TITUSVILLE, Pa. — On Thursday, March 2, Drake Well Museum and Park and Friends of Drake Well will kick off the museum’s 2017 Petroleum Program Series.

This year’s six-part series is scheduled for every Thursday evening in March and the first Thursday in April. Presentations will begin at 6:30 p.m. with light refreshments served at 6:00 p.m. Admission to each presentation is $5.00 for adults (12-64 years), $4.00 for seniors (65+ years) and Free for youth, veterans, and Friends of Drake Well, Inc. members.

The first installment of Drake Well Museum’s 2017 Petroleum Program Series will feature a presentation by Sarah J. Wurzbacher entitled “Bioenergy.” Ms. Wurzbacher, a Forestry and Bioenergy Educator with Penn State Extension, will introduce the basics of biomass energy in its many forms in the United States, highlighting the potential impact of developing biomass markets in communities like ours.

According to Wurzbacher, “Bioenergy is the newest, oldest technology out there.  Basic bioenergy technology (e.g. burning firewood for heat) is very familiar—it kept Colonel Drake warm before he ever oversaw the drilling of the first commercial oil well—but biomass is finding more and more markets in energy development that go far beyond firewood—for heat, power, and liquid fuels at a variety of scales.  Still, bioenergy often gets left out of renewable energy conversations.”

The 2017 Petroleum Program Series’ full schedule of speakers includes:

• March 2 – “Bioenergy” – Sarah J. Wurzbacher, Penn State Extension
• March 9 – “Women’s Activism in the Oil Region” – Melissa L. Mann, Drake Well Museum and Park
• March 16 – “Poison Gas Use in World War I” – Ronald S. Lenox, Pennsylvania Military Museum
• March 23 – “Music of Irving Berlin” – Dr. Phillip Atteberry, University of Pittsburgh
• March 30 – “The United States Enters the Great War” – Major General John E. Stevens, USA, Ret., Pennsylvania Military Museum
• April 6 – “Abraham Gesner: A Pioneer of the Modern Petroleum Industry” – Dr. William R. Brice, Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown

The 2017 Petroleum Program Series is sponsored by American Legion Cleo J. Ross Post #368 and the Petroleum History Institute.

Located off Route 8 south of Titusville, Drake Well Museum and Park is open year round. Spring hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. Drake Well Museum and Park is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in partnership with Friends of Drake Well and is part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History® (www.PATrailsofHistory.com).

Additional information about the 2017 Petroleum Program Series and other museum programs is available at www.drakewell.org, by calling (814) 827-2797, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/DrakeWellMuseumandpark/.