Wit and Wisdom: The Forgotten Literary Life of New England Villages
Thursday, July 13, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Joan Radner visits Gibson’s Bookstore at Gibson’s Bookstore on 45 South Main Street in Concord to present her new book, Wit and Wisdom: The Forgotten Literary Life of New England Villages! In rural New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, ordinary men and women, farmers and intelligentsia, selectmen and schoolchildren came together to write and perform poetry and witty parodies and debate a wide range of topics, from women’s rights and temperance to slavery, migration, and more. Radner introduces readers to the vibrant voices, surprising talents, and unexpected banter on display across nineteenth-century New England, and features material drawn from eleven New Hampshire literary societies. About the author: Joan Newlon Radner is professor emerita of literature at American University. She is past president of both the National Storytelling Network and the American Folklore Society.
NASCAR Weekend
From Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. thorugh Sunday, July 16, 5:30 p.m., experience New England’s only NASCAR weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 1122 NH Route 106 North in Loudon. On-track action kicks off Friday with practice and qualifying sessions for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour plus Friday Night Dirt Duels at The Flat Track. The action continues with NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, the Ambetter Health 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on Doubleheader Saturday and culminates with the Cup Series taking on “The Magic Mile” Sunday for the Crayon 301. Don’t miss all of the exciting off-track action including The Groove fan hangout, concerts from Dirty Deeds: The AC/DC Experience and Shot of Poison, family movie night featuring Top Gun Maverick, a variety of performers, fireworks, carnival games and so much more. Event Info: nhms.com/events/nascar-cup-series/
The Old Man of the Mountain Would Be Pleased: Preserving Franconia Notch
Thursday, July 13, at 7:00 p.m. you’re invited to attend a presentation at Museum of the White Mountains on 34 Highland Street in Plymouth about preserving Franconia Notch. The successful creation of Franconia Notch State Park (1927-1928) and the building of the Franconia Notch Parkway (1947-1988) depended upon the importance of the Old Man of the Mountain to New Hampshire’s history. This talk will trace the history of the Old Man of the Mountain and New Hampshire’s focus on preserving its home in Franconia Notch. Kimberly A. Jarvis is Professor of History at Doane University in Crete, Nebraska, where she has taught since 2003. She is the author of two works about the environmental history of New Hampshire: Franconia Notch and the Women Who Saved It (University of New Hampshire Press, 2007) and From the Mountains to the Sea: Protecting Nature in Postwar New Hampshire (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020). Kim grew up in Connecticut and spends time every summer at the family home on Highland Lake in Stoddard, New Hampshire. This is a hybrid event. Registration for Zoom is required. Please register using the link found in the description of this event at nhhumanities.org
New Hampshire’s One-Room Rural Schools: The Romance and the Reality
Saturday, July 15, at 6:30 p.m. join presenter Stephen Taylor at the Dana Meeting House on 288 Dana Hill Road in New Hampton for a discussion about one-room rural schools. 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.
