BETHEL — The Bethel Historical Society will again host the ever-popular Fourth of July Community Picnic and Concert, featuring a two-hour performance by the Portland Brass Quintet, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Dr. Moses Mason House, 14 Broad St., or at the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse if the weather is inclement.
The Bethel Historical Society is proud to carry on this annual event, which Dr. Mason inaugurated in his “Grove” in the 1850s.
Other summer events at the society will include a July 3 exhibit opening, “Full of Memory and Sentiment: Autograph Quilts from the Bethel Historical Society Collection.” This display will feature examples of 19th century friendship and sampler album quilts from the society’s permanent collection. The opening event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Robinson House.
On July 7, there will be a lecture and book signing by James Witherell, author of “L.L. Bean — The Man and His Company: The Complete Story.” Witherell will provide highlights from the 100-year history of the company, and will be available to sign copies of the 576-page book.
Aug. 2 will be the second annual Stanley Russell Howe Lecture, “The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor. This year marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a formative moment in Maine and U.S. history.
In order to fund the Fourth of July concert and other expenses associated with BHS summer events, the society relies on support from members and friends. Donations may be sent to the society at P.O. Box 12, Bethel ME 04217.
On Wednesday, June 27, at 2 p.m., the spring “Mud Season Movies” series will conclude with a showing of “King Spruce.” A detailed visual account of spruce-wood harvesting in northern New England, the film was originally produced by the Brown Company and includes footage taken on Umbagog Lake. Pulp cutters demonstrate, in great detail, their tools and techniques. They assemble axes, use pulp hooks and cant dogs, load a horse-drawn sled for a steep downhill run and prepare a dynamite charge. An orchestral score backs up the colorful narration. “Mud Season Movies” take place at the Robinson House, 10 Broad St., and are introduced by society trustee and retired University of Maine forestry professor Dick Hale.
For more information contact 824-2908, 800-824-2910 or info@bethelhistorical.org.
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