February 26, 2010
- May 31, 2010
For three months, book discussion groups, lectures, film screenings, and other special events will feature “Longfellow’s Great Heroes and Legends”—the stories of Paul Revere, Evangeline, Hiawatha, and Miles Standish. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sudbury Foundation, the goal of the programming is to promote the reading of great poetry as a worthy pastime for everyone in the community.
Metrowest organizations hosting Longfellow-related activities include the Goodnow Library in Sudbury, the Marlborough Library, the Marlborough Schools, the Sudbury Senior Center, Framingham Adult ESL, and Garden in the Woods.
Guest lecturers will come from the Maine Historical Society, the Maine Humanities Council, the John Alden House in Duxbury, MA, the Paul Revere House in Boston, and the Boston Wedgwood Society.
Visit the Longfellow Big Read website for more information. Follow the Big Read on Facebook (Longfellow Big Read) and Twitter (@readlongfellow).
Read the February 4 Sudbury Town Crier article about all the upcoming Big Read activities.
Read Longfellow resource materials developed by the National Endowment of the Arts.
Listen to the NEA Big Read's Longfellow Radio Show.
March 16, 2010
Date and time: Tuesday, March 16 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a powerful figure in the cultural life of nineteenth century America, the most popular American poet of his day. He was born in Portland, Maine in 1807, and his boyhood home continues to attract visitors from all over the country and the world. In this talk, Carolin Collins, Director of Education at the Maine Historical Society, will explore the ways in which the city of Portland and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow influenced each other, while showing slides of the home Longfellow grew up in and the city as he knew it.
Carolin will refer to a few of Longfellow's poems in the talk, including his best known poem about his fondness for Portland My Lost Youth.
Read these other poems to prepare: The Lighthouse and The Ropewalk.
Free and open to the public.
This 1829 painting of Henry is by the artist Thomas Badger and shows him in his professor's robes, having just started teaching at Bowdoin College. He was about 22 at the time. Image courtesy of the Maine Historical Society.
March 17, 2010
Join us for a traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage luncheon or dinner, and enjoy some of the best Celtic music performed by local favorites "Mulligan's Fancy."
Full lunch and dinner menus are available throughout the day, or choose Irish "boiled dinner" for only $9.95 at lunch and $14.95 at dinner.
The Wayside Inn has the look and feel of the age-old, post-and-beam establishments of Ireland, and is guaranteed to be the perfect place to warm your heart and feed your soul this St. Patty's Day! Reservations required • (978) 443-1776.
March 17, 2010
Date and time: Wednesday, March 17 at 7pm
Location: Goodnow Library
The story of the forced relocation of the French-speaking Acadians from their farms in Nova Scotia in 1755. Thousands of Acadians were sent south in prison ships in one of the most brutal events in the colonization of North America. Join us for a viewing and discussion of this 2004 Canadian Broadcasting Corp. documentary. Free and open to the public.
March 21, 2010
Sunday, 12:00pm to 4:00pm
$10 per person at the door
2-for-1 admission when you register in advance!
Visit the Wayside Inn Bridal and Fashion Show Website.
30 vendors representing a variety of specialties, all exhibiting in the historic Wayside Inn from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.
Then join us for a Fashion Show in the scenic Martha Mary Chapel from 3:00pm-4:00pm, featuring the latest bridal fashions.
Join us for complimentary hors d'ouevres, door prizes throughout the day, access to many of the areas top vendors, and everything else that you'll need to plan your special day!
Limited seating for 140 registrants is available for the Fashion Show portion of the day, so call to reserve your spot today. The Bridal Show has unlimited capacity, allowing you to organize your day the way you want!
Call 978/443-1776 x102 to speak with Kathy Quinton, Director of Sales, to register for this exciting New England event!
The Wayside Inn will honor tickets to the fake Boston Bridal Show that was scheduled for the weekend of March 6 for the first 250 people who can provide proof that they had pre-purchased tickets to the Boston event. Read the Metrowest Daily News about the Inn's offer.
March 23, 2010
Date and time: Tuesday, March 23 at 7pm
Location: Wayside Inn
Discussion: Longfellow's Greatest Hits: The Best of Paul Revere, Evangeline, Hiawatha, and Miles Standish
Join us as we read excerpts of Longfellow's four great narrative poems in preparation for Friday night's dinner theatre production by the Sudbury Savoyards.
Free and open to the public.
To prepare for this and future book discussions:
1. Get a free anthology to read when you attend a Longfellow Big Read event. You will also receive a free NEA Reader's Guide about Longfellow.
2. Read Longfellow resource materials developed by the National Endowment of the Arts.
3. Listen to the NEA Big Read's Longfellow Radio Show.
March 26, 2010
Friday, 6:15pm • $69 per person all-inclusive • Reservations required 978/443-1776
A first-ever evening of fine food and great theatre, featuring Longfellow's greatest stories of drama, love, and tragedy — including the quest for love by some of our most memorable literary characters: Hiawatha, Evangeline, and John and Priscilla Alden.
Reception 6:15
Champagne • Assorted cheeses and fruit
Dinner Theatre 7:00
Firestone Chardonnay
Salad of mixed greens with apples, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese
Napa Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Roast Sliced Tenderloin of Beef with Baked Stuffed Shrimp
Mashed Redskin Potatoes
Fresh Asparagus with Lemon
Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
March 29, 2010
Date and time: Monday, March 29 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
Discussion: Pilgrims and Patriots: Paul Revere's Ride and The Courtship of Miles Standish
Free and open to the public.
April 6, 2010
Longfellow Big Read Event sponsored by the Wayside Inn
Date and time: Tuesdays April 6, April 13, and April 20, 2:00-3:00pm
Location: Sudbury Senior Center
Lectures and discussion about Longfellow's life and great narrative tales led by Longfellow biographer Charles Calhoun.
Space is limited. Please call the Sudbury Senior Center at 978/443-3055 to register.
April 6, 2010
Date and time: Tuesday, April 6 4:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
Discussion: Longfellow's Greatest Hits
Sit by the fire in one of the old rooms at the Inn, to discuss Longfellow's life and poems with Longfellow biographer Charles Calhoun. Tea menu will be available. Seating is limited. By reservation only at 978/443-1776.
April 8, 2010
Longfellow Big Read Film Event
Date and time: Thursday, April 8 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
We are pleased to be hosting the screening of this rare film in honor of one of the Inn's most illustrious visitors, Thomas Edison--a close friend of the Wayside Inn's last private owner, Henry Ford. A little marvel for its time, this 14-minute film is one of a series of movies Thomas Edison made about significant historic events because he believed in the future educational potential of film. Join Pat Leehey, Research Director at the Paul Revere House in Boston for the viewing and talk about the myth and reality of the events depicted both in the Longfellow poem and Edison film.
Free and open to the public.
Photo from left to right: Mina Edison, Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, Alice Longfellow, Henry and Clara Ford in the Front Parlor of the Wayside Inn in 1924.
April 13, 2010
Date and time: Tuesday, April 13 4:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
Discussion: Longfellow's Greatest Hits, including The Song of Hiawatha
Sit by the fire in one of the old rooms at the Inn, to discuss Longfellow's life and poems with Longfellow biographer Charles Calhoun. Discussion will include preparation for Michael Maglaras' dramatic reading of the Song of Hiawatha, Sunday April 18th at the Martha-Mary Chapel at the Wayside Inn.
Tea menu will be available. Seating is limited. By reservation only at 978/443-1776.
April 13, 2010
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 13 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Marlborough Public Library
Discussion: Longfellow's Greatest Hits, including The Song of Hiawatha
Lecture and discussion with Longfellow biographer Charles Calhoun in preparation for Michael Maglaras' dramatic reading of the Song of Hiawatha, Sunday April 18th at the Martha-Mary Chapel at the Wayside Inn.
Free and open to the public.
April 14, 2010
Date and time:Wednesday, April 14 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
A relative by marriage to the Wedgwoods, Longfellow's influence was so extensive that his greatest works have been immortalized on a series of plates issued by the renowned English china manufacturer starting in the early 1900s. Ron Frazier of the Boston Wedgwood Society will speak on the Longfellow plates and the history of the Wedgwood Company.
Free and open to the public.
Photo of the Song of Hiawatha Plate, 1950; Verse on the back of the plate starts: Many things Nokomis taught him ...
April 15, 2010
The Grist Mill will open for the season in mid-April 2010. The Wayside Inn's water-powered Grist Mill opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1929 and is still used to grind the corn and wheat used for baking at the Wayside Inn. Open April through November, Wednesday through Sunday from 9AM to 5PM. Staffed by a trained interpreter, with grinding demonstrations on weekends. Call ahead advised.
April 16, 2010
Friday, 6:00pm, $60.00 per person, all inclusive. By advance registration at 978/443-1776.
6:00pm - Assorted Cheese Reception, featuring The Glenlivet, aged 12-years.
6:45pm - Smoked Salmon with Traditional Garnishes & Pita Chips featuring French Oak Reserve, aged 15-years; Assorted Field Greens with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Pecans featuring Nadurra, aged 16-years; 20 oz.Grilled Porterhouse Steak with Au Poivre Sauce, Fingerling Potatoes, and Fresh Asparagus featuring The Glenlivet, aged 18-years; Chocolate Brownie Bread Pudding featuring Archive, aged 21-years.
Featured speaker Richard Crawford, known as “The Glenlivet Ambassador,” harbors an unparalleled devotion and fondness for The Glenlivet and was officially appointed its ambassador in 2005. Inspired by both his father and uncle who have been in the Scotch Whiskey warehousing business for more than 25 years, Crawford completed a Master's Class at The Glenlivet Distillery to further his knowledge of what he refers to as the "water of life." In 2009, Crawford appeared at the Speyside Whiskey Awards, where visitors from around the world judged The Glenlivet Nadurra the best 13 to 20-year-old single malt whiskey.
Presented in conjunction with Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits.
April 18, 2010
Date and time: Sunday, April 18 4:00pm
Location: Martha-Mary Chapel at the Wayside Inn
In honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Michael Maglaras recorded "The Song of Hiawatha" in its entirety in Longfellow's hometown of Portland, Maine with a soundtrack of more than 1,000 pieces of Native American music, sound effects, and music by French composer Maurice Ravel.
This special event at the Inn will feature Mr. Maglaras reading excerpts of the poem with sound effects. For a preview of this remarkable performance listen to excerpts from the 2007 recording.
In a special encore, Maglaras will also perform Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride, commemorating the significance of the 18th of April and the 150th anniversary of the publishing of this poem.
Listen to Michael Maglaras reading "Paul Revere's Ride."
Watch a You Tube interview of Michael explaining his interest in reviving and recording the poem.
More about Michael Maglaras: Michael Maglaras has already had more careers than most people have in a lifetime. Trained as an opera singer in the United States and Europe, he has performed widely as a singer and opera director. Maglaras is the founder of 217 Records and 217 Films, both of which are devoted to creating works that celebrate the American artistic experience.
April 19, 2010
A family event with a lavish breakfast buffet and short talk about Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow biographer Charles Calhoun.
Check back for more details to come.
April 19, 2010
Starting at old Sudbury Center in front of the Grange, this volunteer re-enactment group traces the original steps taken by the Sudbury Militia of April 19th, 1775, when they were led by Lt. Col. and innkeeper Ezekiel Howe to the battle that began the Revolutionary War!
April 21, 2010
- September 22, 2010
Every Wednesday, beginning at 7PM, through Wednesday, September 22nd. The Ancient Order of Fife and Drum perform traditional Colonial music dating from the 18th and early 19th century, on the lawn in front of the Wayside Inn. Come and enjoy a traditional dinner of classic New England cuisine and watch the costumed musicians until dusk. Call ahead advised.
April 28, 2010
Date and time: Wednesday, April 28. 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Wayside Inn
James Baker, historian and former Director of the Alden House in Duxbury, MA will discuss the Miles Standish legend, its earlier manifestations, the best-seller status of the poem, and how the poem influenced the romantic representation of the Pilgrim Story from 1859, when the first illustrated editions appeared, through the 1950s.
Free and open to the public.
May 2, 2010
Date and time: Sunday, May 2 1:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
A fun day of family activities, including dramatic readings of Longfellow's Hiawatha and Evangeline, a concert with Native American flute, and a scavenger hunt for herbs and plants commonly used by Native American Indians.
Hiawatha's Departure, Albert Bierstadt, 1868. (And the evening sun descending / Set the clouds on fire with redness ... )
May 11, 2010
Date and time: May 11, 2010 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Marlborough Public Library, Marlborough, MA
Discussion: The Courtship of Miles Standish
Free and open to the public.
May 15, 2010
- May 16, 2010
$10 General admission Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm
Forty-four well-known dealers from around the country will exhibit and sell "the best of their best." The Antiques Show and Sale will be the most significant fund raising endeavor in the Wayside Inn's nearly 300-year history.
Join us under the grand, canopy tent on Friday, May 14 for a special Preview Party beginning at 5:30pm, featuring fine wines, champagne and delicious appetizers—not to mention the opportunity to survey fresh inventory from a variety of top-notch dealers!
Advance registration required for Preview Party. Presenting Sponsor: Skinner, Inc., auctioneers and appraisers. Show manager: Diana H. Bittel.
Proceeds benefit the Wayside Inn Historic Site.
Please consider becoming a Sponsor of this historic event. Sponsor and Preview Information Packet
May 17, 2010
A classic New England one-room school, dating from 1798 and once part of the public school system in Sterling, Massachusetts. Staffed by trained interpreter with information pertaining to the schooling traditions of rural New England towns in the late 18th and early 19th century. Open mid May through mid October, Thursday through Sunday from 11:30AM to 5PM. Call ahead advised.
May 28, 2010
Date and time: May 28, 2010 7:00pm
Location: Barely Read Books, 320 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
Discussion: The Courtship of Miles Standish
Free and open to the public.
June 19, 2010
Saturdays starting June 19th, 2010
10am—2pm
A traditional summertime market in the South Field, featuring locally grown foods.
Vendors who are interested in participating may do so by advance registration only.
Contact Kathy Quinton at 978/443-1776 x102 or sales@wayside.org for more information.
July 6, 2010
Tuesdays July 6, 13, 20, 27
Annual fundraising concert series performed in the air-conditioned Martha Mary Chapel, with optional home-made strawberry shortcake served at intermission. Four Tuesday evenings in July, featuring family-friendly entertainment from throughout the region. Take advantage of the concert dinner package and join us for dinner at the Wayside Inn before the show. Performers, tickets, and package prices to be announced. Tickets go on sale Monday, May 3rd. 978/ 443-1776 for more information.
July 14, 2010
Wednesday, 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Join us under the Wayside Inn's festive canopy tent for free entertainment and family fun. A cash bar and delicious Wayside Inn barbeque will be available during this summertime family favorite. The Ancient Order of Fife and Drum will provide dramatic entertainment for visitors, with additional special musical entertainment to be announced! Reservations are not required. Come as you are, but bring your appetite and your dancing shoes!
July 22, 2010
Thursday
Be sure to check back for more details on this wonderful first-ever event at the Inn!
July 28, 2010
Wednesday, 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Join us under the Wayside Inn's festive canopy tent for free entertainment and family fun. A cash bar and delicious Wayside Inn barbeque will be available during this summertime family favorite. The Ancient Order of Fife and Drum will provide dramatic entertainment for visitors on each Wednesday, with additional special musical entertainment to be announced! Reservations are not required. Come as you are, but bring your appetite and your dancing shoes!
August 13, 2010
Friday, 6:30pm -10:30pm, Longfellow’s Wayside Inn Canopy Tent
Featuring the finest craft beers and foods from New England, the south, the west coast, and the south western United States! An “all you can eat” extravaganza featuring bottled beers at just $3 each and LIVE entertainment!
Advance ticket purchase required. Tickets available June 1st at the Wayside Inn or Kappy’s Liquors in Sudbury, just $25 each!
