Recording today’s history for the future

GateHouse News Service
Posted Jun 22, 2012 @ 05:32 AM

Stow — The West School Museum Summer Series will kick off with a Sunday-evening Oral History project on Sunday, June 24. The program, interviewing three long-time Stow stalwarts on facets of recent town history, will begin at 7 p.m.
All West School programs, jointly sponsored by the Stow Historical Society and the Stow Historical Commission, are free and open to the public. The Oral History session will focus on:
Fittingly for the West School setting, he’ll also talk about Mark Twain’s education in the 1830s and 1840s. The production is geared for ages 10 to 100, but Budd has found that younger children do seem to enjoy the show even if they do not understand it all.
The founding of the Stow Minuteman Company. Don Rising, one of the original members of the modern-day Minutemen, will be interviewed about the group’s establishment in 1965 to keep alive the memory of the Stow militiamen who fought on April 19, 1775.
The work of the Collings Foundation since its establishment in 1979. In Stow, we see the Collings organization as a unique museum of classic airplanes and automobiles on Barton Road. In fact, the Collings Foundation has a national role, flying World War II and Vietnam War era aircraft on “Wings of Freedom” and “Vietnam Memorial Flight” tours throughout the country.
Foundation president Bob Collings will be interviewed about the creation of the organization and its mission, role in Stow and commitment to “living history.”
The development of small farm. Physicist-turned-farmer Dwight Sipler will be interviewed about the evolution of small farm (he spells it without capital letters) from a tractor for plowing his driveway into one of Stow’s agricultural icons – and, as the chairman of the Stow Agricultural Commission, about the Commission’s efforts to help maintain the rural character of Stow by preserving agriculture.
Additional programs
Native American Culture, Sunday, July 8, 3-5:30 p.m. This program features traditional Native American drumming, crafts for children to complete and an exhibition of objects related to native culture. The Native Americans were here before anyone else, and this program celebrates their traditions. The program will be presented by the United Native American Cultural Center, based in Ayer, and is organized by Stow residents Barbara and Roland Jerome. Roland is the Cultural Center’s current president.
Open House, Sunday, Aug. 5, 4-5:30 p.m.. No program is planned, but come learn about the West School Museum and see the new video recreating a school day in the 1840s.
A visit by Mark Twain, Sunday, Sept. 23, 3 p.m. Actually, it’s a visit by actor and Mark Twain interpreter Bern Budd, who’ll present a one-man show called “The Hannibal Years.” It’s based on the great American author’s life growing up on the banks of the Mississippi and stories about the real life characters behind “Tom Sawyer.” As Mark Twain said, "This is my tale – and some of it is true.”

Stow Knows: Skills in Our Town, Sunday, Oct. 14, 3-5:30 p.m. This family-oriented program features artists and artisans from Stow demonstrating their work. Last year’s skills ranged from painting, quilting and spinning to wood working and stone sculpting.
This year, we hope to feature such activities as beekeeping, cider-making and weaving. Potter Ted Carvalho will repeat last year’s visit, offering kids in attendance a hands-on chance to make their own ceramics.
These Stow West School Museum programs are supported in part by a grant from the Stow Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.