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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2021)
6 Thursday, March 4, 2021 GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon Ahoy! Big Read 2021 nears the shore ENTERPRISE — Fishtrap’s Big Read 2021, which is online-only again this year, centers on a true tale of resilience and survival — “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex” by Nathaniel Philbrick. The month-long event concludes in mid-March. Under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Fishtrap has created a month of free online events for readers, students and families to learn about whales and the history of whaling in America. The Big Read’s events are free and open to all, and reading the book is not required. All Big Read events may be experienced either as a livestream or afterward on Fishtrap’s website (www.fi shtrap. org/the-big-read-2021). The fi rst event of the 2021 Big Read was Wednesday, Feb. 17, a livestreamed presentation by Dr. Lisa T. Balance, director of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute and endowed chairwoman of marine mammal research. The Big Read continues with a series of educational events in partnership with The Colum- bia River Maritime Museum (see schedule below). The fi nale is March 17 with the book’s author streaming online from his home on Nantucket. In addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, the program is supported locally by neigh- borhood businesses and individual donations. Special thanks are offered to community sponsors Art Center East, Community Bank, The Bookloft and the Oregon Arts Commission. Fishtrap/Contributed Photos and Artwork ‘IN THE HEART OF THE SEA’ BIG READ 2021 SCHEDULE Feb. 17 — “Whaling” with Dr. Lisa T. Ballance; watch online anytime beginning Feb. 18. Feb. 24 — “Food at Sea: How to Make Your Own Hardtack”; watch online anytime beginning Feb. 25. Feb. 25 — “Sailor Superstitions”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning Feb. 26. March 3 — “Whaling in Oregon”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 4. March 4 — “Golden Age of Whaling”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 5. March 10 — “Sailor Slang”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 11. March 17 — Finale keynote address with Nathaniel Philbrick, author of “In the Heart of the Sea”; watch online anytime beginning March 17. The National Book Award-winning tale is the story of the 19th-century whaleship Essex, which was the target of a sperm whale attack. The 85-foot long whale — perhaps the largest of that species anyone had witnessed — rammed the ship and stove it in. The attack and the sinking of the Essex were the basis of Herman Melville’s ending for his 1851 novel, “Moby-Dick.” The book takes place in 1819, when the Essex set sail to hunt whales, leaving Nantucket, Massachusetts, for the South Pacifi c in what was to be a routine voyage. Instead, the crew found itself part of one of the most horrifying mari- time disasters in American history when the massive whale rammed and sunk their vessel. For 90 days the crew drifted in small boats with only some sense of where they were in the vast ocean. Facing starvation, disease, brutal weather and a near loss of hope, they succumbed to drastic measures as they fought to Philbrick stay alive. LA GRANDE 541-963-6033 BAKER CITY 541-523-1533 ENTERPRISE 541-426-9228 www.CarpetoneEO.com