“Women at Rest: A Tour of Vale Cemetery”, with speaker Sue McLane, “The Victorian Lady,” will be held June 17th (rain date: June 24th), 5:30-7:30pm at Vale Cemetery.

Born and raised in Schenectady (with ancestors in Vale Cemetery), Sue McLane has been researching life in the 19th century, especially as it pertains to women, for many years. For the past 30 years she has presented programs on the information she has gathered, appearing in period costume (thus her nickname “The Victorian Lady”). All of Sue’s programs have regional history as their basis, and she uses primary sources in her research. The tour of Vale Cemetery will cover 400 years of the diverse lives of women buried here who have had an impact on local history. — All women are welcome to join us on this field trip which promises to be enlightening and engaging.

This will be our first in-person meeting in more than a year, so the reservation procedure is a little different. To let us know you are coming, please email Gabrielle Reals at ellegr3@gmail.com by Tuesday, June 15th. Then bring your own picnic supper and a lawn chair and meet us on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the caretaker’s house near the entrance of Vale Cemetery, 907 State Street. We will drive to two different sites in the cemetery where Sue will make her presentation. After the program, we will have our picnic supper together outside the caretaker’s house. (Check your email before noon on June 17th to be sure the program has not been postponed due to rain.)

Looking ahead: We are putting the final touches on our EBWA programs for 2021-2022 right now. Watch for the announcement of an exciting lineup of presentations early in September!