Living Museum Explores And Celebrates Contemporary Rural American Life
BEHOLD! New Lebanon, the living museum of contemporary rural American life, has announced its Rural Guide schedule for Saturday, July 18. The new museum without walls celebrates the rich historical and cultural heritage of New Lebanon.
Unlike any other museum in the country, [private]BEHOLD! New Lebanon offers a variety of tours by locals, Rural Guides, not costumed docents. These guides welcome visitors to their places of work, avocation, or enjoyment, introducing museum-goers to their own roles in today’s rural America. The July 18 program includes:
Corkscrew Choo! Choo! 10 to11 am. Take a leisurely stroll along the Wyomanoc Creek following the footprint of the once famed Rutland Railroad with Joe Ogilvie, Vice President of the Corkscrew Rail Trail Association. Learn about this important rail line and the plans to develop a trail from New Lebanon to Stephentown. Dress for walking in woods and fields with heavy shoes or boots and a hat. Bring sunscreen and bug repellent. Shuttle boards at the Station at 9:30 am. http://www.beholdnewlebanon.org/event/corkscrew-choo-choo/
Homestead Living: Making Farmer’s Cheese: 10:30 am to 12 pm. Paul Rix and Anna Duhon invite you to join them as they work out their day’s program. Do the goats need feeding? Is it time to preserve the tomatoes? Should they pickle the kimchee? What have they learned in their years on the land? Learn from a delightful young couple. Shuttle boards at the Station at 9:30 am. http://www.beholdnewlebanon.org/event/homesteading-101-2/
Coffee Talk: 1:30 to 3 pm. Fred Cashmere started Liquid Assets Coffee Tea & Spice Co. 25 years ago. Hear Fred’s “farm to cup” philosophy and learn where he gets the best beans, and how to roast and brew the perfect cup. Shuttle boards at the Station at 1 pm. http://www.beholdnewlebanon.org/event/coffee-talk/
Building for the Divine: 2 to 3 pm. Join Peter Watson, historic preservationist and Shaker Museum trustee, in the circa 1860 North Family Shaker Great Stone Barn. Peter will share the story of the barn as it was and will be and introduce you to other magnificent odes to the divine created by the Shakers through their architecture, furniture, invention and social action. Shuttle bus boards at 1:30 pm, at the Station. http://www.beholdnewlebanon.org/event/building-for-the-divine-2/
A Jam for All Seasons: 4 to 5 pm. What do you do when all your fruit ripens at one time? Make jam! Chef extraordinaire Deborah Gordon will show you how to turn your seasonal produce into a delicious treat to enjoy for months after harvesting. Shuttle boards at 3:30 pm at the Station. http://www.beholdnewlebanon.org/event/jam-for-all-seasons/
With 60 different tour programs over the course of the summer, Rural Guides greet visitors at their farms, studios and workspaces, where they practice cooking, farming, cattle raising, automobile racing and mechanics, wood-working, foraging and more. They are not costumed actors or docents recalling old-world skills; they are the real townspeople of today, whose lives and work challenge the quaint myths about country life.
Shuttle buses depart from the new Behold! Station and General Store, which serves as a gateway and launch spot for museum tours and other activities, in a picturesque Victorian house at 438 State Route 20.
More information, including descriptions of programs and the online box office, are at www.beholdnewlebanon.org, 518-720-7265, or by email: info@beholdnewlebanon.org.[/private]