Join us for a  vivid account of the most dramatic series of events in American history

Anthony S. Pitch is the author of a number of books including the recently published “They Have Killed Papa Dead!” – The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance, described by Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on Lincoln’s Bicentennial, as “a perfect storm of a book.” Publisher’s Weekly hailed it as “a real page-turner…No reader will come away unmoved.” The book received the Arline Custer Memorial Prize for best book of 2009 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.

Another of his books, The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814, was a selection of the History Book Club, winner of the Arline Custer Memorial Prize for best book of 2001 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and recipient of the Maryland Historical Society’s annual book award. The White House announced that President Clinton took this book on vacation. Movie rights were optioned by National Geographic.

On the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination Pitch was invited to speak in Ford’s Theatre. He has appeared numerous times on C-Span TV, most recently in Washington Journal and in its documentary on the White House.

7:00pm Town Hall

The cost of the garden tour is $10 per person for reservations received by Friday, May 18, 2012.  Checks made payable to the Kensington Historical Society should be sent to KHS, P.O. Box 453, Kensington, MD, 20895.  The cost will be $15 per person on the day of the tour for individuals who have not reserved in advance.  Questions should be directed to Detta Voesar at (301) 949-1059.

Lower level Town Hall, 7:00 coffee, 7:30 meeting.
Open to all ~ March 6th

They Have Killed Papa Dead: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Speaker: Anthony S. Pitch
In his latest book,” They Have Killed Papa Dead!” – The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the award-winning author has unearthed new material in his relentless search for diaries, letters, journals and other original documents in private hands and in widely scattered archival repositories. He conveys the human drama of a story he believes to be the saddest in American history. This presentation includes a book signing and sale.

Due to illness our planned speaker Joan Paulin David will be presenting her program in the spring.

September 10th & 11th will be a wonderful family weekend to follow Labor Day! This year marks the 120th Anniversary of our Kensington Train Station!  Therefore, we are delighted to announce that the NATIONAL CAPITAL TRACKERS will be bringing the action of their model 0 train display, stretching nearly 36 by 72 feet, to the Town Hall through the sponsorship of the Ditto Group and the Town of Kensington. The display will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 5:00. (Starting right after the KHS Saturday Concert on Howard Avenue ~ see info elsewhere in this issue.) The Historical Society is adding to your fun with a performance by Matthew Dodd on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 at the Town Hall. He will present through song and story what it was like to be a rail splitter, track layer, passenger, engineer, brakeman or switchman or railroader’s wife and child in the days of steam trains. All proceeds will benefit the Kensington Historical Society and Noyes Children’s Library.

The all inclusive entrance fee is $5 for adults/$2 for children/$10 for a family. Your hand will be stamped for reentry to the display. Tickets may be available
in advance. Call 301-949-0489 or check www.kensingtonhistory.org for updates.

We thank Gary and Diana Ditto for bringing this fabulous family event to Kensington!

Our FREE concerts are held Saturdays from 10 to 11 AM in the Howard Avenue Park across from the Farmers’ Market at the Kensington Train Station.

June:

June 4   The Wat Stewart Memorial Concert with Dixieland Express ~  Creole Dixie band
June 11 Old School Country Bluegrass ~ reforming traditional bluegrass
June 18 Blue Book Value ~ rhythm & blues swing band
June 25 Esther Haynes and Keith Grimes

July:

July 2 Christina & Dan ~ classic & contemporary, American & Celtic, acoustic music served family style
July 9 Janine Wilson and Max Evans ~ roots rock/singer songwriter
July 16 Side By Side (Doris Justis &  Sean McGhee) ~ keeping folk music alive with harmony
July 23 The Scrub Pines ~ Americana roots – canceled due to the heat!
July 30 Snakehead Run ~ acoustic blues& string/jugband music

August:

Aug. 6 Lil’ Andy & the Kensingtones ~ traditional blues & blues/rock
Aug. 13 2^nd Story Band ~  funky world beat blues
Aug. 20 Carlos Munhoz and Rio Brazilian Jazz
Aug. 27 Silver Creek ~ country, ragtime, folk, Hawaiian…

September:

Sept. 3 Banjo Man Frank Cassel  ~  folk, bluegrass, & original music for all ages
Sept. 10 Rita Clarke & the Naturals ~ New Orleans rhythm & blues
Sept. 17 The Garrett Park Musicians’ Club ~ eclectic
Sept. 24 Ruthie Logsdon & Greg Hardin (of Ruthie and the Wranglers) ~ Americana country

October

Oct. 1  The Scrub Pines ~ Americana roots (rescheduled from the July 23 show that had to be canceled due to the excessive heat.

This Concert Series is dedicated to Wat Stewart, founder and original impresario of the KHS Saturday concerts.

All concerts are brought to you by the membership of the Kensington Historical Society and its sponsors.  We gratefully acknowledge the support of:  asap graphics, Catch Can, The Ditto Group (Gary & Diana Ditto), David Gregg’s Tree Service, Hardware City, The Hope Chest, itsy bitsy bakery, Johnson’s Florist & Garden Center, Jubilee, Kensington Row Bookshop, Kensington Pharmacy, Logan’s, Mizell Lumber & Hardware, Moose, Green & Korom, P.A., One-Stop Tax & Business Service, Patrick Reality CO. (Patrick Weed), Safeway, Sub*Urban Trading CO. (Alison Cavallaro), Sunflowers Consignment Boutique, Textile & Rug Museum, Washington Securities Corporation, and Susan I. Wranik Assoc.