On these special dates, the Mabee Farm will be open just for kids! Tour the entirety of our farm with special demonstrations of colonial crafts. Butter making, barn-building, blacksmithing and meeting the baby farm animals are just some of the activities available. $8/child. Chaperones do not need to purchase tickets. Suitable for kids 5-12. Pre-registration required: www.schenectadyhistorical.org/programs July 21, August 11, August 25, September 1 @ 10am

Experience Erie Canal history by bike, then enjoy a pint in this statewide summer series along New York’s Canals! On Thursday nights throughout the summer an hour long guided bike tour will take guests along the new Empire State Trail while also highlighting that regions’ unique Canal history. Following the tour, join your fellow cyclists and brewery founders for a complimentary drink at our participating brewery. Participate for one night at your favorite local spot or try to complete the entire statewide circuit. Join the Schenectady County Historical Society and the Erie Canal Museum for this hour long cycling tour through Schenectady looking at the city’s Erie Canal and brewing history. The ride begins and ends at Druthers Brewing Company, where you will be treated to a beer as part of your ride as well as a brief history of the brewery itself. Tickets are $20, and registration is at https://eriecanalmuseum.org/.../product/beers-bikes-barges/

It’s the middle of the 19th century and America has been fractured in two. As Union and Confederate forces battle, the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. In this tour we’ll examine how Schenectady fit into this broad struggle. We’ll walk the streets and meet the people who lived through this crisis. Tickets are $11, free for members, and must be purchased in advance at www.schenectadyhistorical.org/programs

$5/person, free for members. Advance tickets not required. A wedding dress is not any old dress. It is an expression of the bride-to-be’s identity, their hopes and their dreams. The New York State Museum has a wonderful representation of wedding gowns, demonstrating the changes of this sacred ritual throughout our history. By identifying the wearers of these garments, we can place them in the context of their era, and gain a better understanding of our community and its changes across time. In this program, NYSM curator, Connie Frisbee Houde, will examine a selection of this collection. Come walk down the aisle of history and gain a peek into the closets of the NYSM’s clothing collection. Connie Frisbee Houde is the curator of the NYSM’s clothing and textile collection. She has worked in the museum field since graduating with her master’s degree in the early 1970’s specializing in the identification, care, handling and exhibiting of period clothing and textiles. She began her career as the director of Historic Cherry Hill culminating in an exhibition, Not Just Another Pretty Dress held at the Albany Institute of History and Art. Working as a consultant, Connie has assisted many museums across New York State identify and care for their clothing collections and led numerous workshops in the care and handling of our precious textile heirlooms. She has been at the New York State museum for the past 15 years.

At the turn of the 20th century, Schenectady was a booming industrial power: the city that “Lights and Hauls the World.” This tour explores this period, the figures and factories that made it so dynamic. We’ll look beyond the nostalgia and seek differing perspectives on Schenectady’s halcyon days. Preregistration required: www.schenectadyhistorical.org/programs