On Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m., join fellow Northshire residents at Manchester Community Library to learn about how the state has handled questions of development and progress in the past, and how we might use those lessons to discuss a path forward to the future.

Brought to you by Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Department of Libraries, the program will open with Northern Vermont University professor Paul Searls, who will review themes and events featured in his newly-published book Repeopling Vermont: The Paradox of Development in the Twentieth Century. In the book, he highlights the stories of different communities and their responses to difficult questions as part of his inquiry into how Vermont balanced competing visions for the state in the last century.

Following Searls's presentation, attendees will be invited to share their own perspectives on our community. How can we use the lessons of history to frame our planning going forward? What is important to preserve, and when is it important to move forward? How can we balance different interests and create a Vermont that works for everyone?

The program is free and open to all. Support for this project is provided by the Vermont Humanities Council and Northern Vermont University. For more info, call MCL at 802-362-2607.