Tag Archives: sarah kidder

And it’s a Wrap!

14 Friday Jul 2023

Posted by in video

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Who Is Sarah Kidder imposters, Mary Baird, Sands Hall, and Gladys MacWood Birdsong

The edutainment video project “Who Is Sarah Kidder” is now complete. Just over one year after I worked to develop a project that would not only tell history but engage multiple generations in wanting to learn history in a fun, light-hearted manner, I am happy to say that this project did more, said more was more fun than I expected.

Kimberly Ewing, Adam Kline, Wendy Willoughby, and Michael Keene on the set of Who Is Sarah Kidder

Why? Simple. All the amazing community members came together to contribute their time and input. From actors Mary Baird, Sands Hall, and Gladys MacWood Birdsong to our MC, Robert Trent, and on to panelists Kimberly Ewing, Adam Kline, Michael Keene, and Wendy Willoughby. Michael was joined by Ken Teichmann in creating the stage setting. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum was an awesome partner, supporting three talks, the video premiere, and an exhibit that will run through the summer. Nevada Union Broadcast Club, led by instructor Jason Searles, learned how to prep, film, and edit a game show. They are awesome beyond words and I am grateful to everyone who showed up in spades for this video. Nevada County Media provided the perfect destination for us to film.

The informative talks by Megan White of Sierra College, Bernard Zimmerman and Elinor Barnes of the Nevada County Landmarks Commission, and NY Times best-selling author Chris Enss brought a wide range of context to women in Nevada County’s storied history.

As a further benefit, I approached the Nevada County Board of Supervisors requesting March 2023 be designated as Women’s History Month in Nevada County. This resolution was accepted and granted, with a thank you from the Board of Supervisors for this community history project.

This project was made possible by a grant from California Humanities.

Thanks, everyone!

Filming at Nevada County Media, February 2023

Note: California Humanities promotes the humanities – focused on ideas, conversation, and learning – as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more visit www.calhum.org

Who Is Sarah Kidder?

31 Monday Oct 2022

Posted by in history, Uncategorized, writers and writing

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Sarah Kidder was the first woman to head a railroad. She ran the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad.

California Humanities has recently announced the September 2022 Humanities For All Project Grant awards. The Nevada County Historical Society’s Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum has been awarded $5,000 for its project entitled “Who is Sarah Kidder?”.

Humanities For All Project Grant is a competitive grant program of California Humanities which supports locally-developed projects that respond to the needs, interests, and concerns of Californians, provide accessible learning experiences for the public, and promote understanding among our state’s diverse population. 

This historically focused project, “Who Is Sarah Kidder?” organized by Pamela Biery at the Nevada County Historical Society, Nevada City, seeks to foster meaningful reflections on community histories that have shaped this state. “Who is Sarah Kidder?” will consist of a series of 16 programmatic events and three participatory activities as part of a major exhibition at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum running from March through June 2023, in celebration of National Women’s History Month. “Who is Sarah Kidder?” is an interdisciplinary exhibition that features historical artifacts, the ability to ride a historic narrow gauge railbus, and an educational video produced by the Nevada Union High School broadcast department. 

“We have dedicated a great deal of time to establishing a Sarah Kidder Wing in the Museum and see this as a fitting project to expand the importance of both Kidder’s role and railroads in building the West,” notes John Christensen, Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum Director. This project seeks to engage youth in history and in general elevate the understanding and appreciation of women’s contribution to California.

“Who Is Sarah Kidder?” invites both museum visitors and participants to learn more about California’s history. In addition to Nevada Union High School Broadcast Instructor Jason Searles, local actor Mary Baird and Nevada County Media’s Ramona Howard are acting as advisors while Sierra College Women’s History Instructor, Megan White will offer an informative talk. 

Pamela Biery notes, “We are honored and grateful to be among the distinguished awardees throughout California. We are very appreciative of research support from Nevada County Historical Society, Searls Historical Library, and the Doris Foley Library.” 

“These projects will bring the complexity and diversity of California to light in new ways that will engage Californians from every part of our state, and will help us all understand each other better,” said Julie Fry, President & CEO of California Humanities. “We congratulate these grantees whose projects will promote understanding and provide insight into a wide range of topics, issues, and experiences.”

California Humanities promotes the humanities – focused on ideas, conversation and learning – as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more visit www.calhum.org, or follow California Humanities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

See other Fall California Humanities Quick Grant Awardees here: https://calhum.org/98300-awarded-to-humanities-projects-reaching-new-and-underserved-audiences/