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MAY 31, 2012
“The Great Geek Summer of 2012” Canton Public Library’s Summer Reading Program


    It has become very cool to be a geek, and Canton Public Library will be a very cool place to be a geek this summer.  Children’s Librarian Heather Baker has announced the theme for the library’s summer reading program:  “The Great Geek Summer of 2012.”  Young readers will have many programs and events to fill their summer hours.
 
    Being a geek has become a culturally popular phenomenon.  A geek is one who has an intense passion and an extensive knowledge of a particular theme or topic, such as superheroes, vampires and zombies, Star Wars, Star Trek, or legos.  Geeks demonstrate thorough involvement in their passion and nearly encyclopedic mastery of the topic.
 
    “The Great Geek Summer of 2012” is a summer reading theme unique to Canton Public Library, according to Baker.  “The theme grew out of the community,” she said.  The town is a comfortable place for both kids and adults to pursue their “geeky” interests, and the library supports those pursuits.
 
    The summer reading program officially begins the week of July 2 and wraps up the week of August 13.  Our fourth annual Pool Party & Dunk Tank will be held on August 16 at Mills Pond for school-aged participants (you have to earn your way in!)  The Pool Party is sponsored by the Friends of the Canton Public Library, with the help of the staff of Canton Parks & Recreation.  Our Preschool Music Party, with Starr & Shello, will be held on August 14 at the library.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Canton Public Library, the wrap party is for children aged 2 and up.  Refreshments will be provided by ShopRite of Canton.  No registration is required.
           
    Summer at the library is packed full of activities for all ages and all interests.   Programs include A Readers Theater Club, A Singers Theater Club, and two Book Buddies groups.  Movies on the Big Screen (with free hot popcorn) will be shown on Thursday evenings at 6:30. Tuesday morning drop-in story times with Ms. Heather will meet at 10:30 AM from July 3 to August 7.  
 
    An addition to the summer offerings is a craft series, “Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities,” which begins on Monday, July 2 and runs through Monday, August 6.  Themes for the crafting workshops, which will be held on Mondays at 4:30 PM, include straw rockets, match-box balloon-powered cars, and crash-test dummies.  Each activity will require separate registration and each may be geared for different age ranges.  Youngsters are limited to participation in two of the activities.
 
     Special events include a performance by the Canton High School Ukulele Club on Tuesday, July 10 at 7:00 PM.    On Tuesday, July 24, the library hosts Jim Napolitano and his Nappy’s Puppets in a Sing-Along, sure to be popular with children ages 2 and up.  (The puppet show takes the place of the drop-in story time on that day.)
 
    “Movies on the Big Screen,” always a popular outing for children, seniors,  and families, will feature many of the popular new releases, including The Mysterious Island, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Muppets, The Goonies, Hercules, and The Lorax.  

    This summer the Book Buddies Program (Teens Read to Kids) features two groups, one meeting on Thursday mornings and one meeting on Wednesdays in the early evening.  Both groups will meet for five weeks, beginning the week of July 9 and ending the week of August 6.  Registration for children (ages 3-7) is absolutely required; registration opened on June 11.  Teen volunteerscan fill out an application in the children’s room.  The Book Buddies program is sponsored by the Canton Dental Center and Jason Kasprzak, DDS.
            
    Readers Theater is for youngsters ages 6 and up who love to perform and are able readers.  The group, which this year has a Dr. Seuss theme, will meet for the week of July 30 to August 6 with a “Summer Seuss Celebration” performance on the evening of August 6th.  Readers Theater will once again be led by Heather Nielsen, a recent Hampshire College graduate who will be a Masters Degree candidate at the University of Massachusetts in the fall.  This will be Nielsen’s fourth year leading the program.

   Singers Theater, led by Michael Coderre, will meet from July 12 to 19 with a performance on July 19th.  Singers Theater is for ages 8 and up, does not require an audition, and will use music based on the interests and abilities of the participants.  Coderre has a Master’s Degree in Voice and in Music Composition from the University of Alberta.  He is Director of Choirs at Bristol Eastern High School and the Music Director at Asbury United Methodist Church in Forestville.  He has more than 20 years of experience working with youth performers and singers of all ages.

     Registration is required for both the Readers Theater and Singers Theater programs, and youngsters and parents are warned that these programs fill up quickly.  All participants must be available for their performances.  

    Tuesday Morning Drop-In Story Times with Ms. Heather will meet every Tuesday morning from July 3 to August 7 at 10:30 a.m.  Themes will include superheroes and local heroes, birds behaving badly, platypuses, a galaxy far away, and “yarn-bombing,” to name a few.  Story time includes stories, songs, a short movie, a craft and a snack, for ages 2 and up.

    Thanks to a technology grant from The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, youngsters will have some very exciting science programming this summer on Friday afternoons from July 6 through August 10.  Using our new laptop computer lab, educators from The Talcott Mountain Science Center will present entertaining and educational programs on sound waves, astronomy, bubbles and optical illusions.  The programs are geared for different ages and require separate registration.  Advance registration is required, and youngsters may register for up to two programs.

    Summer Reading Logs for school-aged children and preschoolers will be available starting on the last day of school.  Coupons/Prizes/Bracelets earned for the completion of summer reading goals will be available only starting on July 2 through August 16.  The library will also have copies of the books from all Canton schools summer reading lists, and we have copies of those lists available in the library all summer long. 

    As in years past, the summer reading program is supported by a number of community businesses, including Applebee’s, Ben & Jerry's of Canton, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Canton Creamery at Petals & Paws, McDonald's of Canton, and Riverfront Mini-Golf, all of which will supply coupons for reader treats.

    Prizes will be supplied by other businesses, Bremar Rental, Benidorm Bike, Canton Dental Center, Children's Museum of Connecticut, Collinsville Canoe & Kayak,  Cosi of Avon, Glow Cove of Canton, ImagineNation Museum, International Skating Center of Simsbury, Joe Pizza, Jump Zone, Kiddly Winks, Perfect Toy of Avon, Simsbury Commons Cinema, Ski Sundown, Target, Warner Theater of Torrington, Wal-Mart of Avon, Flatbread Company, Joni’s Child Care, Larsen Ace Hardware, and ShopRite of Canton.  Every prize winner—child, teen, and adult—will, in addition to his or her prize, walk away with a gift certificate to Flatbread Company in The Shoppes of Farmington Valley.  And every child and teen who wins a prize will also receive a book, many of them signed by the author.  (This is, after all, summer reading.)

    Registration for one-time programs and the program series began on Monday, June 11 for Canton residents. Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

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Categories: What's NewSummer Reading

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MAY 24, 2012
On Display: “Couples Collections”

     For the month of June, Canton Public Library’s display case will hold its first “Couples Collections,” featuring the collections of Ray and Dru McNeill.  The display will run from Friday, June 1 through Saturday, June 30.  On display will be hourglasses and alphabet books.
 
     Originally from West Hartford, Ray moved to Canton in 1968. He has been fascinated by hourglasses since he was a boy. Ray has acquired quite a few from various sources including antique shops, tag sales, catalogues, friends, and family.  He has one which is made from an old mill company spool; one that hung from a ship to keep it level as the movement of the sea caused it to rock; and another, his favorite, which is a plexiglass column with the hourglass itself set inside. Ray’s collection includes various materials and a variety of colored sands.
           
     Ray's wife, Dru, has been collecting alphabet books for a number of years. Perhaps her years as a teacher in Canton encouraged the idea for this type of book.  Her specialty alphabet books come from a number of sources, including catalogues and museums.
 
     Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

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Category: On Display

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MAY 5, 2012
In the Gallery: Parallel Visions
     For the month of June, Canton Public Library’s Gallery will feature the work of “Parallel Visions,” a group of very talented artists, most of whom  have been working together since the summer of 2008.  The artists are Walter Kendra, Estrid Eklof, Carolyn Newell, Lisa Tellier, and Josa Weatherwax.  The show will run through Saturday, June 30. 
 
     The members of Parallel Visions are all accomplished artists who have painted individually and in groups for a number of years.  Their group meets weekly, providing support and companionship as well as helpful criticism.  Beginning in 2009 they have had several group shows, including at galleries in Hartford, Farmington, New Britain, and Colchester.  Their weekly painting sessions have taken them to many of Connecticut’s well-known scenic locations, including the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Topsmead Farm in Litchfield, and Ashlawn Farm in Old Lyme.  Farther afield, they have painted on Monhegan Island and Rockland, Maine, and in Little Compton, Rhode Island.

     Estrid Eklof and Carolyn Newell had been painting together for a number of years in both Connecticut and Maine.  During weekly study with watercolorist David Dewey in Old Lyme, they met Lisa Tellier.  The three began to paint under the direction of Susan Finnegan, an area artist and teacher at the University of Hartford Art School and Trinity College.  At about this time, Walter Kendra was retiring from his position as a professor of art at Central Connecticut State University and was looking to join a painting group.

 
     Walter Kendra, a Collinsville resident and the founder and president of the Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Arts Fund, is known primarily for his work in the printing medium.  By joining the group of painters, he has renewed his long-neglected interest in oil and watercolor painting.  Walter is very active in both the New York and New England art scenes,  In addition to appearing in numerous group shows, he has had solo exhibitions in New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and North Carolina and is represented in private and college collections.    He has been honored with first prize awards in sculpture, painting, and graphics.  He is currently on the Board of Trustees for the Art School at the University of Hartford.
 
     Estrid Eklof, a resident of Kensington, CT, trained as a professional classical pianist, with a degree from Boston University School of Fine and Applied Arts.  While performing as a pianist, she took breaks to study watercolor painting in Maine and Connecticut.  Her work has been included in several group shows, including the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Hill-Stead Museum, and a number of library galleries in Connecticut.
 
     Carolyn Newell of Avon has degrees in zoology, art history, and accounting.  She has studied painting, sculpture, and drawing at the University of Hartford, the West Hartford Art League, Wesleyan University, Central Connecticut State University, and at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.  Her work has been included in shows at the New Britain Museum of Fine Arts, the Canton Art Guild, and several library galleries in Connecticut.
 
     Lisa Tellier, who lives in East Haddam, began her serious instruction in the arts studying watercolor at the Fitchburg Art Museum.  Later she went on to the School of the Worcester Art Museum, Paier College of Art, and the Lyme Academy College of Art.  She has exhibited her work at the Lyme Academy and the West Hartford Art League, among others.

      The newest addition to the group is Josa Weatherwax.  Much of her work includes abstractions based on traditional  landscapes and often combines paint, printmaking, and sculpture.  Recent and current exhibitions include shows at Rockwell Art in Ridgefield, CT; the Silver Circle Gallery in Putnam, CT; the CCNS show in Rowayton, CT; and the Junior League Show House in West Hartford.  She has studied at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, the University of Salamanca in Spain, and the Hartford Art School.  Josa currently has a show at Rockwell Art in Ridgefield, CT.   Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the country and is held in both public and private collections. 
           
     Each artist in the group has developed a unique style and approach to the subject.  In working together and in showing their work in group shows, they provide their audiences with a fascinating opportunity to view a subject captured in a multitude of ways.  The shows highlight the differing perceptions that make art ever new and varied.  Such is the case with “Parallel Visions” in the Canton Public Library Gallery.

 
     Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

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