BETHEL – The 29th annual Sudbury Canada Days, the summer heritage festival of the Bethel Historical Society, was held on Aug. 8 to 10 and included a variety of events and attractions, many of them emphasizing educational experiences designed to result in a deeper understanding of the past.

Events began Friday evening with the 17th annual Hall Memorial Lecture, “Marsden Hartley: New England and 1930s Regionalism,” by Donna Cassidy, PhD, professor of American and New England studies and art history, University of Southern Maine.

Cassidy discussed the famous Maine artist, who was a native of Lewiston, and his impact upon and relationship to this region.

She noted that recently one of his paintings sold at auction for more than $6,000,000 and cited several of his works that had been influenced by the northern New England experience.

Cassidy received her BA in American studies at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell), her MA and PhD in art history from Boston University. Her publications include “Marsden Hartley: Race, Region and Nation” (University Press of New England, 2005) and “Painting the Musical City: Jazz and Cultural Identity in American Art, 1910-1940,” (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997). She is a former director of USM’s American and New England Studies program.

On Saturday, re-enactors portraying the Native American experience, 18th medical practices and music (Castlebay) played with instruments available more than 200 years ago were on center stage.

There were craft demonstrators, including Alden Kennett, woodworking; Ann Carlson, penny rug making; Eileen Laperle, basketmaking; Mabel Kennett and June Abbott, quilting; Grace McKivergan, weaving; Jane Patterson, spinning. There were also a number of activities from the past available, including horseshoes, croquet and badminton.

Children’s games (sack race, three-legged race, clothespins drop, egg toss, suitcase race and ice cream-eating contest) were also held, and the winners included Nathan Hamilton, Corinth; T. J. Frongillo, Bethel; Ysabel Fine, Toronto, Ontario; H. Peterson, Bethel; Matthew Gault, Rumford; Tyler Clark, Rumford; Brad Wheltley, Braintree, Mass.; Amanda Wheltley, Braintree, Mass.; Sofie Worsh, Marshfield, Mass.; Oliver Worsh, Marshfield, Mass.; Tom Wilson, Bethel; Grant Santos, Martha’s Vineyard; Max Santos, Martha’s Vineyard. David Meltzer, Bill Frongillo and Asher Wilson helped make the games a success.

Winners in the horseshoe tournament included Steve Estes, Waterford, first; Dave Hamlin, Waterford, second; Patty Hamlin, Waterford, third; Robert Brownlee, Naples, fourth, David Irving, Naples, fifth. Carol Hatch won the croquet competition.

Participants in the flower show included Susan Herlihy, Bessie Bennett, Wende Gray, Amy Davis, Kaiya Corriveau, Jane Vogt and Danna Nickerson. The door prize winner (a Bethel barn poster) was Bob Westfall of Bethel.

There were also historical videos on several regional history topics and an art show featuring local scenes and buildings. Saturday evening ended with the annual log driver’s bean supper, followed by music and entertainment by the guest re-enactors.

A feature Sunday afternoon was a lecture by Earl Morse of Waterford, who spoke on recreational steamboating on Maine lakes and brought an example of the boats. The annual hymn sing at the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse with Lynn Arizzi playing the piano brought the weekend to a close.

For more information about the society and its activities, call 824-2908 or (800) 824-2910, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bethelhistorical.org.