“Echoes of the Heartland,” Hastings Public Library’s annual Humanities Nebraska speaker series will start soon for 2025, (Hastings Public Library, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — Hastings Public Library is pleased to announce the return of the engaging series, “Echoes of the Heartland.” Hear the voices of Nebraska’s rich past with 12 speakers from Humanities Nebraska.
This year’s speakers include acclaimed scholars, writers, musicians, storytellers, historians and folklorists on topics ranging from music on the plains to remembering our fallen and heading the call of the west.
The sessions will feature discussions, music, pictures and visual presentations followed by a question and answer period.
“Having this special series return for a fourth year is very rewarding,” HPL Programming & Collections Supervisor, Sam Rundle said. “During these presentations I have seen people connect through the telling of personal remembrances, sharing family stories and getting excited about history. This series is very special to me and I am grateful for the patrons that make time to share in this experience with us at the library.”
The schedule is as follows: The Queen’s Road: Nebraska’s Bumpy Path to Statehood 2 p.m. Feb. 22; Footprints & Handprints: Days on the Farm in the 19th Century 5:15 p.m. April 9; Music of the Plains 2 p.m. April 19; Diaries and Letters of Early NE Settlers 2 p.m. May 10; Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History 2 p.m. June 21; President U.S. Grant 2 p.m. July 12; Call of the West: Challenges and Opportunities 2 p.m. Aug. 2; Marion Marsh Brown: A Continuing Legacy in Nebraska Writing 2 p.m. Aug. 23; Wright Morris: Small Town Life Through the Eyes of a Nebraska Writer 2 p.m. Sept. 6; Encounters with World Music 2 p.m. Oct. 18; Kind Nebraskans:
Personal Stories of Nebraskans in World War II 2 p.m. Nov. 8; and Cattle Trail and Songs of the West 2 p.m. Dec. 6.
All events take place at the Hastings Public Library, 314 N. Denver Ave.
Echoes of the Heartland events are available to all ages. For details of specific sessions, visit www.hastingslibrary.us or call the library at (402) 461-2346.
