Events at HCSCC
Tuesday, September 17
Civil Liberties and the Great War
Tuesday, September 17, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Hjemkomst Center
Join us for a free, local history exploring civil liberties during World War I from HCSCC Senior Archivist Mark Peihl. The lecture is offered with free admission in support of our current exhibition of "War, Flu, and Fear: World War I & Clay County" and in celebration of Welcoming Week and the efforts of Welcoming FM.
World War I was a trying time for civil liberties in the United States. The passage of the Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917 and 1918 was used to silence and imprison critics of an unpopular war, while state legal bodies and local political groups resorted to intimidation, alienation, and occasional mob violence in their efforts to stifle dissent. Many historians see this wave of repressive acts culminating in the Palmer Raids, which directly influenced the formation of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920.
On the local front xenophobia, anti-German sentiment, and fears of labor unions and radicals reached a fever pitch. These fears took shape in acts of mob violence and the creation of the Minnesota Public Safety Commission, a watchdog group that exerted tremendous powers in the state, suspending civil liberties and presiding over what University of Minnesota historian Hy Berman described as "a reign of terror."
Admission is free, and tickets may be reserved here. The lecture will be held in the Hjemkomst Center's Heritage Theater.
Tuesday, September 24
Excavating Whiskey: The Archaeology of Moorhead Saloons
Tuesday, September 24, 6:30PM - 7:30PM
Hjemkomst Center
In celebration of Minnesota's Archaeology Month, we invite you to join us for a free, local history exploring conclusions from a recent archaeological dig in Moorhead's Saloon Row. After the City of Moorhead rerouted its bike paths around the old North Bridge and through a registered archaeological site containing artifacts from the earliest Moorhead neighborhoods, MSUM Anthropologist Dr. George Holley was invited to lead the excavation. He'll discuss his team's efforts and their conclusions from the project as we dig into Moorhead's early Saloon years
Admission is free, and tickets may be reserved here. The lecture will be held in the Hjemkomst Center's Heritage Theater and light refreshments will be provided.
Tuesday, October 1
OPENING RECEPTION
America's Monsters, Superheroes, and Villains
Tuesday, October 1, 5:00PM - 8:00PM
Hjemkomst Center
Join us to celebrate our new exhibition from Minneapolis-based collectors SuperMonster市City!, America's Monsters, Superheroes and Villains: Our Culture At Play. The exhibition offers a wonderfully monstrous survey of vintage toys, models, and posters exploring America's favorite supernatural histories.
The exhibit features over 350 vintage original toys, posters, advertising materials, television commercials and movie trailers in this comprehensive exhibition telling the story of six decades of America’s cultural icons. America's Monsters playfully illustrates how the playtime icons of American culture reflect our country’s changing ideals and serve as historical documentation of our nation’s emerging creativity and evolving norms and conventions. Museum-goers will come face-to-face with vintage objects and artifacts that illuminate the changes in toy design, children’s play, and social mores across 60 years.
Admission is free and we encourage you to come dressed up in costume!
Saturday, October 5
Comstock Pumpkin Carving & Costume Swap
Saturday, October 5, 1:00PM & 3:00PM
Comstock House
Get in the Halloween spirit with pumpkin carving on the Comstock House lawn, a costume swap, tours, and, of course, plenty of treats!
Those interested in the costume swap should bring clean, gently used costumes to the event. Pumpkins and carving tools will be provided, but we'd love if you reserved a pumpkin here, so we can plan accordingly!
Admission is free. Reserve your pumpkin(s) here!
Thursday, October 10 & 17
Comstock Flashlight Tours
Thursday, October 10 & 17, 7:00PM & 9:00PM
Comstock House
Join us for a spooky tour as we explore the Comstock House by flashlight after dark. With all the lights turned off, guides will bring guests through the house and use flashlights to illuminate artifacts and architectural features along the way. Guests will have access to areas usually not open on tours, including the attic and basement.
Tours are limited to 10 people each, beginning at 7:00PM and 9:00PM. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Admission is $10 ($5 for HCSCC/MNHS Members). Tickets may be reserved here.
Tuesday, October 15
Of Light & Darkness:
German Expressionism and American Pop Culture
Tuesday, October 15, 6:00PM - 7:15PM
Hjemkomst Center
From the Joker to SpongeBob SquarePants to Blade Runner, German Expressionism has long held influence over the American pop culture imagination: fractured psyches, booming metropolises, and lurking monsters. Please join us for a history of German Expressionism and it's tremendous influence on American pop culture from Concordia College Assistant Professor of German, Dr. Andrea Schmidt. Then check out our exhibitions, "America's Monsters, Superheroes, and Villains: Our Culture At Play" and "War, Flu, & Fear: World War I and Clay County."
The 100th anniversary of World War I, and the birth of Weimar Germany, have brought renewed attention to visual and cultural legacies of that era across the globe. Dr. Schmidt will provide a brief introduction to the historical and industrial background of the Expressionist movement in the visual, literary, and film arts in Interwar Germany before tracing those influences in the United States, from the horror film to cartoons and comic books.
Dr. Schmidt is currently Assistant Professor of German in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Her research interests include German language cinema, literary adaptations, and heritage cultures. She recently taught a course on Weimar Cinema in the School of Film at Portland State University.
Admission is free, and tickets may be reserved here. The lecture will be held in the Hjemkomst Center's Heritage Theater and light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday, October 24
Wine, Dinner, & the Victorian Gothic
Thursday, October 24, 6:00PM - 9:00PM
Comstock House
We're stepping into the Victorian Gothic for a twist on our HCSCC wine classes and hosting 16 visitors for dinner, wine, and a look at the spookier side of the late-19th century frontier. Our setting is the beautiful Comstock House, an 1883 Queen Anne-Eastlake mansion. Our menu, curated and prepared by HCSCC member Sam Wai, is drawn from our records of the Grand Pacific Hotel that loomed over Moorhead from 1882 to 1896. Enjoy pâté, champagne and canapés; mock turtle soup and sherry; shrimp salad and Riesling; Suprême of Chicken à la Périgord and a Bordeaux Clairet; and a lemon tart served with a 25-year old Sauternes. Our program will be offered by HCSCC researchers Markus Krueger and Davin Wait, exploring Moorhead's years of the late 19th-century Gothic revival, from ghosts and frontier mansions and Victorian Gothic literature to the birth of electricity, film, and American scientism.
Admission is $100. Seats may be reserved by calling or emailing HCSCC Administrative Assistant Lynelle Martin after 9:00AM on Thursday, October 3. Be prepared to provide payment information and the number of your party. If Lynelle does not answer your call, please leave a message indicating the size of your party. She will return your call to gather payment information. Reservations will not be accepted prior to 9:00AM on Thursday, October 3.
An 1883 City Directory listing showing JLL Chauncey, Fargo-Moorhead's clairvoyant and magnetic physician (HCSCC).
Tuesday, October 29
HPR & Fargo Underground present......
The Hjemkomst Monster Ball
Tuesday, October 29, 5-9:00PM
Hjemkomst Center
Join us for music, drinks, and appetizers as we celebrate the Halloween spirit and our new exhibition of America's Monsters, Superheroes, and Villains with a Monster Ball! Hot Lunch takes the stage at 6:00PM on the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery's observation deck, and Jessica Vines Band follows at 7:00PM. Classic horror movies will be screened on the Hjemkomst sail, a carnival midway takes shape from HCSCC and Games to Go, and local "spooky-movie" legends Madd Frank Presents will be on-hand for a meet-n-greet and photos. Appetizers are included and a cash wine & beer bar will be available.
General Admission is $20, RIP Admission (Really Important Person) is $50 and comes with drink tickets and an HCSCC membership. College students are admitted free of charge with a valid student ID.
Tickets may be reserved here.
Tuesday, November 26
OPENING RECEPTION
FMVA's Monsters, Marvels, & Memorabilia
Tuesday, November 26, 5:00PM - 8:00PM
Hjemkomst Center
The Fargo-Moorhead Visual Artists’ annual constraint art show challenges artists to create with a theme, encouraging them to expand their skills and perspective. This year’s theme was inspired by our exhibition of America’s Monsters, Superheroes and Villains: Our Culture At Play, so this fall we’ll have the tremendous fortune of exhibiting Fargo-Moorhead’s own monsters, marvels, and memorabilia.
Admission is free and refreshments will be served.