By Ida Everest
Evolution with cows? Having a pint at the local watering hole since 1907? Showcasing the best of rural life; Childhood memories and beyond in the 1950s; Who really was the local Johnny McIntosh who wrote under pseudonym names in local newspapers? And God bless the love, energy, toil, and commitment of a farmer’s wife. It’s all here this Summer and early Fall in the upcoming Living History Speaker Series presented by the Vankleek Hill and District Historical Society. Long time friends, residents, and community members Murray Allen (July 9 – Dairy Farming through the Years), Robby and Mike St-Denis (July 16 – Five Generations of the Windsor Tavern), Shirley Howes (July 23- On the Vankleek Hill Fair Board), Gary Barton (August 6- Growing up in Vankleek Hill circa 1950s), Irvine Barton (August 13 – Johnny McIntosh) and Nan Barton (Sept 3 – the Life of a Farm Wife) will speak at the Vankleek Hill Museum and recount history and personal tales of events and experiences that touched their lives. Vankleek Hill is so fortunate to have these guest speakers, many of whom are post-World War II baby boomers and have seen innumerable and significant cultural, social, medical and scientific and technological changes throughout their lifetime. Imagine celebrating the success of polio vaccines, enjoying the explosion of rock’n roll, watching the first man on the moon on your very first black and white television to communicating at a touch by the evolution of mobile devices today.
The Living History series was adapted from the Human Library initiative that started in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000 using a library analogy of lending people rather than books. One is able to have a conversation with people you might not normally meet in your day-to-day life. We warmly invite you to attend the speaker series at the Vankleek Hill Museum located at 95 Main Street, Vankleek Hill. Please choose your speaker and date and reserve a seat by emailing [email protected] as seating is limited.
