Second Sundays program begins in 2011

The state’s history agency is ready to offer another winter of programs at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck. Music, storytelling and traditional gardening are some of the free programs planned for the Sensational Second Sundays program. Now in its eighth year, the Sunday afternoon program, offered this year on the second Sunday of each month from January to May, will feature entertainment and educational programs covering a wide variety of interests. The series is sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

All programs are free and open to the public, and will begin at 2 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center, followed by refreshments.

Here is the schedule:

* Jan. 9: The program will feature country-western singer Greg Hager. His performances are a mix of original music and stories. Raised on a grain and dairy farm southwest of Valley City, N.D., where he still lives today, the inspirations for his music come from his own experiences as well as others. Hager has recorded three all-original music albums in Nashville, Tenn.

Feb. 13: The program will feature cowboy singer/storyteller T. J. Casey, who spent his childhood in Montana’s Pryor Mountains. He spent two-thirds of his life so far in a saddle, working with cattle and horses on ranches across the West. He has been an entertainer nationwide for the last three decades.

March 13: The program will feature Fred Schneider, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of North Dakota. He will discuss traditional gardening, the anticipation felt by gardeners through the years as spring approaches, and Oscar and George Will’s contributions to gardening. Schneider is continuing his work on the history of the Will Seed Company and George Will. He is interested in talking to people or their descendents associated with the company, George Will, and other Will family members. This could include neighbors, school mates, employees, business associates or seed growers who were the sources of the local and American Indian seeds promoted and sold by the Will Company. People interested in sharing memories of the Will business and family should contact Schneider by e-mail at fs33141@cox.net.

April 10: The program will feature Mark Varien, research and education chair, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado. The topic of his talk will be “The Origins of Pueblo Society and Development of the Mesa Verde World.”

May 8: Mother’s Day, featuring area American Indian women discussing gender roles in traditional cultures — how they have changed and adapted.

For more information, contact Erik Holland, the SHSND’s curator of education, at 701-328-2792, e-mail eholland@nd.gov or visit the SHSND’s website at www.history.nd.gov.

Tags: other events, diversions