Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

Mon, 09/03/2018 - 8:15am

Back to school

If you grew up in New England than you know the crisp fall air is synonymous with the excitement (or maybe trepidation!) of going back to school. There must be something in the air that stimulates the brain around this time. As you watch the kids and grandkids go back to school you may find yourself jealous of their opportunity. Fear not! BHML is here for you. We have scheduled three talks to ring in the fall for us grownups. We welcome Mark Alan Leslie for two talks on his historical novels; and Bill Mook of Mook Sea Farm to discuss effects on aquaculture in Maine. Here’s to lifelong learning.

“Finding the Path to Sustainability and Resiliency on an Oyster Farm,” Wednesday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m., Great Room.

Join Bill Mook, owner of Mook Sea Farm for a discussion on the intersection between business and science as it applies to aquaculture and climate change.

Mr. Mook will explain how Mook Sea Farm grows their oysters from egg to market size; and he will also discuss the environmental changes that cost farmers now and threaten our future.   He will describe the steps Mook Sea Farm is taking to avoid risk, take advantage of business opportunities afforded to us by climate change, and help push America towards a clean energy future. Bill will educate attendees about the effects of ocean acidification; his expertise inspired when he discovered a troubling link between productivity losses and precipitation events at his farm.

“Maine Burning: The Ku Klux Klan Invasion,” Wednesday, Sept. 19, 6 p.m. Great Room.

The state of Maine and the Ku Klux Klan. Improbable as it sounds, the KKK took root in Maine in the 1920s. This shocking time in Maine’s history, omitted from history textbooks for nearly 100 years, will be explored and discussed by author Mark Alan Leslie.

“Maine Tracks: The Underground Railroad in Maine,” Wednesday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., Great Room.

From Kittery to Fort Fairfield, Mainers conspired together to break the law — the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 — forming a network of “safe houses,” hiding slaves from slave hunters and scurrying them to Canada. Mark Alan Leslie will weave the tale of the brave families, including those from Augusta eastward, who housed and fed slaves in hidden rooms, attics and elsewhere en route to the next secret “way station” in the “railroad.”