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Attn: News, Calendar and Features Editors

Contact:    Laurie Nivison, Director of Marketing

 413.775.7127 or [email protected]

Digital hi-res images available upon request.

 Historic Deerfield Summer Events and Programs

Deerfield, Mass. (June 5, 2017)---With summer upon us, more programs and events for audiences of all ages will be happening at Historic Deerfield.
 
Upcoming highlights include the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife, featuring "Small World: Toys, Dolls, and Games in New England" a summer-long educational program on honey bees, a symposium on New England framing techniques up to the mid-19th century, the free summer lecture series,"Summer Living in Early America," and Free Fun Friday, on July 28, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, when visitors are admitted to the museum for free.
 
The museum will offer free admission for fathers and grandfathers on Father's Day, June 18.
 
2017 Summer Program Schedule
Unless otherwise noted, all programs are included with admission to the museum.
 
Special Events/Programs 
The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife
Small World: Toys, Dolls, and Games in New England
June 24, Deerfield Community Center
Additional fee, registration required. See historic-deerfield.org/dublin-seminar for more information and to register online.

Before the 2x4: New England Framing Options to the Mid-19th Century
July 15, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Historic Deerfield will offer a one-day program focusing on building framing technology used in New England to the mid-19th century. Throughout this time period a number of ways to erect a structure were practiced with variations occurring for reasons of local tradition, expediency, efficiency, and technology. There will also be an opportunity to inspect samples of some of these forms of construction at a reception after the presentations.

Free Fun Friday
July 28, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Admission to Historic Deerfield is FREE to all visitors, courtesy of the Highland Street Foundation.

Open Hearth Cooking Demonstrations
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (unless otherwise noted), Hall Tavern Kitchen
 
June 10, 17, 24
Cooking with Herbs
Experience the sights, sounds, and aromas of hearth cooking while learning about colonial foods and diet. Learn about the use of herbs in cooking, which added flavor and freshness to seasonal dishes. Visit the Cooks' Garden, dedicated to the memory of Margaret Quinn Orloske, and see what's growing.
 
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
In a Pickle
Pickles and jam. Lemonade and switchel. During the hot summer, learn how people in early New England kept cool, and preserved summer produce.  Our open hearth cooks will demonstrate how to make cooling beverages and foods like pickles and jam. 

Family Programs
Spring Cleaning: Scrub, Rub, Polish and Shine
Weekends in June
12 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., History Workshop
After a long and snowy winter the History Workshop is ready to throw open its doors and launch into a real old fashioned spring cleaning.  Roll up your sleeves and join us to learn how to wash clothes using a wooden wash board and tub, and make some soap while you scrub.  The cast iron pots and the silver need polishing and the dusty rugs need a thorough cleaning with the rug beater. Whitewash a wall, sweep the floors with a homemade broom and use a feather duster. "Spring" into spring, with a cleaning fling!
 
Get the Buzz on Bees!
July 1-August 13 
Daily, 12 p.m.-4:30 p.m., History Workshop
Come to the History Workshop to learn the sweet story of honey bees. From pollination to producing wax and honey, bees have been important in Deerfield from colonial times right up to the present. Currently, there are many concerns about honey bees and we want to provide up-to-date information on honey bee decline and its possible causes.   Our bee related activities will be fun for everyone. Join us for wax candle making, honey tasting, creating a honey bee art project and planting pollinator friendly flower seeds.

Summer Lecture Series 
Summer Lecture Series: Summer Living in Early America
July 6, 13, 20   7:30 p.m., Deerfield Community Center
Celebrate summer by joining us on Thursday evenings in July for three lectures devoted to rhythms of life of early America during these warmest months of the year. "Summer Living in Early America" will explore early community celebrations of the nation's most important civic holiday, dressing to beat the heat, and summer foodways.  
July 6:
Len Travers, Associate Professor of History, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth:
"Hurrah for the Fourth! Independence Day in New England, 1777-1850"
July 13:
Neal Hurst, Associate Curator, Costumes and Textiles , Colonial Williamsburg Foundation:
"'For the heat is beyond your conception:' Dressing for the Heat in the Eighteenth Century"
July 20:
Debra Friedman, Senior President, Old Sturbridge Village:
"'Tastes Like Asparagus:' Summer Eating in Early New England"


Hours and Admission
Historic Deerfield is open daily from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  through December 22, 2017 (closed Thanksgiving Day.) The Memorial Libraries are open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. The Museum Gift Shop & Bookstore is open daily from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Admission, which includes all museum houses, the History Workshop, the Apprentice's Workshop, and exhibitions at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, is $18 for adults (18+), $5 for children (6-17), under age 6, Deerfield/South Deerfield residents, and members are free.

About Historic Deerfield, Inc.
Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today's audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England's historic villages and countryside.

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