This year’s Lafayette birthday celebrations in Fayetteville included “Arias and Artifacts” at Methodist University. The event consisted of a reception and program highlighting recent additions to the Lafayette Collection at Davis Memorial Library. Members of the MU Chorale also shared memories of their recent visit to St. Avold, France, Fayetteville’s sister city. Afterward, there was a concert of French music in Hensdale Chapel, presented by vocalist Gail Morfesis and friends.
The Lafayette Collection includes letters, monographs, books, commemorative items, maps, and other items dating from Lafayette’s lifetime and beyond. Archives Librarian Arleen Fields is the curator of the University’s special collections, and organized this year’s event, in conjunction with the Lafayette Society.
“The highlight of the program was a presentation to the University of an 1825 ‘Lafayette map’ of Fayetteville from the Lafayette Society,” Fields said. “The map is a window into the history of Fayetteville and our connection to Lafayette.”