MONTICELLO —The Monticello Area Historical Society (MAHS) will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28 in the Zwingli UCC, 416 E. Lake Ave., Monticello.
After a short MAHS business meeting, Mark Louden, will speak about the 1972 Supreme Court decision in Wisconsin v. Yoder, which upheld Amish parents’ right to determine their children’s education on religious grounds. It is considered a landmark in American constitutional history. In this presentation he will discuss the background to the case, which began in New Glarus, and its implications today, more than 50 years after the decision was handed down.
Louden is a linguist who received his training in Germanic linguistics at Cornell University. A fluent speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch, he has published extensively on this language and other German-American varieties, as well as Yiddish. In addition to his position as the Alfred L. Shoemaker, J. William Frey, and Don Yoder Professor of Germanic Linguistics in the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+, he directs the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies and is affiliated with the Religious Studies and Language Sciences programs and the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies. He serves as an interpreter and cultural mediator for Plain people (Amish and traditional Mennonites) in multiple settings, especially health care.
This is a free presentation hosted by MAHS and the Monticello Library. The Public is welcome.
First People’s Celebration updates
ARGYLE — A free community event celebrating First People’s Nations will be held from 12-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 behind the Saxton House at 204 N. State Street in Argyle. The event is hosted by Historic Argyle and the Argyle Public Library.
They will celebrate the ancient culture of the first residents of this land: the Native American Indians.
With the “Native American Awareness Committee” of Rockford, and speakers Robert Boszhardt (1 p.m.) and Janice Rice (2:30 p.m.), attendees will experience the American Indian culture up close with group participation — Native American drumming, singing, dancing, storytelling, crafting, and vendors.
GCGS meeting, presentation on historic cheesemaking in Wisconsin Oct. 7
MONROE — The Green County Genealogical Society will hold its monthly meeting Oct.7 at the Monroe Public Library.
The program is “The Cheesemaking History of Green County & the Surrounding Area” presented by Paul Vassalotti.
Vassalotti is referred to as the “Wisconsin Cheesemaking Historian”. He will be presenting the cheesemaking history and cheese factories of the area. He will also be sharing his biographical work on several of the area cheesemakers.
He currently has done research on several Wisconsin counties which has given him a broad knowledge of cheesemaking in different parts of the state. Paul is retired and lives in Cross Plains. He is also very involved as a volunteer at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center Museum in Monroe.
The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7 in the second floor meeting room of the Monroe Public Library.
Visitors are always welcome and there is no cost to attend. For questions, call Ginny at 608-426-1796 or Donna at 608-921-1537.
The GCGS Research Center (located in the lower level of the Monroe Public Library) is available to the public for research each Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and other times available by appointment by calling 608-325-7436 on Tuesday or Bill at 608-325-2990.
