The Natick Center Cultural District

Walnut Hill Theater Presents: The House of Bernarda Alba
2025-10-18 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-10-19 14:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Keiter Center, 146 Bacon St, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Set in a small Andalusian village just before the outbreak of The Spanish Civil War, The House of Bernarda Alba follows the well-to-do Bernarda and her five unmarried daughters in the days just after her husband’s death. Trapped inside Bernarda’s white-walled house by a combination of their mother’s tyranny, their society’s restrictive gender roles, and their lack of anywhere else to go, the five daughters struggle to imagine futures for themselves and start to fight over the one eligible bachelor left in town, the womanizing Pepe el Romano.
The House of Bernarda Alba will be performed in the Keiter Center for the Arts. Tickets are available at walnuthillarts.org/alba.

TCAN Annual Benefit 2025
2025-10-18 19:30 - 23:00 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
TCAN Benefit 2025 continues a tradition of support for the positive impact the arts have on our community. Proceeds from the Annual Benefit support TCAN’s nonprofit mission to present artistic programming and community outreach initiatives throughout the year. Through subsidized tickets to world-class performances, scholarship opportunities, hosting of local nonprofit events and more, TCAN is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible arts programming that everyone can enjoy. Sponsors and patrons of TCAN Annual Benefit 2025 play an important role in supporting the TCAN mission.
As TCAN celebrates its 28th year as a community-based arts organization, TCAN Benefit 2025 features a performance by acclaimed composer and performing artist Bruce Hornsby.
About Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby has built one of the most diverse, collaborative, and adventurous careers in contemporary music. Drawing from a vast wellspring of American musical traditions, the singer/pianist/composer/bandleader has created a large and accomplished body of work and employed a vast array of stylistic approaches. Throughout this period, Hornsby has maintained the integrity, virtuosity, and artistic curiosity that have been hallmarks of his work from the start. Hornsby and his band The Range’s first album, The Way It Is (1986), was steadily and slowly building in popularity in the U.S. when, in August, the title track exploded on BBC Radio One in England, then Europe, the rest of the world, and finally in the United States.
His three Grammy wins (along with his ten Grammy losses!) typify the diversity of his career: Best New Artist (1986) as leader of Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Best Bluegrass Recording (1989) for a version of his old Range hit “The Valley Road” that appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken Volume Two, and a shared award with Branford Marsalis in 1993 for Best Pop Instrumental for “Barcelona Mona”, a song written and performed for the 1992 Olympic Games.
Visit: brucehornsby.com
Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsors of TCAN Benefit 2025 receive premium seating for the concert, invitations to exclusive pre- and post-show events, special benefits, and recognition for your support. For more information, contact TCAN Development Manager Nicola Anderson at (508) 433-6140.

Annual Diwali Celebration
2025-10-19 10:30 - 12:00 | Common Street Spiritual Center
Annual Diwali Celebration
Songs – Prayers – Art – Reflection
All are welcome to this free special event happening in lieu of Common Street Spiritual Center’s weekly Open Circle.

Sunday, October 19, 2025. 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Common Street Spiritual Center
13 Common Street, Natick, MA 01760

Natick Artists Open Studios
2025-10-19 11:00 - 2025-10-20 17:00 | Natick Center and surrounding locations
This event is Saturday, October 19, 2025, and Sunday, October 20, 2025, from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM each day.
Natick Open Studios is an opportunity for the public to meet and visit with artists living or working in Natick in informal settings to learn about their art and to purchase unique artistic creations directly from the artists.
The Natick Art Association is presently comprised of more than seventy artists working in a broad array of artistic mediums. They include painters, printmakers, sculptors, potters, mosaic artists, jewelers, fiber artists, photographers, and mixed media artists. Many of the organization’s members will participate in this year’s Open Studio weekend.
Traditionally held the third weekend in October, this year marks the 23rd anniversary of this town-wide event. Open studios are held at several group locations in Natick Center and at private studios all across town.
Some artists will offer live demonstrations during the open studio weekend and refreshments will be offered.

Virtual: Taylor Swift Style – Fashion through the Eras
2025-10-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library – 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States
For Taylor Swift, fashion and music go hand-in-hand — each playing a powerful role in shaping the narrative of this generation’s most prolific storyteller. From cowboy boots to teetering heels, fairytale dresses to bleach-tinged tresses, and the many memorable moments in between, learn the fashion story behind every single Taylor Swift album, tracing Swift’s musical evolution along with her ever-changing personal style. Author Sarah Chapelle will deliver a fascinating presentation based on her recent bestselling book, Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras.
This virtual program is presented in collaboration with the Bacon Free Library and the Tewksbury Public Library.
Please register her to receive the Zoom link.

About the Author
Sarah Chapelle, creator of the successful Instagram and blog Taylor Swift Style, has spent more than a decade documenting Swift’s fashion choices and the intention behind each ensemble.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

Virtual: Jane Austen’s Sanditon: From Unfinished Swan Song to British Costume Drama
2025-10-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Bacon Free Library
Join author, former UK resident, and Anglophile Claire Evans for a look at Austen’s final, unfinished manuscript and its path from family heirloom to a fully imagined costume drama, airing on PBS. Learn about the real-life people and locations that informed Austen’s last work before her untimely death at age 41, as well as how the seeds of her ideas came to life on the small screen.
About the Speaker
Claire Evans is an author, former journalist, attorney, and college lecturer who started her love of most things British as she and her mother watched countless Britcoms on PBS. She studied abroad in London and, against the odds, she married a Brit she met in Peoria, Illinois. They lived in England for a number of years. Her business, Tea with Claire, grew from friends asking for travel advice. Her memoir, High Tea and the Low Down, is the true story of what it’s really like to marry a witty Englishman and move to Britain.

This program is hosted by the Bacon Free Library; it will be held on Zoom. Please register to receive the Zoom link via email.

Natick Farmers Market
2025-10-25 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-01 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-08 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-15 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-22 09:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-29 09:00 - 13:00 | Natick Common
The Natick Farmers Market is a year-round program of the Natick Center Cultural District and is open every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.

Visit natickfarmersmarket.org for current location and vendors.
Spring and Summer
Natick Town Common
The intersection of Routes 27 and 135
Natick

Fall and Winter
Common Street Spiritual Center
13 Common Street
Natick

VIRTUAL: Human-ish with Author Justin Gregg
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
Why do we apologize to our cats, feel guilty throwing away childhood toys, or find ourselves bonding with our robot vacuum? Scientist and bestselling author Justin Gregg (If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal) reveals how one of humanity’s oldest psychological quirks secretly influences nearly every decision we make. Drawing on cutting-edge research from his new book Human-ish (Little, Brown, 2025), Justin explores our universal tendency to see human-like qualities in everything around us—and shows how understanding this bias can transform our relationships with animals, technology, and each other.

This program is hosted by the Bacon Free Library in collaboration with Groton Public Library.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK.

Halloween Plant Bingo
2025-10-30 18:30 - 20:30 | The Planted Collective, 37 S Main Street, Natick, 01760, United States
👻 Spooky Bingo Night at Planted Collective 👻
🗓 Thursday, October 30th, 2025
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Planted Collective – 37 S Main St, Natick, MA
Get ready for a night of frightful fun and friendly competition — it’s Spooky Bingo Night at Planted Collective! 🕸️
Join us in-shop for an evening of eerie excitement, ghoulish giggles, and plenty of prizes that’ll make your spirit boo-gie. We’ll have wine, beer, and snacks to keep you fueled through every round — because even ghosts need a little refreshment. 🍷🍺🍿
Whether you come dressed as a wicked witch, a ghostly gardener, or your favorite houseplant, costumes are highly encouraged (and might just earn you a little extra luck). 🌿✨
We’ll provide the bingo cards, the spooky vibes, and maybe even a few tricks and treats along the way. You bring your competitive spirit and your best Halloween energy.
🎃 Tickets are limited, so grab yours before they vanish into the night!
Who’s ready to yell BINGO! …if they dare? 😈

Virtual: Taylor Swift By the Book – The Literature Behind the Lyrics
2025-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
Taylor Swift’s lyrics are filled with literary connections. And who better to enlighten us than the two women who literally wrote the book on it! Join Rachel Feder and Tiffany Tatreau, authors of the recently published Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets, as they highlight the many novels, poems, and plays that influence Taylor’s songwriting. Let a literature professor and a musical theater artist guide you through the Taylor Swift canon—from Shakespeare to the Brontë sisters to Daphne du Maurier.

This virtual program is presented in collaboration with the Tewksbury Public Library.
Please register to receive the Zoom link.

About the Authors
Rachel Feder, the author of five books, is an associate professor of English and literary arts at the University of Denver.
Tiffany Tatreau is an actor, singer, and teaching artist who has starred in various musicals across the country and is best known for her portrayal of Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg in the musical and original cast album Ride the Cyclone.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

Ladies of Laughter
2025-10-31 08:00 - 22:30 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
With a career spanning over two decades, Kelly MacFarland is the 2016 Ladies of Laughter national “Professional” winner. Her infectious charm has captivated audience nationwide and has earned her the coveted title of Best of the Fest at the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival and the first runner up in the prestigious Boston Comedy Festival. Two albums available on iTunes, Amazon, and SiriusXM radio, featured performer at renowned events like the Oddball Comedy Festival, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, National Comedy Center, and the Boston Women in Comedy Festival since its inception. Kelly has even graced television, with appearances on Stand Up in Stilettos, The Today Show, The View, and more. Her talent has been recognized with honors like first place in the professional category of the 2016 Ladies of Laughter. And to top it all off, Kelly graced the incredible lineup of Comics Come Home 25 in 2019, solidifying her status as a comedic legend.
Becky Veduccio is a stand-up comedian, award-winning writer, and accomplished actress. In addition to being trained at Upright Citizens Brigade, The Groundlings, The Magnet Theater and Improvolution she’s acted opposite the likes of Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez. During her 15 years in the business she’s performed internationally from London’s West End Theater to Los Angeles. Notably, she’s been featured on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, advancing to the second round and was a ‘Best Newcomer’ finalist in the Bud Light Ladies Of Laughter competition performing at Madison Square Garden and was a 2021 “Professional” Finalist in this renowned national competition.
Currently, Becky performs regularly at Gotham Comedy Club and the major comedy clubs around NYC. When she’s not performing she’s a professor of comedy at the American Comedy Institute, Improvolution, and a local University. She continues to improvise her way through life – particularly when it comes to her children who she refers to as her greatest productions yet. Nancy O’Connor is the 2024 Ladies of Laughter national competition “Newcomer” runner-up. A regular at most comedy clubs in New York City, Nancy shares tales of life with her 92 year old roommate on the “upper east side” of New York City.
Visit: ladiesoflaughter.org

Art Exhibit: Robin Baratz Original Oil Paintings
2025-11-01 12:00 - 2025-11-30 16:00 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Over the years, Robin Baratz’s style, detail, depth, texture, and color have been lauded by her exhibit sponsors and patrons. Baratz responds instinctively to natural land and water and to the people. She has traveled to capture countrysides, harbors, and cityscapes of the United States, Ireland, Scotland, Europe, and Canada on her canvas. But, no matter what the actual locales, the scenes have broad appeal, reminding us of people and places we remember fondly.
All paintings are available for purchase.

VIRTUAL: The History of the Flying Santa of the Lighthouses 1929-2025
2025-11-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
Since 1929, Flying Santa has visited the men, women, and families of the Coast Guard who keep watch over our coastal waters at USCG stations and lighthouses. The pioneering Maine pilot Bill Wincapaw inaugurated this program and, along with his son Bill, flew for two decades. They recruited Edward Rowe Snow, the popular New England historian and storyteller, to join them; Snow kept the flights going through 1980.
Today, the nonprofit organization Friends of Flying Santa donates thousands of hours each year to ensure the success of the flights that visit the children of Coast Guard families from Maine to New York.
Join Jeremy D’Entremont, historian of the U.S. Lighthouse Society and vice president of Friends of Flying Santa, to learn about the colorful history of the Flying Santa program from 1929 to the present day.
This virtual program is presented in collaboration with the Bacon Free Library and Ashland Public Library.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK.

NOTE: This program will be recorded and available to view on the Ashland Library’s YouTube Channel.

VIRTUAL: Wild Turkeys in Massachusetts with Mass Audubon
2025-11-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
The wild turkey, synonymous with Thanksgiving and iconic within our region, has not always held such a stable place in Massachusetts. There was a time when turkeys were overhunted nearly to the point of extinction. Thanks to a reintroduction program begun in the 1970s, turkeys can now be found throughout the state in urban, rural, and suburban areas.
In this program, Patti Steinman, the education coordinator for Mass Audubon’s Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries, will talk turkey about the nature, history, and conservation needs of these native birds.

This program is offered in collaboration with the Bacon Free Library and the Tewksbury Public Library.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

TCAN Players: Puffs, or, Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
2025-11-07 19:30 - 2025-11-16 14:00 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
The TCAN Players return with their production of PUFFS, or, Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic – a play written by Matt Cox, and directed at TCAN by Danielle Woods.
For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil.
This, however, is not his story.
This is the story of the young wizards of Hufflepuff House… who just happened to be there too.
PUFFS is a play for anyone who has never been destined to save the world! This clever show “never goes more than a minute without a laugh” (Nerdist) giving you a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three potential heroes just trying to place fourth at a very dangerous magic school for kids. Overlooked and underestimated, the Puffs are a perky, well-meaning, loyal group of outsiders with a thing for badgers. Their “hilariously heartfelt!” (Metro) and epic journey takes the classic story to new places and reimagines what a hero can be.
CONTENT ADVISORY
PUFFS, like the source material it parodies, can be considered PG-13. It features some adult language and situations. We leave it up to parents to decide for themselves if this show is right for those under the age of 13, younger wizards may learn some new curses.
Directed by Danielle Woods
Produced by Amanda Greenslet and Dick Mandel
OUR CAST
Wayne Hopkins – Scott Salley (Framingham)
Oliver Rivers – Sophia Kelley (Littleton)
Megan Jones – Emily Isaac (Somerville)
Narrator – Kirsty Vitarelli (Natick)
Ernie Mac, A Certain Potions Teacher – Paul Antico (Cohasset)
First Headmaster, Professor McG – Cathy Merlo (Wellesley)
J Finch Fletchley, Uncle Dave – Liv Tambascio (Boston)
Lianne, Hannah, Ginny – Liv Skerry (Holliston)
Sally Perks, Blondo Malfoy – Tara Boudreau (Brighton)
Susie Bones, Harry, Colin – Camryn Hafner (Somerville)
Cedric, Mr Voldy – Jessica Moss (Newtonville)
Hannah, Ensemble – Ann Springer (Natick)
Helga, Ensemble – Ellis Lennon (Hopkinton)
PERFORMANCES
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 7:30pm
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 7:30pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 | 2:00pm
Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 7:30pm
Friday, November 14, 2025 | 7:30pm
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 7:30pm
Sunday, November 16, 2025 | 2:00pm

Virtual: The Life and Career of Meryl Streep
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
Acting careers rarely reach the trajectory of Meryl Streep, a 21-time Academy Award nominee and 3-time winner. From frothy musicals like Mamma Mia! to sober dramas like Sophie’s Choice and Doubt, enjoy a look at the life and career of this “screen queen” who shows no signs of slowing down.
This program will be led by Frank Mandosa, a film historian and Massachusetts high school film and English teacher. Frank is also the host of Reels of Cinema podcast and co-host of the Movies Across The Pod podcast.
This program is offered in collaboration between the Bacon Free Library and the Tewksbury Public Library.
REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM LINK.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: The Tewksbury Public Library does not discriminate on the basis of disability and is committed to providing a reasonable modification to participate in our events, services or documentation. Contact Director Diane Giarrusso at 978-640-4490 or dgiarrusso@tewksbury-ma.gov at least two weeks before an event to arrange for modification, or at any time you need accessible documents.

Virtual: History Book Club
2025-11-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Natick Historical Society Museum
If you enjoy reading and talking about history, check out the history book club hosted by the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society. Each discussion, led by the director of the Natick Historical Society, is held over Zoom, so you can join from the comfort of your home. Copies of each book (regular print, large print, & audio) are available to check out from the Bacon Free Library. Or you may order your own copy if you prefer to pick up at another library.

This month, join us for a virtual discussion of The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the origins of American identity by Jill Lepore.
King Philip’s War, the excruciating racial war—colonists against Indigenous peoples—that erupted in New England in 1675, was, in proportion to population, the bloodiest in American history… Telling the story of what may have been the bitterest of American conflicts, and its reverberations over the centuries, Lepore has enabled us to see how the ways in which we remember past events are as important in their effect on our history as were the events themselves. – Penguin Random House

For details on how to attend this virtual meeting via Zoom, please contact director@natickhistoricalsociety.org
The Zoom link to the discussion will be sent at a later date.

Eyes on Owls: an Interactive Wildlife Program
2025-11-15 13:00 - 14:00 | First Congregational Church
Marcia and Mark Wilson have thrilled audiences of all ages with their live owl presentations for the past 30 years. It’s New England’s favorite wildlife program! This lively couple introduces you to 6 live owls up close and personal. Marcia brings the owls out one by one. Each bird is safely perched on her glove as she walks close to everyone, providing intimate views of these secretive birds of prey. And, everyone gets to practice the owls’ calls during the hooting lessons. The Wilsons highlight the owls’ unique adaptations, habitats and behaviors in the wild, while sharing tips on how you can look for owls yourself. Questions are welcomed. Recommended for ages 6+. Mark Wilson is the author of award-winning children’s books: Owling and The Snowy Owl Scientist.”Tickets:Tickets $7 from Eventbrite advance ticket sales only, fees applyFollow this link for ticket purchase.

Singing Back the Buffalo – a streaming documentary film
2025-11-17 09:30 - 17:00 | Bacon Free Library – 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States
Indigenous visionaries, scientists and communities are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signaling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and our collective survival.
This film is brought to you in collaboration with the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society.
Please register on the BFL website to view the film. You will receive the link to screen the film on November 17th. The link will be good through December 1st.

Virtual: Fact & Fiction: The Art of British Spycraft
2025-11-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Bacon Free Library – 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 United States
Delve into modern British spy novels and the real-life characters and circumstances that inspired countless plot twists with author, former UK resident, and Anglophile Claire Evans. In this program, Claire will recount her visit to Bletchley Park, the once top-secret hub of codebreakers vital to Allied intelligence during WWII.
This program will be held on Zoom. Please register on the Bacon Free Library website to receive the Zoom link via email.

Abra-Kid-abra!
2025-11-22 11:00 - 12:00 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Mike Bent’s AbraKidabra is an exciting and fun comedy magic show developed especially for kids and families. The show combines amazing magic, big laughs, audience participation and hilarious surprises for a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience. In addition to being a Boston-area favorite, Mike has done shows all over the country and around the world. He has performed at the White House in Washington D.C. ten times, and was the warm-up act for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House Easter Egg Roll. The official White House program called Mike “one of the most creative and imaginative people in magic”.
Mike is also a featured performer at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle. As a performer, teacher and dad, Mike knows how to use comedy and magic to entertain, educate and motivate children.
Visit: abrakidabra.com

Peter Mulvey
2025-11-22 20:00 - 22:30 | The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur, and almost-poet since before he can remember. In 1989 he spent a year in Ireland, busking on the streets of Dublin and hitchhiking to whatever gigs he could find. Back stateside, he spent a couple years gigging through the bars of his native Midwest before taking off for Boston, where he returned to subway busking and coffeehouses. Small shows led to larger shows, which eventually led to regional and then national touring. The wheels have not stopped since.
Twenty albums, one illustrated book, thousands of live performances, a TEDx talk, a decades-long association with the National Youth Science Camp, opening tours and gigs for luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown, Emmylou Harris and Chuck Prophet, appearances on NPR, an annual autumn tour by bicycle, emceeing festivals, hosting his own Lamplighter Sessions for years in Boston and in Wisconsin… he has built his life’s work on collaboration, on an instinct for the eclectic and the vital.
Visit: petermulvey.com

VIRTUAL: Discussing “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” with author Becky Libourel Diamond
2025-11-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
Have you ever tasted a sugar plum? You’ve likely heard of them–thanks to the famous holiday poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore–but do you know what a sugar plum is? You may be surprised to find out that they are not sugar-dusted plums (they are small, oval hard candies). This Gilded Age holiday sweet was pushed to the back of the pantry as America moved into the 20th century.
Join author Becky Libourel Diamond as she discusses her new book, The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era, with all of the details that will go straight to your foodie heart. The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook bridges the past and present, bringing back sugar plums and other confections not typically found in modern cookbooks, while revisiting some beloved favorites.
Please note that this is a discussion and NOT a cooking demo.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK.

About the Book
With origins that date back to the 19th century and even earlier, the recipes in The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook have been adapted for today’s ingredients and appliances, allowing cooks to recreate them in their own modern kitchens. Each recipe provides a colorful glimpse into the era, featuring the fascinating history behind each cookie, its ingredients, and its baking methods. There are also sidebars throughout, offering tidbits of Christmas lore of the era.
About the Author
A food writer, librarian, and historian, Becky Libourel Diamond has had a varied career combining writing and research. In The Thousand Dollar Dinner, Becky tells the unique story of a 19th century “Top Chef”-style competition between Philadelphia restauranteur James Parkinson and the Delmonico family of New York. In Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s First Cooking School, Becky offers a delicious profile of a successful 19th century pastry chef who also ran an innovative cooking school for young women.

VIRTUAL: The Impact of 500 Years of Colonialism on the Abenaki and Wabanki Tribes with Anne Jennison
2025-11-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library
The “People of the Dawnland” (Abenaki/Wabanaki) of New Hampshire and the Northeast are the first Indigenous peoples in North America to have had contact with Europeans. In this presentation, Anne Jennison examines how European colonization of North America impacted generations of Abenaki/Wabanaki people and highlights the ways in which the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples have acted as agents of their own change through education, self-advocacy, and efforts to revitalize their languages and traditional arts, as well as by working with archeologists, anthropologists, and scientists to recover and reveal more about their history and traditional knowledge.
This program is offered in collaboration with the Bacon Free Library, the Groton Public Library, and the Natick Historical Society.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE ZOOM LINK.

About the Speaker
Anne Jennison is a traditional Native American storyteller and historian of European and Abenaki heritage. While Anne’s storytelling skills have been polished by more than 30 years of experience sharing Indigenous lesson stories with audiences of all kinds, she also believes that her growth and development as a human being has been deeply influenced by internalizing the content of the Northeastern lesson stories that she tells. With Master Degrees in both storytelling and history, Anne also brings a wealth of cultural and historical knowledge to enrich her retelling of timeless Northeast Woodlands Native American stories. Anne is listed on the New Hampshire Traditional Artists Roster as a traditional Native American storyteller & craftsperson and now also has two presentation programs available through the Humanities To Go, a program offered by NH Humanities.
Additionally, Anne is the current Vice Chair of the NH Commission on Native American Affairs and is also a member of the the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, an Affiliate Faculty member for the University of New Hampshire Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Minor, and a co-creator of the “People of the Dawnland” interpretive exhibit about the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. Anne continues to act as a consultant for the museum’s ongoing Abenaki Heritage Initiative — a plan to develop and sustain exhibits and events at Strawbery Banke Museum that focus on the history and culture of the Abenaki, Indigenous peoples of New Hampshire and the Northeast, both past and present.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.
