Warner Free Lecture Series
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- October 15
- November 12
- January 7
- February 11
- May 14
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America
Friday, October 15, 2010 – 7:30 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Historical Society
Marblehead historian and best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin tells a dramatic story of the fur trade that shaped not only the history of New England, but helped chart the course of colonial expansionism. A fascinating mix of history, economics, and politics, the tale is also the story of the American experiment.
Under Quabbin: The Search for the Lost Towns
Friday, November 12, 2010 – 7:30 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Beneath the billions of gallons of water flowing into eastern MA homes is the 60-year old story of buried history, scientific discovery, and the destruction of homes and dreams to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. UMass Amherst biology professor Ed Klekowski led the first SCUBA diving expedition to search for the remains of four towns drowned under the Quabbin and documented the details in a 57-minute film. Klekowski will introduce the film and and answer questions after the showing.
First Annual Harvard Story Slam
Friday, January 7, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.
Friendly Crossways Retreat Center, 247 Littleton County Road
All listeners and storytellers welcome! Anyone age 17 or older is invited to bring an original story and vie for one of six spots as a featured storyteller.
Poetry from Inmates at MCI Shirley
Friday, February 11, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Poet and sculptor Linda Hoffman will share inspiration from unusual places in her talk about creative writing classes she started for inmates at MCI in Shirley. Linda, joined by Susan Richmond, Kathryn Liebowitz, and Blase Provitola, will read some of the best poems, which deal with divergent themes including home, nature, and prison life.
Live in Harvard: Snakes of New England and the World
Saturday, May 14, 2011 – 7:30 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Do you ever wonder what kind of snakes are living in the woods near your house? Have you ever caught a glimpse of a snake just as it disappeared into some shrubs and wished for closer look? Learn about this and more as Rick Roth, local snake expert, founder and executive director of the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team, gives a close look into the lives and habits of these underappreciated reptiles.
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- October 9
- November 13
- January 22
- March 12
- April 1
International News a New Way
Friday, October 9, 2009 – 8 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Following rave reviews in 2008, award-winning author and reporter Charles Sennott returns to our lecture series to discuss his news website, globalpost.com, and how he is working to change the way international news is reported in the U.S. Don’t miss this thought-provoking evening.
Selecting and Preparing Fresh Seafood
Friday, November 13, 2009 – 8 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Fishmonger and Harvard resident Chris Basile shares his experience in the selection and preparation of fresh seafood. He will provide background on different varieties, when and how to buy different seafood, and an overview of his personal favorites. Basile is the owner of the Quarterdeck Market in Maynard and offers his seafood, beef, and specialty products for pick up at the Harvard General Store.
Ten Hours Until Dawn: A Blizzard of '78 Tale of Heroism and Tragedy
Friday, January 22, 2010 – 8 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Librar
Prolific author and adventurer Michael Tougias will rekindle memories of the winter storm of ‘78 that struck so unexpectedly and paralyzed the region. This narrated slide presentation will mesmerize the audience with its tale of the tragedy involving two boats at sea during the storm. “The best story of peril at sea since Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm. Superb,” says a Booklist review.
To Bee or Not to Bee
Friday, March 12, 2010 – 8 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Presented in cooperation with Harvard Local
In her new book The Hive Detectives, Loree Griffin Burns provides middle school children and their families a window into the secret lives of bees and the cause of recent disease problems in the honeybee population. This is a rare opportunity to meet this West Boylston author before the book arrives in local book stores in May 2010. Photographs for the book and the lecture were taken by Harvard resident Ellen Harasimowicz, who will also be on hand to answer questions.
Plants & Animals of the Seasonal Wetlands: The Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team
Thursday, April 1, 2010 – 8 p.m.
Volunteers Hall, Harvard Public Library
Presented in cooperation with the Harvard Conservation Trust
Teeming with critters of all kinds, vernal ponds are abundant in Harvard in the spring. The Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team will bring a tankful of spring wildlife to illustrate the amazing creatures found in these harbingers of warmer weather. The program will be fun for all ages!
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The Warner Free Lecture Series
Excerpt from Henry S. Nourse’s “History of the Town of Harvard Massachusetts 1732–1893,” written in 1894.
Harvard’s renowned Warner Free Lecture Series had its beginnings in 1891, when the town accepted—by unanimous vote—the very generous bequest of Henry L. Warner, a town native. Warner left the town $10,000 to be used for providing educational lectures to all the town’s citizens—and he left specific instructions about what form the lectures were to take.
According to the terms of the bequest, lectures were to “avoid partisan politics and religious sectarianism,” and were to be delivered by “eminent or able lecturers and scholars, upon scientific, literary, biographical, historic, patriotic, national, educational and moral subjects.” The instructions go on to allow that lectures may also include “travels, questions of government and society, and whatever may interest the people, and at the same time instruct and benefit them in accordance with the design of the lectures.”
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