Ventfort Hall Puppeteer to Present 'The Very Last Christmas Present'

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LENOX, Mass. — Puppeteer Carl Sprague will return to Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox with "The Very Late Christmas Present" for two holiday vacation week marionette performances.  
 
The dates and times are Wednesday, Dec. 28 and Friday, Dec. 30 both at 3:30 pm. The audiences will have the opportunity to meet Sprague.
 
According to a press release, this year's holiday show is a comic story of how our family's century-old Czech puppet theatre was created and how it came to America. There are lots of characters, lots of scenery and lots of amusing drama. Fun for all. Please come join us and keep the story going.
 
Sprague has been a puppeteer since childhood.  He inherited a collection of 60 antique Czech marionettes, each about eight inches tall, that were assembled by his great-grandfather, Julius Hybler, with purchased heads and hand-made costumes.  Hybler's legacy also includes two marionette theaters. 
 
Also, Sprague has been a set designer for such motion pictures as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence," as well as for theater productions including those of Shakespeare & Company. 
 
Admission to the show is $15 per person; $7 for children 4-17 and free for age 3 and under. Children must be accompanied by adults. 
 
Reservations are strongly recommend as seating is limited and can be made by calling (413) 637-3206. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows. Note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event.   The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
 

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Best-Selling Author Candice Millard to Speak at Lenox Library

LENOX, Mass. — Candice Millard, award-winning author of four New York Times bestselling books, will speak at the Lenox Library, 18 Main Street, on Thursday, Sept.19, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Candice Millard's first book, "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey," was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a Book Sense Pick, won the William Rockhill Nelson Award, was a finalist for the Quill Awards, and has been published in multiple foreign editions. 

"Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President," won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, the PEN Center USA award for Research Nonfiction, the One Book-One Lincoln Award, the Ohioana Award, and the Kansas Notable Book Award. Netflix recently announced it will adapt the book into a new dramatic series entitled Death by Lightning, starring Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon.

"Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill," was an Indie Next pick, a top ten critics pick by the New York Times and named Amazon's number one history book of 2016. Millard's most recent book, released in May of 2022, is "River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile."

Millard is the recipient of the 2017 BIO Award, and her work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, the Guardian, National Geographic, and Time magazine. She is currently working on her fifth book, which will be set in occupied Belgium and northern France in the early days of WWI. Millard lives in Kansas City with her husband and three children.

This event is free and open to the public. Copies of Millard's books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of The Bookstore. For more information, please call the Lenox Library at 413-637-0197 or visit https://lenoxlib.org.

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