2009 Distinguished Speakers Series
Lectures are Free of Charge
Main Street Landing
The following performances are at the Film House at Main Street Landing’s Performing Arts Center (Lake and College Streets) • Free of Charge • Get Directions
During the Burlington International Festival Week July 5-12, we’re thrilled to report that working with our friends at Main Street Landing, LCMM will present a week of exciting programs and speakers in Burlington.
Throughout the month of July,
LCMM’s special exhibition
Discover 1609 at Main Street Landing
will be located at the Main Street Landing
Union Station, and will encapsulate
Lake Champlain’s rich maritime
history, shipwrecks, and stories.
Free of Charge.
Sunday July 5, 7pm & July 11, 9pm |
Atlantic Crossing and Friends Concert
Atlantic Crossing thrills audiences with traditional songs and acoustic instrumental music from New England, the Celtic British Isles, and Canada. The band teams up with LCMM Director Art Cohn for a multi-media show with vivid stories, rare early images, and songs of Lake Champlain.
Monday July 6, 7pm
Lake Champlain: A Natural History
Mike Winslow, Staff Scientist, Lake Champlain Committee
The Quadricentennial gives us a chance to consider the lake not only as a cultural and historic resource but also as a natural resource which we all must steward. Join us for an exploration of the forces that shape Lake Champlain and the creatures that call it home with special focus on issues that affect the lake and how you can make a difference for its future.
Tuesday July 7, 7pm
An Alternative View of the French Discovery of Lake Champlain
Frederick M. Wiseman, PhD, Johnson State College
Dr. Wiseman will share new data and interpretations on the French arrival in the Champlain Basin, and illustrate, through video and artifacts, how Champlain’s expedition can be viewed as originating in the foreign policy of a little-known Native American alliance.
Wednesday July 8, 7pm
Revolutionary War in the Champlain Valley
Arthur Cohn, Director, LCMM
Join Art Cohn for a memorable tour of Lake Champlain’s tumultuous Revolutionary War years, Benedict Arnold’s heroic actions, and the stories shipwrecks tell of this pivotal chapter in Lake Champlain history that helped define the nation.
Thursday July 9, 7pm
Adventures of Canal Schooner Lois McClure
Erick Tichonuk, LCMM Replica Coordinator
First Mate Erick Tichonuk shares his experiences aboard replica canal schooner Lois McClure. With 2,000 miles under her keel and 100,000 visitors walking her deck there are many stories to tell. Historic and modern photographs illustrate the exploits of schooners old and new.
Friday July 10, 7pm
Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain
Adam Kane, LCMM Nautical Archaeologist
Hear Lake Champlain’s most harrowing shipwreck stories from the Revolutionary War to the present day. With over 300 wrecks in its dark, cold waters, Lake Champlain has witnessed feats of heroism and terrible tragedies. A memorable tour of what lies beneath the waves told through slides, drawings, and video.
Basin Harbor Location • Get Directions.
Thursday, June 4, 7pm
Lake Studies: Meditations on Lake Champlain
Daniel Lusk, Poet and Professor, University of Vermont
Poet Daniel Lusk (Kissing the Ground: New & Selected Poems) presents a cycle of original poems based on what lies beneath the surface of Lake Champlain. Natural and human history, legend and lore, shipwrecks, prehistoric relics, and ancient species are among the subjects of this poet’s new work.
Sunday, July 12, 7pm
All about Bio-Acoustics: What is in Lake Champlain?
Elizabeth von Muggenthaler, Director of the Fauna Communications Research Institute
Elizabeth von Muggenthaler will present research on animal communications and, in particular, her findings of echolocation in Lake Champlain. Echolocation is used for finding food, obstacles to avoid and for communication. The only known aquatic animals that echolocate are dolphins and whales. In 2003, Fauna Communications found the first evidence of freshwater lake echolocation. The echolocation signal under analysis is similar to beluga whale, dolphin and killer whale echolocation, yet different enough so that they cannot make a positive identification. Using advanced acoustic equipment it was found that the three different creatures recorded in Lake Champlain were approximately 15 feet long, and trolled at 5 knots.
Thursday August 6, 7 pm
Lighthouses of Lake Champlain and New York
Rick Tuers,
Photographer & Author
Rick Tuers, author of Lighthouses of New York, will share fascinating stories about lighthouses and their keepers: heroic rescues, family life, the challenges of engineering and construction, and the fate of lost beacons. Relighting of the Crown Point Lighthouse will be a Legacy Project during the 2009 Quadricentennial Celebration.
Thursday, September 3, 7pm
Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home
Giovanna Peebles, VT Division for Historic Preservation
VT State Archaeologist, Giovanna Peebles takes us on a journey of discovery, from the Vikings' first recorded encounters with North America's Indigenous people, to the European pioneers along Addison County's shore. The two-year Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery project reminded us of many little-known parts of our history that led up to Samuel de Champlain's lake journey in 1609 and that grew out of that voyage. The role of the region's Indigenous people will be highlighted throughout this program on our history, myths and forgotten stories.
Thursday, October 1, 7pm
Lake Champlain:
A Natural History
Mike Winslow,
Lake Champlain Committee
Join Mike Winslow, scientist and author of the recently published Lake Champlain: A Natural History, for an exploration of the forces that shape Lake Champlain and the creatures that call it home. He will explore the changes that occur in the lake as the seasons shift from long summer days to cold autumn nights.
Lectures are Free of Charge
Group Tours for Adults at Basin Harbor
Visitors boarding the
replica gunboat Philadelphia II.
We offer several guided tour options. Subject areas can include the Revolutionary War in the Champlain Valley, Nautical Archaeology, and Boatbuilding. Tours generally last an hour and a half, with time afterwards to explore on your own. We offer self-guided groups an introduction to the exhibits, and then let you explore the site at your own pace.
Our facility houses two meeting spaces and a new 100-seat auditorium perfect for presentations. We also have a picnic area and cool drinks in the museum store. If you’re ready for lunch, head across the street to the Red Mill Restaurant at the Basin Harbor Club.
Our programming is flexible; please call to discuss how we can best accommodate your group.
Pricing
Groups of 10+: $8
Registration is required.