Author: Library User

February Art Show: Zaria The Artistt

Posted on by Library User
Zaria Cain-Williams, also know as Zaria The Artistt, will be showcasing her very first art show here at the Falmouth Public Library!
 
Stop by the Adult Collections room between Wednesday, February 1st and Saturday, February 28th to check out her 30+ pieces of art during Black History Month!  Please bring your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, students and anyone else you might know to come with you to enjoy this event together.
 
 
Zaria The Artistt is a 21 year old Multi-Media Artist from Cape Cod.  She began creating art in the form of poems/raps, comic books, filmmaking and more at a young age.  Her artwork in all of its forms manages to be timeless in its ability to bridge the gap between faith, culture, and authenticity.
 

Falmouth Enterprise now Online 1896-2017, featuring A Party at the Dump!

Posted on by Library User

We are excited to announce that we now have a new host for the digital Falmouth Enterprise, and instead of stopping at 1962, the entire range from 1896-2017 is now searchable online. We are grateful to the Enterprise for their permission to put these recent years online, and to the Board of Library Trustees for their support of this project. Library staff have tested it thoroughly by serarching for themselves (and finding some amusing childhood memories, among other things) – give it a try yourself! Contact us at the Reference Desk if you need any help getting started.

Of course, the first thing I did was to search for information about that party at the dump question from last July. Back then, we took to Facebook to ask for help finding articles in the Enterprise about a party held at the town dump:

Apparently some time in the later 1960s or early 1970s, there was a large benefit party that was black tie but was held at the Town Dump. Paul E. White was not invited, but decided to dress up in 1920s attire, drive a 1920s vehicle with “Dump or Bust” painted on the side, and crash the event. He was allowed to attend. His daughter Rena is sure there were articles in the Enterprise about both the benefit party, and the crashing of it by her father. 
 
Many did have a memory of this event, and suggested years and people involved (notably Al Lawrence, which was correct), but nobody could pin it down. I searched April-October in the microfilm Enterprise for the years 1968-1972 without success.
 
It turns out I would never have found it even if I’d gotten to 1973, because the party took place in March! A party at the Town Dump in March – that month of shivers, and either snow or mud? Indeed it was. With a tent, and furs, and black tie, and champagne, and arrival by helicopter, and an Air Force band! Read on…
 
First notice of the party appeared in an article published February 16, 1973, reporting on the events of the benefit auction in support of the Heart Fund. Four hundred people were in attendance, but the excitement of the evening was clearly the bidding for a “cocktail party for 25 at the Town Dump,” put forward by Al Lawrence, and won by Francis L. Empey with a high bid of $500.
 
The excitement was already building before the day of the party. On Friday March 9 the Enterprise declared, “Guest List Grows for Party of Year, Champagne and Lobster at the Dump.” This front-page article described the widespread interest (including from Channel 6 news), and listed the expected attendees by name.  
 
The reporting after the party continued the gleeful tone. On Tuesday March 13 the story was page 1, with a photo, captioned “What a Dump: Champagne and Furs at the Sanitary Landfill.”
 
 
The article went on to describe the party in detail. About 30 couples officially attended, all in formal attire (although some wore work boots with tuxedoes), but some 1000 more people also turned up, perhaps to legitimately drop off items, as the dump was open for business, perhaps just to look on. Heavy traffic was reported in the area, and Edmund T. McClung directed traffic in a high hat and tails. Did I mention this party was a daytime party, occurring between 11am and 2:30pm?
 
The guests arrived by helicopter, ten-ton sanitation truck, wheelbarrow, hearse, and Rolls-Royce. They drank eight cases of champagne and ate 50 pounds of lobster salad. They danced to music provided by the Four Aces. They took rides on dump vehicles at $10 a pop as an additional fundraiser, and the table centerpieces, created from dump materials, were also auctioned off. I blame the champagne for the fact that “a syndicate formed inside the tent and bid a couple of hundred dollars for one of the guests’ tuxedo trousers.” Overall an additional $1500 was raised for the Heart Fund.
 
Later that week the town was still talking, as a page of photos appeared on p. 15 of the Enterprise for March 16, 1973. Here are just two of them:
 
The one disappointment of this story is I could find no mention of the remembered crashing of this party by Paul White. It may well have occurred, but the Enterprise did not report on it! 

Joy of Poetry Reading Sessions

Posted on by Library User

Still looking for new practices to begin 2023? Why not join us at the library to read poetry with visiting poet Joan Michelson. 

This will be a hybrid group, available in person or by Zoom. We will meet on three Tuesdays: Jan. 17, 24, and 31, at 11am, to read and discuss poetry. For the first session, January 17, we will read the poetry of William Carlos Williams; for the second, Joan suggests Theodore Roethke; the third poet remains to be chosen!

Please register for each session; you’ll receive the Zoom link if you prefer to attend virtually:

Tuesday January 17, 11am. William Carlos Williams. Register.

Tuesday January 24, 11am. Theodore Roethke. Register.

Tuesday January 31, 11am. Tess Gallagher. Register.

If there is enough interest, the library would love to begin hosting a regular poetry session – so even if you can’t make it to these sessions, be in touch with us and we can reach out to you! Email info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at 508-457-2555 X7.

 

Virtual Mystery Book Group Winter 2023: Classics

Posted on by Library User

The Virtual Mystery Book Group is taking a hiatus for December but it’s already time to start reading the books for our winter theme. To start off 2023, we’ll delve into some classics of the genre. In January, we’ll read three short stories from the early days of mysteries, by the pioneering authors Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc, and G.K. Chesterton. In February, we’ll learn about bell-ringing in Kent, England as well as solving two distinct crimes when we read The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers. In March, we’ll explore the historical mystery of Richard III with hospitalized Alan Grant as we read Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time.

Join us to read and discuss one of the books below, or all three!

Register to receive the Zoom link and discussion questions before each session. We have print copies of each title waiting at the Reference Desk about a month before each meeting, or you are welcome to find your own copy – digital or even audio! – in CLAMS using the links below.

Wednesday January 11, 2023, 4:30pm: Three Short Stories. Register.

All of these stories are out of copyright and thus available online, directly linked above. They are also collected in various anthologies; please let us know if we can help you find a print copy!

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) wrote the first Sherlock Homes novel in 1886, and is given almost single credit for the wild popularity of crime fiction which persists to this day. In addition to writing fiction he was a physician and spiritualist and wrote widely on a variety of topics. Leblanc (1864-1941), Doyle’s contemporary, began his career as a journalist and novelist but found true success writing the adventures of the thief, Arsene Lupin, who was his main character. Chesterton (1874-1936) also wrote widely, but is best known for his Christian apologetics, so it is fitting that his detective is a Roman Catholic priest.

Descriptions: Is there any need to describe Sherlock Holmes? “A Scandal in Bohemia” was the first short story featuring Holmes, and one of the author’s favorites. It also includes his most notable female character, Irene Adler. “The Arrest of Arsene Lupin” introduces the ‘gentleman thief’ whose exploits, while illegal, are perhaps not of entirely dubious morality. “The Hammer of God” is classic Chesterton, with a cryptic Father Brown turning the mystery upon its head and quietly walking away after determining the true story.

 

Wednesday February 8, 2023, 4:30pm: The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy Sayers. Register.

Available in CLAMS.

Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) was ranked with Christie (and Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh) as top mystery authors of the Golden Age, although she also had a career as an essayist and published an English translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. The Nine Tailors (1934) is the ninth of her novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, a British aristocrat who solves crimes as a hobby.

Description: The nine tellerstrokes from the belfry of an ancient country church toll out the death of an unknown man and call the famous Lord Peter Wimsey to investigate the good and evil that lurks in every person. Steeped in the atmosphere of a quiet parish in the strange, flat fen-country of East Anglia, this is a tale of suspense, character, and mood by an author critics and readers rate as one of the great masters of the mystery novel.

 

Wednesday March 8, 2023, 4:30pm: The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. Register.

Available in CLAMS.

Josephine Tey was the pseudonym of the Scottish author Elizabeth MacKintosh (1896-1952), who wrote plays as well as eight mystery novels. Six of them featured police detective Alan Grant, but The Daughter of Time (1951) is unusual in that the detective is flat on his back in a hospital bed, the crime took place five hundred years earlier, and the sources are historical documents.

Description: In The Daughter of Time, Tey focuses on the legend of Richard III, the evil hunchback of British history accused of murdering his young nephews. While at a London hospital recuperating from a fall, Inspector Alan Grant becomes fascinated by a portrait of King Richard. A student of human faces, Grant cannot believe that the man in the picture would kill his own nephews. With an American researcher’s help, Grant delves into his country’s history to discover just what kind of man Richard Plantagenet was and who really killed the little princes.

 

Legal Forms via the Library

Posted on by Library User

If you’ve ever tried to look for a blank copy of a simple legal form you know that your online search can results in a lot of ads and a lot of confusion. You just want a simple rental lease, or a blank health care power of attorney! But you get sent to sites with vague advice and a lot of clicking to see the form. And how do you know these forms are authentic and appropriate for your state?

Thanks to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Falmouth Public Library now provides access to Gale Legal Forms, an online resource that gives you easy access to blank forms for all purposes, customized to follow Massachusetts state laws.

You can search using the general name of the form, or browse by category (for example, divorce, real estate, or wills and trusts). A search for power of attorney gets several results, but only one that covers health care living wills:

Just one click and you can get some basic information about this form, and download copies in multiple formats. Most forms are available in Spanish as well as English, and many give you the option of filling out a web form and then downloading the completed document.

Access is free when you follow the link from the Falmouth Public Library’s online resources (look under Research Resources). Need help learning how to use this resource? Ask at the Reference Desk or call and make an appointment with one of our staff who can get you started.

Understanding Yourself and Others Through Early Memories

Posted on by Library User

Join us for an interactive lecture with psychologist, Professor Emeritus and author Arthur Clark on Thursday afternoon, November 17th at 2:00 pm in the Hermann Meeting Room.

Although many people find the first memories of childhood to be a familiar and intriguing topic, what is largely unknown about early recollections is their potential to reveal insights into an individual’s personality and outlook on life. In the early 1900’s, the Viennese psychologist, Alfred Adler, discovered that early recollections as a projective technique provide a person a tested means of understanding what life is like or about. Various personality and sensory dimensions emerge in early recollections that assist in grasping an empathetic understanding of a person.  

Art will discuss the process, and then demonstrate with a shared memory from a volunteer member of the audience (or perhaps two!).

Arthur Clark, EdD, is an Emeritus Professor at St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY. As a licensed psychologist, he has extensive experience with clients in school and clinical settings. He is the author of Dawn of Memories: The Meaning of Early Recollections in Life, Defense Mechanisms in the Counseling Process, Empathy in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Perspectives and Practices, and Early Recollections: Theory and Practice in Counseling and Psychotherapy, over 50 articles, and a blog for Psychology Today, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dawn-memories.

This lecture is appropriate for adults. Please register online or by calling the library at 508-457-2555 X7.

Test Preparation Tools at the Library

Posted on by Library User

Fall means crisp leaves, apple pies… and standardized testing for high schoolers thinking about college or careers, plus college graduates, or soon-to-be graduates, thinking about graduate school.

Thanks to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Falmouth Public Library now provides access to Peterson’s Test Prep, an online resource that allows you to take practice tests. Yes, it has the PSAT, ACT, SAT, and ASSET tests, as well as the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE. For those new to the United States, it offers practice content for the TOEFL and US Citizenship exam. For those considering careers instead of college, there are practice tests for licensing exams in fields from nursing to law enforcement to cosmetology.

In addition to the alphabet soup of practice tests, Peterson’s Test Prep also offers tools for students looking to explore higher education or careers. There are checklists and advice for students (and their parents) who are contemplating college, scholarship searches, and advice about financial aid applications. For job seekers there’s a whole section on career exploration, including a trade school search and resume advice.

This online resource asks you to create a username and password, because it saves your college scholarship searches and progress on your test practice. But access is free when you follow the link from the Falmouth Public Library’s online resources (look under Education!). Need help learning how to use this resource? Ask at the Reference Desk or call and make an appointment with one of our staff who can get you started.

Cape Cod Archaeology: Past, Present, and Future

Posted on by Library User

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we invite you to join us for a lecture about the archaeology of Cape Cod. There are two options to attend: join us in person, in the Hermann Meeting Room at 6:30pm on Wednesday November 16, or use a Zoom link that will be provided upon registration to attend virtually from home.

Above and below-ground archaeological artifacts and features provide a partial view into the 12,000-year human history of Cape Cod. Archaeologist Holly Herbster will discuss what sites on the Cape can tell us, how archaeological study has changed, and how the field fits into other ways of knowing about the past. 

Holly Herbster is a Senior Archaeologist/Principal Investigator at the Public Archeology Laboratory, Inc. Over the past 25 years she has directed more than 200 projects in southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard, ranging from primary background research to large-scale archaeological excavations. She has collaborated extensively with Native American groups in Massachusetts and her research focus includes documentary and ethnohistoric studies, especially those related to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Nipmuc and Wampanoag communities. She is a co-author of the book Historical Archaeology and Indigenous Collaboration: Discovering Histories That Have Futures which was the Society for American Archaeology’s 2021 scholarly book award winner. 

Art Exhibit: Paintings by Gary Boehk

Posted on by Library User

The Falmouth Public Library invites you to visit a new exhibit of paintings in the Adult room of the library. The paintings are on display now and will continue to be on view through the month of November.

Gary Boehk is primarily a plein air and representational painter with decades of experience painting landscapes on site in Cape Cod, Florida, and France. However, during his career Gary’s abstract painting has been an important tool for exploration into different approaches to painting. The progression into abstract can be seen in Gary’s representational works, especially plein air in Provence, France where shapes are perceived as less defined. (see garyboehk.com)

Abstract painting is a focus on color, shape and the interaction on the canvas. It enlivens creativity and it brings playful feelings and directions into the paint. The process is guided by a more subtle playful voice that resides deeper in the awareness, a voice not constrained by the conventions of representational paintings. Gary would characterize his abstract painting style as Gestural or Action where the painting is an expression of motion and it works best when the paint on the canvas stays open or wet so that the interaction can be fluid until the painting is finished and dry. 

Gary is delighted to be showing these paintings at the Library; it is the first time many of them have ever been seen.

Therapeutic Qi Gong Class

Posted on by Library User
Join us in the Hermann Meeting Room from 11am-12pm on Tuesdays, November 1, 8, 15, and 22 for a short series of classes to sample Therapeutic Qi Gong with Alexandra Lancaster. Please register for these free classes, as space is limited. For this series, register once for all four classes, as the classes will build on each other. If you cannot attend all four classes, please leave the space for someone who can.
 
Therapeutic Qi Gong consists of 36 repeated movements that target the muscles and joints of the body from head to toe.  The movements are done slowly and gently and incorporate deep breathing to help you focus on yourself during this time, making this routine a meditative one in addition to its stretching, coordination and balance challenges. This series of movements can be learned, allowing you to do it on your own in sections or in its entirety.  It all takes place while standing, although the assistance of a chair or a wall is allowed :-).  
 
Alexandra Lancaster learned Therapeutic Qi Gong ten years ago by taking an in-person course off-Cape, and she continues to be re-certified every few years.  Although these movements are part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and channel the energy along the meridians, this course will concentrate only on the physical movements and the focusing of the mind. No mat is needed, but comfortable clothing is. Socks are encouraged; shoes that are flat and not too supportive are ok; athletic sneakers, of course, are fine if you need them.
 
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.