| "Sudbury Canada"
was
Bethel's name from the time of the granting of this western Maine
township in 1768 to its incorporation in 1796. This early name
honored the original grantees from Sudbury, Massachusetts, who had
fought unsuccessfully to conquer Canada in 1690. The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts rewarded these men with land in the District of Maine,
naming it in honor of their Massachusetts town and the campaign in
which they served.
"Sudbury Canada Days," the Bethel Historical Society's annual heritage
festival, honors the town's rich heritage dating from the 18th century. |
| Friday,
August 8 |
|
| 7:30 PM |
The 17th
annual Hall
Memorial Lecture will be presented
by Donna M.
Cassidy,
Professor of American & New England Studies and Art History at the
University of Southern Maine. Her talk will be entitled,
"Marsden Hartley, New England History, and 1930s Regionalism."
Ms. Cassidy's articles on early twentieth-century American art and
culture have appeared in Smithsonian
Studies in American Art, American
Art Journal, Winterthur
Portfolio, and numerous anthologies and exhibition
catalogues. She is the author of Painting the Musical City: Jazz and
Cultural Identity in American Art, 1910-1940 (Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1997) and Marsden
Hartley: Race, Region, and Nation (University Press of New
England, 2005). A scholar of New England art, she served as
editor for the art section of the Encyclopedia
of New England Culture (Yale University Press, 2005), and her
essay “Picturing Place: Portland and the Visual Arts” appeared in Creating Portland: History and Place in
Northern New England, edited by Joseph A. Conforti and published
by the University Press of New England (2005). Her present
research projects include two studies of American artists working
abroad: Looking North: American
Artists in Quebec and the Canadian Maritimes 1890-1940 and Ex-centric Expatriates: American Modernist
Artists in Provence. This free
program is open to the
public and will be held in the Dr. Moses Mason House Exhibit Hall. |
|
Saturday,
August 9
|
|
| All Day |
Encampment of 18th Century Re-enactors; Traditional Craft Demonstrations |
| 10 AM |
Horseshoe
Tournament commences
on grounds behind the Mason barn |
| 1 PM |
Children's
Parade: this year's
theme is "Mother Goose Characters." Prizes, in various
categories,
will be awarded;
following the parade, there will be old-time children's games and an
ice cream eating contest. |
| 1 to 4 PM | Flower
Show; Art Show; Historical Films; Exhibits, including Farming/Logging
Display at Hastings barn; Guided tours of Mason House period rooms;
Museum Shop open |
| 2 PM |
Croquet
and Badminton Tournaments |
| 4 PM |
Drawing for Door Prize: "The Age of
Barns" poster ($10 value) |
| 5 PM |
Log
Drivers' Bean Supper (advance tickets available in the Museum
Shop all afternoon; $6 adults, $3 children 12 and under) |
| 7 PM |
Presentation
by 18th Century Re-enactors |
|
Sunday,
August 10
|
|
| Till 2 PM |
Encampment of 18th Century Re-enactors |
| 1 to 4 PM | Flower Show; Historical Films; Exhibits, including Farming/Logging Display
at Hastings barn; Guided tours
of Mason House period rooms;
Museum Shop open Open House at Lower Sunday River Schoolhouse (1895), Sunday River Road, Newry |
| 2 PM |
Lecture: "Recreational Steamboating on Maine Lakes," by Earl Morse of Waterford, Maine; Dr. Moses Mason House Exhibit Hall |
| 7 PM |
Old-Time
Hymn Sing, Middle Intervale Meetinghouse, Intervale Road, Bethel |