Behold! New Lebanon, the living museum of contemporary rural American life, has announced its schedule of programs for Saturday, Sept. 5, the tenth week of its inaugural summer programming. The new museum without walls celebrates the rich historical and cultural heritage of New Lebanon.
Unlike any other museum in the country, 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 September 5 programs include:
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10 to 11 am New Leaf Farm Tour
Visitors join farmers Ellen Poggi and Mike Libsch for a tour of their Lebanon Springs farm. These two serve the local community through a CSA program, and sell their produce at farmer’s markets throughout the region. Participants will see flowers, tomatoes, greens, seedlings in the greenhouse, and much more. Ellen and Mike tell how they transformed their new property into a working farm, complete with an irrigation system that brings water from their pond to their plants.
Outdoors. Comfortable shoes for walking, hat, sunscreen, and bug spray are advised.
10:30 to 11:30 am
Herb Walk at the Abode
The “plant ladies” Cari Naftali and Regina Walther take visitors on an exploration of wild and cultivated flowers and herbs. Regina has been the keeper of the glorious Abode gardens for 16 years and Cari an herbalist for at least as long. They will assist participants in tuning in to the herbs in a respectful manner and discovering how the Shakers and Native Americans used them both nutritionally and medicinally.
Outdoors. Comfortable shoes for walking, hat, sunscreen, and bug spray are advised.
1:30 to 3 pm
Speed Demons: Howard Commander
Long-time owner Howard Commander leads a behind-the-scenes tour of the famed Lebanon Valley Speedway, including an up-close look at the super- fast high-banked half-mile clay tract. Howard explains how the track works, how scores are kept, how cars are built. Visitors can examine the cars and meet some of the drivers of this 63 year-old family attraction. (Indoors and Outdoors)
1:30 to 3 pm
Going Once! Going Twice! : Auctioneering 101
Dolores Meissner, New Lebanon’s veteran auctioneer, talks about her personal journey, how she learned the auction business, and the rise of her fabled auction house. Along the way, she explains how it all works and how to get a bargain at an auction. Participants will be invited to preview items up for the upcoming auction that night.
Indoors (no shuttle required for this program).
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 much more. These presenters 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.
Tour shuttle buses depart from the new Behold! New Lebanon Station and Store, which serves as a gateway and launch spot for museum tours and other activities, in a picturesque Victorian house located at 438 State Rte. 20. The shuttle generally boards a half-hour before the tour starts, check web site or box office for further information.
Advance ticket purchase is recommended for all programs, which are priced at $15 per program. Family discounts are available; ages 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. More information, including full descriptions of all programs and the online box office can be found at www.beholdnewlebanon.org, 518-720-7265, or by emailing info@beholdnewlebanon.org.[/private]