Middletown Springs Historical Society annual meeting will feature ‘Vermont vs. Hollywood: 100 Years of Vermont in Film’

Sunday, Sept. 18 — MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS — The 53rd annual meeting of the Middletown Springs Historical Society will convene at 2 p.m., on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Historical Society building. Following a dessert buffet there will be a brief business meeting, including a review of the year’s accomplishments and future plans. Guest speaker Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical will give a slide presentation, ‘Vermont vs. Hollywood: 100 Years of Vermont in Film.”

Vermont has been a featured location in Hollywood movies for nearly a century. It has represented many different ideals during that time, and its portrayal reflects both Vermont’s own history as well as American history. Examining those films provides interesting and fun insights into the hold that Vermont has had on our imagination in the media age. Gustin will provide background and share video clips ranging chronologically from 1919’s “Way Down East” to 2005’s “Thank You for Not Smoking.”

Amanda Gustin has been the public programs manager at the Vermont Historical Society since 2012. Prior to that, she was a researcher at the Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston. She has studied military, religious, and women’s history in the medieval period and 19th Century America.

“Vermont vs. Hollywood: 100 Years of Vermont in Film” is a Vermont Humanities program hosted by the Middletown Springs Historical Society, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or Vermont Humanities.

The historical society and museum are located in the Adams House, 10 Park Avenue on the Green in Middletown Springs. The building is accessible. All are welcome. For more information, call David Wright, 802-235-2376 or Pat Hemenway,  802-235-2421.