SUMMER READING PROGRAM (AND MORE!) - HYDE PARK LIBRARY NEWS - JUNE 2019

HYDE PARK LIBRARY NEWS – JUNE 2019

                  SUMMER READING PROGRAM (AND MORE!)
                                                                                               June 6, 2019
Dear Hyde Park Library Patrons,

 Parents and guardians of school age children readily understand the importance of preserving their
 children's reading progress over the long summer months. Library summer reading programs are an
 excellent--and fun--way of doing just that, as well as benefiting preschoolers with a continued
 emphasis on early literacy and young adult readers with reading challenges such as the inter-library
 "Battle of the Books" competition.

 The theme of this year's Summer Reading Program is "A Universe of Stories." The program starts
 with a kick-off celebration--a joint effort with the Staatsburg Library--on Friday, June 28th at 7:00 p.m.
 at Taconic Regional Headquarters, 9 Old Post Road in Staatsburg. Children and young adult readers
 can register for the program as well as learn about (and sign-up for) a number of special summer
 events. Magician Scott Jameson will be on hand to entertain the crowd.

 Reading logs will be available as of June 24th in the children's room. Participants can report their
 reading progress each time they visit the library and receive a prize from Mrs. B.'s "treasure box." A
 certificate and a free book will be awarded to each participant upon the closing of the Summer
 Reading Program in August.

 Some of the special activities currently scheduled include a special "Blast Off" celebration for children
 in grades 2 and up on Thursday, July 18th at 1:00 p.m., featuring rockets, "lava slime" and more--and
 a second session on Thursday, July 25th at 1 p.m. with a focus on airplanes ("make 'em, fly 'em and
 compete for a prize"). Also coming up will be a special session with one of our favorite presenters Jan
 Berlin of Everything Animals. The theme of this session will be "What Pet to Get." Curious about what
 animals can become actual pets? Then this session is for you. You may be surprised!

On Thursday, July 11th at 1:00 p.m. at Norrie Point Environmental Center, we'll be co-sponsoring (with
the Staatsburg Library) a special Children's Museum outreach program, “StarLab." StarLab is an
inflatable planetarium. Children will learn how to find some of the most recognizable constellations
throughout the seasons, and learn stories of Greek mythology and Native American folklore. This is a
wonderful presentation and enhancement for early STEM learning.

Some of the regular weekly sessions include: "Twinklers”, a story and activity time, on Mondays at
9:30 for babies and children up to 36 months. Focus will be on "music, rhymes, movement and stories
for the very young."

Also on Mondays (at 10:30) will be "Moonwalkers," for children who are pre-K or who have just
completed Kindergarten. Focus will be on "theme related" stories, activities and crafts.

On Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., Mrs. B. will be running her "Space Explorers" session for children who
have completed grade 1 and up. Stories, games and crafts will also focus on the space and science
theme.

Also continuing this summer will be our LEGOS/Games sessions on Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. Bring
your friends and hang out in the Hyde Park Library Children's Room for a LEGOS session or to play a
board game.

                     Music In the Annex
We're delighted to host acclaimed regional singer-songwriter E.C. Lorick in concert at the
Hyde Park Library Annex on Saturday, June 15thth at 7:30 p.m. Fellow musician and
frequent collaborator, Marji Zintz, has observed, "E.C. Lorick is an extremely gifted,
insightful, captivating songwriter and performer... I find it difficult to pinpoint the one thing
that makes him so magnificent. There are so many facets to this gem: His voice is just
beautiful. Smokey, understated, passionate, expressive, soothing. I could listen to him sing
endlessly and never tire of hearing him...His musicianship is world-class. He plays the guitar,
the bass, and the harmonica like no one else. Effortlessly, beautifully, dynamically...His
writing is more than world-class. He is a storyteller for the ages, and offers compelling and
honest perspectives about his chosen subjects, never insulting our intelligence, never
resorting to hyperbole. No matter what story he's telling, he delivers it straight to your heart,
where it stays indelibly, touching every part of you. He conveys a truth that is undeniable and
makes it personal and urgent."

We couldn't agree more
with Marji's
assessment. E.C. is a
major talent, and we
are delighted to host
him in concert on June
15th.

Also coming up on
Sunday, June 23rd is
our monthly open mic
with featured act
George Mallas. George
is a gifted singer-
songwriter based in
North Salem, NY.
Having been a student
of the piano since age 6,
the instrument is a
natural extension of
who he is. George was
influenced by some of the great singer/songwriters of his youth, namely Joni Mitchell, Elton
John, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Cat Stevens. George recorded his first album in
2015 titled "Small Reminders." Shortly thereafter, George started writing and recording a new
collection of songs for his 2018 release titled "unscathed."
Our open mic continues to feature a wide array of genres and styles. We love the diversity we
see here routinely. We open the doors around 1:00 p.m. and sign-up begins at 1:30
(accompanied by a 'pre-show' event, featuring hosts Don and Maureen Black as well as Greg
Callahan. Open mic performances begin at 2:00. Our featured act takes the stage at
3:15. Additional open mic performer wrap up the set after the feature.

James Joyce Discussion Group
                    Begins June 13th
Is it possible to have a "James Joyce Without Tears" discussion group? We think so, and in fact, we
intend to prove it. Joyce has long been considered one of the more demanding authors of the last
century, as well as being one of the most influential. We'll be starting pretty much from the
beginning and exploring his work in sessions which--while not denying the author's many challenges--
will be as inviting and "non-academic" as possible. Readers who have long been curious about this
literary giant should check us out. Opening discussion will focus on four stories from Dubliners (see
attached for more information). All are welcome.

We would have loved to have
scheduled the opening meeting for
the traditional "Bloomsday," which is
Sunday, June 16th, but felt that a
weekday session would be the
best. So please join us on Thursday,
June THIRTEENTH at 7:00 p.m. for
what promises to be an exciting
discussion of a major figure
twentieth century literature. As a
tie-in to this discussion group will be
a screening of the John Huston film
version of Joyce's story "The
Dead," which will be shown on
Sunday, June 9th at 2:00 p.m. in the
Annex.

More Library News
Just a reminder that best-selling author Carol Goodman appears this evening (June 6th) at 7:00 p.m. to
read from and discuss her most recent thriller, The Night Visitors. Ms. Goodman has read here before,
and she is a very warm and
engaging speaker. Book
lovers do not want to miss
this event.
The above cited screening of
John Huston's “The Dead” (a
cinematic take on the story
of the same name by James
Joyce) is one of two films
this month in our "Book To
Film" series. The following
week, on Sunday June 16th
at 2:00 p.m., we'll be
showing a film based on the
John Irving novel, A Prayer
For Owen Meany, namely
“Simon Birch”, a 1998 film
with Ashley Judd, Oliver
Platt and Hyde Park's own
Joseph Mazzello.
On another cinematic note
(and as mentioned in in our
last issue), we'll also be screening films selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry
that specifically relate to LGBTQ themes (in honor of Pride Month). On Friday, June 7th at 7:00 p.m., we
will screen the multi-Academy Award winning 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger and
Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Ang Lee.
Later in the month, there will be a showing of Shirley Clarke's rarely seen documentary A Portrait of
Jason (1967) on June 21st at 7:00 p.m. As noted previously, this film is something of a rarity, although it
was critically acclaimed and hailed as groundbreaking upon its late-60's release. As per the Wikipedia
synopsis, the film centers on "a gay African-American hustler and aspiring cabaret performer...Jason is
the sole on-screen presence in the film. He narrates his troubled life story to the camera ... The film
employs avant-garde and cinéma vérité techniques to reach the tragedy underlying Jason's theatrical,
exaggerated persona".
Also being shown this month is the celebrated 1975 Sidney Lumet production, Dog Day Afternoon, starring
Al Pacino and John Cazale. This multi-award winning film will be screened on Friday, June 28th at 7:00
p.m.

             Special Thanks To The Hyde Park Rotary
for their replacement of the storm damaged "Little Library" at the Stop and Shop Plaza. This popular service has
been if effect for the past five years, and the recent destruction of the older unit was quite a loss. Fortunately a
replacement was supplied by the Rotary post haste. Our thanks especially to Matt Cruz for his work on this vital
project.

        Hyde Park Free Library  845.229.7791 director@hydeparkfreelibrary.org