In early America, time was a valued commodity. The work associated with frontier life was strenuous and survival depended on completing one's tasks with efficiency. This was especially true for those who settled in Vermont -- for the climate and terrain defied them to succeed. Yet many overcame these obstacles by sharing their hardships as well as their joys, and nowhere is this more evident than their ability to entertain themselves. Their drama was storytelling, their music was either a fiddler or a singer, and their version of a ballroom dance was a kitchen hop. This program will take a look at the two largest groups that practiced these forms of entertainment in Vermont -- the Yankee and the French Canadian societies. In this we hope to see how these two groups helped to develop the folk culture of Vermont.
Funded in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts.
