BETHEL — On Thursday, April 18, Bethel Area Arts and Music and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society will host a party and stereoview presentation at the Gem Theater to celebrate the launch of the fourth issue of MBHS’s history journal Goose Eye.

Goose Eye No. 4 is entitled ‘The Coming Woman’ and is inspired by the surprising inclusion of a woman’s suffrage-themed float of the same title in the 1874 Bethel Centennial parade. The new issue explores the social changes that were underway, particularly concerning women’s rights and education, around the time of this celebration.

It features articles by Joan Newlon Radner on the role of women in the rural lyceums of 19th-century New England, Christopher Dunham on changes to divorce laws, Jean F. Hankins on women in the Grange movement, and William F. Chapman on the anti-slavery movement in the Bethel area.

Doors will open at 5 p.m., which will provide an opportunity to meet Goose Eye contributors, purchase food and drinks, and pick up a copy of the new issue. At 6 p.m., William Chapman, Executive Director of MBHS and editor of Goose Eye, will introduce the issue with a slideshow presentation exploring the context surrounding the 1874 Centennial.

The presentation will feature a variety of photographs that were originally published on stereograph cards intended to be seen through a special viewer called a stereoscope. These images have been converted to red and cyan anaglyph images so that they can be viewed in 3D on the big screen with glasses that will be available.

“Pay What You Can” tickets benefit the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society and Bethel Area Arts & Music, and may be purchased on the Gem’s website: thegemtheater.com.

Copies of Goose Eye No. 4 will be available for purchase at the event. All members of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society receive a free copy, which, if not picked up at the event, will be mailed the following week. After April 18, individual copies may also be purchased from the MBHS Museum Shop or online store.

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