Black Tavern Program Archives

Take a look at previous Black Tavern shows and presentations we have hosted over the years

2025

  • “Amelia Earhart” a performance by Sheryl Faye
  • “Grand Trunk Railroad” presented by John Mrazik
  • “An Evening with Mark Twain’s Maid” presented by Linda Hixon
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • “Beside Blue Waters” presented by Jeff Stefanik
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “A Journey into Hell” presented by Bob Ducharme

2024

  • “Ruth Bader Ginsburg” a performance by Sheryl Faye
  • “Trolley Talk” presented by John Mrazik
  • “Those Bloomer Girls” presented by Linda Hixon
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • “Brothers in Arms” Letters of the Civil War presented by Bob Ducharme
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Genealogy” presented by Ed Bazinet

2023

  • “Connecting the Drops: Source to the Sea Through the Last Green Valley” presented by Bill Reid
  • “Katy Leary and Mark Twain” A performance by
  • “Dudley Hill during the 19th Century” presented by Bob Ducharme
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • Reminiscing about growing up in Webster/Dudley during the 1950’s and 1960’s”
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Cummings Wright, Early Nerd’ presented by David Proulx

2022

  • “Video Tour of the Black Tavern” presented by Sandy Peterson
  • “Ice Harvesting” presented by Ken Ethier
  • “Harriet Tubman” A performance presented by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • “Nellie Twardzik, Dudley’s First Lady of Baseball” presented by Pat Biron
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Archaeology on Dudley Hill” presented by Joseph Mitchell
  • “Historic Gardening” presented by Christie Higgenbottom

2021 & 2020

  • Programs cancelled due to Covid - 19

2019

  • “The return of Bald Eagles to the area of the Last Green Valley” presented by Ranger Bill Reid of the Last Green Valley
  • “The influence of AO in the Region, in Science and Society” presented by Dick Whitney, Executive Director of the Optical Heritage Museum
  • Life Aboard a Whaling Ship” a performance by Anne Barrett
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • “Abigail Adams” a performance by Sheryl Faye
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Beck ‘n’ Call” a musical group from Woodstock CT
  • “The Granite Kiss” ​Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls presented by Kevin Gardner

2018

  • ​​​​​“Dudley Hill’s 1805 House”
  • “The Creation of Quabbin Reservoir”
  • “Golden Age of Radio” presented by Patricia Perry
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone” a performance by Judith Kalaora
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Haunted New England” with Tom D’Agostino
  • “Social Dance at the Time of the Black Tavern”

2017

  • "Peddling Your Wares" by Tom Kelleher Curator of Mechanical Arts - OSV
  • “Major Taylor, The Worcester Whirlwind” presented by Lynne Tolman
  • “The 1893 World’s Fair” presented by Pat Perry of Sneak Peak Productions
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • Summer concert with the Gray Whisker Pickers
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • Eleanor Roosevelt, “The First Lady of the World”
  • Panic in Connecticut, Accused Witches Have Their Say
  • Revolution of 1774 - Quest For Liberty

2016

  • Daniel Webster, “I Still Live” by professional actor Jim Cooke
  • “A Revolution of Her Own, Deborah Sampson Garrett” presented by Judith Kalaora
  • “The Old Connecticut Path, Americas Oldest Highway” presented by Jason Newton
  • Grange Strawberry Festival & Tavern Tours
  • Concert “Fanfare Brass” Early 1800’s music
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • “Under the Petticoats” presented by Patricia Perry
  • “Things That Go Bump In The Night” presented by Patricia Perry
  • “Wild Plants I Have Known……and Eaten” presented by Russ Cohen

2015

  • The Last Green Valley: It’s Where You Live
  • Rounders To Baseball: A History
  • Faces and Places: Photographic Journey of Historic Dudley
    presented by Linda and Mike Branniff
  • Strawberry Festival & “Antiques and Collectibles Sale”
  • Summer Concert, The Grey Whisker Pickers
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards in Concert
  • Clara Barton
  • Barbershop Quartet

2014

  • Tavern Artifacts presented by Historian/Educator Bob Ducharme
  • Lincoln Assassination presented by Historian Chris Daley
  • Rural Landscapes presented by Laureen Hylka Wondolowski
  • Strawberry Festival & “Antiques and Collectibles Sale”
  • Return of Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • Remember When – personal tales of days gone by from local folks
  • Susan B. Anthony presented by Actor/educator Sally Matson

2013

  • Historic mini-melodrama directed by actor & historian, Ed Bazinet
  • A History of the Black Tavern by Black Tavern caretaker Bob Ducharme
  • PBS documentary film – ―We Shall Remain‖ – Part 2
  • Strawberry Festival & “Antiques and Collectibles Sale”
  • Summer Concert - an encore of ―The Grey Whisker Pickers‖
  • Barn Dance: teaching and dancing by OSV contra dance group
  • Barn Concert given by Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • Black Tavern Historical Society’s 30th Anniversary
  • "Victorian Christmas Traditions" presented by Anne Barrett

2012

  • "The Art of Maple Sugaring:" by Valerie Paul, Blackstone Valley Park Ranger
  • Look Back At Trolley Conductors" by Ken Ethier
  • "Gardening With Heirlooms" by Christie Higginbottom, OSV
  • Strawberry Festival & “Antiques and Collectibles Sale”
  • Barn Dance at The Tavern Barn
  • "Introducing Robert Frost" by Stephen Collins
  • Annual Black Tavern Craft Fair, Grange Apple Festival
  • "Haunted History of New England" by Christopher Daley
  • "Whispering Indian" Documentary Film

2011

  • “Steam Coffin” presentation by John Laurence Busch
  • “A Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier” outdoor reenactment
    by Bob Ducharme
  • ​Open House at the Black Tavern
  • Strawberry Festival & “Antiques and Collectibles Sale”
  • Outdoor Summer Concert with the Dudley Grange
  • “The Story of Abiel Williams - Dudley’s Civil War Soldier” presented by Bob Ducharme
  • “Octoberfest” at the Tavern
  • Native History Month - Nipmuc Documentary Film

2010

  • “Webster, Dudley, and Oxford During the 19th Century” by authors Paul Macek and James Morrison
  • History of early 19th century garden design, common and rare plants presented by historian Linda Oakley
  • “Strawberry Festival” - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Outdoor Summer Concert
  • “The Black Tavern Through the Years - its History and Restoration” by Tom Boyd
  • Tour of Dudley – John Mrazik guides us through Dudley

2009

  • “Taverns and Housing in the Early 1800’s” John Larkin: Chief Historian at Old Sturbridge Village, author of “The New England Country Taverns” and “Where We Lived”
  • “Civil War Photographs” presented by Hannah Army: teacher at the Rectory School
  • “Strawberry Festival” - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Outdoor Summer Concert
  • “Evening of Reminiscences” Local historians will tell their tales

2008

  • “Birds of Winter- To Feed or not To Feed?” presented by the Massachusetts Audubon Society
  • “The History of Money” presented by Paul Joseph
  • “New England Stone Walls” presented by Robert Thorson
  • “Strawberry Festival” - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Concert - Pulaski Brass Band
  • “Antique Clocks & Annual Harvest Basket” presented by John Vanderaa
  • “Antique Lighting” Presented by Michael and Linda Branniff

2007

  • An Old Fashioned Children’s Christmas Gathering
  • “A Peddler’s Pack”- Jim Douglas, New England Balladeer
  • “Bee Keeping” presented by Ken Warcho
  • “19th Century Landscapes” - presented by Paul Rogers
  • Dudley’s 275th Anniversary Celebration and Strawberry Festival - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Concert - Quintessential Brass
  • Summer Concert - Pulaski Brass Band of Webster
  • Harvest Basket a brief program on the History of Dudley Hill
  • “Shoemaking in the 19th Century” presented by Dennis Picard
  • “Nipmucks of the Area” presented by Kenneth White of the Nipmuck

2006

  • Family Christmas Open House
  • “The Iceman Cometh” presented by Dennis Picard
  • “The Titanic Railroad” presented by Larry Lowenthal
  • Clara Barton, the Angel of the battlefield” presented Cathy Woods, curator of the Clara Barton Birthplace museum
  • Strawberry Festival - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Concert - Quintessential Brass
  • “Images of Webster” presented by John Mrazik
  • “The Last Green Valley”- Places to go and see
  • A 19th Century Children’s Christmas

2005

  • Holiday Cheer - Music, wine, cheese and cheer
  • 200th Anniversary Closing Celebration
  • “The Iceman Cometh” by Dennis Picard
  • The Civil War Letters of Anson P. Goodell and Abiel P. Williams presented by Bob Ducharme
  • Strawberry Festival - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Concert
  • The Blackstone Valley Canal System by Ranger Chuck Arning
  • Walking Weekend - Civil War on Dudley Hill by Bob Ducharme
  • "Nipmuck Stories" presented by Bert 'Rainmaker’ Heath
  • Christmas Tea

2004

  • 200th Anniversary of the Black Tavern
  • The Underground Railroad” with Ranger Chuck
  • Arning of the Blackstone Valley
  • “Heirloom Gardens” by Cynthia Dias-Reid
  • Who was Rufus Porter? - ​Painter, inventor, and founder of the Scientific American
  • Strawberry Festival - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Evening Concert - under the stars
  • Fireside Readings from the Black Tavern Tales
  • Benjamin Franklin Comes to the Black Tavern by Bill Mieckle
  • Closing Toast to the Tavern’s 200th Anniversary

2003

  • Valentine Musical repertoire of classical and folk material
  • Victorian Lady - 1860’s Civil War Entertainment
  • Strawberry Festival - The Black Tavern public tours
  • Summer Concert on the Lawn - Tara’s Thistle
  • Fall Harvest
  • Tea Tasting Social - with Faith Armstrong
  • Antique Appraisal - by Ray Stockley
  • Traditional Christmas Tea