Find adventure in your own backyard as The Westport Library celebrates the spirit of exploration with A Night at The Explorers Club!
Join Westport/Weston’s own Richard Wiese, president emeritus of The Explorers Club and host of the multi-Emmy-winning TV show Born to Explore, on Thursday, August 15, as he hosts an unforgettable evening alongside his colleagues and fellow explorers.
The performance runs 7 to 9 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets for this event are free. Register to attend here.
Accompanying Wiese on stage will be an extraordinary lineup of explorers, including Lhakpa Sherpa, who holds the record for the most Mt. Everest summits by a woman; Dr. Nina Lanza, principal investigator on the Mars Rover's ChemCam; and astronaut Richard Garriott, current president of The Explorers Club and a pioneer in private space exploration.
Also appearing will be a who’s who of notable world-class explorers: co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Morad Tahbaz; documentary filmmaker Brendan Hall; entrepreneur and founder of cultural preservation company Roots Studio, Rebecca Hui; and globally featured artist and writer James Prosek.
Since its inception, The Explorers Club has been dedicated to the mission of exploring land, sea, air, and space. Several of the club’s alumni have pioneered the “famous firsts” of 20th century exploration, including Matthew Henson and Robert Peary, the club's third president, who "discovered" the North Pole in 1909, followed by the discovery of the South Pole by member Roald Amundsen in 1911. Club members Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit Everest in 1953, and the lowest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, was attained by Explorers Club Honorary President Don Walsh and Club Fellow Jacques Piccard in 1960. In addition, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins reached the moon in 1969 carrying The Explorers Club flag.
Since he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 11, Wiese has circled the globe, capturing powerful images and living one adventure after another — from traveling with Bedouins in Africa to cross-country skiing to the North Pole. He also achieved the first ascent of an unclimbed mountain in Alaska and discovered 29 new life forms on Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Growing up on Long Island’s north shore, Wiese recalls spending most of his time outside, fishing and exploring the woods. But even after journeying to all seven continents, tagging jaguars in the Yucatan jungles, leading expeditions to Australia’s Northern Territory, and participating in the largest medical expedition ever conducted on Mt. Everest, he still finds adventure anywhere — including the Westport and Weston area, where he now lives with his family.
Westport has served as Wiese’s home base since the inception of Born to Explore. Though its eight seasons traverse the globe, each episode was produced on Westport’s own Main Street. And Wiese has openly admired Connecticut’s accessibility to the Appalachian Trail, seeing a bald eagle swooping overhead while fishing with his sons on the Saugatuck River, and finding opportunities for adventure and exploration in the Nutmeg State.
"The world of exploration is a tapestry of diverse perspectives,” said Wiese, “each thread contributing to a richer understanding of our planet."
Wiese’s philosophy is as much about discovery of the natural world as it is about encouraging a positive understanding of the many distinctive cultures on earth. Throughout his career, Wiese has remained dedicated to uplifting voices from local communities around the world. He believes the most memorable aspect of any journey is not about reaching “the summit,” but the people you share your experiences with along the way.
