Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, 1958.0651.001

The second presentation in the Humanities Al Fresco! series is scheduled for Monday, July 12, 6:30 p.m., at the Grand Teton Climbers Ranch. Dr. Sherry Smith presents, “Geraldine Lucas: Mountaineering, Homesteading, and Fighting the Federal Government in Early 20th Century Jackson Hole.” The program is presented in partnership with the Grand Teton Climbers Ranch, which is located within walking distance of Lucas’s homestead cabins. Bring your own lawn chairs, hats, repellent, and water! Park admission fees apply.

A long time Moose resident, Smith is currently employed as a distinguished professor in the history department at Southern Methodist University. She also serves as associate director, William B. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, and she previously taught in the history departments of the University of Texas, El Paso, the University of Colorado, and the University of Wyoming. Smith worked in the Wyoming Historic Preservation Office and has written many articles and books on Western topics and featuring Wyoming people.  Smith’s interpretation of Geraldine Lucas’s story entails many classic elements of American Western history: migrating, homesteading, mountain climbing, and barrier shattering. She did it as an “independent woman” – but with her family and the government providing support (and occasional vexation). Her story juxtaposes individual drive, self interest, and the growing demands of community in the changing West of the early 20th century.

The Humanities Al Fresco! outdoor summer lecture series is inspired by northwest Wyoming’s rich history of significant contributions to the conservation movement in America. The Wyoming Humanities Council partners with local organizations to present outdoor lectures related to America’s conservation movement and the preservation of historic cultural resources in the Jackson Hole area. Remaining presentations are “The Airport: Paradox for a Park” with Robert Righter on August 2 at The Murie Center, and “Cattle and Conservation” with Pete Simpson and Ken Thomasma on August 28 at the Teton Science Schools, Kelly Campus.

For more information about Humanities Al Fresco!, visit the Wyoming Humanities Council website or call 307-721-9243.

The Alzheimer’s Project
Monday, February 22, 6:00 p.m.
This week features Momentum in Science Part I, followed by a discussion.
Laramie County Library, Cheyenne

Mystery Book Discussions
Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 pm
Register and pick up a copy of the book at the Library’s 2nd floor reference desk.  This month’s book is The Alienist by Caleb Carr.
Natrona County Public Library, Casper

Casper College Humanities Festival
Wednesday, February 24-26
This year’s humanities festival and Demorest Lecture focuses on the ceremony surrounding feasting, gatherings throughout history where people come together to partake of libations and gustatory delights.
Krampert Theater, Casper College

African American Genealogy
Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 p.m.
Cottonwood Room, Laramie County Library, Cheyenne

Mystery Book Discussions
Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 p.m.
Register and pick up a copy of the book at the Library’s 2nd floor reference desk.
Natrona County Public Library, Casper

Meeteetse Book Discussion Group
Wednesday, February 24, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Join us for a discussion of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carolyn Parkhurst. Books will be available for checkout in the library starting one month in advance.
Meeteetse Public Library, Meeteetse

Voices of the Valley: Music Stories
Thursday, February 25, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum’s winter storytelling series presents inspiring tales from local icons whose livelihoods stem from the Jackson Hole landscape. Tonight’s presenters, musicians Terry Yazzolino and Dan Thomasma, will share their most memorable and sometimes unbelievable true stories from their collective six decades, performing music inspired by Yellowstone and the Rocky Mountains. Cost: Free.
Ordway Auditorium, Teton County Library, Jackson

Canine Companions: Cokeville
Thursday, February 25, 7:00 p.m.
A reading discussion series of memoirs about the relationship between man and dog, facilitated by Steve Beck.
Cokeville Branch Library, Cokeville

Frankenstein Film Series
Thursday, February 25, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
In conjunction with Laramie County Community College, which is sponsoring the National Library of Medicine traveling exhibit ”Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature,” LCCC and ACPL present Thursday Thrillers!  This week will be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Albany County Library, Laramie

Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archives
Now on View
These 68 images are highlights from the digital collections of Jack Richard, Charles Belden and the Buffalo Bill Online Archives. The photographers Richard and Belden each captured moments of energy and action in their respective genres. Richard, a photographer from Cody, worked in the Yellowstone area from the 1940s to the 1980s, where his crisp, superbly composed images captured the Western way of life. Belden’s images were taken in the 1920s and 1930s on the legendary Pitchfork Ranch at the base of the spectacular Absaroka Mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming. By photographing cowboys and cattle against this spectacular backdrop, he created some of the classic images of the American West.
The historic photographs taken from the Buffalo Bill Online Archive show the changing face of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) from young man living and working on the frontier to Wild West entrepreneur to aging businessman. Cody has been call one of the most photographed figures of the 19th and early 20th century – and the Buffalo Bill Archive is indeed proof to that claim.
Buffalo Bill Cody Historical Center, Cody

Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Preview
Now on View
Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008
January 30- May 8
Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996 2008 is a small retrospective that features signature works and conveys how the artist has considered and resolved various approaches to integrating video into temporal and spatial experiences.
UW Art Museum, Laramie

Dubois Museum

Check out the variety of humanities events in Wyoming this week!

Tie Hack Tour, Dubois
Monday, July 27: 7:00 PM
Dubois Museum, 909 W. Ramshorn St., Dubois
Museum Education director leads a driving/hiking tour to tie hack ruins on Union Pass.
Meet at the museum at 7 p.m. and be prepared to carpool.

Summer Film Series: The Good, the Bad, and the Grizzly, Jackson
Tuesday, July 28 & Friday, July 31: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
National Museum of Wildlife Art,  Jackson
Screened in partnership with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

Reading Wyoming: Canine Companions, Cheyenne
Thursday, July 30: 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Laramie County Library, Cheyenne

Explorers Club: Hollywood in Wyoming, Casper
Thursday, July 30: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Fort Caspar Museum, Casper
Children learn about Wyoming’s past with stories and hands-on activities. Activity is free with admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  Admission prices are adult $3, Youth (18-13) $2, Child (12 & under) free. No reservation necessary.

Exhibit Opening: It Takes Weather, Water, and Work: Farming in Wyoming, Gillette
Thursday, July 30 – Wednesday, September 30
Campbell County Rockpile Museum, Gillette
Learn about early and modern farming in the state with this traveling exhibit. Topics such as foods harvested by Native Americans, the state’s arid climate, the importance of irrigation, sugarbeets, and modern farming are addressed through photographs, illustrations, and text. Exhibit courtesy of the Wyoming State Museum.

At the same time, it is comforting to know that there’s a brave band of grammarians, scattered across the globe, fighting to maintain some sense of order in the chaotic swirls of English that buffet us to and fro. The great essayist and teacher Joseph Epstein used to say that there is elegance in correctness. I’ve yet to find a better reason to at least think about whether I’m following the rules.

So here is a sampling of my favorite online grammar sites. This list is by no means exhaustive; I only included the ones I think are fun:

My hands-down favorite is The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. Run by Bethany Keeley, a grad student from Athens, Ga., this blog collects and displays signs in public places that misuse quotation marks.

Along the same lines, Literally, A Web Log tracks public misuses of the word “literally.” They’ve found some doozies, though they now seem to be more active on Twitter.

If you prefer your grammar to have a British flair, check out  GrammarBlog. I am indebted to this blog for directing me to a lovely rant about spelling and grammar by David Mitchell of That Mitchell and Webb Look. Marvelous.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Grammar Girl, whose podcasts on English language usage (and their transcriptions, if you’d rather read than listen) are clear, accessible, and memorable.

Finally, if you’ve had enough of thinking about words for now, why not play with them for a while? Deep Leap is an online game that asks you to create words from a panel of letters that slowly appear and (if you don’t use them) disappear. Just don’t let it suck away your entire Friday afternoon…