By Sue Moore
As folks look to the future in this election year, the Vicksburg Historical Society is specializing in building on the past, when it presents its lineup of speakers for 2008.
In an effort to get more people involved in learning about the history of this area, the new programs are built upon local, regional and state-wide experts who make history come alive for their audiences of all ages.
Headlining this year’s line-up will be Larry and Priscilla Massie, well-known historians who live and work in the Allegan Forest with their two young daughters, who most assuredly, will end up spinning yarns, much as their celebrated parents.
Larry Massie, who is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, has a fun way to get listeners excited to learn more about the heritage of their state and community. He tells of Indian chiefs, steel-sinewed voyageurs, black-robed Jesuit priest who carried the cross to the wilderness, intrepid pioneers, rough-hewn lumberjacks, salty Great Lakes ship captains and Underground Railroad conductors who risked their lives guiding slaves to freedom.
Priscilla Massie steps back into Michigan’s past with a guided tour of Michigan’s culinary past, including a display of antique kitchen artifacts. Dressed in historic costume, Priscilla will do a cooking demonstration and prepare savory samples of old-time delicacies, on Tuesday, November 18.
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Kicking off the eight-month long series of speakers and special events on Wednesday, May 21, will be David Lyon, retired WMU professor and author of The Kalamazoo Automobilist, a history of automobile design and building of cars in the Kalamazoo area. Dr. Lyon has exhibited his antique Buick auto in the Vicksburg Old Car festival for several years and will include a story about the early cars built in Vicksburg.
Lynn Houghton, an expert on architecture in Kalamazoo County will give a walking tour on Tuesday, August 19, of the village homes and business district buildings that are architecturally interesting. She is a history professor at WMU and co-author of Kalamazoo Lost and Found.
Not to be outdone, several local speakers will highlight the history of Simpson/Lee Paper Company and the future of the building that was abandoned by Fox River Paper and purchased by Bob Thompson and Kent McCauley in 2003.
A program featuring the Big Band days of the Bobby Davidson Orchestra will call upon a panel of speakers who played in the band in its hay day, such as our own Mason Bishop. Plans so far include a group of local musicians who will replicate the Big Band sounds for those in the audience to join in and dance once the panel has finished with its humorous stories of the past.
Each year Maggie Snyder, chair of the Collection Committee, gives a presentation highlighting the “top ten” artifacts donated to the Historical Society’s collection during the past year, and explaining how they help interpret local history.
Location for each speaker’s presentation is normally set for the Depot in the Historic Village on the third Tuesday of each month, beginning in June and going through November, at 7:00 p.m. Because several of the programs are expected to draw a larger audience than will fit into the Depot, another location may be announced, closer to the time of the event. There is no charge to attend any of the Historical Society’s programs. The May program is a change from the usual schedule as it occurs on Wednesday the 21st, instead.