SILVER CITY — Seven Lunch and Learn lectures will run the gamut from 1920s baseball to economic and housing discrimination in the city’s past and will be hosted by the Silco Theater this spring. The revealing lectures are jointly sponsored by the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Silver City Museum.
All Lunch and Learn sessions are free and open to the public and will take place from 11 a.m. to noon most Saturdays and one Wednesday starting March 19. Three of the lectures in the series will be available on Zoom.
“Roaring Twenties Baseball Along the Frontier…where Villains Became Stars and Stars Became Villains”
Presented by Lynn Bevill and Mary Darling; Saturday, March 19, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested.
Bevill will reveal the motivation behind his original master’s thesis research on outlaw baseball players in the Copper League circa 1925-1927. He will offer insight into what he was able to discover at the time and discuss the nature of his baseball research. Darling, who studies and writes about baseball history along the frontier, will explain how she and Bevill came to work together and show how she approached her task of building dramatic arcs from Bevill’s research. Darling’s three-part podcast, “Mining Diamonds Along the Border” (miningdiamondsalongtheborder.com), is an engaging introduction to this Lunch & Learn session.
“The New Deal in New Mexico”
Presented by Kathryn Flynn of the New Deal Society Saturday, March 26, 11 a.m. to noon at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested. Participation in Zoom is available at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BPOdMsM5QoihCHy6JKxS7w.
Flynn is the executive director of the National New Deal Preservation Association and resides in Santa Fe. She held various administrative positions with the New Mexico State Health Department and ended her career as Undersecretary of State. During this time, she became fascinated with the many and varied New Deal treasures around the state and wrote three books on the subject. Flynn will talk about the New Deal and its effects on this southwestern New Mexico, including the many public works that helped create job opportunities. She will then be joined by David Chandler, Executive Director of The Commons, and Christina Wofford, Director of Serving People in Need, in a special community conversation. Public participation is encouraged.
“Silver City: Gateway to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail”
Presented by Corey Torivio and Dan Carter; Wednesday, April 20, 11 a.m. to noon at the WNMU Global Resource Center/ABC Rm., 12th and Kentucky St., Silver City. Masks are requested.
The mission of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition is to complement, promote, and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and Silver City works in partnership with the CDTC to welcome trail visitors to the area and invite new audiences to the trail . Learn about the communities, cultures, and landscapes that are connected by the over 3,000-mile highway from Mexico to Canada, how Silver City benefits from being a CDT gateway community, and how you can experience the trail for yourself from Silver City. Torivio is the New Mexico regional representative for the CDT Coalition. Carter is the leader of the CDT Coalition Trail and Lands Conservation and also the founder and president of the Southern New Mexico Trails Alliance.
“The Power of the Legislature: The Impact of Legislators on the Economy (Santa Fe and Washington)”
Presented by Scott Fitz; Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested. Zoom participation is available at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BPOdMsM5QoihCHy6JKxS7w
Fitz will begin this two-part program with a presentation that examines “How Government Policies Affected Grant County Business: An Economic History of Southwestern New Mexico, 1870-1952:” The second part of the program is a community conversation with a panel of guest commentators. Fitz holds a doctorate in United States history and an associate professor of history at Western New Mexico University, specializing in the history of the American Southwest.
“Grant County Citizen Science Through Water Quality Monitoring”
A “Sonnie Sussillo Memorial Seminar,” this lunch and learn session is in memory of Sussillo, who served as WILL Program Chair for two years.
Presented by Leigh Jenkins, Coordinator, Silver City Watershed Keepers; Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested.
Silver City Watershed Keepers is a citizen science-based water stewardship program that engages community members in protecting and restoring the Silver City watershed. Guests in this presentation will learn the importance of water quality monitoring and what water quality measurements tell us about the health of the watershed. Jenkins’ interest in water and watershed health began with her love for the rivers and streams of eastern West Virginia, where she taught biology and environmental science. for 18 years. Since moving to Silver City, she has worked as the Coordinator of the Silver City Watershed Keepers to bring science and watershed education to the community and to promote stewardship of our local waterways.
“Behind the Scenes: A Glimpse of Fiesta Latina!”
Presented by Alexandra Tager, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, WNMU; Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested.
Tager will introduce attendees to the ins and outs, challenges and intricacies of organizing the three-day international event, Fiesta Latina!. Learn about fundraising, catering, political organizing and event management. Tager says moving to Silver City from the east coast and settling here 16 years ago was one of the best decisions she ever made.
“A Thin Red Line: How Economic Segregation Has Influenced Silver City and Surroundings”
Presented by Javier Marrufo; Saturday, May 21, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Silco, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Masks are requested. Zoom participation is available at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BPOdMsM5QoihCHy6JKxS7w
Marrufo, the curator of the Silver City Museum, will kick off this two-part program with “Chihuahua Hill: A Case Study in Division,” a presentation that examines the history of economic segregation in Silver City and surrounding areas. Part two is a community conversation that takes place after a brief intermission and features a panel of guest commentators made up of community speakers.
