Abigail Smith Adams was a woman of strong beliefs who supported the creation of the United States of America. She believed in doing one’s duty, leading a life of integrity and hard work. Despite her lack of formal education, she presented brilliant arguments to her husband and her son, both of whom would become presidents, thus leaving her mark on the evolution of the American government. As Abigail Adams, Janet Worthington presents both the personal life and political connections of our second first lady. Abigail’s reactions to the American Revolution, to slavery, and most of all to her dearest friend, her husband John Adams, inspire love and respect for this woman who sacrificed so much for her country.

The manner in which the Supreme Court has interpreted our constitutional rights has profoundly affected the lives of Americans, dramatically influenced the nature and development of our nation, and triggered an intense controversy regarding both the legitimacy of the Court’s rulings and the scope of our civil rights. Adler will focus on the controversial and historical issues of the role and responsibility of the Supreme Court as the ultimate guarantor of constitutional freedom. The Court’s interpretations of First Amendment freedoms, such as speech and religion, will be featured subjects of discussion.

• Supreme Court BiographyAn examination of the lives, jurisprudence and leading opinions of U.S. Supreme Court justices. Adler includes discussion of John Marshall, Joseph Story, Roger Taney, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis Brandeis, William O. Douglas, Robert H. Jackson, Felix Frankfurter, Hugo Black, Thurgood Marshall and Earl Warren.

Gary Eller will demonstrate historically-based Idaho songs and discuss their historical underpinnings. Songs of this type provide a valuable alternative to written text in preserving, interpreting and communicating fascinating pieces of Idaho's cultural legacy. Through these songs, he will share anecdotes about interesting Idaho individuals, places and events. Eller also will discuss the techniques used to collect, preserve and interpret songs based on Idaho’s heritage. The songs range from somber event ballads to hilarious parodies based on local life at the time the songs were written. Through the presentation and resulting discussion, it is hoped that additional songs of this type will be uncovered.  Eller’s programs are tailored to the request and can focus on any of the following:  

• Specific subregion of Idaho (panhandle, southwest, southeast, central, Hell’s canyon/Weiser Valley, Salmon/Clearwater Rivers)
• A march through Idaho history in song
• Political songs of Idaho (1806 to 1980)
• Idaho’s poet prospectors” Clarence E. Eddy and Hannibal “Seven Devils” Johnson.

John Lemp lived a hectic, multifaceted life. He came to America penniless, survived the "Know Nothing" riots in Louisville, Kentucky, mined near Denver and then came to Boise.  Besides owning a brewery and saloon, he built many business buildings, a hotel, canals, and owned ranches and mines.  He was a one term mayor, served on the city council, school board, served as state treasurer of the Odd Fellows Lodge and was a Mason.  John fathered 13 children and his son, Herbert was elected major of Boise, but suffered an accident in a polo practice and died within a few months.

    John Lemp's  ambition and contributions did as much as anyones to help grow from Boise from a frontier village into a city.

   Clarence E. Eddy (1874-1936) was well known throughout the American West  as the “Poet Prospector”.    He spent a good portion of his life in the Yankee Fork and Challis areas, where he discovered and operated numerous placer and quartz gold claims on Loon Creek and the Yankee Fork, including the  Lost Packer and Monte Carlo mines near Challis

Eddy also was well known  for discovering  notable claims in Death Valley.  He published hundreds of poems, songs and newspaper articles on gold mining throughout the West. 

The Poet Prospector, actually Gary Eller in period costume,  recites his poetry and talks about his colorful  life in gold mining, always searching for the “great immensity”. 

  This presentation captures the history of immigration and migration in America.  From Native Americans to new American citizens - regardless of our ethnic, religious or racial background - migration is central to our story.  This presentation explores key themes that surround these movements:  the mixed reception upon coming to America or moving to different regions; the prominence of ports of entry to these stories; the way countries of origin were changed; the great stories of success as well as those of disillusion; the businesses that grew up around movement and the way these migration stories have played out in subsequent generations.  From the Pilgrims to Route 66 and even the information superhighway, the movement of people and ideas has been foundational to understanding our country.  This presentation helps deepen one’s understanding of these migration stories.

Can poetry matter to us? Should it? How might it address, or even correct, the frenzy of electronic overload and the barrage of artificial media that increasingly assault us? Poems, especially when remembered or read aloud, offer moments of bodily recognition and spiritual insight, an antidote, however quiet, in a world where so much is brash, ephemeral, cheap and mass-produced. Poetry reminds us how exhilarating it is to hear one unique human voice speaking freshly about what matters.

Hanged is a collection of stories detailing the lives and crimes of the twenty-six men who faced Idaho's justice system and wre given the ultimate penalty - death by hanging. The lives of these desperate men, including how they came to Idaho, what they did while they were here, and what drove them to their crimes will be the focus of the presentation. Pictures, newspaper headlines, trial and prison records will also be a part of the presentation.

In period dress and first person, as William Wallace, the first territorial governor of Idaho, Mr. Leroy confirms what you only recently heard...the President has been shot!  He tells of his friendship with Lincoln since the 1840s and recounts how Lincoln, by word and deed was a friend to everyone in Idaho Territory.  The audience must assume the position of a group of pioneers assembled in the summer of 1865

This audio-visual presentation on the history of the Basques in Idaho is built around a Basque application of Marcus L. Hansen’s “Law of Third Generation Return.” In short, what the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember. Bieter focuses on each of these generations and the organizations that they established, and what they felt they needed at that time in Idaho. While many may know about the Basques in shepherding, Bieters’ generational research offers a fresh perspective. He first examines the immigrant generation (from 1890 until the early 1920’s), then focuses on the Basque-American generation (from the 1920’s until about 1949), and finally looks at the American-Basque generation (from about 1950 to the present). Each generation has a different perspective to their culture and a different experience in Idaho.

It’s been said that “you are what you eat,” and that was certainly true for three groups of early Idahoans: the northern Idaho Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce Indians, the miners, and the agricultural pioneers. Although all lived in the same state, what they ate, how they prepared it, and what the food meant to them varied tremendously. That variation, this talk argues, reflects not simply taste, but important cultural differences among them. By describing the groups’ contrasting foodways, this talk invites listeners to think about how intimately eating practices in general are tied to cultural norms and values.

Louisa May Alcott’s intriguing life provided many of the details for her much-loved novel Little Women, including the portrait of her long-suffering mother and her three sisters.  As Janet Worthington recounts the many hardships the family faced, she shows how Louisa provided strength and comfort for all her family, and she describes how her novels evolved from her life experiences with famous writers, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

During World War II the United States Government removed the entire Japanese American population off the west coast and relocated them to ten camps in the interior. One of these camps was Camp Minidoka and was located in South Central Idaho. This camp was also called Hunt, and held almost 10,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during the war. This camp had a great impact on Idaho during the war years and was an important part of both Idaho and United States History. In 2001, it was designated as a National Monument, and plans are being developed for the site.

Frederic Chopin’s piano music is among the finest ever written for that instrument. Audiences have enjoyed music by the “poet of the piano” for over 150 years. This presentation will include some of his most beloved compositions: “Revolutionary Etude,” “Raindrop Prelude,” “Minute Waltz,” and “Heroic Polonaise.” The live performance of these selections will be enhanced by a commentary explaining the origin of each piece, giving audiences a deeper appreciation of this master’s work.

This presentation is a first-hand folk history of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, or the Snake River through Hells Canyon. Conley will explain the human and natural history of any of these rivers and illustrate the talk with vintage films and photographs and taped recordings about boating, homesteading, or early outfitting there.

This audio-visual presentation on the history of the Basques in Idaho is built around a Basque application of Marcus L. Hansen’s “Law of Third Generation Return.” In short, what the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember. Bieter focuses on each of these generations and the organizations that they established, and what they felt they needed at that time in Idaho. While many may know about the Basques in shepherding, Bieters’ generational research offers a fresh perspective. He first examines the immigrant generation (from 1890 until the early 1920’s), then focuses on the Basque-American generation (from the 1920’s until about 1949), and finally looks at the American-Basque generation (from about 1950 to the present). Each generation has a different perspective to their culture and a different experience in Idaho.

In our cynical age, the romance of the railroad may have faded like the railroads themselves, but those steel rails tied the West to "civilization" and formed a collection of territories into a nation. Songs about railroads display attitudes about the "iron horse," from the young girl, anticipating the arrival of marriageable railroad workers to the grumpy wagoner, afraid railroads will kill his business and bring in crews of Irishmen! (Oh no! There goes the neighborhood!) Railroad songs and stories help us recapture the wonder the rails once inspired. Using these tunes and yarns, we'll explore what the railroad meant to the West and its pioneers.

   Clarence E. Eddy (1874-1936) was well known throughout the American West  as the “Poet Prospector”.    He spent a good portion of his life in the Yankee Fork and Challis areas, where he discovered and operated numerous placer and quartz gold claims on Loon Creek and the Yankee Fork, including the  Lost Packer and Monte Carlo mines near Challis

Eddy also was well known  for discovering  notable claims in Death Valley.  He published hundreds of poems, songs and newspaper articles on gold mining throughout the West. 

The Poet Prospector, actually Gary Eller in period costume,  recites his poetry and talks about his colorful  life in gold mining, always searching for the “great immensity”. 

By the 1870’s, Idaho Territory had seen several major gold rushes that accounted for its creation, yet its growth was not sufficient to justify statehood. This changed by 1880. Gold discoveries in the Yankee Fork area and lead-silver in the Wood River Valley and the Coeur d’Alenes attracted thousands of miners who changed the political climate as well as the landscape. The impact of both political and environmental decisions of that early period remain with us yet today and deserve evaluation as we move into the 21st Century. Watershed Weekend All-Ages program Join us for a 10:30 presentation by Tom Blanchard titled Mining in Idaho: Today and Yesterday, followed by a musical performance, crafts and simulated gold panning for kids. The Boise WaterShed exhibit hall will be open from 10:00-2:00 with a wastewater treatment plant tour at 1:00. FREE, no registration required.

Frederic Chopin’s piano music is among the finest ever written for that instrument. Audiences have enjoyed music by the “poet of the piano” for over 150 years. This presentation will include some of his most beloved compositions: “Revolutionary Etude,” “Raindrop Prelude,” “Minute Waltz,” and “Heroic Polonaise.” The live performance of these selections will be enhanced by a commentary explaining the origin of each piece, giving audiences a deeper appreciation of this master’s work.

Gary Eller will demonstrate historically-based Idaho songs and discuss their historical underpinnings. Songs of this type provide a valuable alternative to written text in preserving, interpreting and communicating fascinating pieces of Idaho's cultural legacy. Through these songs, he will share anecdotes about interesting Idaho individuals, places and events. Eller also will discuss the techniques used to collect, preserve and interpret songs based on Idaho’s heritage. The songs range from somber event ballads to hilarious parodies based on local life at the time the songs were written. Through the presentation and resulting discussion, it is hoped that additional songs of this type will be uncovered. 

n our cynical age, the romance of the railroad may have faded like the railroads themselves, but those steel rails tied the West to "civilization" and formed a collection of territories into a nation. Songs about railroads display attitudes about the "iron horse," from the young girl, anticipating the arrival of marriageable railroad workers to the grumpy wagoner, afraid railroads will kill his business and bring in crews of Irishmen! (Oh no! There goes the neighborhood!) Railroad songs and stories help us recapture the wonder the rails once inspired. Using these tunes and yarns, we'll explore what the railroad meant to the West and its pioneers.Songs accompanied by guitar, banjo, harmonica and autoharp.

Today’s concerns about the Patriot Act and the status of our combatants in the War on Terrorism raise perennial issues of democratic governance in a liberal society. No president faced these issues more clearly and stridently than Abraham Lincoln. Responding to arguments from Erastus Corning and other New York Democrats, Lincoln defended his decisions with respect to civil rights as being humane and respectful of the goals of union. In this talk, Dr. Yenor discusses Lincoln’s arguments and then transfers the principles of his arguments to contemporary issues. Today’s issues may be as complicated as, or even more complicated than, those faced by Lincoln, but our resolution of those issues favors civil rights much more than the Great Emancipator’s view.