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Category: Holidays

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Herstory, ‘Crowded Wartime Washington’ and the Code Girls Reunion

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post by Sally Sims Stokes, the daughter of World War II “Code Girl” Jean Ashby Sims. “Dear Library,” my mother begins the World War II memoir she completed in 2008 for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. This salutation was her way of responding, as if in a …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

“The Greatest American Battle of the War” – A Visit From Those Who Were There

Posted by: Kerry Ward

Care must be taken in telling our proud tale not to claim for the British Army an undue share what is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war, and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever famous American victory.” – Sir Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons on January 18, 1945 Commemorating …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

FrankenMumming: The 2018 AFC Mummers’ Play

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Note: Every year, in the week of the Library’s holiday party, staff members of the American Folklife Center put our research and performance skills into play, bringing collections to life in a dramatic performance that tours the halls of the Library of Congress.  Dressed in costumes that range from striking to silly, we sing, act, …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

“Someday at Christmas, There’ll Be No Wars”: Winter Holidays in the Military

Posted by: Megan Harris

This is a guest post by Sam Meier, a former LC Junior Fellow who is currently working on a variety of reference-related projects for the Veterans History Project (VHP).  December 25, 1917 found William James Bean in quarantine at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. Bean had been inducted into the Army a little more …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Christmas Songs Podcast is Live!

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Episode three of the Folklife Today Podcast is ready for listening! Find it at this page on the Library’s website, or on iTunes, or with your usual podcatcher. Get your podcast here!   Our latest podcast presents some of our favorite Christmas songs.  In this blog post, I’ll present the full versions of all the songs.  …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Mumming Up Soon! AFC Mumming is Wednesday!

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The American Folklife Center Mummers will present their annual mummers’ play in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12. It’s open to the public, so come on in and see us perform! This year’s play is called FrankenMumming: An Arctic Monster Library Modernization Mumming. It features innovators-in-residence …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Festive Foods Podcast in Time for Thanksgiving

Posted by: Stephen Winick

That’s right, Episode Two of the Folklife Today Podcast is ready for listening! Find it at this page on the Library’s website, or on iTunes, or with your usual podcatcher. Get your podcast here!   This blog post provides more background for the stories and the audio in the podcast. The first thing you’ll hear is …