2025 SEASON SNAPSHOT
2025 PROGRAMS:
Films - Free Admission/Lectures - $8 (Free for Members)
THE NEW DEAL FOR ARTISTS
June 12, 7 PM
Film Showing
With President Hoover’s failed policies and ensuing Great Depression, Americans were desperate for help. Franklin Roosevelt’s pragmatic New Deal Program aimed to put US citizens back on their feet and back to work, and also included an innovative public arts program designed to provide economic relief and jobs for artists of all walks. Directed by Wieland Schulz-Keil, 1979, 90 mins.
JOHN BROWN'S HOLY WAR
June 19, 7 PM
Film Showing
A gripping documentary that explores the life, ideology, and violent crusade of abolitionist John Brown. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century America, the film examines how Brown’s unwavering belief in the moral righteousness of ending slavery drove him to radical action - culminating in the infamous raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Through dramatic reenactments, expert analysis, and historical accounts, John Brown’s Holy War portrays Brown as both a visionary and a fanatic—hailed as a martyr by some and a terrorist by others. The film delves into the moral and strategic debates surrounding his actions, questioning whether violence was a justified means to achieve justice. In the end, the documentary presents John Brown as a deeply complex figure—one whose radical zeal helped ignite a national reckoning, proving that the fight over slavery could no longer be settled with words alone. Directed by Robert Kenner, 2000, 90 mins.
LIBERTY! THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
PART 1: THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTION
June 26, 7 PM
Film Showing
America250 starts!
A six-part Peabody Award-winning series for PBS, Liberty! The American Revolution series brings to life the turbulent years of America’s fight for independence. Part 1 sets the stage for the coming conflict, exploring the deepening rift between the American colonies and the British Crown in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The episode begins in the 1760s, when Britain, burdened by debt from the French and Indian War, imposes new taxes and regulations on its American colonies. What starts as scattered grievances—over measures like the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts—soon grows into widespread unrest. Colonial leaders such as Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry emerge, rallying opposition to British rule, while voices of loyalists caution against rebellion. PBS, 1997, 55 mins.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN THE
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY
July 3, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
DON WICKMAN
Don Wickman will give an overview of the Champlain Valley's significant role in the American Revolution, serving as a crucial strategic area and a major invasion route.
MARY SILLIMAN'S WAR
July 10, 7 PM
Film Showing
This film follows Mary Silliman, the wife of Connecticut patriot and militia leader General Gold Selleck Silliman, as she struggles to secure his release after he is captured by British Loyalists in 1779. The film paints an intimate portrait of the often-overlooked struggles of women during the Revolution. The story highlights the resilience of those left behind in conflict, showing how one woman’s courage helped shape the fate of a nation’s fight for independence. Directed by Stephen Surjik, 1994, 93 mins.
UNDERDOG
July 17, 7 PM
Film Showing
Underdog is a 2021 documentary directed by Tommy Hyde that chronicles the life of Doug Butler, a Vermont dairy farmer with a passion for dog mushing. The film follows Doug as he faces financial hardships on his family farm while pursuing his dream of competing in a prestigious dog mushing race in Alaska. The narrative delves into Doug's dedication to his animals, the challenges of maintaining a small-scale farm, and his adventurous journey to Alaska, highlighting themes of resilience and the pursuit of one's passions. Directed by Tommy Hyde/ produced & written by Aaron Woolf (Elizabethtown resident), 2001, 82 mins.
WILD FOREST LANDS: HOW WE TALK ABOUT WILDERNESS IN THE ADKS
July 24, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
PHILIP G. TERRIE
The Adirondack Park stands alone as one of the largest publicly protected areas in the United States, a constitutionally protected forest preserve with a provision guaranteeing that it must be “forever kept as wild forest lands.” But, just what does “wilderness” mean today and how can the concept be untangled from the colonial implications of the term as it first applied to the Adirondacks?
Terries new book, part memoir, part New York history, and part meditation, Wild Forest Lands ponders on the rhetorical and spiritual meaning of the Adirondack “wilderness.” Terrie revisits the literature and history of the region, reckoning with how his views on the places he has defended have evolved over time. Rich with detail, Wild Forest Lands grapples with the enduring power of the Adirondacks and what it truly means to preserve something that is, by nature, wild.
ARE LOONS ON THIN ICE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE?
July 24, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
DENISE SILFEE
Like many species, common loons have been impacted by climate change. Over the last two decades, Adirondack loons have experienced increasing nest failure and migration disruption due to climate change. Are Loons on Thin Ice with Climate Change? provides an overview of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation's observations of how climate change is impacting Adirondack Loons, as well as information about loon behavior and natural history.
IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
Film Showing
This documentary delves into the radical environmental movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s, focusing on the rise and fall of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). The film explores the legal, ethical, and strategic dilemmas faced by young activists as well as the government's response, which classified the ELF as a domestic terrorist organization. Multiple perspectives are presented through interviews, archival footage, and news reports, leaving the audience to grapple with the moral complexities of eco-sabotage in the fight for environmental justice. Directed by Marshall Curry, 2011, 85 mins.
FESTIVAL
August 14, 7 PM
Film Showing
Murray Lerner’s Festival is a time capsule of folk music’s power to inspire, provoke, and unite people in times of crisis. Chronicling a pivotal moment in American History-- a blend of performance footage and candid interviews regarding Newport Folk Festival between 1963 and 1966 showcases the undercurrents that defined the folk music revival of the era. Exploring the influence of legends such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul and Mary, Son House and Mississippi John Hurt, Festival offers a glimpse into the culture surrounding the movement, and its role in turbulent social changes. Directed by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado & Wim Wenders, 2014, 110 mins.
WORK IN THE ADIRONDACKS: PAST & PRESENT
August 21, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
TIM ROWLAND & SVETLANA FILIPSON
Can you earn a living in the Adirondacks? Tim Rowland looks to the past - historic industry and work, while Svetlana Filipson gives an overview of the current trends in employment, as well as what the future holds.
THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS: BOB, HERB, AND GEORGE - FIRST 46ERS
August 28, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
SHARP SWAN
On June 10th, 1925, three men, Robert Marshall, known to everyone as Bob, his younger brother George, and Saranac Lake guide Herb Clark, reached the summit of Emmons, becoming the first individuals to climb all 46 Adirondack High Peaks over 4,000 feet. At that time, only fifteen of the mountains had trails and when they completed their journey, they were the first persons to set foot on at least six of the peaks including Allen, Couchsachraga, Nye and Grace. Bob Marshall wrote, “The pleasure of standing on a lofty summit where only a few have ever stood before is easy to acquire in the Adirondacks.” Writing in his pamphlet, The High Peaks of the Adirondacks, which he noted was written “by an amateur mountain climber for fellow amateurs” Bob said, speaking as much for George and Herb as himself, that he wanted “to encourage nature-lovers to get out and climb them.” So far, “as I know no one have ever climbed them all.”
2025 marks the 100th anniversary of these three men’s amazing accomplishments. Their spirit of adventure and encouragement has led many fellow hikers to follow in their footsteps. What began as a trickle in the 1930’s through the 1960’s, has become a steady stream of hikers where close to 20,000 climbers have become a coveted 46er.
UPS & DOWNS: THE ADIRONDACKS VITAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ERIE CANAL
September 4, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
PETE NELSON
The 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal on October 26th, 2025, is being celebrated statewide. It is the most consequential engineering project in American history. Adirondack surveyors Benjamin Wright and Charles Brodhead played a fundamental role in designing and building the canal, in large part because of their experience surveying through the abrupt vertical profiles of the Adirondacks. Nelson will share the significant contributions of Adk surveyors in the development of the Erie Canal.
