Bicentennial-themed programs that were postponed because of COVID-19 in March 2020 have been rescheduled by Scarborough Public Library. The Library will welcome Dr. Matthew Edney on Sunday, June 27 at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

Dr. Edney curated the Osher Map Library’s Maine Bicentennial Exhibition, Mapping Maine: The Land and Its Peoples, 1677-1842. Using digital images of the exhibit and additional items from the OML collection, Dr. Edney will provide an overview of this special installation in his virtual presentation. Digital maps of Scarborough’s marshes — an important part of Scarborough’s early and present history — will also be included.

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Visit scarboroughlibrary.org to learn more and to register. The lecture will be recorded so those who cannot attend virtually can view it at a later time. Call 883-4723 option 4 or email askSPL@scarboroughlibrary.org with questions. To request a link to the recording, email Lucy Norvell, coordinator of Programming and Communications at ljnorvell@scarboroughlibrary.org.

March 15, 2020 marked the 200th anniversary of Maine’s Statehood. The Scarborough Public Library and Scarborough Historical Society began to bring a series of programs to our community in celebration of this bicentennial benchmark in early March 2020. The series was made possible through the financial partnership of the Scarborough Public Library and Scarborough Historical Society, and through a grant awarded by the Maine Humanities Council; all events are free to attend. The first program was held at the Library prior to the pandemic. Dr. Liam Riordan, Adelaide and Alan Bird Professor of History at the University of Maine, delivered his talk Past and Present Perspectives in Maine Statehood on the afternoon of March 1, 2020 in the Library’s Meeting Room. A recording is available. Next in the series is a Bicentennial Quilt Exhibit & Reception at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22, to honor the quilters who created the Bicentennial Quilt, featuring more than 50 of Scarborough’s historic landmarks. The assembled quilt will be displayed at the Library during the week of Aug. 23, on a bed owned by William King, Scarborough native and Maine’s first governor. The bed is part of the Scarborough Historical Society’s collection. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours and will acknowledge the talented quilters who shared their time and creativity to make this commemorative quilt possible.