2026 Events Archive
February 5, 2026 – “In Time”
Enjoy a Live History event where audience members will follow their own chosen path in order to complete missions, tasks, clues and speak to the characters. Actors portraying Jonas Fay, General Christopher Roberts, Ira Allen, and Judge Mark T. Skinner will spend the day in the Manchester Community Library greeting and chatting with patrons and students as they wind their way through the building immersing themselves in social history. This is an open event that allows participants to arrive in 15-minute intervals and wander the halls of history speaking to the Northshire’s most influential Revolutionary characters while participating in a scavenger hunt for history. The event will take place on Thursday, February 5th from noon to 6pm.
February 7, 2026 - Lost Nation by Jay Craven Screening
1 pm at Mettawee Community School: free screening of Lost Nation with Q & A following. Snow date is February 8. Route 153, West Pawlet, VT
Free and Accessible to All
March 6, 2026 - 250 for the 250th
Join the Cause! The Bennington Regional 250th Anniversary Committee is seeking 250 people to donate $250 to support the 250th anniversaries. The money raised will go to support events, educations efforts, creative works, monuments, and special projects related to the 250th anniversaries that started this year and will continue through 2027. This special group of supporters will enjoy discounts on 250th events and merchandise throughout the anniversary period, invitations to special events, an exclusive newsletter, preferred seating at ticketed events, and their signature on a special 250th proclamation which will be on display for the three year anniversary period and will be included in a time capsule at the end of 2027 to be opened in 2077.
Sign up today to attend our inaugural “250 for the 250th” event which will be held on March 6, 2026 from 5-8 pm at Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, VT. Sign up here. Each donor to this event will receive a special Bennington 250 pin, and a themed lapel pin for each of the three anniversary years, with the 2025 pin honoring the Expedition to Ticonderoga.
Honor history, by becoming part of history!
March 11, 2026 - Book club meeting - Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence, by Carol Berkin
The first book club meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:00pm, where we will discuss Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin. A description and where to find a copy of the book are below. Following monthly meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm. Our meetings will take place over Zoom, where we will discuss the current novel and answer discussion questions moderated by site staff. We will conclude with a brief vote on the new book for the next month based on a predetermined reading list. Follow this link if you'd like to join.
please email benningtonbattlefieldSHS@parks.ny.gov with any questions
March 14, 2026 - Ira Allen
Presentation by Kevin Graffagnino, will be at MCL on Saturday, March 14th at 1pm to give his talk on Ira Allen. Land speculator, revolutionary, pamphleteer, politician, and empire-builder, Ira Allen was a key figure on the late eighteenth-century Green Mountain frontier. Based on his new book Ira Allen: A Biography, J. Kevin Graffagnino’s lively talk evaluates Allen’s checkered career and makes the case for including him in our picture of Vermont’s formative decades. Located on 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT 05255.
March 21, 2026 - Families and Freedom Journeys in the Revolutionary Northeast
The American Revolutionary era and its aftermath presented tremendous challenges to families across the Northeast. Members of diverse communities and sovereign nations contended with rapid upheavals, relocations, scarcity of food and resources, and contested allegiances and visions of the future. This presentation illuminates the experiences of Native American, African American, and Euro-colonial women who strategized to protect their own and their families' needs and goals. Drawing from a forthcoming book featuring the intertwined stories of Violet Freeman, Ruth Waukeet, and Mary Stiles, it explores how they envisioned and pursued family wellbeing, material security, stability in cherished places, and other priorities. For each of these women, concepts like "freedom" and "independence" held distinct meanings. These meanings profoundly shaped their pathways forward, oftentimes across great distances, and disparate forms of power and opportunity. The presentation also considers methods for approaching Revolutionary stories that are only partially present in conventional written archives, but that invite close reckoning with other sources and forms of memory. Presentation by Prof. Christine DeLucia at the Manchester Community Library located on 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT 05255.
March 22, 2026 - Turn the Page in 2026: A Call to Read
A Call to Read, Bennington Free’s Library’s reading challenge will host its first event Sunday, March 22 at 2pm
Join us at the Library for an afternoon discussion of A Continued Clap of Thunder: Essays to Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, edited by Damien McCaffrey and Tyler Resch. This will be informal afternoon discussion with light refreshments and music. Copies of A Continued Clap of Thunder will be available for purchase. The Bennington Museum donated 10 copies of A Continued Clap of Thunder that are available for readers to borrow before the event from the library’s Circulation Desk.April 7, 2026 - Poetry Month: Lucy Terry Prince
Lucy Prince lived in Sunderland for about 25 years between 1795 and 1821. Three children lived with her in a small shack; they struggled to get by. She is best known today as our country's first African American poet. She wrote the poem "Bars Fight" in 1746, when she was 21 years old and enslaved in Deerfield, . Lucy was considered devoutly religious and was a member of the Manchester Congregational Church. In this presentation you will learn about her life, her descendants, and her struggles to fit into a white society here in southern Vermont. Presented by Avis Hayden & Kiev Rattee from 5:30-7p.m. at the Manchester Community Library located on 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT 05255.
April 19, 2026 - Burgoyne’s Objective: Old Bennington and the Continental Storehouse
In 1777, British General John Burgoyne sent troops toward Bennington to capture supplies held in a Continental storehouse, setting the stage for the Battle of Bennington… In this presentation, historian Bob Hoar will explore the two most important men behind gathering those supplies: original Bennington settler, church deacon, and revolutionary Republican, John Fassett; and Hamilton Federalist and future governor, Isaac Tichenor. Bob will also discuss the buildings that were used as storehouses and what became of them after the Battle of Bennington, as well as the history of the State Arms house – the Vermont Republic’s storehouse during the turbulent 1780s.
Bob Hoar is a local historian who has embraced the complex stories of colonial history. Bob has done many history presentations and events, worked at the Bennington Battlefield, and currently volunteers at the Bennington Battle Monument in the summer. You can find him on Facebook posting as Battle of Bennington.
2 pm Bennington Museum
May 2, 2026 - Love My Park Day and theorem painting Workshop
“Love My Park Day” at 10 am followed by a Theorem Painting Workshop, 1 – 3 pm. Fee $7/person pre-registration required; call 518-686-4438
May 7, 2026 - Beyond Bennington: Vermont as a Borderland and Cultural Crossroads during the Revolution and Early Republic
Reconsidering the Revolution in Vermont as more complicated than a fight for Independence to become the Fourteenth State, Colin Calloway will focus on half a dozen individuals to provide glimpses of a world where history, experiences, loyalties, identities, and choices were not predetermined by modern political boundaries. From 530 to 7pm at the Manchester Community Library located on 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT 05255.
May 16, 2026 - Hoosick History and Heritage FairAt the Hoosick Falls Armory, and Bennington Battlefield from 10am - 3:00pm. Hoosick Falls, NY and Bennington, VT.
Regional Historical Societies & Sites
Free trolley to the Battlefield & back, Living History & interactive family activities at the battlefield
Armed Forces Day Remembrance hosted by LIII Red Knights Motorcycle Club at noon Located at the Maple Grove Cemetery.
May 17, 2026 - The Story of Hiram Bingham
The remarkable story of the Binghams starts with Hiram Bingham who farmed on the future site of Bennington College in the early 1800s. He and his descendants impacted people and nations around the world. Bingham, and his son, grandson, and great-grandson, influenced the modern history of Hawaii and other Pacific islands, the discovery of Machu Picchu in Peru, politics in Connecticut, the escape of 2,500 Jews from Nazi-occupied France, and a U.S. postage stamp.
Rev. Glen Bayly became interested in the Binghams during the 1990s, when he was the pastor of the Mission Alliance Church in Bennington. When a missionary from the church came back from Honolulu with a photograph of a plaque honoring Hiram Bingham of Bennington, Vermont, Glen’s curiosity was piqued and his research began. Glen served 40 years of ministry as a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, was a campus minister at Penn State University for 7 years, and hosted a syndicated radio program, ‘The Lions’ Den University Report’ for 22 years. He and his wife, Darlene, have lived in Central Pennsylvania for the past 25 years.
2 pm Bennington Museum
May 30, 2026 - Ann Story site marker ceremony
Dedication of an official VT Historic Site Roadside Marker to celebrate the heroism and legacy of the "mother of the Green Mountain Boys," Ann Story. World premiere live performance of "ANN STORY: A Place Among You" directed by Kevin Commins. Wreath-laying monument re-dedication at Story cabin site. Free admission. Parking in meadows. Picnicking allowed, if weather permits. Hosted by Friends of Ann Story, working with partner non-profit organizations.
location: down Story Drive, in western Salisbury VT between U.S. route 7 and VT route 30.
May 30, 2026 - Reading with Parks program
10am at Cheney Library in Hoosick Falls, NY.
May 30, 2026 - Bennington Battlefield Public Tour
Join staff for the first tour of the 2026 season as we learn about Battle of Bennington while touring points of interest from the first engagement of the battle. Mix of driving & walking required.
June 14, 2026 - Living the Colonial Life
presented by Jim Dassatti at Wilmington Town Hall, 2 East Main St, 2:00pm. Vermont 250 display open for viewing.
June 14, 2026-Harriman Reservoir Eagles through the Years
presented at Pettee Memorial Library, 16 South Main St, 4:00pm. Photographs of our local eagles with local eagle expert and photographer, Nicki Steel.
June 14, 2026 - Flag Day Ceremony
Community Flag Day Ceremony at the Elks Club located at 125 Washington Ave, Bennington. Ceremony begins at 12:30 pm. Color guard, patriotic music, flag history recitation and honoring of recipients of flags. Keynote speaker is Jonah Spivak, VT 250th Commissioner and chair of the Bennington 250 Anniversary Planning Committee. A musket salute by the “Green Mountain Boys” will end the ceremony and refreshments are provided.
June 14, 2026 - Flag Day Drill/Muster
The Green Mountain Boys will do a drill / muster at the Bennington Battle Monument from 2 pm to 3 pm.
June 14, 2026 - Flag Day Fun
Stop by Bennington Battlefield for a kid’s craft program. The Bennington Battlefield is located six miles from Bennington on Route 67 in Walloomsac, NY. RSVP to benningtonbattlefieldshs@parks.ny.gov
June 13 & 20, 2026 - Hearth cooking workshop
11 am – 1 pm, Bennington Battlefield at the Caretaker’s House, $25/ person. Two different programs with different recipes. Pre-registration required. 518-686-4438
June 18, 2026 - Zadock Thompson and the Story of Vermont
Vermont 250 presents a Vermont Humanities talk with Kevin Graffagnino. 7:00pm, OSEC, 1 School St, Wilmington. Historian, naturalist, professor, and minister, Zadock Thompson (1796-1856) played a significant role in how nineteenth-century Vermonters viewed their state’s heritage and appreciated its natural resources. Vermont 250 display open for viewing.