosecutions in
seventeenth century New England, using facsimiles of primary
source manuscripts, from first formal complaints to arrest warrants,
indictments of formal charges to death warrants, and the reversals
of attainder and rescinding of excommunications years after the
fact; demonstrating how methodically and logically the Salem Court
worked. This program focuses on the Salem witchcraft trials of
1692 and 1693, when nineteen people were hanged and one crushed
to death, but also examines a variety of other cases against women
in New England. Contact: Tasha Leroux, 364-2400
Follow the New Hampshire Humanities
Council on Facebook and Twitter!
10
OCTOBER 2014
14
16
New London
Concord
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., New London Historical Society
Meeting House, 179 Little Sunapee Rd.
Abraham & Mary Lincoln: The Long and Short of It
Thursday, 11 a.m., Executive Council
Chambers, NH Statehouse, Main St.
New Hampshire History Week Kick Off Event
Distinctly different paths led Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd to
Springfield, Illinois, where they met, married and began a family.
The years that followed their move to the White House were filled
with personal and national crises. Steve and Sharon Wood portray
President and Mrs. Lincoln in this living history program, telling
stories of their early lives and the challenges they faced during
this turbulent time in our country’s history. Contact: 526-6564
See the article on page 2 for more information. Contact: 224-4071
16
Newmarket
Thursday, 6 p.m., Newmarket Public Library,
1 Elm St.
Covered Bridges of New Hampshire
This event is part of the New Hampshire and the Revolutionary
War project. Learn more in the article on page 5.
Contact: Meagan Carr, 342-3086
Covered wooden bridges have been a vital part of the NH
transportation network, dating back to the early 1800s. Given
NH’s myriad streams, brooks, and rivers, it’s unsurprising that 400
covered bridges have been documented. Often viewed as quaint
relics of a simpler past, they were technological marvels of their
day. It may be native ingenuity and NH’s woodworking tradition
that account for the fact that a number of nationally-noted
covered bridge truss designers were NH natives. Glenn Knoblock
discusses covered bridge design and technology, and their
designers, builders, and associated folklore. Contact: 659-5311
15
16
15
Berlin
Wednesday, 6 p.m., Fortier Library,
2020 Riverside Dr.
“If I am Not for Myself, Who Will Be for Me?”
George Washington’s Runaway Slave
Milford
Thursday, 7 p.m., Brentwood Historical Society
Museum, 140 Crowley Falls Rd.
Family Stories: How and Why
to Remember and Tell Them
Wed., 6:30 p.m., Wadleigh Memorial Library,
49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War book discussion
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
15
Brentwood
Telling personal and family stories is fun - and much more.
Storytelling connects strangers, strengthens links between
generations, and gives children the self-knowledge to carry them
through hard times. Knowledge of family history has even been
linked to better teen behavior and mental health. In this active and
interactive program, storyteller Jo Radner shares foolproof ways
to mine memories and interview relatives for meaningful stories.
Participants practice finding, developing, and telling their own
tales. Contact: 679-8635
Hampstead
Wed., 7 p.m., Hampstead Public Library,
9 Mary E. Clark Dr.
Personal Privacy in Cyber Space
Many Americans feel their privacy is threatened by information
technology and favor stronger privacy legislation. At the same
time, people support the use of information technology to serve
them quickly and efficiently in various ways. In this program,
Herman Tavani explores whether we can have it both ways and
the serious ethical dilemma that arises if not.
Contact: Janet Arden, 329-6411
40
15 Keene
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Heberton Hall, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
Moved and Seconded: Town Meeting in New
Hampshire
Connecting people
with ideas since 1974
Don’t miss any of our special
40th Anniversary programs.
Get up-to-the-minute details at
www.nhhc.org/40thAnniversary.php
See the listing for October 1 in Derry for a description of this
program. This event is part of the City Council Meeting project.
Learn more in the article on page 4 or call 358-2167.
11
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
16
19
Claremont
Thursday, 7 p.m., St. Joseph’s Church, 58 Elm St.
Winged Hussars of the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth
Sunday, 3 p.m., Stevens Hall, 1 Chester St.
Petticoat Patriot: A Woman in the Continental Army
Joan Gatturna presents this living history program on Deborah
Sampson, a patriot who left her petticoats behind. Disguised as
a young man, she enlisted in the Continental Army during the
American Revolution and served undetected for 17 months. She
broke ground in her middle years when, as a wife and mother,
she embarked on a lecture tour relating her war experiences. She
became the first woman to be awarded an honorable discharge
from an American Army and the first woman to be awarded
a military pension for enlisted service. Hosted by the Chester
Historical Society. Contact: Don Brown, 887-3842
Independent researcher and armor smith Eric Jadaszewski
explores how these colorful knights navigated Europe throughout
the 16th and 17th centuries. Topics include life in a democratically
elected kingdom in Europe, freedom of religion in an era of
religious wars, and an exploration of Polish history and culture in
NH. Handcrafted replicas of colorful winged hussar armor will be
on display. Jadaszewski will present himself in full 17th century
nobleman’s attire. Contact: Sharon Wood, 542-6454
16
East Andover
21
Thursday, 7 p.m., East Andover Grange
The Great Sheep Boom and Its Enduring
Legacy on the New Hampshire Landscape
Genevieve Aichele, Director of the NH Theatre Project, will
facilitate this workshop for North Country K-12 teachers
demonstrating how they and their students can use dramatic
techniques to unleash the power of personal stories, deepening
their capacity to make connections with larger stories of history.
Lunch will be provided. To learn more and register, contact
Frumie Selchen at [email protected] or 323-7302.
21
Warren
Concord
Tuesday, 6 p.m., Red River Theatres,
11 South Main St.
Who am I Going to Be film showing & discussion
Sat., 1 p.m., Patch Library, 320 NH Route 25
Moved and Seconded: Town Meeting in NH
See the listing for October 1 in Derry for a description of this
program. Contact: Veronica Mueller, 764-9072
18
Gorham
Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Medallion
Opera House, 20 Park St.
Making Connections:
Using Drama & Storytelling Across the Curriculum
In a brief 30-year period in the early 19th century the New
Hampshire countryside became home to hundreds of thousands of
sheep. Production of wool became a lucrative business, generating
fortunes and providing the only time of true agricultural prosperity
in the state’s history. It left behind a legacy of fine architecture and
thousands of miles of rugged stonewalls. Steve Taylor discusses how
farmers overcame enormous challenges to make sheep husbandry
succeed, but forces from beyond New Hampshire were to doom the
industry, with social consequences that would last a century. Hosted
by the Andover Historical Society. Contact: 735-5369
18
Chester
Learn more in the article on page 1. The event is free but tickets
are required. Reserve yours at www.redrivertheatres.org.
Bath
21
Sat., 7 p.m., Village School, 61 Lisbon Rd.
New Hampshire’s One-Room Rural Schools:
The Romance and the Reality
Goffstown
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Goffstown Library, 2 High St.
(Not So) Elementary, My Dear Watson:
The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes
Hundreds of one-room schools dotted the landscape of New
Hampshire a century ago and were the backbone of primary
education for generations of children. Revered in literature and
lore, they actually were beset with problems, some of which are
little changed today. The greatest issue was financing the local
school and the vast differences between taxing districts in ability
to support education. Other concerns included teacher preparation
and quality, curriculum, discipline, student achievement and
community involvement in the educational process. Steve Taylor
explores the lasting legacies of the one-room school and how they
echo today. Contact: Kathie Bonor, 747-3372
See the listing for October 12 in Keene for a description of this
program. Contact: Jessica Sheehan, 497-2102
21
Madison
Tues., 7 p.m., Madison Library, 1895 Village Rd.
New Hampshire’s Grange Movement:
Its Rise, Triumphs and Decline
See the listing for October 4 in Richmond for a description of this
program. Contact: Jan Eskedal, 367-8758
12
OCTOBER 2014
21
22
Hillsboro
Milford
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Fuller Public Library, 29 School St.
The Creep of Surveillance:
From “Big Brother” to Mom and Dad
Wed., 6:30 p.m., Wadleigh Library, 49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War film showing
Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln
Technology has been used to monitor offenders, consumers,
workers, students, and even children. Technology has enabled law
enforcement and other agents of social control to uncover a range
of information and behavior that previously went undetected.
This presentation explores the expanded use of technology for
monitoring people’s compliance, performance, and even personal
legitimacy. David Mackey, PSU, discusses the devious devices
and some of the legal, social, and ethical implications of their use.
Contact: Robin Sweetser, 464-3595
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
22
Freedom
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Freedom Town Hall, Elm St.
The Capital Crime of Witchcraft:
What the Primary Sources Tell Us
See the listing for October 14 in Gilmanton Iron Works for a
description of this program which is hosted by the Freedom
Historical Society. A potluck dinner will precede this event at
5:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the dinner and bring a
dish. Contact: Sylvia Carney, 539-5799
21 Keene
Tuesday, 6 p.m., Putnam Science Center,
Keene State College
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
The Role of Students as Local Citizens
22
Wolfeboro
This event is part of the City Council Meeting project. Learn more in
the article on page 4 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Wolfeboro Public Library,
259 So. Main St.
Personal Privacy in Cyberspace
21
See the listing for October 15 in Hampstead for a description of
this program. Contact: 569-2428
Newfields
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Paul Memorial Library, 76 Main St.
New England: Myth or Reality?
22
Laconia
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East
The Refugees of Shangri-La
film showing and discussion
The six states known as New England have been romanticized in
art and literature for more than 200 years, creating a reality that is
touched by myth. How has this myth-making affected the region?
Edie Clark, a longtime writer for Yankee magazine, focuses on the
work of Robert Frost, Norman Rockwell, Wallace Nutting, and
more recently, Yankee magazine. These and others have created
such a distinct picture of New England that even the current
inhabitants of the region have a hard time knowing whether what
they see all around them is real or imagined. Contact: 778-8169
This film showing and discussion is one in a series hosted by
the World Affairs Council. Learn more in the article on page 5.
Contact: Elyse Harris, 314-7970.
22
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Swanzey Town Hall,
620 Old Homestead Highway
A Walk Back in Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes
22
Bedford
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Bedford Library, 3 Meetinghouse Rd.
Not in Front of the Children:
The Art and Importance of Fairy Tales
Swanzey
Northern New England is full of reminders of past lives: stone
walls, old foundations, a century-old lilac struggling to survive
as the forest reclaims a once-sunny dooryard. What forces
shaped settlement, and later abandonment, of these places? Adair
Mulligan explores the rich story to be discovered in what remains
behind. See how one town has set out to create an inventory of
its cellar holes, piecing together the clues in the landscape. Such
a project can help landowners know what to do if they have
archaeological sites on their land and help stimulate interest in a
town’s future through its past. Hosted by the Town of Swanzey
Open Space Committee. Contact: 352-3995
“Once upon a time. . .” is a magical phrase that promises the
beginning of a memorable story. Where do our fairy tales come
from, what do they tell us about ourselves and our history? Why
have they been censored and changed and how have they retained
their currency and popularity today? Ingrid Graff discusses these
fascinating tales and why we should keep telling them to our
children. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite fairy
tale to the presentation. Contact: 472-2300
13
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
23
27
Merrimack
Thursday, 7 p.m., Merrimack Public Library,
470 Daniel Webster Hwy.
(Not So) Elementary, My Dear Watson:
The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes
Monday, 6:30 p.m., J.A. Tarbell Library, 136 Forest Rd.
Inside Russia Today
The fall of Soviet Communism in the early 1990s catapulted
Russia into a new social order. Marina Forbes establishes a link
between Russia’s rich cultural heritage and the lives of Russians
today. The “new rich,” the evolving role of women, the revival
of the Orthodox Church, humor, family life, entertainment, and
the emphasis on consumerism are all examined as she brings
personal experience and research to bear in this fascinating look at
contemporary Russian life. Contact: 654-6790
See the listing for October 12 in Keene for a description of this
program. Contact: 424-5021
23
Concord
Thursday, 7 p.m., The Pierce Manse,
14 Horseshoe Pond Rd.
The Capital Crime of Witchcraft:
What the Primary Sources Tell Us
27
See the article on page 1 to learn more about the launch of our
pub-based discussion series. Contact: 224-4071
Gorham
27
Thursday, 7 p.m., Gorham Public Library,
35 Railroad St.
Witches, Pop Culture and the Past
See the listing for October 22 in Swanzey for a description of this
program. Contact: Gay Sheary, 763-4746
Francestown
28
Thursday, 7 p.m., George Holmes Bixby
Memorial Library, 52 Main St.
A Walk Back in Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes
Pittsfield
Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., Community Center, 74 Main St.
A Soldier’s Mother Tells Her Story
Speaking as Betsey Phelps, the mother of a Union soldier from
Amherst, New Hampshire who died heroically at the Battle of
Gettysburg, Sharon Wood offers an informative and sensitive
reflection on that sacrifice from a mother’s perspective. Wood
blends the Phelps boy’s story with those of other men who left
their New Hampshire homes to fight for the Union cause and of
the families who supported them on the home front. Hosted by the
Pittsfield Area Senior Center. A luncheon will immediately follow
the program. The public is invited to attend. Contact: Leslie Vogt,
435-8482
See the listing for October 22 in Swanzey for a description of this
program. Contact: Carol Brock, 547-2730
24
Newbury
Monday, 7 p.m., Veterans’ Hall, Route 103
A Walk Back in Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes
See the listing for October 3 in Bethlehem for a description of this
program. Contact: Elizabeth Thompson, 466-2525
23
Woodstock
Monday, 6 p.m., Woodstock Inn & Brewery,
135 Main St.
Ideas on Tap
See the listing for October 14 in Gilmanton Iron Works for
a description of this program. Hosted by the Pierce Brigade.
Contact: Nancy Hartford, 225-6496
23
Lyndeborough
Center Barnstead
Fri., 7 p.m., Town Hall, 108 S. Barnstead Rd.
New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones
Rubbings, photographs, and slides illustrate the rich variety of
gravestones to be found in our own neighborhoods, but they also
tell long-forgotten stories of such historical events as the Great
Awakening, the Throat Distemper epidemic, and the American
Revolution. Find out more about these deeply personal works of
art and the craftsmen who carved them with Glenn Knoblock, and
learn how to read the stone “pages” that give insight into the vast
genealogical book of New Hampshire. Co-hosted by the Barnstead
Historical Society and the Oscar Foss Memorial Library.
Contact: 269-3900
28
Meredith
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Meredith Public Library,
91 Main St.
Spies in Time
See the listing for October 14 in Moultonborough for a description
of this program. Contact: Erin Apostolos, 279-4303
14
OCTOBER 2014
28 Keene
29 Milford
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Heberton Hall, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
Open Dress Rehearsal
Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Wadleigh Memorial Library,
49 Nashua St.
Making Sense of the Civil War book discussion
Learn more about this project in the article on page 16.
Contact: 249-0645
This event is part of the City Council Meeting project. Learn more in
the article on page 4 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
28
29
Orford
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Fitzwilliam Town Library,
11 Templeton Turnpike
The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind
the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue
Tues., 7 p.m., Orford Library, 573 NH Rte. 10
Stark Decency: New Hampshire’s
World War II German POW Camp
During World War II, 300 German prisoners of war were held at
Camp Stark near the village of Stark in New Hampshire’s North
Country. Allen Koop, Dartmouth College, reveals the history of
this camp, which tells us much about our country’s war experience
and about our state. Contact: Sandra Gunther, 353-9756
28
On February 18, 1952, an astonishing maritime event began when
a ferocious nor’easter split in half a 500-foot long oil tanker, the
Pendleton, approximately one mile off the coast of Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. Incredibly, just twenty miles away, a second oil
tanker, the Fort Mercer, also split in half. On both tankers men
were trapped on the severed bows and sterns, and all four sections
were sinking in 60-foot seas. Thus began a life and death drama
of survival, heroism, and a series of tragic mistakes. Of the 84
seamen aboard the tankers, 70 would be rescued and 14 would
lose their lives. Michael Tougias, co-author of the book and soonto-be Disney movie The Finest Hours, uses slides to illustrate the
harrowing tale of the rescue efforts amidst towering waves and
blinding snow in one of the most dangerous shoals in the world.
Contact: 585-6503
Litchfield
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Campbell High School,
1 Highlander Court
New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones
See the listing for October 24 in Center Barnstead for a
description of this program. Contact: Alex Robinson, 424-4044
29
Fitzwilliam
Dunbarton
29
Wednesday, Noon, Dunbarton Public Library,
1004 School St.
Baked Beans and Fried Clams:
How Food Defines a Region
Tamworth
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Cook Memorial Library,
93 Main St.
Witches, Pop Culture and the Past
See the listing for October 3 in Bethlehem for a description of this
program. Contact: Amy Carter, 323-8510
See the listing for October 7 in Atkinson for a description of this
program. A luncheon (featuring baked beans) will take place
during the program. Contact: Andrea Douglas, 224-3546
30 Keene
29 Keene
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Heberton Hall, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
Thursday, 6 p.m., Keene Public Library, 60 Winter St.
City Council Meeting:
Performed Participatory Democracy
Debriefing and Public Discussion
Created in a yearlong residency in Keene with New York
artists Aaron Landsman, Mallory Catlett and Jim Findlay in
collaboration with the Keene Public Library, City Council Meeting
is performed participatory democracy, local government filtered
through the lens of art, and performed by the audience. Come and
be a part of live democracy in action. Learn more in the article on
page 4 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
The discussion, led by Brian Kanouse, will focus on the direct
experiences that performers underwent during the preparation,
rehearsal and performance of City Council Meeting. As a
debriefing, this conversational-style engagement will look to
pull insights, critiques and humorous recollections out of each
individual present. Learn more in the article on page 4 or visit
www.keene.edu/racbp/events_all.html.
15
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
30
North Conway
Thursday, 7 p.m., Lutheran Church
of the Nativity, 15 Grove Street
One Book, One Valley - Flight of the Sparrow
Author Visit with Amy Belding Brown
Learn more about this project in the article on page 17 or visit
www.onebookonevalley.wordpress.com.
And in November...
November 2
Meredith
Sunday, 2 p.m., Inter-Lakes High School,
1 Laker Lane
Lakes Region Reads 2014
Author Visit with Rebecca Rule
Learn more about this event in the article on this page. Learn
more at www.samcoopnh.wordpress.com/lakes-region-reads.
November 6
Kingston
Thursday, 7 p.m., Town Hall,
163 Main St.
Contra Dancing in NH: Then and Now
Since the late 1600s, the lively tradition of contra dancing has
kept people of all ages swinging and sashaying in barns, town
halls and schools around the state. Contra dancing came to New
Hampshire by way of the English colonists and remains popular
in many communities, particularly in the Monadnock Region.
Presenter Dudley Laufman brings this tradition to life with
stories, poems and recordings of callers, musicians, and dancers,
past and present. Live music, always integral to this dance form,
will be played on the fiddle and melodeon. Willing audience
members may be invited to dance the Virginia Reel! Dancing and
refreshments will follow the program.
Contact: Charlotte Arredondo, 642-3521
Lakes Region Reads 2014 will feature NH
author & storyteller Rebecca Rule
R
eaders in nineteen New
Hamsphire towns will take
part in Lakes Region Reads
2014, focusing on Rebecca
Rule’s Live Free and Eat Pie!
A Storyteller’s Guide to New
Hampshire, Rule’s take on
Granite State history, culture,
weather, and vernacular.
The project is funded in part
by a Humanities Council grant
and has been designated as one
of our 40 signature anniversary
programs.
Participating libaries will offer
workshops on family and local
history, book discussions, and
pie socials. The project will
culminate with an author visit with Rule on Sunday, November 2
at 2 p.m. at Inter-Lakes High School. Participants will be asked
to contribute their own New Hampshire stories which will be
printed, bound, and made available at participating libraries.
Towns participating in the project are Rumney, Ashland,
Moultonborough, Meredith, Holderness, Tilton-Northfield,
Center Harbor, Campton, Plymouth, New Hampton, Sanbornton,
Belmont, Sandwich, Bristol, Laconia, Danbury, Alexandria,
Belmont, and Gilford.
Rule has been collecting and telling stories of New Hampshire
and New England for more than fifteen years. In addition to Live
Free and Eat Pie, she is the author of Moved and Seconded: Town
Meeting in New Hampshire and The Best Revenge. She offers
storytelling presentations around the state, often through the
Humanities Council’s Humanities to Go speakers bureau.
For more information, visit the Lakes Region Reads website at
www.samcoopnh.wordpress.com/lakes-region-reads.
Making Sense of the Civil War book and film discussion series in Milford
T
he Humanities Council has awarded
a grant to the Wadleigh Memorial
Library in Milford for a book and film
discussion series based on the Making
Sense of the Civil War project created
by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
The discussions will take place at the
library over four Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
beginning on October 1 and continuing on
October 8, 15, and 29.
Books in the series include March, Geraldine Brooks’ reimagining of the war
experiences of the patriarch of Louisa
May Alcott’s Little Women family; Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James
McPherson, and America’s War: Talking
About the Civil War and Emancipation on
their 150th Anniversaries, an anthology
of historical fiction, speeches, diaries,
memoirs, biography and short stories
edited by Edward Ayers.
Film showings and discussions will be
held on Friday, October 3 at 2 p.m.
when Glory will be screened; and on
Wednesday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m. when
Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winner Lincoln
will be shown and discussed. Denise
Askin, St. Anselm College, will lead the
16
discussions.
Copies of the
books are available to borrow
from Wadleigh
Memorial Library.
The series is free
and open to all,
but registration is
required.
For more information or to register,
call 249-0645
or visit the Wadleigh Memorial Library’s
website at www.wadleighlibrary.org.
OCTOBER 2014
Constitutionally Speaking embarks on second year of programming
A
n exciting series of programs is
planned for the second year of
Constitutionally Speaking, an initiative that invites the public, teachers, and
students to consider and thoughtfully
discuss our rights and responsibilities as
citizens. Constitutionally Speaking aims
to promote meaningful civics education in
New Hampshire schools and spirited, yet
civil, dialogue about the nation’s founding
document among the state’s citizens. The
project is a collaborative civic engagement
initiative of the NH Humanities Council,
the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm
College, the NH Institute for Civic Education, the NH Supreme Court Society, the
Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public
Policy at Dartmouth College, and the
Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice,
Leadership and Public Policy at the UNH
School of Law.
The project launched a second year of
programming with last month’s talk by
former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra
Day O’Connor at the Capitol Center for the
Arts. This free event was made possible
by a grant from the William W. Treat
Foundation.
Constitutionally Speaking continues with a
Saturday, November 8 symposium titled
Money, Democracy & the Constitution
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Warren B.
Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership,
and Public Policy at the UNH School of
Law in Concord. The symposium is
sponsored by the Pete Peterson Foundation. Speakers will include Philip Wallach
of the Brookings Institution, Ilya Shapiro
of the Cato Institute, James Blumstein
of Vanderbilt Law School, and Nicole
Huberfeld of the University of Kentucky
School of Law. To register, e-mail
[email protected]
The New Hampshire Humanities Council
will present a Thursday, November 20
interscholastic conference on Money,
Greed & Corruption for high school
juniors and seniors at Exeter High School.
Professor of Philosophy Nick Smith and
Classics Professor Scott Smith, both
UNH faculty, will lead the conference.
Teachers interested in bringing groups of
students to the conference should contact
Kathy Mathis at [email protected].
The NH Institute of Politics at Saint
Anselm College will host a February 19
symposium titled Money, Democracy &
the Constitution II featuring campaign
finance scholars and civic leaders. The
event will begin at 6 p.m. and be moderated by R. Shep Melnick, the Thomas
P. O’Neill, Jr. Professor of American
Politics at Boston College and Co-chair
of the Harvard Program on Constitutional Government. Panelists will include
Attorney James Bopp, Jr., an expert in
campaign finance and election law; Dr.
Ray La Raja, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst; and Dr. Anthony Corrado, Colby
College. Information on how to register
will be available soon at www.anselm.edu/
Institutes-Centers-and-the-Arts/NHIOP.htm.
The second year of the project will
conclude with a major address in May,
2015 at the Capitol Center for the Arts
in Concord. Details on that event will be
announced when they are finalized. Project
organizers will develop a DVD and study
guide for NH teachers incorporating highlights from the year’s programming.
Learn more about Constitutionally
Speaking on the project website at
www.constitutionallyspeakingnh.org.
One Book, One Valley will explore Amy Belding Brown’s Flight of the Sparrow
S
ixteen community organizations have joined
forces for One Book, One Valley 2014, funded
in part by a grant from the Humanities Council.
The project has been designated as one of our 40
signature programs in recognition of the Humanities
Council’s 40th anniversary.
David Stewart Smith will offer a talk on the Native
American History of New Hampshire: Alliance
and Survival, circa 1400-1700 on Wednesday,
November 12 at 7 p.m. at Cook Memorial Library
in Tamworth. Stewart Smith begins this program
with the last part of the Woodland Period, when
Indians in northern New England were faced with
several challenges. By the time of French and
English exploration in the region, strong tribal
alliances had begun to center along southeastern
Maine, coastal and central New Hampshire, and the
north shore of Massachusetts. These relationships
became known as the Pennacook alliance; a confederacy of about 16 tribal and family groups that held
together through severe climate change, European
colonization, devastating epidemic disease, and intertribal warfare.
Here we see Passaconaway, the chief of the Pennacook, rise to
power and place his family in the mainstream of colonial interaction. The program concludes with King Philip’s War and subsequent events just prior to the turn of the 18th century.
This year’s community reads project focuses on
Amy Belding Brown’s Flight of the Sparrow,
a novel that retells the story of Mary Rowlandson
(1637–1711), a settler in a small town in Massachusetts who was taken captive in an Indian raid and
eventually returned to her community. The project
includes book discussions and lectures exploring
the history of captivity stories. In addition to thirteen area libraries, organizations taking part in the project include
Kennett High School, Granite State College, and White Birch
Books.
Author Amy Belding Brown will speak on on Thursday,
October 30 at 7 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in
North Conway where she will discuss her work, answer audience
questions and sign copies of her book at this free event.
17
Find a complete schedule of events and learn more at
www.onebookonevalley.wordpress.com.
NEW HAMPSHIRE HUMANITIES COUNCIL
Stories from New Hampshire: Our Storied Past and Our Unfolding Future
Marilla Ricker, crusader for women’s voting rights and freedom of thought
We’re sharing the amazing stories of the more than
250 icons on our map in each Calendar. Learn more
about the map and how to order a print copy at www.
nhhc.org/Map.php. This month we offer the story of the
extraordinary Marilla Ricker, a pioneer in the struggle
for women’s rights. UNH’s Milne Special Collections
include many of Ricker’s papers, and they offer this
biography.
M
arilla Ricker was born in New Durham,
New Hampshire in 1840.
She was brought up a “free thinker,” a suffragist
and a Whig. After a course at Colby Academy
in New London, she taught school until her
marriage to John Ricker of Dover, a well-to-do
farmer, who died in 1868, leaving her a wealthy
widow. She went abroad in 1872, spending
some years in study in Germany and thoroughly mastering the
language. She began the study of law in Washington, D.C. in 1876
and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the District
of Columbia in 1882, taking the examination with eighteen men,
all of whom she outscored. She practiced in Washington for
many years and was known as the “prisoners’ friend,” from her
constant habit of visiting jails and prisons, applying for releases
and pardons, and supplying prisoners with reading matter, writing
material and other comforts. She often worked for her clients
for free. In 1884 she was appointed examiner in chancery by
the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, and also U.S.
Commissioner, in which capacity she heard many cases. She
became New Hampshire’s first woman lawyer in July 1890, when
she was admitted to the bar of the state.
Although she was certified to try cases in
front of the US Supreme Court and even
ran for state governor, Marilla Ricker was
still unable to vote. Across America, the
suffragist movement followed close behind
the abolitionist movement and women like
Ricker worked tirelessly to gain voting rights.
She was reportedly the first woman in NH
to attempt to register to vote. As a property
owner in Dover, Ricker believed that, if she paid property taxes,
she should be able to vote. She went on registering, and being
denied the vote, until 1920 when, just months before her death,
she voted legally for the first time.
Our map makes a terrific and unique gift for the
holidays. And your purchase supports the hundreds
of free programs we make possible each year.
Place your order today on our website at
www.nhhc.org, or purchase a map from one of these
independent retail outlets. Call ahead for availability.
Tillotson Center, 14 Carriage Lane, Colebrook, 237-8576
Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 South Main St., Concord, 224-0562
NH Statehouse Visitors’ Center, Main St., Concord 271-2154
Rowland Studio, 23 North Main St., Concord, 225-2322
Water Street Bookstore, 125 Water St., Exeter, 778-9731
Toadstool Bookstore, The Colony Marketplace, Keene, 352-8815
The Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St., Manchester, 622-7531
Toadstool Bookstore, Lorden Plaza, Milford, 673-1734
Morgan Hill Bookstore, 253 Main St., New London, 526-5850
Toadstool Bookstore, 12 Depot Square, Peterborough, 924-3543
River Run Bookstore, 142 Fleet St., Portsmouth, 431-2100
Ricker wrote four “free thought” books, all of which can be found
in Milne Special Collections: The Four Gospels (1911); A Job Lot
of Anti-Suffragists; Anti-Woman Suffragists; What Do Ministers
Know?; How Can We ‘take’ Christ? (1911); I Don’t Know, Do
You? (1916), and I’m Not Afraid, Are You? (1917). Ricker wrote
on the fly-leaf of a copy of The Four Gospels in the Milne Special
Collections, “A steeple is no more to be excluded from taxation
than a smoke stack.”
18
OCTOBER 2014
Are you a Humanities Hero? Take the quiz below to find out.
TRUE or FALSE:
____
Scholar-led talks in my local library help me gain perspective.
____
Thoughtful conversations about complex issues
with my neighbors strengthen my community.
____
Exploring other cultures makes me a better global citizen.
____
Ensuring adult learners in New Hampshire have access to
high-quality literacy programs is vital work.
____
Support from people like me makes possible hundreds
of free Humanities Council programs all across
New Hampshire each year.
“When you
learn, teach,
when you
get, give.”
Maya Angelou
Answering TRUE to any or all of these questions makes YOU a humanities hero.
As we approach the end of our fiscal year, we hope you will invest in our work of
connecting people with ideas with a tax-deductible gift to the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
The 77 free-to-the-public programs highlighted in this Calendar and the hundreds
of others throughout the year are indeed made possible by the heroes who value them.
If that is you, we urge you to stand up and be counted!
Yes! Count me as a Humanities Hero with my gift to support lifelong learning.
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Address
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‰
E-mail
‰
Please save paper and postage and e-mail my tax receipt.
Please list me as Anonymous
Name for publication
‰
$25 ‰
$50
‰
‰
$100
‰
$250 ‰
Open Circle: $1,000 or more
‰
‰
$500
Check enclosed (payable to NHHC)
‰
‰
Other $__________ ($25 minimum to receive the print Calendar)
This gift is: ‰
matched by my employer
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MC
‰
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monthly ‰
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Please return to NHHC, 117 Pleasant St., Concord, NH 03301 or give securely on our website at www.nhhc.org
and double your gift through our McIninch Foundation Challenge for first-time on-line gifts.
If you’d like more information on ways you can support our work,
contact Development Director Jessica Eshleman at 224-4071 x113 or [email protected].
19
10/2014
40
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NEW HAMPSHIRE
HUMANITIES
COUNCIL
Connecting people
with ideas since 1974
117 Pleasant St.
Concord, NH 03301-0375
Phone: (603) 224-4071
Fax:
(603) 224-4072
www.nhhc.org
October is National Arts and Humanities Month!
N
ational Arts & Humanities Month is a coast-to-coast collective
recognition of the importance of culture in America. It is designed to
encourage all Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities
in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of active participation in the
arts.
Join the celebration by attending some of the 77 free programs featured in
our Calendar this month!
Explore the convergence of the arts and humanities when theatre
KAPOW presents a reading of Tom Stoppard’s play, Artist Descending
a Staircase on Sunday, October 12 at 2 p.m. at the Currier Museum of
Art.. The event is part of the ARTiculate Play Reading Series funded in
Art
part by a Humanities Council grant. This humorous play is an exploration of the meaning and purpose of art, and centers on a murder mystery
involving an artist who dies after falling down a set of stairs. Following
the reading, Dr. Landis K. Magnuson, professor of theater at St. Anselm
College, will lead a brief discussion connecting the play to the Currier’s
special exhibition, M.C. Escher: Reality and Illusion. Admission to the
reading is included with museum admission. Passes for free admission to
the Currier are available at 90 public libraries across the state. There is a
$5 charge to view the Escher exhibition. Learn more at www.tkapow.com.
Image: M.C. Escher, Waterfall, © 2014 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands.
All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com
Learn more at www.americansforthearts.org/events/national-arts-and-humanities-month.