Putin talk:Dr. Andrew Felkay, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies at Kutztown University, presents a talk, “To Understand Vladimir Putin Examine Russian History,” 1 p.m. Sept. 30, Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown. “Most Americans remain unaware that today’s current issues have deep and important historical roots,” said Joseph Garrera, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum. “This talk will offer a fresh perspective on Russian-American relations.” Felkay is author of “Yeltsin’s Russia and the West.’ Felkay will discuss the historical motivations behind Putin’s actions, including his actions in Crimea and the Ukraine. According to Felkay, “Putin grew up when the Soviet Union was one of the world’s most powerful countries. Having become leader of post-communist Russia at the end of 1999, he is intent to recapture his country’s former status, a status that had been discounted by the West after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union.” Information: lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org; 610-435-1074.

War in Whitehall:A “French and Indian War” Open House will be held 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sept. 30, at the historic 1756 Troxell-Steckel Farm, 4229 Reliance St., Egypt, Whitehall Township. Visitors will meet reenactors from the Frontier Guard (militia units protected frontier families in New Jersey and Pennsylvania), tour a farmhouse built during the war, and see vintage wagons, and farm tools. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was all about the destiny of the North American continent moving westward. French and Indian attacks in old Northampton County, which encompassed present-day Lehigh County, killed more than 100 settlers. Soldiers and settlers also killed Indians. In 1756, Johann Peter Troxell and his wife, Maria Magdalena, built the sturdy stone structure known today as the Troxell-Steckel House. Death and destruction occurred only one mile from their home. The 1756 Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum is owned by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Information: lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org; 610-435-1074.