Programs
See the schedule of events here. All Vintage Cookbook programs are one hour, and audience members will enjoy some samples of purchased gourmet treats and will leave with a packet of easy holiday recipes. At the Scrap-Cookbook Events, audience members leave with an album and a few decorated pages of recipes. When Retro Crafting, audience members leave with 3 projects begun in different mediums. Contact me to set up one of these events for your library:
Vintage Spring Holidays
St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras, Easter and Passover featured special foods and treats in decades past. In this program, audience members will learn about unusual and traditional favorites for beloved holidays.
The Joys of Jello
Jello has become a staple of American cuisine and is popular in salads, desserts and more. Find out the history of Jello while sampling Jello in cups and Jello pudding.
Retro Crafting
Mad about Macrame, Flower Looms and more? Travel back through the decades by seeing pictures of popular past crafts and decorations. Try simple samples of three retro crafts to take home. (Note: The teen and adult versions could be combined.)
Teen Retro Crafting
What were popular fashion accessories in the 60's, 70's and 80's? Why did people like Pet Rocks? Find out the answers to these questions while making a pom pom animal, a ribboned barrette and a macramé bracelet.
Vintage Celebrations: A Scrap-Cookbook Event
What foods and decorations were popular for weddings, showers and other milestones in decades past? Enjoy a treat while looking at pictures then get ready to work on some scrapbook pages that could be part of a gift album for a celebration in your life.
Pie Party
In this program, history and types of pies will be featured. Audience members will sample pies and will leave with a packet of recipes.
Crazy About Cakes
Special occasions from memory often include celebration cakes. In this hour long program, audience members will learn about the history of special cakes including red velvet, carrot cake, brand name favorites, and styles of wedding cake. Famous cakes will be featured.
Nostalgia Foods
Snowballs, Moon Pies, Goo Goos, Mallomars. Audience members will be led on a flavorful trip to the past with this hour long program. The history of several treats will be highlighted with some samples available for audience members to savor.
Vintage Southern Treats
Designed for a library system to accompany The Help book, this program brings back flavors of the South in past decades. From coconut cake to pralines, audience members will savor Southern treats and leave with recipes for similar treats to enjoy at home.
Vintage Cookies and Candy
When were brownies invented? What flavors of fudge were popular in the 1950's? Audience members will enjoy hearing about and sampling cookie and candy trends from past decades. All will leave with recipes.
Vintage Holidays
Everyone remembers a recipe from beloved family members, especially those from the holiday season. Amy Alessio will share stories from cookbooks from 1940 - 1980 that evoke delicious memories.
Vintage Fall Flavors
Taste the flavors of fall in this program with samples and recipes covering vintage cookbook autumn delights. Topics include Apple delights, Vintage Halloween traditions, pumpkins and more.
Preserving Family Recipes
Combine food and scrapbooking to make scrap-cookbooks! Audience members will leave with mini albums, a few decorations and ideas for preserving handwritten or favorite family recipes with style. A sample treat and recipes will be provided.
Preserving Holiday Recipes - a Scrap-Cookbook Event
This program offers the popular Preserving Family Recipes with a holiday twist covering several cultures. Combine food and scrapbooking to make holiday themed scrap-cookbooks! Audience members will sample treats and leave with mini albums and recipes.
Nancy McCully Programs
Popular presenter and librarian Nancy McCully first suggested Amy take her blog on the road and they work together to bring both of their events to libraries. Contact Nancy McCully about her entertaining travel, history or jewelry making programs below at NancyMcCully@aol.com. Here is a sample of her program choices:
Two Ways to See Washington, DC
Option 1: Searching for The Lost Symbol
Visit Washington, DC to see the monuments that set the scene for Dan Brown's latest bestseller, The Lost Symbol. We will tour the Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Washington Monument, Smithsonian Institution and other locations that helped Robert Langdon solve the thriller's ancient puzzles.
Option 2: Washington, DC
Discover the history of America with a visit to our nation's capital. Travel to the halls of government, see the monuments on the National Mall, and explore the many museums that make Washington, DC such an exciting place to visit.
Step into History
We will step into the past when we visit several outdoor museums within easy reach of Chicago. We will explore the ethnic farms of Old World Wisconsin, see New Salem where Abraham Lincoln lived as a young man, tour 19th century villages and Indian camps at Conner Prairie park in Indiana, and go to America's largest restored Shaker community at Kentucky's Pleasant Hill.
Bonnie Scotland
Join us for an armchair tour of central Scotland to see its intriguing cities, regal castles, untamed highlands, and spectacular lochs and glens.
Christmas in Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a magical place during the Christmas season. See the decorations and discover how easy it is to add Williamsburg style touches to your holiday celebration.
Mr. Lincoln's Springfield
Abraham Lincoln proudly called Springfield, Illinois his home before the presidency took him to Washington, D.C. Explore the capital city he knew. Family program with craft also available.