Songs from the Piano Bench

Listen in while enjoying your lunch or lend your voice as singers perform a variety of songs, including popular folk, rock-and-roll, Victorian parlor, Civil War, Sesame Street, etc. Many selections are chosen from the more than 35,000 pieces of sheet music in the New York State Library Collection. Music and words are provided and instrumentalists are welcome. This session is held monthly in the 4th Floor Gallery of the State Museum.

Stickley Furniture's Well Crafted Legacy

What makes a legacy? Timeless quality. Uncompromised commitment. An enduring product. These qualities have led New York’s Stickley furniture company to become an American furniture legend. Featured on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, Stickley has long had a reputation among collectors and connoisseurs. Join Greg Vadney, director of The Stickley Museum, for a whirlwind history, from the vision of five furniture-making brothers, through the American Arts and Crafts era, and up to today. Mr. Vadney will highlight individual pieces of Stickley, discuss how the company’s history inspires their current work, and will provide hints and tips to help you uncover a Stickley treasure. Bring your lunch. Location: Huxley Theater on the 1st floor of the Cultural Education Center.

The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project

Even though the St. Lawrence Seaway was the largest inland waterway ever completed, and the Robert Moses - Robert H. Saunders Power Dam sends electricity to many areas of New York State, Vermont, and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, ships sail through the locks and the turbines rotate in relative obscurity. This presentation explains why the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway was described as the greatest construction show on earth in the words of 53 workers. Through the use of photos and poignant commentary, Dr. Claire Puccia Parham’s presentation will pay tribute to the completion of the project whose fiftieth anniversary is celebrated this year and also will explore the use of oral history as a usable primary source. Bring your lunch. Location: Librarians Room on the 7th floor of the Cultural Education Center.