MARCH MADNESS LIBRARY STYLE March 6, 2017 Dear Hyde Park Library Member, New program offerings are a good part of what we are all about, and we are pleased that March brings about an opportunity to spotlight at least two such programs. In February, we had an initial (planning) meeting for the Great Decisions Discussion Group. We're delighted that there was great interest in this program and that we will be able to offer it, in conjunction with volunteer facilitator, David McNary on a regular monthly basis throughout 2017. The group will be meeting on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM. This month's discussion will take place on March 13th and will focus on the very current topic of international trade. An informational packet for prospective participants is available for pick-up at the Hyde Park Library circulation desk. Also coming up on Sunday, March 19th at 2:00 pm, we'll be hosting an introductory workshop on metal detecting. This will be facilitated by Mark Anthony Grimaldi, a local resident who founded a metal detecting club (read more about it below) a year ago and has met with considerable success in terms of finds (over 2,300 items of interest) and public interest. Volunteer facilitators really do help us expand our programming offerings in many significant ways. We're always interested in hearing from area residents who may have a special interest or area of expertise that they can share either in a one-time workshop or a series of programs- -or in some cases, organizing a regular club. For instance, there does seem to be some interest in a library-based knitting club. We have hosted a similar group in the past and would welcome the opportunity to start up a new group again. But for this--as for any other group that would regularly meet here--we would need either a regular facilitator or group leader (or a co-ordinating team of leaders) who would work with administration and staff on scheduling, keeping attendance counts and advising the library of any changes to the group (change of focus, number of meetings and/or termination). Prospective volunteer facilitators for workshops, clubs or other programming sessions should contact director Greg Callahan at (845)229-7791 ext. 205.
KEN MORR BAND LIVE IN CONCERT -- SUNDAY, MARCH 12 We don't get to host a full band too often at the Hyde Park Library Annex--space considerations always being a major factor. But a folk ensemble is always quite do-able, and we're delighted to host the acclaimed Kenn Morr Band this coming Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 in a free concert that is sure to be a highlight of the season. A Dutch reviewer wrote of Kenn Morr and company's music: "Call it folk rock, pop and Americana roots. Call it what you like! The fact is that we are dealing with a particularly pleasant pot of acoustic roots music. Recommended not only to lovers of (Elliott) Murphy, (Leonard) Cohen and (Bob) Geldof, but also to those who enjoy Jackson Browne, Tom Petty and Mark Knopfler." Heady company to be sure, but surely Kenn (vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar and piano) and his bandmates Tom Hagymasi (violin, mandolin, bouzouki, button accordion, and harmony vocals), Bob Gaspar (djembe, congas and percussion), and Pat Ryan (bass guitar and harmony vocals) deserve the praise. We're very much looking forward to hosting this talented band. Join us at 2:00 PM this Sunday for an afternoon of contemporary folk music at its best. METAL DETECTING WORKSHOP OFFERED As noted above, we will be offering a workshop on the popular hobby of metal detecting with volunteer facilitated by Hyde Park resident (and avid metal detector) Mark Anthony Grimaldi. Mr. Grimaldi started a small metal detecting club here in Hyde Park one year ago. This successful endeavor recently was covered in the March 5th edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal. Club members have made over 2,300 finds, including: a gold ring, several silver rings, cub/scout artifacts, revolutionary musket balls, and King George coins.
Interest in the hobby is very strong and growing. Members report that almost every time they go "hunting," they are also stopped by curious onlookers interested in the hobby and asking to see what they've found. The workshop should be a great way to share the hobby and show the group's finds to the public. A brief demonstration of the equipment will also be offered. Great Decisions Discussion Group Also as noted above (as well as in last month's newsletter) we have joined with facilitator David McNary to offer a series of monthly discussions focusing on topics developed by the Foreign Policy Association. To learn more about this program and its overall themes and objectives, go to the FPA's page on the Great Discussions Program at www.fpa.org and visit the Great Decisions Tab. And as we also noted above, this month's session will be held on Monday, March 13th at 6:30 PM and the discussion will be devoted to the theme of "Trade, Jobs and Politics." An informational packet is available at our circulation desk and this document should be reviewed prior to the discussion. Additional individual research on the part of participants is also recommended. We hope to see you on the 13th. March Open Mic We were disappointed not to be able to host Vince Sauter as our featured act in February. Vince had to cancel due to illness, but we will definitely reschedule this remarkable artist for a gig in the near future. We were most fortunate, however, to have the multi-talented Joe T. Mondello step in for a rousing set. (Thank you, Joe, you were a great feature and we hope to have you back soon too.)
As for this month, we welcome another wonderful regional artist making her debut. Amy Laber is a renowned folk and Americana artist. Of her most recent release Mountainside Wildflower, one critic wrote, "in these exquisitely wrought songs, Amy Laber shares road adventures, ancient instruments, the touch of the masters, open-hearted hope in the face of loss, grace in the blues, and celebration of downstream living at its best. Rarely does one get an opportunity to witness such a mountainside wildflower in glorious, full bloom, facing the sun." This month's open mic will take place on Sunday, March 26th at 1:30 PM (sign-up with a preshow featuring Never2Late). Open mic performances begin around 2:00 PM, with Amy Laber taking the stage at approximately 3:15 PM. MOVIE MADNESS: NEW TIMES, NEW SERIES While we will continue to have some Friday evening screenings of great films, we are also experimenting with scheduling some showing as matinees--including a few on Friday afternoons. Our new Friday Matinees will continue our "From Book To Film" series. In March our offerings include the classic 1962 drama To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck and directed by Robert Duvall (screened on Friday, March 17th at 2:00 PM) and the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire, and directed by innovative Australian cineaste Baz Luhrmann (screened on Friday, March 31st at 2:00 PM). We'll also be starting two new foreign film series debuting this month. On Saturday, March 18th at 2:00 PM, we'll be commencing a series "Mexico and the Movies" with the popular
modern classic Like Water For Chocolate (1992) directed by Alfonso Arau and based on the popular novel by Mexican author Laura Esquivel. This multi-award winning film was the highest grossing Spanish language film in the U.S. at the time of its release, a record that it held for many years. And a week later (on Saturday, March 25th, we'll screen a celebrated and very timely Mexican film Sin Nombre (2009) "a Mexican-American adventure thriller film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, about a Honduran girl trying to immigrate to the U.S.A., and a boy caught up in the violence of gang life who also needs to escape," (Wikipedia). The film was widely acclaimed and won the awards for directing and cinematography at the Sundance Festival in 2009. Also on the international front, we will be resuming our popular French film series on Friday evening, March 24th at 7:00 PM with a screening of Eric Rohmer's Pauline a la Plage (Pauline at the Beach), one of the celebrated director's entries in his "Moral Tales" series. Hyde Park Free Library (845) 229-7791 director@hydeparkfreelibrary.org Stay Connected