Wilton Library Association Newsletter
June 2007
in this issue
-- Parties for Kids in June
-- Reflections on Gilbert and Bennett - Drawings and Paintings
-- Calling All Teens - Dungeons & Dragons Continues!
-- Master Jazz Pianist, Bill Charlap to Perform on Sunday, June 3rd
-- Services for Seniors
-- Extra Open Hours for Exams
-- Downloadable Audio - Try It Out!
-- The Future of Schenck's Island
-- Wilton Library Association's 112th Annual Meeting - Sunday, June 10th
-- Father's Day Crafts
-- Summer Reading Fun: Fantasy Beasts & Books
-- Spotlight On: Children's Library Changes
-- Did You Know?
-- Donations for Shelters
Hello It is my pleasure to alert you to a very special event coming up at the end of the month (because this newsletter is arranged in rough chronological order, it might escape your notice, and I'd hate for that to happen). On Saturday, June 23rd, at 8 pm in the Clune Center at Wilton High School, the fabulous Blue Hill Troupe from New York City will perform a benefit production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Yeomen of the Guard. Actors, musicians, crew and set will all make the trip to Wilton, bringing their amazing talents and generosity to bear on this show. Set in the Tower of London during the Elizabethan age, Yeomen is the most dramatic of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Gilbert's trademark satire and pun-laden one-liners still abound and there are plenty of topsy-turvy plot complications. Many consider the score to be Sullivan's finest. Since The Blue Hill Troupes 1924 start in East Blue Hill, Maine, its members who hail from all walks of life and represent several generations, have donated their time and energy to create a full theatrical production of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta each spring. The Blue Hill Troupe has performed concerts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, and has been featured on television on CBS Sunday Morning and the Metro/Arts Thirteen performance series. Each year, the troupe performs a show outside of Manhattan and chooses a non-profit organization that can benefit from the fund-raising effort. All proceeds from the outside Manhattan show this year will benefit the Wilton Library, helping us to maintain our programs and services for the community, and we are most grateful to the Blue Hill Troupe for choosing to perform for us, and especially to Betsy and Jerry Goodwin, longtime members of the Troupe and Wilton Library Friends who helped to make this cultural opportunity possible. Please come and bring your friends - I know we can promise an evening of music and laughter you won't want to miss. For more information and to reserve your seats, call Sally Gemmill (203-762-3950 extension 234) with a credit card number or sign up online. See you there! |
Parties for Kids in June ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The Children's Library staff has two very special parties planned for the month of June, and they are bound to be popular, so register immediately if you would like to attend. Note that for these parties caregivers must attend along with children, so please make plans accordingly.
First, on Friday, June 1st, from 10:30 to 11 am, we'll have our very own Teddy Bear Picnic. Stories, animal crackers and juice will be served up for teddy bears (and other favorite stuffed friends) who attend with their young owners. This party has become a tradition and we're sure you'll want to sign up now to reserve a place. Second, on Wednesday, June 13th, again from 10:30 to 11 am, we'll hold a Bitty Baby Party for the younger set. Kids can bring along a favorite doll to enjoy the stories and snacks - and make a craft for the doll, too. Please register in advance so we have enough food and supplies on hand for everyone. |
Reflections on Gilbert and Bennett - Drawings and Paintings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The Gilbert and Bennett area of Georgetown has been much in the news recently with talk of future development and refurbishment of the old wire mill and its associated buildings. Local artists Dorothy Hyde, Ann Kromer, Lynda Pattee and Jen Shelley will join forces with photographer Gretchen Yengst to exhibit works that portray the area using a variety of media both as it is now and as it has been in the past.
Please join us on Friday, June 1st, from 6 to 7:30 pm for the opening reception of this unique exhibition, or drop in throughout the month to view (and perhaps purchase) the paintings, photographs and drawings. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of works benefits the Library's Art Fund. |
Calling All Teens - Dungeons & Dragons Continues! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 On Saturdays June 2nd and 9th, from 12:30-2:30 pm, kids in grades 6-9 are invited to come to the Library for excitement and creative game playing of our continuing Dungeons & Dragons Club. Open to all students, the Club is overseen by a parent volunteer - but please note that caregivers for children under the age of 12 must remain in the Library building during the Club meeting. Please call ahead to confirm the meeting schedule and place (762-3950).
Register online: |
Master Jazz Pianist, Bill Charlap to Perform on Sunday, June 3rd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The amazingly talented jazz pianist Bill Charlap will play for us on Sunday, June 3rd, from 3-5 pm as part of the Library's Hot & Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room series. We are so grateful to the William and Karen Tell Foundation for funding this exceptional series and offer special thanks to Ed and Catherine Romer and Chris and Tish Brubeck for helping us to bring jazz musicians of extremely high caliber to the intimate and magnificent setting of our very own Brubeck Room.
The New York-born and bred, Charlap has received critical praise for his recent CDs released by Blue Note Records, celebrating the American songbook tradition, the songs of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin. In his 2000's Written in the Stars, Charlap brought his own personality to the Great American Songbook standards, while also managing to keep them true to the composers' original intent. His Somewhere album (2004) paid homage to Leonard Bernstein and earned Charlap a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. His most recent CDs have included collaborations with his long time bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. Bill also has recorded and/or performed most recently with Marian McPartland, Steely Dan, Tim Ries and The Stone Project, Paula West and Scott Hamilton. Please register in advance and we will save a seat for you, if you are within the first 160 to do so and arrive before 3 pm. Immediately at 3 pm, and if space is available, walk-in and waitlisted registrants will be admitted. A $10 donation per person is suggested to benefit future performances and programs. |
Services for Seniors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Do you know how to keep your elderly parent or other loved one at home safely? Are you aware of all the ways in which you can call for affordable help in keeping the seniors in your life independent and thriving? Come to the Library on Wednesday, June 6th, from 10:30 am to noon for an encore presentation by Lea Mintz, Community Liaison for the Family & Children's Agency, to discover more on this issue.
Lea will speak about the full continuum of in-home services offered for seniors from homemakers and companions, to carpentry, transportation and chore services, to home health aides and full-time live-in help. You are certainly not alone in the quest to find a viable in-home solution for your loved one, so come and hear tips and strategies from an expert. Please register in advance for this life enhancing - and possibly life-saving - program. |
Extra Open Hours for Exams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 During exam week, (Monday, June 11th through Thursday, June 14th) the Library will remain open late to provide Wilton High School students a quiet place to study for their tests. We will remain open until 9 pm each night, giving students an additional 9 hours of evening study time at the Library. |
Downloadable Audio - Try It Out! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Join in the fun of downloading audiobooks from the large selection available to you at NetLibrary on Thursday, June 7th, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm. Our resident guru, Mary Anne Franco, will show you how to download books to your home computer, then transfer them to an MP3 player so that you can have a book available in your pocket or purse at all times. Listening while you commute, exercise, garden, or work around the house has never been more convenient!
There is no charge for the class, but advance registration is required as space is limited. Please note that the Library has MP3 players to loan, if you don't own one yourself. The NetLibrary service is not compatible with iPod or other Mac products. |
The Future of Schenck's Island ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 We are fortunate to have many open spaces available to us in Wilton for recreation and enjoyment, and arguably, Schenck's Island is the most accessible to the largest number of us who live or work in town because of its central location.
On Thursday, June 7th, from 7-8 pm, the Library will join forces with the Town of Wilton and Wilton Land Trust to bring landscape designer Larry Weaner in to discuss the area's current status and future potential. Please register in advance for this important discussion, presented as part of the Library's continuing Environmental Initiative funded by The Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation. |
Wilton Library Association's 112th Annual Meeting - Sunday, June 10th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Are you a Friend of the Library? If you have donated any amount to help support our budget (a quarter of which each year is funded by generous individuals, foundations, and businesses), then you are, and we'll take this opportunity to bring you up to date on all we've accomplished during the year.
Please come help us celebrate the staff and volunteers who make all we do possible, hear a brief review of finances and activities, and take part in the election of trustees and officers of the Association for the coming year. As a special treat this year, we will reprise a segment of Poetry in Motion, the acclaimed production that played to packed audiences earlier this year, highlighting the very best in teen creativity and expression. We look forward to seeing you! |
Father's Day Crafts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Children of all ages are invited to stop in from 10 am to 6 pm on Friday, June 15th or from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, June 16th, to make a special treat for Dad. All supplies and guidance will be available to insure a lovely and loving gift.
There is no charge for craft sessions and no charge for them. The Wilton Library is happy to help celebrate all the wonderful fathers in our community. |
Summer Reading Fun: Fantasy Beasts & Books ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 This summer, starting on June 18th, the Library's summer reading program for kids is entitled Fantasy Beasts & Books, and we encourage all of our young readers (through age 12) to take part! Children are invited to come in and decorate a reading poster the week of June 18th that will serve as a record of all the titles they enjoyed over the summer months. In past years hundreds of kids have taken part and thousands of books have been read - boosting skills, vocabulary and knowledge in a way that is fun and helps promote an enduring appreciation of literature and reading.
Accompanying our book reading are several crafts, story times, and entertainments based on our Fantasy Beasts & Books theme, thanks to the generosity of Stop & Shop and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation: Tuesdays, June 19th and June 26th ~~ Drop-in Story Times Wednesday, June 20th ~~ Take a Magic Carpet Ride to England Thursdays June 21st and 28th ~~ Creature Crafts for All Ages
Wednesday, June 27th ~~ Atka the Arctic Wolf |
Spotlight On: Children's Library Changes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 For the past year, as we settled into our new quarters following the expansion project, the Children's Library has undergone several significant improvements:
We've been able to add more comfortable seating in the Parents' Area, reconfiguring shelving to provide a more intimate and cozy space for parents and other caregivers to cuddle up with a book away from the computers and creative play areas. We've moved the educational game stations to the younger children's side of the Children's Library (on the left as you enter), reserving the older children's side as an area more conducive to individual study or reading and quiet group work. The Children's Library Head, Laura Schwemm, has undertaken a reorganization of the collection to better serve parents and children using our materials. Arguably the most exciting change is the separation of series books from the rest of the collection. Now kids looking for the next book to read in Secrets of Droon, Geronimo Stilton, or Phantom Stallion can find them easily on the "series wall." Keep your eyes open, as the Children's staff adds the Rainbow Fairies and Araminta Spookie to the wall. We're gathering email addresses for our Children's e-newsletter so that we can keep parents and children up to date with our program schedule and additions to our collection. Newsletters will be created for specific age groups. If you are interested in subscribing, please email Laura Schwemm ( lschwemm@wiltonlibrary.org) and include the birth years of your children to make sure that you get the appropriate version. One of the most exciting changes is about to happen! Artists Ed and Bonnie MacEwen are about to create a three-dimensional mural in the story room that will delight our youngest listeners and readers for generations to come. The mural will not only fill the room with a kingdom of mammals, birds and reptiles, it will also provide a unique seat for our storytellers at the base of the "telling tree" that fills a corner of the room. We all look forward to the project's completion in the fall! |
Did You Know? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Speaking of the Children's Library, did you know that we have equipment and a special collection of books and other materials just for children with disabilities and their families? Funded in part with a grant from the Federal Government, the Anne Claire Lester Foundation, and with the help of the SPED*NET organization here in Wilton, library materials for loan include an outstanding number of exceptional resources for families coping with physical, emotional and intellectual challenges. In addition, we have two assistive technology workstations that offer both software and hardware for students with challenges of all sorts and the Children's Library staff will be glad to give you a tour of the options they offer.
The parenting collection as a whole is a gold mine for parents, offering up-to-date books, audiovisual material, and magazines full of useful information for the child-rearing set. Dealing with sibling rivalry, toilet training, school phobia, and other common issues can be so much easier with advice from the experts and facts that allay fears and fashion sound responses. Please inquire at the Children's Library information desk for the location and extent of our materials in print and audiovisual format. They would love to show you around. |
Donations for Shelters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In accordance with Mara Schechter's and Madeline Kennedy's Senior Interest Project about homelessness (a gallery of photographs and interviews), boxes for physical donations to local homeless shelters will be placed in the Children's Library, the Teen Area and the Adult Computer Area of the Wilton Library until mid-June. Mara and Madeline say, "Just by taking unneeded items (or buying some new ones), you can make a difference in people's lives!"
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 203-762-3950
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