BY JARED JACAVONE
The Edenton Tea Party 250th Anniversary Celebration was a major success! At the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library, we kicked off the commemorative week with the grand finale of our Friends of the Library’s “Armchair Traveler” series, and concluded the week with a very special book launch focused on the history of the Edenton Tea Party.
Held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the finale of the 17th Annual Armchair Traveler series took place on Monday, October 21. Featuring international historian Julien Icher, “The Lafayette Trail in North Carolina” focused upon the life and travels of the Marquis de Lafayette.
Mr. Icher, Founder and President of The Lafayette Trail, Inc., captivated the audience with tales of the exciting life of America’s French Founding Father, and emphasized the historic stand that many took for America’s fight for independence.
The Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library thanks Mr. Icher for his spirited presentation and Mayor Hackney High for extending greetings and introducing the speaker. We also thank St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Senior Warden Lee Snipes, and Parish Administrator Kimberley Willis for accommodating this American Revolution-related discussion, and for providing technical support.
Special thanks to the Friends of Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library and to Armchair Traveler Committee members Lee Lolkema, Bonnie Henn, Lucy Daniels, Celia Davenport, Anna Miln, and Elizabeth Gagnon for organizing and running this entire series. The Library also extends special thanks to the anonymous donor who provided funding for more than half of this year’s Armchair Traveler events.
On Saturday, October 26, we hosted the launch of Within Our Power: The Story of the Edenton Ladies’ Tea Party — a new children’s nonfiction book produced by the North Carolina Office of Archives & History. During the launch, illustrator Jonathan Voss joined us in-person and author Sally Walker joined us via Zoom for a lively discussion about bringing the book to life from start to finish.
Following a Question-and-Answer session, participants purchased copies of the book from our Friends of the Library, had them signed by Jonathan Voss, and even took pictures signing a copy of the Edenton Resolves in front of a photo backdrop with the cover art!
This unique event truly brought the week together and joined the chorus of celebrations honoring the 51 women who signed the Resolves 250 years ago.
This event would not have been possible without the help of several people and organizations. The Library thanks Jonathan Voss and Sally Walker for joining us and sharing their book with our community. We also thank Ansley Wegner, Sheilah Carroll, and the North Carolina Office of Archives and History for working with us to organize this event. We extend another huge thanks to the Friends of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library for helping sponsor this event and making copies of the book available for purchase. Finally, we thank America 250 NC for making this event possible through grants to the Town of Edenton and Chowan County.
This once-in-a-lifetime event was truly a success, and the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library is honored to have helped celebrate the memory of the brave 51 women that signed the Edenton Resolves. Check out our latest releases below! Have a great week, and we hope to see you at the Library!
DVDs:
- “Kinds of Kindness”
- “A Quiet Place Day One”
- “Harold and The Purple Crayon”
Large Print Fiction:
- “Santa’s Secret” by Fern Michaels
- “Evergreen Christmas” by Janet Dailey
- “The Cowboy’s forgotten love” by Tina Radcliffe
- “His Christmas Salvation” by Lee McClain
- “A Courtship for the Amish Spinster” by Vannetta Chapman
- “A Convenient Christmas Wife” by Rebecca Kertz
- “With Each Tomorrow” by Tracie Peterson
- “Killing Time” by M.C. Beaton
Adult Fiction:
- “The Night We Lost Him” by Laura Dave
- “A Christmas Duet” by Debbie Macomber
- “Killing Time” by M.C. Beaton
- “Memorials” by Richard Chizmar
- “In Too Deep” by Lee Child
Non-Fiction:
- “Viewfinder” by Jon M. Chu
- “Autocracy Inc” by Anne Applebaum
- “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess” by Bobby Fischer
- “How to Win at Chess” by Levy Rozman
Graphic Novels/Comic Books:
- “The Umbrella Academy Apocalypse Suite” by Gerard Way
- “The Umbrella Academy Dallas” by Gerard Way
- “The umbrella academy Hotel Oblivion” by Gerard Way
Juvenile Non-Fiction:
- “Who is Cynthia Erivo?” by Erivo
- “Who is Ariana Grande? by Grande
Juvenile Fiction:
- “Avatar the Last Airbender The Rift” by Yang
- “Tales from a not so bratty little sister” by Russell
Audiobooks:
- “By any other name” by Jodi Picoult
Jared Jacavone is the Librarian/Branch Manager of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library in Edenton.
Related multimedia
The following video and images below are from the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Edenton Resolves.
