Historical society offers series of lunch programs

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society has begun its “Bits and Bites of History” lunch program.

It will take place at noon on the third Thursday of every month at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown. The free lunchtime discussions will cover a variety of topics and give participants a chance to explore local history in a new way.

Each event will include a historical presentation.

Paid parking is available adjacent to the history center, as well as ample street parking nearby. Guests are asked to bring their own lunch or to visit Overture Restaurant, 260 W. Federal St., for its $6 Bites and Bits lunch special. Call Overture at 330-744-9900 for details or to place an order.

For information on the MVHS or the Tyler History center, call 330-743-2589 or go to mahoninghistory.org.

Upcoming topics and speakers include:

March 20: “UnCaged, Extraordinary Women of the Civil War,” by Traci Manning, MVHS curator of education. Learn about the courageous and bold women who shattered social norms and busted traditional gender roles during the nation’s darkest hours.

April 17: “Tea and Polite Society,” by Lea Mollman, MVHS registrar. This presentation covers high society manners as late Victorian strictures relaxed into Edwardian propriety. Learn about the niceties of dress, calling cards and afternoon tea for the elite.

May 15: “Quack Medicine and the Birth of the FDA,” by Cassandra Nespor, curator of the YSU Melnick Medical Museum. Learn about over-the-counter medicines and home medical devices that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the context of contemporary federal laws. Examine how those laws changed during the Progressive Era and with the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.

June 19: “Who’s the Fairest of them All: Evolving Images of Beauty,” by Jessica Trickett, MVHS collections manager. Throughout history, men and women have attempted to achieve the ideal image, a concept that is constantly changing. This presentation explores some of the ways that men and women have attempted to transform themselves into the contemporary ideal form. It is a journey through a changing image of ideal beauty and the tools used to achieve that ideal.