Join us to celebrate a year of successes!

Our Annual Meeting is a time for us to report back to our members on our programs and initiatives over the year. Please join us for this special event!

Folklorist Kay Westhues will present on "Communal Places and Neglected Spaces: Exploring Indiana’s Roadside Springs." See below for more information. Her presentation is made possible with support from Indiana Humanities.

9:30am - Doors open
10:00am - Opening Remarks and a Year in Review
10:30am - Kay Westhues presents: Communal Places and Neglected Spaces: Exploring Indiana’s Roadside Springs
11:30am - Business Meeting (Election of Officers, etc)

When: November 19, 2022
Where: Krueger Memorial Hall (Liberty Trail, Michigan City)
Who's Invited: Everyone!

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Communal Places and Neglected Spaces: Exploring Indiana’s Roadside Springs

Roadside springs are sites where geography, history, and public health intersect. Before municipal water systems were available, these public commons resources provided travelers and those in need with free access to water. Some springs have been flowing over a century and have played a central role in western colonization. Kay’s talk will examine several historic springs in Indiana, by sharing oral histories, photographs, and archival research. She explores why some springs still function as communal spaces for water gathering, while others have fallen out of our collective memory. In the process, she addresses issues of water access and environmental justice.

Kay Westhues is a folklorist and artist who is interested in examining the ways in which rural tradition and history are interpreted and transformed in the present day. Her research interests include environmentalism and water rights, the public commons, oral history, and the cultural significance of place.