Wilton Library Association Newsletter
March 2004
in this issue
-- Expansion News
-- 4th Annual Evening of the Arts - March 27th
-- Art Exhibit for March: Angela Loeffel Burns
-- Designing & Planning Your Landscape
-- Elissa Grodin, Noted Author, to Speak to Kids and Parents
-- Chips 'n' Chat Part #3: Planning & Zoning in Wilton
-- Chess, Babysitting, Crafts & Movies for Kids and Teens
-- March Book Discussions
-- Newcomers Group Story Time
-- Ten Things Effective Leaders Do Well
-- Computer Classes @ the Library
-- Cancellations
Greetings!
Thanks for logging on, tuning in and otherwise keeping informed about what's happening at the Wilton Library this month!
Expansion
News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Building Committee (and particularly its Interiors subcommittee
under the leadership of Elizabeth Harleman) for the Library's expansion
has been working hard on refining the interiors plan. Elements requiring
members' recent attention and expertise include lighting, acoustics,
flooring, wall and ceiling treatments, electric and data wiring, audiovisual
and telecommunications equipment, fabrics and other surface materials,
and service desk configurations. A dedicated group of volunteers and
staff members have been meeting, going on "field trips," consulting
with experts and peers, and generally doing all they can to insure
that we have the best and most flexible options open to us.
If you would like to attend a meeting, join the Committee, or simply have questions regarding the expansion, please give me a call (762-3950 x215).
4th
Annual Evening of the Arts - March 27th
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year's Wilton Library Evening of the Arts will be a bit
different from those held in previous years. Specifically celebrating
the culinary arts, the Evening will feature fabulous dinners and cocktail
buffets held all over town to benefit the Library's technology and
collection budgets. Volunteer hosts and hostesses will invite friends
to share in this annual fund raiser by sending $100 per person to the
Wilton Library Association and then joining the town wide party!
If you are interested in attending or hosting, please call the Library as soon as possible and we will fill you in on the details (762-3950 x405). It is sure to be a mouth-watering and heartwarming celebration and will allow us to keep our computers and our collection of books and audiovisual materials for all ages up to snuff!
Art
Exhibit for March: Angela Loeffel Burns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Canaan resident Angela Burns will help us usher in the
new season (if only we could get rid of the freezing temperatures and
snow for good!) with an exhibit of florals, landscapes and animals
in acrylics that is aptly entitled "Almost Spring." Come join us for
the opening reception on Sunday, March 7th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. where you can meet the artist and enjoy a free continental breakfast.
The exhibit will run through Tuesday, March 30th and 20% of all sales of Angela's work will be donated to the Library's art fund to maintain our wonderful collection of art books and to fund programs about art. Join us during the month, enjoy this touch of spring, and think about purchasing a piece for yourself!
Designing & Planning
Your Landscape
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of spring - it's time to think about what that yard
looks like right now and what you can do to prepare it for warmer weather.
We are so very fortunate to have author and Wilton Bulletin columnist
Susan Knutson talk with us from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, March
11th in the Library's Community Room. Entitled "Designing and Planning
Your Landscape," her advice and direction on how to evaluate and renew
our plantings will be just in time to get us all in the mood for greener
times ahead. Please call 762-3950 to register or
Elissa
Grodin, Noted Author, to Speak to Kids and Parents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilton's own Elissa Grodin will talk to parents and their children
about her new alphabet book about Connecticut, "N is for Nutmeg." Following
the talk, children 4-9 are invited to join in a craft program. Although
there is no charge for the program, advance registration is required
due to limited space and materials. Register by calling 762-3950 and
asking for the Children's Services Department (extension 217).
This program was originally scheduled for mid- December, but was postponed at that time because of a snow storm. Elissa graciously agreed to reschedule and her book will be available for purchase and signing.
Chips
'n' Chat Part #3: Planning & Zoning in Wilton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The League of Women Voters and the Chamber of Commerce join
the Wilton Library in presenting the third in a lively and informational
series about our Town boards and commissions - "Chips 'n' Chat: Planning
and Zoning." To be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10th, this
session will give us the chance to question several of our Planning
and Zoning commissioners about issues with which they are dealing and
the role of the Commission in general. Do you wonder what's happening
with the Town Center Plan of Development, with Avalon Bay's proposed
housing complex, with sidewalks along Route 7? Come and enjoy wine,
chips and conversation with our commissioners. There is no charge for
the program and no registration is required.
Chess,
Babysitting, Crafts & Movies for Kids and Teens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two
of our March programs for kids and teens are already "sold out," but
stay tuned as we are committed to providing more babysitting classes
(American Red Cross training) and chess club sessions (with instructor
Susan Clark) in the future!
March is Dr. Seuss Month at the Library and we are celebrating his 100th birthday in a couple of wonderful ways:
- On Wednesday March 3rd from 4-5 p.m., children ages 3-7 will enjoy Seuss stories, crafts and refreshments. There is a $5 materials fee for attendees ($4 per Young Reader*) and advance registration is required - call soon before all the spaces are taken for what is sure to be a popular program - 762-3950, extension 217.
- On Wednesday, March 31st form 4-5:30 p.m., there will be a showing of free Dr. Seuss movies at the Library. There is no charge for attending as the program is sponsored by a grant from the Louis Dreyfus Corporation, but children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult.
*Young Readers are kids who have given $25 or more to the Library to help us buy books, CDs, DVDs and videos each year. ALL our collection purchases are made with donated funds - not tax dollars - and we are very happy to have hundreds of children and teens in town helping us in this way to keep the Library their center for discovery!
March Book Discussions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Ann Martin will continue her popular literature discussion seminar, Murder
and Mayhem with Martin, Monday mornings from 10:30-noon:
- The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie
- Ill Wind by Nevada Barr
- Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke
- The Big Bad City by Ed McBain
- The Sculptress by Minette Walters
- Susan Boyar, our wonderful book discussion leader will facilitate a discussion of Ernest Hemingway's classic, The Sun Also Rises at noon on Wednesday, February 11th. No registration is necessary - bring your lunch and join us.
- Seniors will join leader Joyce Ackermann in discussing Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest by Sandra Day O'Connor and H. Alan Day at the Senior Center (Comstock Community Center). Call 834-6240 to register.
Newcomers Group Story Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Newcomers are coming! As part of an effort to instill and
nurture the love of books and reading throughout the community, the
Library will hold a special story time just for Wilton Newcomers and
their children up to age 4 on Thursday, March 4th from 10- 11 a.m.
If you belong to a group that would like to arrange a special story
time with one of our staff members, stop by and let's talk! Otherwise,
you are welcome to our regularly scheduled story times at the Library
and no fee or registration is necessary, thanks to a grant from Fleet
Bank.
Ten Things Effective Leaders Do Well
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, the Library
will host a program given by Michael Crystal, Ph.D. on Friday, March
5th from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. in the Community Room. Michael will instruct
the group in "Ten Things Effective Leaders Do Well." A frequent seminar
leader for the Chamber and businesses in the area, he is sure to give
you information you can use in your business and your life. There is
a charge of $25 for Chamber members and $30 for non-members and you
can call your reservation in to the Chamber (762- 0567) or the Library
(762-3950).
Computer Classes @ the Library
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Popular teacher Mary Anne Franco will continue her "before
hours" computer classes on Wednesdays from 8:30-10 a.m. The cost is
$20 per person ($15 for Friends of the Library), helping fund other
programs that the Library offers.
| March 3rd | Wednesday | Intermediate Internet |
| March 4th | Thursday | Basic Excel |
| March 17th | Wednesday | Intermediate Word |
| March 18th | Thursday | Basic PowerPoint |
Past students have nothing but raves about this user friendly hands-on training! Seating is limited and registration is required, so call us (762-3950) or
Cancellations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We post closing, late opening, and program cancellation notices
on all major television and radio stations for this area, on several
Web cancellation services and on our own homepage. We also leave a
message on our phone at 203-762-3950 about closings and cancellations,
so call if you are in doubt. We will, if we have your name and phone
number, also try to reach you by phone well in advance if you are registered
for a program that must be cancelled or postponed. Let's hope winter
is mostly behind us!
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: library@wiltonlibrary.org
voice: 203-762-3950
web: http://www.wiltonlibrary.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~