We have at least five senses that we use to experience the world, but history tends mute them. We read about the Bubonic Plague, but can only imagine how it smelled. What did it really look like when buck naked berserkers charged Roman legions? Did you notice the dangly bits, or was that not as important under the circumstances?

Having spent a goodly portion of my last decade doing historical research about the Iron Range of the early 20th century, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge, but not nearly as much sensation as I would like. What did it feel like to be there? What did it sound like?

This Monday, July 14, I will deliver a public lecture for the Northern Lights Music Festival at the B’nai Abraham Cultural Center in Virginia, Minn. I call it “A Range of Sound.” I’ll be exploring the history of music on the Iron Range, with special emphasis on the influences that a young Bob Dylan might have heard here. Music played a huge role in the lives of our local ancestors and represents one of the most unique aspects of the immigrant communities of this small town industrial region.

Tickets are $15, $5 for students, and may be purchased online or at the door. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. at 328 5th St. S. in Virginia.