Press Release

TO: Print & electronic media

FROM: Friends of Ladbury Church & NDSU Center for Heritage Renewal

RE: Ladbury Lectures 2006

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Growing Up on Bald Hill Creek” is the third and final program in the 2006 Ladbury Lecture Series at 6:00 PM Saturday, October 21. The program, like others in the series, will take place at the old Ladbury Church (4 miles W, 1 N, ½ W of the Sibley Crossing of Lake Ashtabula).

Presenters of the free public program the evening of October 21 are Tom Isern and Jen Wilkie of North Dakota State University. They will explore the roots and lead discussion of Growing Up on Bald Hill Creek, a wonderful memoir by Harvey Sletten about boyhood in Hannaford and the Bald Hill valley. This is an opportunity to share and compare memories of life in the locality that relate to those of Sletten. Along the way there will be reflections on how we remember our past and our communities.

“Sletten reveals the charm of life in a small town through the eyes of a child,” observes Wilkie, who has been researching the Hannaford scene during the time of Sletten’s childhood. “For him, Hannaford was a good place to grow up, and although he left, he found a great deal of value in his childhood memories.”

“Memoir is a terrifically popular form of writing these days,” says Isern. “Many of the best memoirs are what we might call memory maps, situating the writer’s life in relation to the land and community. We’re fortunate to have a great example of this type of writing situated right here. I really want to hear what Mr. Sletten’s neighbors have to say about the things he wrote.”

Ladbury Lecture programs are held in the restored, historic church. Scholarly presentations take place in informal manner, with attendees invited to join discussions and ask questions.

The Ladbury Lectures are supported by a grant from the North Dakota Humanities Council. Additional support is provided by the Center for Heritage Renewal, North Dakota State University.

For further information: Tom Isern, 701-799-2942, isern@plainsfolk.com