MIDDLEBURY — Did you know that fly fishing, vintage baseball posters, the 14th state, folk art, rug hooking, and prominent 19th century Addison County characters all have something in common? What is it? The Henry Sheldon Museum. This March, the Sheldon will present a series of engaging talks titled “Did You Know?” that will touch upon these subjects. The speakers are leaders in their fields. The talks take place at the Sheldon Museum at 1:30 p.m. during three weeks in March.
Governor Jim Douglas kicks off the series on Wednesday, March 13, with the presentation “Vermont: The State that Shaped a Nation.” Join Douglas in a discussion of the forces that produced entrepreneurs, inventors and activists that shaped and led a nation. Governor Douglas served Vermont for more than 35 years as a legislator, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Governor. Douglas advanced groundbreaking health reforms that have made Vermont a national model.
Then on Friday, March 15, Glenn Andres presents “History Happens Here”. He will explore the stories of Addison County people and events from Revolutionary times onward that have had local, and in many cases, national and even international significance. Andres is professor emeritus of the History of Art and Architecture Department at Middlebury College, where he taught from 1970 to 2015. He is the author of the “Walking History of Middlebury” and co-author of the “Buildings of Vermont”, in the Buildings of the United States series sponsored by the Society of Architectural Historians. Andres has run the summer performance series at the Salisbury Church since 1979 and is also an honorary trustee of the Sheldon Museum.
Amy Oxford, artist and teacher, will trace the origins of punch needle rug hooking on Wednesday, March 20, in the talk “Punch Needle Rug Hooking and its Vermont Roots,” Oxford will discuss how the craft started in the 1880s, its growth and popularity, drastic decline, 1970’s Vermont revival, and the current international punch needle craze that has swept social media. Oxford will offer an opportunity for anyone interested to give the craft a try. Oxford invented her own rug-making tool and in 2013 started the world’s first punch needle rug hooking school in Cornwall, where she offers classes to students who come from all over the world.
The series continues on Friday, March 22, with Archivist Eva Garcelon-Hart and avid ephemera collector Lucinda Cockrell in “Never Meant to Last: Everyday Treasures of Ephemera from the Archival Collections of the Henry Sheldon Museum,” a broad overview of the Sheldon archives’ colorful ephemera collection. The plethora of broadsides, trade cards, posters, catalogs and other formats will provide a unique glimpse into 19th-century local and national business advertisements, medical practices, sports, and entertainment.
Garcelon-Hart has managed the Sheldon’s Stewart-Swift Research Center since 2011. She holds graduate degrees in Art History and Information Science from UC Berkeley. Cockrell is a retired curator and archivist. She worked for more than thirty years in the museum, archives, and public history field in various states. Garcelon-Hart worked for the Nobel Prize laureate poet Czes?aw Mi?osz and for pictorial collections at the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley and Cockrell is co-author of the recently published book “How to Weed Your Attic: Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History.”
Internationally known Brandon artist Warren Kimble, presents “Cheerleading the Arts” on Wednesday, March 27. In his enthusiastic and entertaining way, Kimball will share his experiences and the role he played in making the arts a strong presence in his hometown community of Brandon, and his creative, artistic approach to fundraising for the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.  He and Lorraine, his wife and business partner, have been deeply involved in Brandon’s civic life and philanthropy for over forty years. A fun fact: Warren was a cheerleader at Syracuse University where he received his B.F.A. Warren is a trustee of the Sheldon Museum.
Rounding out the series on Friday, March 29, professional fishing guide and co-owner of Stream and Brook Fly Fishing guide service Brian Cadoret will bring his knowledge of Addison County’s rivers along with a fish story or two in his talk, “Fly Fishing, Guiding and Kayaking in Vermont”. Using videos and demonstrations, Cadoret will share how days on the river have brought him joy in the outdoors and shaped his stewardship and dedication to Vermont conservation. Cadoret spends over 150 days a year fly fishing on lakes, ponds, rivers and streams in Vermont and New York.
All talks are at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 per talk for Sheldon members and $20 for non-members. Advance registration is recommended online at henrysheldonmuseum.org or by calling 802-388-2117. Proceeds from the Did You Know? series will benefit the Sheldon Museum’s education programs. For more information visit henrysheldonmuseum.org or call 802-388-2117.