The Museum of Work & Culture will offer the second installment installment of our free Valley Talks series on Sunday, January 27, at 1:30pm.
Former National Park Ranger Chuck Arning will present “Please Tell Me, Why Did The Irish Come All the Way to America to Build Canals?” exploring the the factors that caused the Irish to leave their beloved homeland before the Great Famine to construct canals on the Blackstone River.
Seating is limited to 75 and is first-come, first-served.
Arning served for 24 years as a ranger for the National Park Service, spending all of his time in the Blackstone Valley, first in the National Heritage Corridor and then in the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. Arning has produced over 95 television/videos focusing on the history, cultures, preservation, and stewardship issues of Blackstone Valley. He produces, writes, and hosts the award-winning series “Along the Blackstone” which has aired on the History Channel (1996 – 1998) and has earned Ranger Arning numerous regional and national video awards. Arning has written for the National Association of Interpreter’s Magazine Legacy and the National Park Service’s Cultural Resource Management Magazine.
Other Valley Talks will include:
February 10: Baseball enthusiast and vintage ballist Jon Henson will survey the rise of the beloved game in the 19th century.
February 24: Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society President Buster Clegg will screen “When the Reds Ruled the Roost” and take part in a Q&A on the legacy of Rhode Island’s first professional hockey team.
March 10: Writer and historical reenactor Paul Bourget will explain why the battles fought in 1864 were pivotal to the outcome of the American Civil War.
