A wealth of museums around the State will be open free for this annual event -- including us!

Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar Street, open 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with vintage maps, photos, exhibits, a small museum store with local-history books, reproduction maps, etc.

The Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 East Middle Turnpike, open 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with tours of the grounds, barn, and home. Inside, we'll have floral arrangements from Manchester gardens, and we are serving tea. Please note that Woodbridge will be closed on our usual second Sunday, June 13, due to this Saturday event.

The Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, open 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., featuring “Craftsmanship In Manchester, the Violin Maker” with a demonstration from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m., by Nick Dubaldo, stringed instrument technician and owner of Beller’s Music. He'll share information about violin maker Andrew Stavnitsky,1894-1977, of Oak Street and demonstrate the craft of violin-making and repair. You will see the tools and process of violin making, view a violin made by Stavnitsky, and learn about opportunities in music for yourself. Also, explore the art and gardens of the 1785 Cheney Homestead and the Keeney Schoolhouse. Please note, we'll also be open for tours on Sunday, June 13, from 1:00 to 4:00, our usual second Sunday open house.

Art Studio in the History Center, enter at 199 Forest Street, open 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., come find out more about 19th-century-style drawing and the art studio. Learn about summer classes and weekly opportunities. See box below for more info about the arts programs.

Pitkin Glass Works, intersection of Parker and Putnam Streets in the Manchester Green area, open 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., rare opportunity to visit the remains of this industry. More: Pitkin Glass Works.

CT Fire Museum, 230 Pine Street, open 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., our neighbor museum with a rich history and a gleaming collection.

When was this book published? Where can we read the book (it's out of print).

For extra credit: Who wrote this book?

Scroll down for answers.

Circa 1900 photo of the Great Lawn, looking southeast. By the way, on Saturday, June 19, Tom Ferguson and Town Historian, Susan Barlow, will lead a 1.5-hour Great Lawn tour, starting at 1:00 p.m. at Fuss & O'Neill, 146 Hartford Road. The event, sponsored by the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District Commission, is free, and will be held rain or shine -- bring an umbrella if the weather is iffy. Questions? Reply to this e-newsletter.

Browse all The Heralds here.

June 11, 1936 Counterclockwise from upper left • Strawberry festival on the Center Church lawn, with dinner, entertainment, strawberries and cream. 50 cents and 35 cents for children • Coventry strawberry festival • 2000 crates of strawberries sold at the produce market in (today's) Charter Oak Park • Spraying of elm trees • Dr. Scholl, the foot expert, visits Downtown Manchester • Dancing, dining, theater: Conrans was in the North End, the Silver Grill at the southern end of Downtown Main Street • The Jitney players' outdoor theater at (today's) Bennet Academy; more about theater in Manchester.

Peruse the entire 6/11/1936 edition here.

The Hartford Artisans Weaving Center is offering beginner weaving classes for children in our newly air conditioned History Center. Two multi-day sessions will be held in June and August. For details, registration and questions: Hartford Artisans Weaving Center.

Photo on left is looking southeast out of the History Center toward the spinning mill, also known as the clock tower mill.

With social distancing and masks

Come for a half hour or several hours!

Cheney Homestead open second Sunday of month 1:00 to 4:00, hosted by Peter Millett and the Homestead committee. The 1785 Homestead & Keeney Schoolhouse are located at 106 Hartford Road.

Woodbridge Farmstead open second and fourth Sunday of spring and summer months 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m., hosted by Peggy Newton and the Woodbridge committee. Located at 495 East Middle Turnpike. (Except closed 6/13/21).

The History Center is still under construction, but the museum store and offices are open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 to 2:00. The center is located in the former Cheney machine shop, 175 Pine Street.

Old Manchester Museum open first Saturday of the month, 10:00 to 2:00, hosted by Bob Kanehl and Art Pongratz. Located at 126 Cedar Street, the former schoolhouse's exhibits include copies of old maps, examples of Cheney silk, Pitkin glass, Spencer rifles, Case bottled water. The museum is open May to December. There is a small museum store with local history items: books, maps, Pitkin jewelry items, etc.

June TV show airs at noon and 8:00 p.m. Saturdays throughout this month --"Royal Ice Cream,” a 42-minute television program recorded on Warren Street, the location of this innovative business, interviewing owner Jim Orfitelli. The business was founded in 1926, and has always been in Manchester. The show airs at 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. on Cox cable channel 15 on Saturdays, and runs on all the Saturdays of the month. The show changes each month. This Channel 15 broadcasts in Manchester, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington. The television show is produced by Susan Barlow, directed by Kathryn Wilson, researched by Jill Gelinas, all volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. You can watch this month's show on the Public Access website "Royal Ice Cream, Manchester's Own Manufacturer." You can watch some of our previous shows by selecting "Manchester Program Schedule" (the second tab) on the local Public Access website and on the next screen, type Historical into the search box.

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Ongoing and new offerings, including a new SUMMER PROGRAM. Info: art classes at the History Center. Questions may be directed to Trudy Mitchell. ONGOING: Classical Drawing -- "Learn the art and science of accurate drawing based on traditional 19th-century methods." Six-week sessions on Saturdays from 9:30-12:30.

Pictured on right, our art studio, lower level of History Center, a 42,000-square-foot building that used to be the Cheney Machine Shop, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Center was built beginning in 1895, although this part of the building dates to the early 20th century.

Counting down to Manchester's 200th anniversary year, which begins January 1, 2023: 569 days.

The Manchester Historical Society is planning exciting activities for the Town's year-long bicentennial celebration. Check out the activities of the 1923 celebration, documented in this booklet on our website.

Fortunately, you can read the entire book on our website. Our museum shop occasionally has vintage copies for sale, and there are sometimes copies on used-book store websites.

Enjoy the large collection of Somanhis (South Manchester High School) yearbooks on our website. In addition to photos of the graduating seniors, these books have ads for local businesses, photos of school activities, and sometimes poetry and prose by the students. Thanking our volunteers, especially Bob Gauthier, Noreen Cullen, Jim Hall, Joshua Pruden, Dick Jenkins, Susan Barlow.

Consider a gift membership for a friend or loved one. Why join a local historical society, even if you don't live in that town? Some reasons: • support education about the history of the town • support preservation of artifacts and vintage photos • join in advocating for preservation of historic buildings and parks that make Manchester charming.

Print this online donation form and mail to 175 Pine Street. Or drop by the History Center, Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 to 2:00. Direct questions to 860-647-9983.

Additional ways to donate: Employer matching gifts! Direct United Way donations to the Society. Sign in to Amazon via Amazon Smile and have a percentage of your purchases go to the Society. .