From Uptown Girls to Downton Abbey

(Virtual)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 7:00 – 8:30 PM     via Zoom

From Uptown Girls to Downton Abbey: How American Gilded Age Heiresses Invaded the British Aristocracy

      Long before the British Invasion, the cash-strapped lords, viscounts, and dukes of Great Britain shifted their focus from hunting foxes and pheasants to more lucrative targets: cash-flush Gilded Age American socialites who were willing to trade their family’s money for an ancient title and often a chilly reception in the British aristocracy. Fans of “Downton Abbey” and “The Gilded Age” on television and film will delight as Anglophile and former U.K. resident Claire Evans recounts the tales of some of the famously loaded young Americans who infused bank accounts of many stately homes, including close relatives of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana. She’ll also give travel tips if you’d like to create a Gilded Age tour for yourself.  Virtual Program. Registration Required.

Finding Sanctuary: An Illustrated Talk

(Virtual)

MONDAY, MAY 23, 7:00 – 8:15 PM        via ZOOM

      Over the last decade, Barry Van Dusen has participated in four artist-in-residence programs around New England. In this illustrated talk for nature and art lovers, Barry will share stories and paintings from his previous residencies, with a focus on his latest and most ambitious residency project. During a 4 ½ year period (2015-2019), Barry visited all 61 of Mass Audubon’s public wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers and museums, producing drawings and paintings at each location. You’ll hear about his adventures exploring Mass Audubon properties all around Massachusetts, and learn more about the approach Barry uses to meet the demands and challenges of working on location. He’ll also show how field sketches and studies are used in the studio for larger, more complex works. FINDING SANCTUARY, a book documenting the project, was published by Mass Audubon in 2020. Join Barry in this celebration of the rich biological diversity in Massachusetts and the Mass Audubon sanctuary system.  Virtual Program. Registration Required.

Annuals Throughout the Growing Season: a Garden Club Side Shoots Event

(In-Person)

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Lower Level- Johnson Meeting Room, Amherst Town Library

14 Main Street, Amherst, NH, 03031

Bring annual plants into your garden starting with Spring’s cool hardy early bloomers, followed by summer’s vibrant tropicals and classic cutting flowers, finishing the season with hardy mums, ornamental cabbage, kale, and peppers for a splash of color that lasts through the first frost.

      Annual flowers allow you to create a different garden each year. Perennial plants stay constant in your garden; however, you can add a new color scheme or experiment with different plant varieties, using annuals, without making a long-term commitment. Annual flowers tend to bloom nonstop, especially if you deadhead the plants. Growing annuals will help keep your garden in bloom all season.

      Julie Hoag, our presenter, is the Secretary of the Amherst Garden Club. Julie works in the annuals greenhouse of a seacoast garden center. She enjoys tending her edible garden and her flock of chickens and turkeys.

      This program is a collaboration with the Amherst Garden Club and is part of their “Side Shoots” series. In-Person Program. Registration Required.

Understanding Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

(Virtual)

(Virtual)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 7:00 – 8:30 PM       via ZOOM

      This talk will explain the motives behind Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The event will discuss the larger historical context surrounding the conflict as well as the most recent developments on the ground. In the process, we will examine how Ukrainian journalists are reporting on the war from the frontlines. The discussion will involve audience participation.

      Presenter Brandon K. Gauthier completed his doctorate in Modern History at Fordham University in New York City in 2016. He is an Adjunct Professor of History for Fordham University and the Director of Global Education at The Derryfield School. He speaks passionately, and loudly. He lives with his wife and two daughters in New Hampshire. BEFORE EVIL is his first book.  Virtual Program. Registration Required.