Adult

Many folks know that our modern-day Santa Claus had his start as St. Nicholas, but what happened on the journey to make us think of a "jolly old elf" rather than a pious Christian Bishop? Where, exactly, did Santa Claus come from, and why does his popularity remain so high in modern American popular culture?

This illustrated lecture is well-researched, with details on the journey Bishop Nicholas made to become our current-day Santa Claus. You’ll enjoy recognizing many familiar images and poems in this holiday program.

Put on your zoot suit and follow in the footsteps of America's most infamous gangsters as they turn WI into their personal crime vacation land. Filled with deadly bank robberies, explosive shootouts, brutal murders, and daring kidnappings, this presentation lets the audience discover the grisly locations where the gangster history will never die.

Registration required. Click here to register.

In a recording made just for Waunakee Public Library, musicians will create music while sharing stories of the struggle the pandemic has placed on local musicians. (Red Rose)

In 2018 Micaela Sullivan-Fowler installed an exhibition called "Staggering Losses: WW1 and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918." Little did she know that the exhibition would be shuttered by another Pandemic, the one we are experiencing in 2020. She will give a short background on the exhibition itself, how the "Spanish Flu" affected our local populations and how the exhibition resonated for those who visited. Micaela will also touch on the similarities and differences between the two Pandemics.

 This event will start out with Outrider’s 7 minute film When the Earth Moves and continue the talk stating why it was done, and how it contextualizes the past, present, and future of environmental action.

Teaching in Polarized Times

The political climate in the United States makes it extremely challenging for schools and universities to fulfill their historic obligation to teach for democracy.  During the session, Dean Diana Hess will argue that despite significant and growing challenges to democratic education in K-12 schools and higher education, it remains a vitally important part of our mission.

The historical roots of African American oppression run deep, as Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th reveals.

Linda Sarsour will appear live on Crowdcast. Join us at: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/we-are-not-here-to-be-bystanders

Join us for an illustrated talk on “Odd Wisconsin: True Tales and Folklore from the Badger State" by author Michael Edmonds. He’ll share sketches of some of the strange people who lived here before us and tell authentic stories about folk characters like the lumberjack hero Paul Bunyan. Along the way he'll explain why the Wisconsin Historical Society wanted to publish brief lives of obscure eccentrics and discuss how researching and sharing history has turned upside-down in recent years.

Women across the state, nation, and world fought for the right to vote. We will discuss the fight and the victory as well as the fact that enfranchisement did not change everything women wanted. Learn about the social, economic, and political climate of the 1920s and 1930s while we explore how women’s everyday lives, clothing, and careers were impacted (or not impacted) by the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Christine Brookes is the Outreach Coordinator at Lake Geneva's Black Point Estate and Gardens, one of Wisconsin's twelve Historic Sites.