Earlier this summer, residents of and visitors to the Monadnock region had the opportunity to hear legendary political journalist Carl Bernstein talk about his profession and the dangers former President Donald Trump presents to democracy, view a presentation from Theo E.J. Wilson about racial tension and his experiences infiltrating a white supremacy group and see “Cabaret” about 1930s Berlin as the Nazi Party was beginning to rise.>res<
And those were just the first offerings from the Amos Fortune Forum in Jaffrey, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum and Peterborough Players, respectively – the latter held indoors on the Players’ barn stage for the first time since 2019.
(Stories about all the speakers, along with reviews of the performances, are all available on our website, ledgertranscript.com. Videos of the forum speakers are also available at amosfortune.com, and videos from the lyceum can be seen at monadnocklyceum.org.)
The forum and lyceum ended this past weekend, while “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” the season finale for Peterborough Players, continues until Sunday. However, the approaching end of summer is by no means the end of the arts season.
Monadnock Music’s Oktoberfest is set for Thursday, Sept. 29, at Stepping Stones Farm in Temple. Peterborough Folk Music Society will present Cheryl Wheeler and Kenny White Oct. 8, Pierre Bensusan Oct. 27 and Garnet Rogers Nov. 30. Electric Earth Concerts also continue through November, with Horszowski Trio Sept. 18, Fire & Grace Oct. 30 and Relic Baroque Orchestra Nov. 20.
Fall offerings from Peterborough Concert Series include Canned Heat presenting the sound of Woodstock Sept. 24, a Grateful Dead experience with Zach Nugent’s Fire on the Mountain Oct. 8 and Tab Benoit playing New Orleans blues Nov. 11.
Upcoming art shows include Kate Corr Frame at Hancock Town Library starting Sept. 3.
It has been a great summer for local arts and culture, and there is a lot to look forward to. These and other activities symbolize the quality and variety of options Monadnock region residents are fortunate enough to have available to them.