The History of Agriculture as Told by Barns

that it has all the current information applicable to being a knowledgeable volunteer, coordinates a yearly training and orientation program, and sets up a master schedule.

What do our volunteers think about being a volunteer? Sally Gilbert and Pam Hopkins have been volunteers with Great Waters for several years.

Sally says “I can’t wait for each new season to begin. I get a chance to see First Class performances, in an amazing setting, and reconnect with folks who share my excitement for musical entertainment”. Pam adds “I love greeting all the happy faces who are anticipating a wonderful evening of music. The venue hums with positive energy and gets me in a great mood for the concert!” One of our newest volunteers Kevin Sanzenbacher says, “2022 was my first year volunteering at Great Waters. The experience was wonderful. I got to work closely with old friends, make some friends, and enjoy wonderful music at a fabulously beautiful venue.”

If you are interested in joining these people and becoming a Great Waters volunteer, application forms are available online at www.greatwaters.org. For more information, you can also contact the Great Waters office at 603569-7710.

The Meredith Historical Society invites the public to its upcoming program- “The History of Agriculture as told by Barns”. This program will be presented by John Porter on Tuesday, June 6th.

John Porter was raised on a dairy farm in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in Animal Nutrition and Farm Management from Cornell University. He served as a Dairy Specialist for the UNH Cooperative Extension from 1974 until his retirement in 2006. John Porter currently operates his own consulting company, Farm Planning Services, LLC. John has authored and contributed to numerous publications regarding barn preservation and the history of the dairy industry in New Hampshire.

Porter will tell the story of New Hampshire agriculture through the evolution of barn architecture. Barns changed from the early English style to Yankee style, to gambrel and then pole barns to accommodate the changing agriculture. This presentation will be a chronological walk-through time, with photo illustrations of barns around the state that are examples of these eras of agricultural history. Karen Thorndike, President of the Historical Society added, “This interesting program is being provided courtesy of NH Humanities. We are grateful for their continued support and the quality programs that they offer.”

This presentation will be held at the Meredith Community Center, 1 Circle Drive. Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. The program begins at 7:00 PM. All programs of the Society are free, and all are welcome!

For a complete schedule of the Society’s 2023 Speaker Series visit us on Facebook or our website at www.meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org.

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