Public Reading of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Friday, July 5, 3 p.m., Rokeby. 
Ferrisburgh Grange King Pede card party. Saturday, July 6, 6 :30 p.m., town hall.
Exhibit opening: The Legacy of Stuff. Sunday, July 14, 2-4 p.m., Rokeby.
Curating Rokeby’s: Sunday, July 14, 2 p.m., Rokeby. 
How to Weed Your Attic Presentation. Sunday, July 14, 3 p.m., Rokeby.
Hike up Mt Philo with Judy Chaves. Sunday, July 14, 10 a.m.
Ferrisburgh Town Selectboard meeting, Tuesday, July 16, 6:30 p.m., town hall.
Ferrisburgh Grange King Pede card party. Saturday, July 20, 6:30 p.m., town hall.
Food Insecurity Migrant Farm Workers Presentation. Sunday, July 28, 3 p.m., Rokeby.
 
FERRISBURGH — Join Judy Chaves for a hike up Mt. Philo on Sunday, July 14, from 10 a.m.-noon. Chaves, a Ferrisburgh resident and noted historian and naturalist, will give a guided tour about the history of this landmark. The hike will be mostly on the paved up-road and should take about two hours. There will be frequent stops along the way to view and discuss various sites, look at old photos, and review the various writings from early 20th century hikers and lovers of the mountain. At the end of the hike, copies of Chaves’ guidebook, “Secrets of Mount Philo: A guide to the history of Vermont’s first state park” will be on sale, courtesy of the Flying Pig Bookstore. The number of hikers is limited to 20. To reserve your spot, register at tinyurl.com/Mt-Philo-hike.
The next Ferrisburgh Grange “King Pede” card party will be held on Saturdays July 6 and 20. The community is invited to enjoy these get-togethers at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall and Community Center. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a sandwich supper and then on to the games. 
King Pede is a unique game that involves “trick-taking” techniques such as in Hearts and Spades or Pitch. This is a game of fun and skill so come prepared to use your strategic thinking  
Rokeby Museum is in full swing with its regular exhibits plus several special events. The ongoing exhibit of “Free and Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont” and also regular tours of the Robinsons’ living quarters are ongoing throughout the summer and fall.
Rokeby invites the public to participate on July 5, at 3 p.m. in the statewide public reading of Frederick Douglass’ most famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” In 1852, Douglass, a passionate abolitionist and orator, declined an invitation to speak at the traditional Fourth of July celebrations. Instead, on July 5, he castigated the United States for decades of slavery and injustice by delivering this speech with a message much different than the usual celebratory narrative. 
Come and add your voice to this statewide public reading sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council. Also learn about when Frederick Douglass gave a speech in Ferrisburgh in 1843. This event is free and open to the public.
Rokeby’s exhibit “Amassed and Up-ended” gathers objects, artworks, and documents representing four generations of the Robinson family to explore how what we save over a lifetime gives voice to some of our stories and silences others. The exhibit features Robinson family paintings, heirlooms, and items used in everyday life that are usually spread throughout the densely furnished historic home that is central to Rokeby Museum. 
Curated and rearranged in a gallery setting, these objects inform us about this family of artists, farmers and abolitionists. The exhibit provokes the question of what of your life is likely to be saved, and what will it tell of you? There will be two presentations as related to the exhibit on Sunday, July 14. At 2 p.m., curators Jane Williamson, Catherine Brooks and Steve Wetherby will discuss the many levels of curation at play in Rokeby Museum’s special exhibit — from the Robinson family’s effort to preserve their history, to early caretakers of Robinson memory, to present-day choices of what to exhibit and how. 
At 3 p.m., authors Elizabeth Dow and Lucinda Cockerel will present “How to Weed Your Attic: Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History.” This discussion will provide answers to the question: when someone dies or it is time to move — or just time to clean out the attic, garage, or basement — what papers and objects should we save for the sake of family history and what can we safely toss?
On Sunday, July 28, at 3 p.m., Rokeby is sponsoring Teresa M. Mares, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Vermont, who will speak about food insecurity experienced by migrant farmworkers in the northeastern borderlands of the United States. Mares’ research is based on Latinx farmworkers who labor in Vermont’s dairy industry. She will illuminate the complex and resilient ways workers sustain themselves and their families while also serving as the backbone of the state’s agricultural economy. Copies of her book “Life on the Other Border” will be available for sale and signing. 
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has a wide array of events and camps for the 2019 Summer/Fall season. Visit their website to learn what exhibitions and workshops are being offered, such as community rowing, fishing, and bladesmithing. In addition, the full museum campus, with more than a dozen exhibit buildings, will be open to the public. 
The museum has an incredible variety of events and exhibits this summer, in addition to its regular exhibits detailing the maritime history and nautical archaeology of the Champlain Valley. The Museum is offering several professional development courses for educational credit in collaboration with Castleton University, on such topics as steamboat technology or Abenaki culture and history. To plan your trip to the museum, first spend time searching through the Museum’s website to learn of these amazing events and opportunities at lcmm.org.
Bixby Library is ready for the summer with a wide variety of programs for children, youth and adults. Visit their website and FB for information on writing workshops, First Friday Movies, and children’s story hours. The Library also has passes for free and reduced costs for admission to many Vermont museums and state parks, which is a great offering for the summertime. 
To commemorate the moon landing of fifty years ago, Bixby Library is holding an array of space themed events, including puppet shows, dinosaurs in space, aliens, and more. This will be great fun for families so visit the website to see the schedule and to register. For more information go to bixbylibrary.org.  
NOTE: We are always interested in including a variety of Ferrisburgh-related news in this column, so if you have news that would be of interest, contact Sally Kerschner at [email protected]. You are able to access these columns and other information about Ferrisburgh news and events by viewing the Ferrisburgh Town Website at ferrisburghvt.org.