RUTLAND – The Rutland Public Library is welcoming a distinguished visitor this month, and in a way, that visitor is everyone whose family has lived here for generations or just moved in.
More specifically, the visitor is the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition, “Museum on Main Street,” an outreach program aimed at small towns and rural communities.
“Crossroads: Change in Rural America” examines the highlights of population shifts in our small towns in the 20th century — when about 40 percent of Americans lived in rural areas — and the response of small communities to this change.
The demographic impacts on the rural countryside are examined in this exhibit and are planned to spur conversations about how small towns can address growth and development, yet retain the features that make them unique. How has change affected the community? What are the goals for the future?
The Smithsonian display, which runs through Jan. 28, features photos, videos, interactive panels and audio clips. Educational resources and programming are also part of the “Crossroads” exhibit.
Library director Kerry Remington is heading up the exhibit, although she notes that it was the town’s 300th Anniversary Committee that first applied for the program.
Remington and four volunteers went to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum for training on how to assemble the contents of the 16 crates (some as big as 6 feet tall) for the exhibit.
The Smithsonian received 19 applications to host the exhibit; Rutland was oneofsixtownsinMassachusetts to have the chance to host. A stipend of $10,000 to host related programs comes along with it.
“They (The Smithsonian Institute) want them to be good programs, and they want them to be well-attended,” she said.
Along with the ability and interest in hosting, Remington had to produce six pieces of programming to run concurrently with the display dates.
A book discussion on “The Pioneers” by David McCullough will be held Wednesday, Dec. 28, funded in part by Mass Humanities. The book covers the exploration and settlement of Ohio and places west by families from Rutland. McCullough visited the Rufus Putnam House during his research.
Remington has scheduled Finnish Life in Rutland for Jan. 1.
“At one time about 90 percent of the town’s population was of Finnish descent,” she said.
On Jan. 8, Director of Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources John Lebeaux will lead a Farmer Forum.
“Healthcare through the Ages in Rutland” will be held Jan. 11.
“The first thing I think of when I think of Rutland is the hospitals and all of that,” she said. “And then I think about what we did during COVID.”
The hospitals treated tuberculosis, veterans and many others. The health care legacy reached down through the years as the library became the focal point for administering vaccines for Central Massachusetts.
“That’s Rutland, stepping up to the plate and hitting it out of the park every time,” said Remington.
David Libby, local historian, will present “Three Lawsuits,” dealing with a Native American slave who lived in Hardwick, on Jan. 15.
The program series wraps up Jan. 22 with a “Taste of Rutland.”
All programs will run during the day and are open to all in the Wachusett area, as is the display. Arrangements have been made for school groups from the Wachusett Regional School District to visit. Refreshments will be served and music provided by Hans Betancourth. The programs are free. All programs with guest speakers take place at 1 p.m.
Remington is also setting up a scavenger hunt for kids to give them things to look for in the display.
The Historical Society plans to open during the programs in conjunction with the library.
Launched in 1994, Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a Smithsonian outreach program that engages small-town audiences and brings revitalized attention to underserved rural communities. The program partners with state humanities councils like Mass Humanities to bring traveling exhibitions, educational resources and programming to small towns across America through their local museums, historical societies and other cultural venues.
