Fall 2018 Pinedale

Sublette County Library

155 S. Tyler Ave | Pindale, WY

September 27, 2018 | 6:00 PM

5:30 PM Doors open for a free, light dinner and snacks

 

Keeping the Story Going: The Land of Oz and the Power of Performance 

Dr. Kent Drummond, Associate Dean of Business and Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Wyoming

Over a century after L. Frank Baum created the Land of Oz, the Oz stories and their characters
live on. But how? And why? The answers come not only from the book’s engaging characters,
but also from Baum’s almost constant promotion of them. He kept Oz before the public in plays,
musicals, slide shows and film—producing many powerful performances as well as flops. These
productions came not only from his creative drive, but also from a keen approach to marketing
Oz. Kent Drummond will bring a marketer’s perspective to explain how Oz continues its current
popularity.

Click here for the Youtube video.

 

The Rocky Mountain Locust: From Magnificent Profusion to Mysterious Extinction

Dr. Jeffrey Lockwood, Professor of Philosophy, University of Wyoming

In 1875, 3 trillion Rocky Mountain locusts formed a swarm stretching 1800 miles. Yet less than
30 years after causing such wide-spread devastation, it had disappeared. How did this locust fall
from ecological triumph to extinction so rapidly? The scientific sleuthing that answered the
question began with local historical accounts and obscure maps and extended to ice core analysis
from Wyoming's remote glaciers. The killer lacked a motive and used the simplest of means; the
extinction was an incredible accident. This fortuitous collision of humans and nature provides
powerful lessons for the modern world.

Click here for the Youtube video.

 

Desperately Seeking King Arthur: History, Myth and Tourism

Dr. Susan Aronstein, Professor of English, University of Wyoming

King Arthur is good business. The monks at Glastonbury Abbey knew this in 1191 when they
“discovered” Arthur’s tomb; the Earl of Cornwall knew it in 1233 when he built Tintagel Castle
on a rocky coast with no value beside its connection to a mythical king. Medieval and modern
tourists want to step into Camelot’s story—to draw the sword from the stone, to battle might
with right, to seek the grail. Arthur belongs to the mythos that makes England a preferred
destination for American tourists. This talk visits two towns, Glastonbury and Tintagel, that have
blurred the lines between history and legend to offer tourists a “real” King Arthur. We will look
at how their connections to Arthur have transformed their landscapes and economy, and at how
they exemplify the increasing role that Heritage tourism in general plays in shaping British
identity.

Click here for the Youtube video.

 

Saturday University in Pinedale is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Humanities Council, Sublette BOCES and Sublette County Libraries.