Chilly Willy Winter’s Eve

NEW SCOTLAND — The challenges of winter life on a Dutch farmstead in the 1600s will be explored in a program called “Chilly Winter’s Eve.”

The New Scotland Historical Association will host a program by Shelby Mattice on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center, just off of Route 85 in New Salem.

What did people do before electricity, central heat, and grocery stores — especially in the winter?  Come and learn how the early Dutch settler dealt with the cold, low light, and the fear of starvation.

Welcome diversions during the winter included celebrations of holidays from Nov. 11 (Martinmas) through the Twelfth Night in January.   Find out how the Dutch settlers secured and stored enough food and beverages to last through the winter. 

Mattice is curator of the Bronck Museum of the Greene County Historical Society.  She has been affiliated with the museum since the summer of 1972.  She is an active researcher and helped develop outreach programs for adults and youth and frequently speaks on various historical topics for community organizations. 

The program is free and open to the public.  For more information, call 765-4212.   The museum is open at 7 p.m. to view the Thacher Park 100 years exhibit. 

Editor’s note: Ethie Moak is the publicity chairwoman for the New Scotland Historical Association.

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