Speakers Series
Each year the historical society gathers eight history speakers to share their history knowledge with the community. Their hour long presentation is given on the third Monday evening of the month at 6:30 pm, usually including a power point slide show, related items on display, and sometimes a book signing.
2024
We are finished lining up our program for 2024 . If you or anyone else has an interest in giving a presentation or knows someone else who might, please contact Louis Silveira (916) 682-1335 hm or lssilveira@comcast.net. Thank you!
May 20
Dave Lema
David is the Chairman of the Linda Mae Mahon Lema Foundation which was established to honor Linda after her passing in 2015. The objective of the Foundation is to research, record, and present the personal stories and family histories of the greater area of Elk Grove. To date, over 300 audio casts which tell these stories have been produced and published on the Foundation web site.
Memorial Day Veteran Recognition Audio Cast
In recognition of Memorial Day 2024, the Linda Mae Mahon Lema Foundation will present a collage of additional stories about Elk Grove area servicemembers who were lost in war during the last century. These stories, while tragic, are every bit part of Elk Grove history. Each story was extensively researched by combing military records, archival records, newspaper accounts, and, where possible, through direct conversations with family members, who shared letters, photos, diaries, and personal memories. The stories are from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War Era, and the Persian Gulf Wars. After the presentation, these stories will also be posted on our web site: www.lmmlfoundation.org.
June 17
Roberta Tanner
Roberta Tanner is on the board of the Elk Grove Historical Society as the Director of the Rhoads School Living History Program and very much involved in history. Also, she is on the board of the International Society of Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (ISDUP) as Regional Representative of Northern California and Cemetery Chairperson on the board of the Sacramento Company of ISDUP. She leads summer tours of the Sloughhouse Pioneer Cemetery in Sloughhouse and has written much on all those interred there.
The Sloughhouse Pioneer Cemetery
The Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Sacraemto County and has a rich history of many well known pioneers from this area. She can speak at length on many related topics and she shares her knowledge in her power point presentation.
July – Summer break, No speaker
August – Summer break, No speaker
September 16
Dave Lema
David is the Chairman of the Linda Mae Mahon Lema Foundation which was established to honor Linda after her passing in 2015. The objective of the Foundation is to research, record, and present the personal stories and family histories of the greater area of Elk Grove. To date, over 300 audio casts which tell these stories have been produced and published on the Foundation web site.
The Edgington/Sprinstead Story – Installment II
The Foundation will present the stories of two Elk Grove area pioneer families: The Edgingtons and the Springsteds. The stories of these families trace their travels and history beginning in Europe, to the American Colonies between 1652 and 1721, their involvement in numerous historic events and moments in early North America, through their generational migration west, eventually crossing the plains in the 1860s and 1870s to settle in Elk Grove.
Each story was extensively researched by combing through public and archival records, newspaper accounts, and reviewing personal letters, photographs, diaries, and personal mementos. Like the stories of more recent arrivals to Elk Grove, what is revealed is the richness of history and culture brought to Elk Grove by these early settlers, whose stories reflect over 300 years of the American Experience.
October 21
Andrei Pischalnikoff: Aka “Doctor R. Snick”
Andrei Pischalnikoff has been a storyteller using various media for many years. With a previous background in helping people to accept technology changes (at a workplace of over 4,000 employees) and creating persuasive public media messages, he has enjoyed researching the historic marketing work of P.T. Barnum and the patent medicine industries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Andrei has also dabbled in being a docent and living history performer. Andrei visits the patent medicine, quackery collections and the archives at theSierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society Andrei also spends time in the Amador County of California, listening to the historians and volunteers who create events celebrating the past. Andrei portrayed a Kickapoo Medicine Showman at the 49er Wagon Train Days in April 2023 and did a presentation at the Kennedy Mine of Jackson in May of 2023.
Andrei has a passion sharing his knowledge with a specialized focus on the audience’s interests. Another passion is sharing advice on collecting artifacts, telling audiences “I am going to share with you, what I wish I could have told myself years ago when I started collecting”.
He collects various patent medicine artifacts, strange devices that claimed to cure serious diseases and a variety of ephemera related to quackery and deception. His interests extend to hoaxes, oddities and strange items of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
The Dr. R. Snick Poisons and Cures Show
Learn about several of the poisons used in the past and how “cures” were sold, making incredible amounts of money for the purveyors, from hundreds of years ago to the 18th century and the early 20th century. Topics include; Famous poisons of the past, commonly used poisons, historic cures and poison detectors, and the dangers cures had.
For more information and fun, check out his website: https://www.doctorrsnick.com
Click here to see his 4 minute YouTube video
November – Holiday break, No speaker
December – Holiday break, No speaker
Basic Information to Know
Please understand these history presentations are for you to learn about the rich history of our community. It’s an hour of amazing people sharing what they know, usually with a power point presentation, often several artifacts on display, and sometimes a book signing. Please considering coming and seeing for yourself.
There are no presentations in the following months; July & August for summer break and November & December for holiday break. Sorry!
They are always on the third Monday evenings of the month, at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm) at our usual place, the Presbyterian Church at 8153 Elk Grove Boulevard. Turn north on to Big Horn and it’s behind the Chevron Station, Suite 50.
Always FREE, open to the public, and we provide refreshments.