NORTH?MANCHESTER - The North Manchester Historical Society will launch their 2023 program series on March 23 with a presentation honoring Women’s History Month called The Suffragettes.

The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and coincides with an artist’s opening in the Kaleidoscope Gallery featuring Jack Fisher. The evening will be hosted in the galleries of The Center for History.

The portrayal of the suffragette sisters takes a walk back in time with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul and President Wilson.

Performers include Dave Schultz as narrator and President Wilson, Marcia Hotopp as Alice Paul, Deb Brown as Susan B. Anthony and Deb Johnson as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Brown and Johnson are 1975 Manchester College graduates.

Retired teachers, three of the performers have been friends since high school and all share a love of history. They originally conceived the idea of this short play to honor the 100 year anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020. The pandemic short circuited their earliest performances, but they have enjoyed taking their show on the road since then.  

Fisher is the first of three visiting artists to be highlighted in 2023. In addition to having artistic talent, Fisher has become an important part of our museum family. A "jack of all trades,” he has assisted with the Summer Camp, restored the bison mascot and also serves as a docent.

Fisher shared that his interest in painting with water colors was influenced by his mother nearly 20 years ago. She came to painting late in her life and was an example for him.

“My medium has always been watercolors, and my subject matter is mainly landscapes. I love watercolors because you can blend colors to provide an airy feeling to a scene or give a dark, mysterious look to the same scene. I have had various interests, and in my paintings, I feel that I want to paint what interests me. I don’t see a various style in my paintings, but I love nostalgia and look to my past for inspiration. I hope I can continue to paint as along as my mother who lived to be 102 years old,” he said.

The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The NM Historical Society’s evening programs are presented quarterly and take place at the Center for History. The next program will be June 8 featuring Stan Scantlin.

The Center for History is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit the website at www.northmanchestercenterforhistory.org for more information.