Attleboro – Happening this week!
ATTLEBORO – The history of whaling in New England will come alive on Saturday, Sept. 21, in a talk by James Russell at the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum.
JAMES RUSSELL
Russell is the executive director of the Nantucket Historical Association, and past head of The New Bedford Whaling Museum and The Attleboro Arts Museum.
His talk, “A Brief History of New England Whaling,” is 1-2:30 p.m. and part of the NEA Big Read: Attleboro celebration of the book “In the Heart of the Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick.
The book tells the story of a whaling crew struggling to survive after their ship is sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean.
Russell will delve into Nantucket’s unique location and the whaling industry’s social, economic and environmental impact as Yankee whalers traveled around the globe.
The Big Read celebration kicks off next week with a panel discussion, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, at the Attleboro Public Library at 74 North Main Street.
Panelists are retired teacher & book club historian, Audrey Craig; Bishop Feehan High School media specialist Tricia Svendsen; and author and illustrator Leo Landry, who is the book buyer for An Unlikely Story in Plainville. Moderating is Kathy Hickman, former book columnist for The Sun Chronicle.
Join these passionate readers on a deep dive into some of their favorite titles for all ages, each selection inspired by the themes of this year’s NEA Big Read title, Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea. Those themes include adventure, risk, adversity, overcoming obstacles, leadership, faith and hope.
While at the Library, be sure to pick up your tickets for this year’s Finale Dinner Celebration, prepared and served by the Culinary Arts students in Attleboro High School’s Blue Pride Café.
For a $10 donation to the school, you can enjoy a multi-course, sea-themed dinner on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale on Monday, Sept. 23 at the front desk of the library.
STEVE KIRK
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, 7-8 p.m. at the Attleboro Public Library, as part of Climate Change Preparedness Week, an effort of Communities Responding to Extreme Weather, join Steve Kirk, Coastal Program Manager at the international organization, The Nature Conservancy, for a conversation on ocean conservation. Registration is recommended but not required.
The Sept. 26 free screening of the Hollywood film “In the Heart of the Sea” based on the book at Route One Cinema Pub on East Washington Street in North Attleboro is now full.
Be sure to register for author Nathaniel Philbrick’s talk on Thursday, October 3 at 7 p.m. at Bishop Feehan High School (70 Holcott Dr, Attleboro).
Seats are filling up!
To help fund Big Read programming, Attleboro’s 1ABC Committee has received a $15,000 NEA Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Also contributing funding for the two months of events in September and October are Bristol County Savings Bank, the Attleboro Cultural Council, Friends of Attleboro Public Library, Rotary Club of Attleboro and the Trustees of the Attleboro Public Library.
NEA Big Read: Attleboro partners include the Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, Attleboro Area Interfaith Collaborative, Attleboro Council on Aging, Attleboro Land Trust, Attleboro Public Library, Attleboro Public Schools, Attleboro YMCA, Bishop Feehan High School, Bristol Community College, DoubleACS, The Literacy Center, The Sun Chronicle and Wheaton College.
For more information and to register for events, visit attleboros1abc.org or call the Attleboro Public Library at 508-222-0157.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
It encourages residents of a community to read the same book at the same time and enhance the shared experience through local arts and culture activities.