Join us for the SCHS Annual Membership Meeting. After a brief business meeting, Chris Leonard, Schenectady City Historian will present "The Enduring Myths of the American Revolution." We will also debut the new documentary from Day Dreaming Camera: "Ghosts of Mabee Farm: Slavery in New York State," which discusses the stories of three individuals who were enslaved at Mabee Farm in the 18th century. This is an in-person program hosted at Mabee Farm Historic Site. Light refreshments and coffee will be served. Admission is free for everyone. Refreshments served!

Join us for an exhilarating look at Haudenosaunee history and culture through the grace and symbolism of traditional dance. Highlighted by lightning footwork that seems to float on air, the Smoke Dance of the Haudenosaunee Nation is the most dynamic and popular competition dance at powwows across the Northeast. Onondaga artist Chris Thomas is one of this generation’s most celebrated smoke dancers, recognized for the beauty and fluidity of his steps. He is also an inspiring educator who uses performance to teach about Haudenosaunee culture and history, from the public schools to the festival stage. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is made up of the Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations in what is now central and Upstate New York. In pre-colonial times, these nations forged a powerful sociopolitical alliance based upon a prophetic agreement called Great Law of Peace; their confederacy later served as a major inspiration for the authors of the U.S. Constitution. While European colonizers called them Iroquois, their own name is Haudenosaunee, which means “People of the Longhouse.” Just as the longhouse dwelling has a public face and a private interior, Haudenosaunee dance has both public and private forms. The ceremonial dances have spiritual significance, and thus are reserved for members of the tribal community. However celebratory “social” dances, like the Rabbit and Old Moccasin dances, have always been performed for and even with guests in public settings with the accompaniment of singing and drumming. Many of these social dances have, in turn, developed competition forms. The Smoke Dance is a newer, competition dance that evolved in the mid-20th century. Some say its swooping arm movements mimic clearing out smoke from the longhouse. Others believe it is rooted in the ceremonial War Dance, performed over a steadily intensifying drumbeat to challenge the spinning dancers. Chris Thomas was introduced to the power of dance in the most traditional of ways: he remembers the joy he felt as a young child, walking with his aunt, Eileen Thomas, down the road to the Onondaga longhouse, where he would be mesmerized by the dancers’ footwork. When he was a teenager, his stepfather Bill Crouse brought him to weekend shows and powwows, where Thomas began to make a name for himself as a competition dancer. Crouse, who is Seneca, also taught Thomas to sing; to this day many of the songs he presents are in Seneca, which is closely related to his mother tongue, Onondaga. As Thomas points out now, traditional Haudenosaunee dance isn’t taught, and children are never pressured to join in. Each aspiring dancer learns by watching and participating, eventually building their own style within the dynamic framework of traditional dance vocabulary, costume, and singing. Chris Thomas & His Smoke Dancers are a multigenerational ensemble featuring talented performers at varying points in this journey, from Thomas’s 10-year-old daughter Awksanah to his longtime friend Wesley Halsey, a powerful singer and dancer with a wealth of knowledge of Haudenosaunee history and tradition. All aspects of the dance are culturally and artistically linked, with the performers and their families making their own dance regalia, rattles, and drums. Together they present an exhilarating […]

The Stockade comes to life on this behind-the-scenes journey through the neighborhood. A national historic district, the Stockade is alive with the sights and sounds of a vibrant, ever-changing neighborhood. Walk its storied streets, meet local characters, and learn its legends and lore as we journey across history. Tickets are $25, include museum admission, a guided neighborhood tour, exclusive access to two Stockade homes and gardens, and coffee and a treat at Arthur’s Market. This tour lasts approximately three hours, and is offered — by reservation– on the second Saturday of the month in warm months. The tour involves about 1 mile of walking on sometimes uneven sidewalks. It meets at the Schenectady Historical Museum at 32 Washington Ave, Schenectady NY 12305. Parking is available in the YWCA lot next door, or on the street. **All ticket sales are final. We cannot offer refunds or date exchanges if your plans change.**

Join us for a hands-on experience where you'll master the art of crafting beautiful soy candles, learning the secrets of scent blending and wick selection to create personalized luminous wonders for your space. Leave with a gorgeous candle you created to gift or keep for yourself. Taught by Leah LaFera of Sweet Sprig. Price includes all supplies. Class length: 2 hours Max number of participants: 6 Age range: Teen-Adult Price: $70

In the early 19th century, a neighborhood of free Black Schenectadians existed on what was then the outskirts of town. In a matter of decades, this Black community would almost completely vanish. In this tour, we hope to explore these streets, meet its residents, and uncover some of what was lost. This tour meets outside the Schenectady Public Library Central Branch on Clinton Street. Admission is $12 or $6 for members.  

Howlin' at the Moon showcases regional music from a variety of genres, providing an authentic musical experience for both audience and musicians. Music traditions are meant to be fluid and evolving, and Howlin' nurtures regional musical talent while providing opportunities for cross-pollination. All in a 1760 Dutch Barn that inspires and reminds us of our place within history! We're kicking off the 16th season with a performance by The Mammals! The Mammals are folksingers Ruth Ungar, Mike Merenda, and a cohort of compelling collaborators who form a touring quintet on the fiddle, banjo, guitar, organ, bass, and drums. Over the past 20 years they have quietly composed a canon of original songs (“Some of the best songwriting of their generation.” -LA Times) that both reflect our culture and offer a vision of how the world might yet be. “These days we sing about what we’re for over what we’re against,” says songwriter, Mike Merenda, and what they’re for is “nothing short of sublime” according to Americana UK. A rough and tumble decade in the 00’s forged The Mammals identity as “subversive acoustic traditionalists” (Boston Globe) or a “party band with a conscience.” Re-emerging in 2017 from a hibernation period during-which the band’s founders explored new songwriting terrain, The Mammals “don’t suffer from multiple genre syndrome, they celebrate it as if gleefully aware that the sound barriers separating old-timey music, vintage pop and contemporary folk are as permeable as cotton” (Washington Post). Their latest album, Nonet, “marshalls the defiant spirit needed to heal a damaged world” (No Depression). In 2023 they released a series of singles recorded at their own Humble Abode Music, as well as issuing bonus material from 2020’s landmark album Nonet. Ruth is the daughter of legendary fiddler, Jay Ungar, composer of the storied “Ashokan Farewell.” You can catch The Mammals semi-annually at The Hoot, a folk festival they curate and produce at The Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY. Opening the night is host Everest Rising, a tightly-knit quintet influenced by bluegrass, Americana, rock, jazz and more. Together they create progressive acoustic music that is unique, powerful, and comfortably familiar. With a wide dynamic range, Everest Rising’s material spans from heartfelt laments to all out jams, all executed with instrumental finesse and thoughtful story-telling. As this summer’s host of the Howlin’ at the Moon Concert Series, Everest Rising aims to support an authentic musical experience for both audience and musicians. Admission is $10 at the door (cash only). Beer and wine available for purchase.