Pember Presents:

Pember Presents: the Great American Tractor Wars

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The Pember Library presents “From Muscles to Motors on the Farm: Henry Ford and the Great American Tractor Wars, 1910-1930”

The Pember Library will present a lecture by Dr. Milton Sernett on “From Muscles to Motors on the Farm: Henry Ford and the Great American Tractor Wars, 1910-1930”. Free and open to the general public, the event begins at 6:30 PM on April 9 at the Pember Library in Granville.  This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.

Dr. Milton C. Sernett, Professor Emeritus, taught at Syracuse University for over thirty years. He has published eight books and numerous articles and essays, many of them dealing with American abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, and African American history. His current book project is a history of the “the great tractor wars” of the 1920s and the influence of Henry Ford on American farm life.

Henry Ford’s Fordson Tractor, like his Model T, was both a technological marvel and an instrument of social change; this illustrated lecture will invoke memories of life and work on American family farms before the age of agribusiness.

The Fordson tractor, first mass-produced in 1918, gave farmers a reliable but affordable source of power. Henry Ford’s entry into the tractor business sparked a conflict in the farm machinery industry that had long-term consequences for American life on and off the farm.

The transition from horse power to tractor power, from muscles to motors, took place during an era of rapid social change in American life. Farm families were trying to adjust to new marvels everywhere–airplanes, automobiles, electricity on the farm, telephones, radio, consolidated rural schools, indoor plumbing, rural free delivery, better roads, and refrigeration.

The lecture use rare images from the archives of the great tractor manufacturers and depictions of the seasons of agricultural work before the factory farm replaced the family farm. These visual cues will encourage the sharing and preservation of memories of farm life among all members of your community.

Since its launch in 1983, the Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with a diverse audience through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics.  All Speakers events are free and open to the general public.  Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.

For more information, call (518) 642-2525.

Pember Presents: Women on Screen

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The Pember Library will present a lecture by Rob Edelman on “From Rosie the Riveter to Harriet the Happy Homemaker: Women on Screen During and After World War II”. Free and open to the general public, the event begins at 6:30 PM on March 19 at the Pember Library in Granville.  This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.

Rob Edelman is a Lecturer in film history at the University at Albany. He offers film commentary on WAMC (Northeast) Public Radio and is a longtime contributing editor of Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide. His books include Issues on Trial: Freedom of the Press, Matthau: A Life, and Meet the Mertzes, and he has written for a range of publications (from Women Filmmakers and Their Films to Base Ball: The Journal of the Early Game to The Political Companion to American Film).
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The following is a short description of Mr Edelman’s lecture:
Before World War II, women were expected to marry and remain at home where they cooked meals and raised children, while their husbands were the breadwinners. During the war, however, the role of women in American society changed. Women now were manning assembly lines, entering the military, and experiencing personal and economic freedom that previously had been the exclusive domain of men.

With peacetime came a return to “normalcy,” and the expectation that women would cheerfully exchange their paychecks for aprons, regain their lost “femininity,” and return to their traditional roles within the American family.

The changing roles for and expectations of women are depicted in the era’s Hollywood movies. This lecture will be accompanied by a range of clips from films of the 1940s and 50s, all of which illustrate the manner in which women were expected to act during and after the war.
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Since its launch in 1983, the Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with a diverse audience through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics.  All Speakers events are free and open to the general public.  Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.

This Speakers in the Humanities event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Pember Presents: FUNance

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Fun and Finance Collide at the Pember Library

The kids yell and point as Brad Zupp attempts to keep eight plates spinning on top of poles. Running from plate to plate, he illustrates, in a way kids can easily understand, the financial concept of needs versus wants. “Kids love learning about how to be smart with money,” Zupp says. A former clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and former financial planner, he devised a 45 minute program that teaches personal finance to students in grades K-6. “But it’s not a boring lecture,” he adds. “Every concept is explained and made entertaining with comedy, magic, lots of audience participation, and circus skills like plate spinning and juggling.” Since the kids are being entertained while learning, they are more likely to both grasp and retain the lessons, he says.

Brad Zupp will bring to life financial concepts like the importance of saving, budgeting, needs versus wants, living within your means and more during his performance of “FUNance For Kids – Where Fun and Finance Collide” at 6:30 PM Thursday, February 26 in the main  room of the Pember Library.

At age 17, Zupp was one of the youngest people ever to attend Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College. After graduating, he spent two years touring with The Greatest Show On Earth. Since then, he has performed for over twenty years, on cruise ships and theme parks around the world, as well as at hundreds of schools and libraries. He also worked for three years with A.G. Edwards and Sons as a financial planner, helping people plan and prepare for their retirement years. “I found that there was a real lack of knowledge about basic personal finance,” he says, even among retirees and pre-retirees. “I realized that my skills as a performer and a financial planner were pretty unique, and could be combined to help the next generation better prepare for their financial future.” Zupp left the comfort of the office for the challenge of entertaining kids while teaching them important – and abstract – financial concepts. “Standing in front of hundreds of kids with the responsibility to make sure they learn how to be smart with money, but without boring them, is a challenge I love.”

This performance is part of the Pember Library’s Pember Presents Program, which will bring a variety of local and regional guests to the Pember and provide educational and cultural programs for the residents of Granville and the surrounding area.

The February 26 performance by Brad Zupp is intended for children in kindergarten through sixth grades and their families, and is sponsored by the Pember Library and a grant from the Leo Cox Beach Foundation. If you or your children need special accommodations to attend the performance, please contact the library at 518 642-2525.

Pember Presents

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The following is a list of the planned Pember Presents programs. I will post detailed information on each program about two weeks before the date of the lecture/program.  All programs are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Pember Presents programs include:

February 5: a public information presentation on the 2010 US Census. George Demas will give a general explanation of how the US Census is organized, and information will be available on when and how to apply for census jobs.

February 26: Brad Zupp will bring to life financial concepts like the importance of saving, budgeting, needs versus wants, living within your means and more during his performance of “FUNance For Kids – Where Fun and Finance Collide.” This presentation is sponsored by the Pember Library and a grant from the Leo Cox Beach Foundation.

March 19: “From Rosie the Riveter to Harriet the Happy Homemaker: Women on Screen During and After World War II”, a NY Council for the Humanities lecture by Rob Edelman

April 9: “From Muscles to Motors on the Farm: Henry Ford and the Great American Tractor Wars, 1910-1930”, a NY Council for the Humanities lecture by Dr. Milton C. Sernett

April 30: Joe Peck, a semi-retired farmer will speak about life on the farm. This presentation is sponsored by the Pember Library and a grant from the Leo Cox Beach Foundation.

May 22: author and historic interpreter Don Thompson will portray Samuel de Champlain commemorating the 400-year anniversary of Champlain’s explorations. This presentation is sponsored by the Pember Library and a grant from the Leo Cox Beach Foundation.

June 12: “Traditional and Historical Songs of New York State”, a NY Council for the Humanities lecture by Dave Ruch

July 2: Summer Reading Program kick-off

July 23: Ann Rich Duncan will be here with her new book and the game based on the book. The newest Johnny Vic story will focus on the Lake Champlain area.

September 24: To be announced

Pember Presents

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The Pember Library, in cooperation with the US Census Bureau, is pleased to announce that a public information presentation on the 2010 US Census will be held Thursday evening, February 5, at 6:30 PM .

In addition to a general explanation of how the US Census is organized, information will be available on when and how to apply for census jobs. Various informational brochures will be available, as well as copies of a practice test for Census jobs. If you are interested in a Census job, or just curious about the upcoming Decennial National Census, please join us at the Pember on February 5th.