The Bradford County Historical Society will host a program entitled "Bluelady Sings the Civil War" scheduled for Friday, July 15, 2011 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Although the event is free to attend, participants are asked to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com.
The Civil War lasted for four long years, and during these years, numerous songs and ballads were composed. While many documents and artifacts of the Civil War have not survived, most of the music played and enjoyed during that period still survives today.
This program will feature songs from the Civil War period, performed by Mary Hawthorne, who will also share a composition that she wrote about her ancestor who was killed execution style by rebel guerrillas in 1864.
Mary Hawthorne is a 1980 graduate from Mansfield State College, now Mansfield University, with a BA in music. She completed her teaching certificate in 1985. She was choir director of the Windfall United Methodist Church for 23 years and is presently the choir director of the First United Methodist Church in Troy. She has also been a performer on Trombone and percussion for many local productions of Broadway musicals. She has taught music for the Troy Area School District, Troy, PA for the past 25 years. She and husband Charles, also an accomplished musician, reside in Troy, PA.
This program is part of the 2011 "Friday Night at the Museum" programming series that is held the third Friday of each month from May through October. Each event is held in the Great Room at the Bradford County Historical Society, located at 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA. Free refreshments are provided at each program and the museum is open prior to the event. This program also continues the year-long observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Participants will have the opportunity to view this season’s featured exhibit, “Our Boys in Blue – Bradford County in the Civil War.”
Other Friday Night at the Museum programs scheduled for 2011 include: Stephen Foster: Father of American Music II, August 18; Hotels of Bradford County, September 16; Deserter Country: Civil War Opposition in Pennsylvania, October 21.
The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way. For more information about the society and its programming schedule, museum or research center, visit www.bradfordhistory.com or check out the Bradford County Historical Society Facebook page.
