New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Old Fashioned Winter Children’s Program in Canton

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xmas postcard2Blowing snow, freezing rain, and bitterly cold temperatures – sound familiar? Find out what people did for winter fun during “Old Fashioned Winter,” the Second Saturday Children’s Program at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton on Saturday, February 8th at 11 a.m.  This is another in the SLCHA’s series of fun and free monthly educational programs for kids ages 4-10.

On February 8th kids can learn how to make a 3-dimensional snowflake and sample “Wax on Snow.” The 2014 Second Saturday Children’s Programs feature the Treasures from the Attic series, which begins each session with a mysterious old trunk that belonged to “Grandma Moody” (Clarissa Wright’s ancestor) and had been forgotten in the Silas Wright House attic. Each time the trunk is opened the magic begins, as a new object or objects are “discovered” in the trunk.  [Read more…] about Old Fashioned Winter Children’s Program in Canton

Annual Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon Planned

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Susan B. Anthony HouseThe National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House’s annual major event, the Annual Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon, will be held Wednesday, February 12, 2014, at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

The keynote speaker is Louise W. Knight, author, lecturer, and historian. The theme for this year’s luncheon is “Up and Doing,” inspired by a statement Susan B. Anthony once made as she called people into leadership and active citizenship: “We woman must be up and doing. I can hardly sit still when I think of the great work waiting to be done…” We may well include a surprise or two in the program this year to help the audience understand what Miss Anthony meant by “Up and Doing.” [Read more…] about Annual Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon Planned

Conference: Uncommon Approaches to Common Core

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Commoon Core Conf_logoHow can educators meaningfully incorporate the wealth of local and regional cultural resources into our Common Core-based curricula?

The South Central New York State Regional Library Council is hosting a conference that hopes to  provide opportunities for public school teachers, librarians, administrators, local and regional museums, art centers, historic sites, and other cultural institutions to get to know and interact with each other over Common Core.  The keynote will be presented by Kate Gerson, Senior Fellow for Common Core and Educator Engagement for the NY State Department of Education. [Read more…] about Conference: Uncommon Approaches to Common Core

Civil War Event in Canton: 150 Years Ago – 1864

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Sherman's March to the Sea“150 Years Ago – 1864″ is the next topic for the St. Lawrence County Historical Association (SLCHA) Civil War Roundtable, Sunday, January 26th, 2 p.m. at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton.

Stanley Maine will lead the program and will discuss the major battles and significant events of the Civil War and the North Country which occurred during 1864. Among the significant events of 1864 were the Atlanta Campaign, which resulted in the occupation of Atlanta, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln. [Read more…] about Civil War Event in Canton: 150 Years Ago – 1864

NYC Preservation: 2014 Six to Celebrate Announced

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six-for-webNew York City’s Historic Districts Council (HDC) has announced its 2014 Six to Celebrate, an annual listing of historic New York City neighborhoods and institutions that merit preservation attention.

This is New York’s only citywide list of preservation priorities coming directly from the neighborhoods. [Read more…] about NYC Preservation: 2014 Six to Celebrate Announced

NYS Traditional Music Webcast Concert Wednesday

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dave_ruch_bajo_hpPerformer and Teaching Artist Dave Ruch will be doing a special live webcast concert of New York State traditional music at 8pm EST on Wednesday, January 22.  Wherever you are in the world, you can tune in.

Ruch specializes in uncovering and performing the music of everyday people from earlier days in New York State – singing woodsmen, African-American fiddlers, War of 1812 soldiers and sailors, square dance musicians, back-porch ballad singers, farmers, canallers, domestics, Iroquois peoples, and more. [Read more…] about NYS Traditional Music Webcast Concert Wednesday

Lake Placid Winter Lecture Series Begins Jan 29

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image005The Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society is has announced the first program of its 2014 “Odds and Ends” Winter Lecture Series on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in Lake Placid.

The lecture will begin at 7:00 pm with attendees encouraged to come for dinner at 6:00 pm. This opening program in the four-part series is titled “The Ghosts of Clinton County” presented by Gordie Little. [Read more…] about Lake Placid Winter Lecture Series Begins Jan 29

Saratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire Jan 25

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Saratoga Frost FaireSaratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire is a free event being held Saturday, January 25th, 2014 from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Battlefield (located on Routes 4 and 32 in Stillwater).

Inspired by Frost Faires in 1700s England, this event offers opportunities to beat cabin fever with activities like horse-drawn carriage rides, snow tubing the “Big Hill” (weather permitting), a 12pm winter nature trek and scavenger hunt, on-going contra-dancing, children’s crafts and games, a warming tent with light refreshments, historic handwriting demonstrations, and musket and cannon firings. [Read more…] about Saratoga Battlefield’s 19th Annual Frost Faire Jan 25

The New School To Celebrate The University in Exile

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emigremtgSMThe Center for Public Scholarship at The New School in New York City is hosting a free public event celebrating the University in Exile, on Thursday, January 30, 2014.

The University in Exile was created by The New School’s first president, Alvin Johnson, as a haven for scholars whose careers and lives were threatened in Germany in 1933, when the Nazi Party came to power and acted to expel all Jews and political opponents from German universities. [Read more…] about The New School To Celebrate The University in Exile

Albany Institute Offers Free Admission On Monday

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albany instituteThe Albany Institute of History & Art will offer FREE admission to the museum on Monday, January 20, 2014 from 10AM-5PM.  Gallery Tours will take place at 1PM and 3:30PM.

Guests of all ages are invited to spend the day viewing several new exhibitions including The Mystery of the Albany Mummies; Big and Bold: Contemporary Paintings, Collage, and Sculpture from the Albany Institute’s Collection (in the recently renovated Lansing Gallery); and The Hudson River School and the Nineteenth-Century Landscape. Additional exhibitions include, Traders and Culture: Colonial Albany and the Formation of American Identity; Nineteenth-Century American Sculpture: Erastus Dow Palmer and His Protégés Launt Thompson, Charles Calverley, and Richard Park (in the recently renovated Sculpture Court); Robert Hewson Pruyn: An Albanian in Japan, 1862-1865; and A Gather of Glass: Selections from the Museum’s Collection. Gallery Tours, led by museum docents, will start at 1PM and 3:30PM, and are also free. [Read more…] about Albany Institute Offers Free Admission On Monday