ADULT ACTIVITIES AT THE LIBRARY

Dear Friend,

The Township Library is pleased to announce our spring programs for 2012. Our featured programs are listed as follows:



Life of a Civil War Union Soldier – Thursday March 29 @ 7:00 p.m.

Fighting in heavy woolen uniforms during the summer months, putting up with maggoty food and leaky tents, and lacking proper medical care, the Union soldiers endured many hardships during the Civil War. Although they suffered many adversities, these soldiers were also high-spirited, sentimental and for the most part moral young men. Come to the library as we continue our commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (1862-2012) and listen to re-enactor Mike Jesberger talk about camp life, on the march and in battle with Union soldiers. Registration starts on Monday February 27. Please call during library hours.



The Sinking of the Titanic – 100 Years Later – Thursday April 12 @ 7:00 p.m.

On the night of 14 April 1912 and into the early hours of the next day, the RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg. This event was one of the worst peacetime disasters in history with 1,517 lives lost. We are remembering the one hundredth anniversary of the Titanic sinking at the Township Library this spring with Alisa Dupuy aka Eliza Blackwell Dupree. Ms. Dupree, a fictional survivor of the Titanic, will regale us with stories and debunk myths about the sinking. She will wear period clothing of the era, and tell us interesting but little known facts and ironies surrounding this tragic event. Registration starts on Monday March 12. Please call during library hours.



 

Mono Printing with artist Rebecca Reeves – Saturdays April 21 and 28 @ 11 a.m.

Rebecca Reeves will return to the library this spring to conduct another two part art class for adults. Rebecca holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Different from the previous fall session on print making, this workshop will demonstrate a “Wet” printmaking method using watercolors. Each participant will create few one-of-a kind prints on artist grade print paper. No drawing/painting skills or experience necessary. Class size is limited to 12 patrons. You must be 18 years or older to participate. You must also register in person as there will be a $10.00 non-refundable fee for art supplies at the time of sign-up. Registration starts: Monday March 19.



The Bucks/Broadway Connection – Bucks County’s Musical Links to Broadway and Hollywood -Sunday April 29 @ 2:00 p.m.

This Lecture-In-Song presented by Fred Miller will focus on those Bucks County residents famous for their work on Broadway and in Hollywood. Mr. Miller will explain that, through their collaborations with Bucks residents Oscar Hammerstein II, Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Schwartz and others, every major composer of Broadway and Hollywood’s Golden Age has a “Bucks Connection.” This roster of Bucks-connected composers is a virtual A-List of American songwriting: George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, just to name a few. Fred Miller offers The Bucks/Broadway Connection, celebrating the Golden Age of American Song…. & our regions direct involvement and contribution to a remarkable era of entertainment. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration for Friends starts on Monday March 26. General Registration starts on Tuesday March 27. Please call during library hours.



Grave Matters – Victorian Mourning Rituals – Wednesday May 2 @ 7:00 p.m.

Join us at the library as Jane Peters Estes, a Civil War re-enactor, explains 19th century mourning rituals. This program is a tongue-in-check look at death and dying during the Victorian Age. It covers everything from the dying words of famous individuals to headstone epitaphs. Although the topic may be deadly, many portions of the program are humorous. Jane will talk about many of the mourning customs of the Civil War era and there will be a small display of mourning memorabilia. Registration starts on Monday April 2. Call early as patrons are dying to attend!



Searching for Cleopatra – the Last Queen of Egypt – Thursday May 10 @ 7:00 p.m.

Dr. Stephen Phillips, the library’s favorite Egyptologist, returns this spring to talk about Egypt’s most famous queen, Cleopatra. She has been the subject of literature and lore stretching from the historians of ancient Rome, to Shakespeare, to modern literature and finally to current cinema. What do we really know about Cleopatra, and how do we know it? This lecture relies on actual archaeological data, such as it is, to tell us the true story of ancient Egypt’s fabled queen. Did she really exist? Do we actually know what she looked like? Did she really marry Mark Anthony? Do we even have any idea where she is buried? This illustrated lecture looks at, and it looks for, the latest evidence concerning this last queen. Dr. Phillips is the Research Assistant to the Curator-In-Charge of the Egyptian Section of the Penn Museum. He received his PHD from the U of PA. He has participated in a wide range of archaeological excavations over the last 15 years, including fieldwork in Jordan, France and seven field sessions in Egypt. He specializes in the analysis of ancient Egyptian human skeletal remains, mummies and mummification. This is an Outreach Program funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Registration starts on Monday April 9. Please call during library hours.



“Meet me at the Eagle” – Spend an evening with John Wanamaker – Wednesday May 23 @ 7:00 p.m.

“Meet me at the Eagle” was a frequent suggestion for Philadelphians over the years. The statue was impressive and so was the department store named for its founder, John Wanamaker. Actor Bob Gleason’s Wanamaker give us the story of a businessman who provided variety and fun for his customers and who was rewarded for his efforts. Here was a man who was civic-minded and charitable. Wanamaker fostered a progressive relationship with his employees, making it possible for them to go to school, building a vacation amusement place for employees to use on the weekends, housing the biggest organ in the world (built for the St. Louis Centennial Exposition) and arranging for the organ to be played in the store. John Wanamaker was a man who made a lot of money and tried to do good things with it. Join us for this wonderful program where you can re-live some of your special Wanamaker Moments. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration for Friends starts on Monday April 23. General Registration starts on Tuesday April 24. Please call during hours.



D-Day June 6, 1944 – A Commemoration – Wednesday June 6, 2012

Please join us on June 6, 2012 as we commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day with a very special guest. Tony Zanzinger is a World War II veteran who participated in the Normandy invasion. Tony was a Staff Sergeant with the 501st Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Tony will talk about the night he parachuted into Normandy prior to the invasion on June 6, 1944. He will also discuss other operations he participated in including Market Garden which involved jumping 25 miles behind enemy lines in Holland. Originally planned for 72 hours, the operation actually lasted 72 days. Returning to France for the rebuilding of his unit, they were suddenly called up after three weeks for the emergency defense of Bastogne. Fighting at Bastogne (The Battle of the Bulge) for six weeks, they were ultimately surrounded by the enemy. The famous response by General McAuliffe, when asked to surrender after being surrounded for five days was “Nuts”. The final combat operation for the 101st Airborne Division was the capture of Hitler’s retreat home at Berchtesgaden. Come and help us celebrate a real American hero- a member of the Greatest Generation – who saved the world from tyranny and oppression. Registration starts on Monday May 7. Please call during library hours.



Read About It! Pennsylvania Writers Book Discussion Group celebrating our Great Commonwealth

The Township Library has been chosen to host a Book Discussion Program called Read About It!. This group will meet at the Township Library for four sessions starting in February 2012. Led by Mr. Mark Banchi, who has over 36 years teaching experience with an extensive background in Literature and the Humanities, the group will explore the diverse people, communities and landscapes that make up the Keystone state through fiction. We will discuss famous Pennsylvania writers including John O’Hara, Alice Sebold, Kathleen Cambor and Ellen Litman. This program is free and open to all, and requires no special knowledge about literature. However, if interested sign up ASAP as class size is very limited. Participants will receive their own copies of the books to be discussed. The books to be discussed and dates for the four sessions are listed as follows:

  • “Appointment in Samarra” by John O’Hara Thursday February 16 @ 7:00 p.m.
  • “In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden” by Kathleen Cambor Thursday March 15 @ 7:00 p.m.
  • “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold Thursday April 19 @ 7:00 p.m.
  • “The Last Chicken in America” by Ellen Litman Thursday May 17 @ 7:00 p.m.

Pennsylvania Writers is part of Read About It!, a book discussion series of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. This program is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services & Technology Act as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries.



If you have any questions, please call the library @ (215) 355-1183. Hope to see you at the programs.

 

                                                            Sincerely,

 

 

                      Carol A. Saioni, Adult Program Coordinator