It’s been a busy week! Tony, Will, and I went to Portland last Saturday for granddaughter Lila’s dance recital, followed by a family pizza party lunch as an early celebration of her seventh birthday (which was June 16), a backyard soccer game at her house, and a trip to Lib’s Dairy Treats, where we all wore party hats and enjoyed our ice cream at a picnic table, despite the less-than-summerlike weather.
Yesterday, Tony had the first of his two cataract surgeries in Waterville. It was a long day, because after the surgery, we had to wait four hours, then return to Eye Care of Maine for a recheck before we could head home. The surgeon said everything looked good, and his second surgery is scheduled for July 2.
I’m continuing to use Friday dates for this column, because it’s Friday that appears on the masthead of the Bethel Citizen when the print edition is published every two weeks (hence the June 20 date on this one). However, since the paper actually still comes out on Thursdays, I’ve been trying to publish my online-only columns on Thursdays, too. I don’t always remember to post on Thursday morning, so don’t hold me to that, but I try.
This week, it’s especially important to post this column on Thursday, because today is Juneteenth, and I wanted to share this link to a three-and-a-half minute video created by historian Heather Cox Richardson that clearly and concisely explains why we celebrate this day, and why, four years ago, it became a federal holiday.
So here it is:
I’d also like to encourage my local readers to attend tonight’s (Thursday, June 19) program at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, “Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Maine.” To commemorate Juneteenth, at 6 p.m. in the Howe Exhibit Hall of the Mason House (14 Broad Street, Bethel), Mary Tibbetts Freeman, Assistant Professor of New England History at the University of Maine, will discuss the long history of slavery and emancipation in Maine before focusing on anti-slavery activism in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Professor Freeman will pay particular attention to the role of African Americans in advancing the cause of abolition in Maine and the complicated relationship between myth and historical fact in understanding Mainers’ involvement in the Underground Railroad. This free program is co-sponsored by the Hastings Homestead Museum and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society. (Note that Mary Tibbetts Freeman is the grand-niece of the late Margaret Joy Tibbetts—Bethel native, diplomat, historian, college professor, and remarkable figure in local history.)
Here are some more upcoming local events.
I have two author talks for Just Like Glass coming up next week: Wednesday, June 25, at 6 p.m. at the Zadoc Long Free Library in Buckfield, and Thursday, June 26, at 5 p.m. at our own wonderful Bethel Library. I’m especially looking forward to talking about the book with local friends and neighbors, some of whom may remember a few of the people who appear in its pages.
In case you aren’t able to attend on either of those evenings, on Thursday, July 10, at 1 p.m., I’ll be speaking at the Whitman Library in Bryant Pond.
On July 4 and 5, the Bethel Area Arts and History Celebration, a collaboration of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel Area Arts and Music, and other local artist organizations, will take place at several locations around town. Here’s the schedule:
Friday, July 4, at 11:30 a.m.: Annual Picnic and Concert by the Portland Brass Quintet on the grounds of the Dr. Moses and Agnes Straw Mason House on Broad Street. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair and join us for this always-popular celebration, which continues a tradition begun by the Masons when they occupied the house in the 19th century and held outdoor summer gatherings of their friends and neighbors.
Saturday, July 5, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Shy, Novice, and Closeted Art Show at 18 High Street. This is the 21st annual show by local artists, hosted each year in Janet Willie’s home, and is always a wonderful and varied exhibition of some of our less well-known local talent.
Saturday, July 5, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.: BAAM Summer Art Market at the Philbrook Place, 162 Main Street.
Saturday, July 5, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Bethel Plein Air Artists Open House at the Isham farm, 1006 Vernon Street, Albany (about five miles from Bethel Village).
Saturday, July 5, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Western Maine History Fair at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society. More than a dozen historical societies and other organizations from across the region will be participating in this event, which will feature workshops and demonstrations, games, exhibits and displays, music, and refreshments
Saturday, July 5, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Neighborly Views Art Show in the Mason House Barn at 14 Broad Street, featuring selected local art from the MBHS Collection
If you have news or events you’d like included here, email me at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or call 207-890-4812. The next print issue of the Citizen will be out next week, on June 27, but you can read the Locke’s Mills column online every week at amywchapman.com, or subscribe for free to have it emailed to you each week.
“My granddaughter’s birth has made me want to create things she will love.” – Billy Crystal
Love feeling in the loop with your weekly news. Thanks, Amy!