The Adirondack History Center Museum kicks off its 2014 Summer Lecture Series at 7 p.m. tonight, July 8th, as Professor Richard Robbins presents “The Anthropology of Holidays and Amusement: An Introduction to the Birth of Vacations and the Growth of Pleasure Palaces.”

Robbins will place Adirondack theme parks, such as Land of Make-believe, Frontier Town and the North Pole in both a historical and cultural context and examine how theme parks originated, how they fit into the evolution of popular culture, and where they fit in the history of the idea of “vacations.” The heyday of these regional attractions in the mid-20th century is an important part of Adirondack history and an emphasis for the Museum’s summer exhibition on “Arto Monaco and the Land of Makebelieve.”

A SUNY Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Robbins’ research and writing includes works on globalization, the environment, debt, religion and food. He is a resident of Essex and teaches at SUNY at Plattsburgh.

Admission to the lectures is $5 for members and $8 for non-members. Advance reservations are not necessary. Additional lectures in the series will include: Santa’s Workshop – How it Came to Be, July 15; Adirondack Eco-Tourism – Past and Future, July 22; Arto Monaco, from Tinseltown to World War II to the Land of Makebelieve, July 29; Building Lake Placid’s Sports Culture, August 5; Roth’s Forge Village at Frontier Town, August 12; They Were There – Santa’s Workshop and the Land of Makebelieve, August 19; and The Mountains will Wait for You, August 26.

Located at 7590 Court Street in Elizabethtown, The Adirondack History Center Museum houses the Essex County Historical Society. The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day until October 13. Admission is $5, with discounts for seniors and students. Children under 6 are admitted free. Additional information may be found at www.adkhistorycenter.org, or by calling 518-873-6466.

Founded in 1954, The Essex County Historical Society serves to preserve and celebrate the history of Essex County through collections, exhibits, education and outreach programs.