PHC - 150th anniversary of the Civil War Events

ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA HUMANITIES COUNCIL
Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals to enjoy and share a life of learning. PHC’s statewide speakers bureau and packaged book discussion program for public libraries serve as resources for residents of Pennsylvania. PHC also offers grants which support humanities programs centered in the arts, history, literature and other humanities fields. For more information, visit www.pahumanities.org.

ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA CIVIL WAR 150 
Pennsylvania Civil War 150 is the state’s official program commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, being observed from 2011 to 2015.  The PA Civil War 150 Committee, convened by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Heritage Society (PHS), the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, is a statewide alliance of history, heritage, arts and cultural organizations from throughout the state.  PA Civil War 150’s mission is to leverage the considerable strengths of these institutions and bring quality programming to the state’s commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. PA Civil War 150 includes a wide array of statewide initiatives, and facilitates numerous activities and events at the regional and local levels. Find more information online at www.PaCivilWar150.com.


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
July 29th, 2pm
Hosts: Rohrbach Library at Kutztown University in partnership with Kutztown Community Library
Location: Bandshell at Kutztown Park
Program: Civil War re-enactor David Valuska and friends speak on a variety of topics: Pennsylvania Germans at Gettysburg, Cavalry in the Civil War, Medicine in the Civil War, Women in the Civil War and Civil War Soldiers.  Featured Book: Damn Dutch: Pennsylvania Germans at Gettysburg by David L. Valuska and Christian B. Keller.

August 9, 6:30pm & *August 15, 2pm
Host: Centre County Library & Historical Museum
Locations: Centre County Library & Historical Museum community room (8/9) and community garden (8/15).
Program: On August 9, Dr. Robert Sandow, Associate Professor of History, Lock Haven University, who grew up in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern PA, where family trips to its famous battlefields sparked a lifelong passion for Civil War history, will lead a book discussion on Gore Vidal’s Lincoln. On August 15, Dr. Sandow will introduce veteran actor James Hayney who portrays Abraham Lincoln. Featured Book: Lincoln by Gore Vidal

*September 13th, 7pm
Host: Bethlehem Area Public Library
Location: Bethlehem Area Public Library
Program: Robert Hicks, a leading authority and interpreter of the continuing relevance of the Civil War, discusses his novel Widow of the South. The program includes an audience Q&A and book signing. Featured Book: Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

September 13, 6:30 pm & September 15, 2pm
Host: Allentown Public Library
Location: Allentown Public Library
Program: On September 13, watch the Emmy-nominated film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North documenting the contemporary legacy of slavery.  Return to the library on September 15 to discuss the companion book Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History by Thomas Norman DeWolf. Scholar Dorothy King leads a book discussion and a workshop exploring the lasting impact slavery and the fight for equality. A reception will follow the event.

*October 3, 7pm
Host: Adams County Library System
Location: Adams County Arts Council Center
Program: A walking encyclopedia of American song, Michael Lasser presents “We Are Coming, Father Abram: Lincoln in the Songs of the Civil War,” a program on Civil War era music and history. Performing with him are singer Cindy Miller and cabaret performer Alan Jones. Featured Book:  Color of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History: Immigrants, Women and African Americans in the Civil War's Defining Battle by Margaret Creighton

October 16, 6pm
Host: Altoona Area Public Library
Location: US Hotel Restaurant and Tavern
Local historian Robert Broadwater moderates a discussion with author, historian and genealogist Judith Redline Coopey who discusses the paradox between people’s professed beliefs and their actions as depicted in her novel Redfield Farm. Featured Book: Redfield Farm

*Programs will be taped by the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).

To attend a program, please contact the particular library for details.