Author: Sue

Live Music on the Lawn with the Squeezebox Stompers Duo!

Posted on by Sue

We are excited to welcome Ralph Tufo and Larry Plitt from Boston area Squeezebox Stompers for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Tuesday evening, August 2nd, from 6-7:30, weather permitting (rain date is the following Tuesday, August 9th). Bring your chair or blanket! They will play Americana Roots Music- Cajun, Zydeco, New Orleans Blues, and Originals.

The Squeezebox Stompers are an Americana Roots band. They’ve performed all over New England for the past 15 years. Members of the band have received Boston Music Awards and Songwriting Awards. They are noted for their step-lively up-beat music inspiring audiences to get up and dance.

Ralph plays the accordion, piano, Anglo concertina and Cajun accordion. He was a founding member of the Boogaloo Swamis ,who were 4 time Boston Music Award winners. The Swamis were largely responsible for the introduction of Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans music to New England.  In addition to performing for over 30 years, Ralph has been a prolific songwriter, with over 50 songs to his credit.

Larry is the proud winner of the 2007 Boston Folk Festival Singer/ Songwriter contest. His playing is rooted in the Piedmont and Delta blues styles and peppered with Cajun, Zydeco, Celtic and classical influences. He loves singing the blues!

Over the past year, the band has recorded 12 videos (ten original songs) which can be seen on their Facebook page.

We thank the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library for sponsoring this concert!

Raising Monarch Butterflies Indoors: The Magic of Milkweed, Metamorphosis, and Migration

Posted on by Sue

Join us on Thursday, July 21st from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM when Mary Barry will provide an overview of how to raise your own Monarch butterflies.  Registration required, click here to register, or call, email or stop by (see phone and email at the bottom)! Monarch butterflies and their habitats have declined in recent years.  We can all help ensure we continue to see Monarchs in our town.  Join Mary in learning how you can be part of the solution by raising your own Monarch butterflies.

The following topics will be covered: the importance of milkweed, the supplies needed to raise butterflies, what to expect, and how to tag butterflies.

Mary Pat Barry’s Monarch journey started with the purchase of 3 tiny milkweed plugs at a Master Gardener plant sale 7 years ago.  Since then she has raised monarchs from eggs gathered from a variety of milkweed plants in her yard.  After the caterpillars go to chrysalis and emerge as butterflies, they are all released for their migration to Mexico.  Mary has raised thousands of Monarchs, tagged hundreds and even performed surgery on butterfly wings. Mary is also a Master Gardener.

You can also contact the reference department at info@falmouthpublicilbrary.org, 508-457-2555 x 7 or drop by the reference desk.  

Live Music on the Lawn with Matt York!

Posted on by Sue

We are excited to welcome back musician Matt York for another live, outdoor acoustical performance on the lawn on Tuesday evening, July 12th, from 6-7:30. Bring your chair or blanket!

Longtime New England singer/songwriter Matt York will perform some of the great summertime and beach songs of the past fifty years and also talk a bit about the origins of the songs. The music will range from the early days of Motown and the British Invasion to modern hits. York has twice been nominated as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards and recently authored a book called “The Highwaymen – Songs & Stories”. Check out his site by clicking here!

Matt grew up in Foxboro, Massachusetts and began playing Boston’s clubs as a teenager. Since then, he’s played on stages throughout the United States and Canada. He has three albums and a recent single.

The Boston Globe named his album “Bruisable Heart” on of their top albums of 2019, and he has been nominated twice as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards.  The Boston Herald said of his album, “Boston, Texas”, that the singer-songwriter uses basic building blocks-Buddy Holly’s chords, Hank Williams’ swagger, Steve Earle’s boozy wisdom, Paul Westerberg’s straight-up drunk wisdom-to construct an album of beauty, optimism and heartbreak”. Matt’s music explores a cross-section of everything from straight-up rock and roll to hints of country.

We thank the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library for sponsoring this concert!

Ticks: Educate and Protect Yourself!

Posted on by Sue

As summer is coming, it seems like a great time to repost the video from Larry Dapsis’ Zoom presentation on ticks from a year ago!

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in Massachusetts, and is now considered a public health crisis.  In addition to Lyme, deer ticks can carry the pathogens that cause other illnesses. 

This program reviewed the basic life cycle and ecology of deer ticks, incidence rates and distribution of tick-borne illnesses.  It included a three-point protection:  Protect Yourself, Protect Your Yard and Protect your Pet.  Tick-Borne diseases are preventable! Also, for even more information on ticks and bugs, click here to go to Larry’s page on the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension site. 

Larry Dapsis has been an entomologist since age 5.  He has a B.S. in Environmental Science & Biology from Fitchburg State University and an M.S. in entomology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.  He has forty years of professional pest management experience, for vegetables, cranberries and households.  He joined Cape Cod Cooperative Extension in 2011 as the Deer Tick Project Coordinator and Entomologist, and he is a member of the Barnstable County Task Force on Lyme and other Tick-Borne Diseases.

 

Author signing for Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea

Posted on by Sue

Below the Edge of Darkness is this year’s WHOI & FPL Community Read, and author Edie Widder will be here in person to do a select reading from her book, Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, followed by a short Q&A and then a book signing on Saturday, June 11th from 1pm-2:30pm in the Library’s Hermann meeting room! Registration is required, you can do so by clicking here. Copies of the book will be available for purchase by Eight Cousins at the event.

She will then go right to WHOI’s Redfield Auditorium for a community conversation with Sam Harp, WHOI’s Vice President for Advancement, followed by a Q&A with the audience from 4 pm – 5 pm-you can register for that here!

“A pioneering marine biologist takes us down into the deep ocean to understand bioluminescence—the language of light that helps life communicate in the darkness—and what it tells us about the future of life on Earth.”

“Dr. Edith Widder is an oceanographer, a marine biologist, and the co-founder, CEO, and senior scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, a non-profit organization where she is focusing her passion for saving the ocean into developing innovative technologies to preserve and protect the ocean’s most precious real estate: its estuaries.” 

For some videos of Edie, and some further books on the topic, go to our WHOI & FPL Community Read page by clicking here!

The WHOI & FPL Community Read 2022 is part of Dispatches from an Ocean Planet: A Celebration of Film and Literature presented by the Yawkey Foundation and WHOI. 

 

Introducing the WHOI and FPL Community Read

Posted on by Sue

For the first time, WHOI and Falmouth Library are collaborating on a community read, and the book will be Edith Widder’s Below the Edge of Darkness: a Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea. There will be a series of related events, ending in two live  events with Edie Widder on Saturday, June 11th!

The WHOI & FPL Community Read 2022 is part of Dispatches from an Ocean Planet: A Celebration of Film and Literature presented by the Yawkey Foundation and WHOI.

For more details on the program, and some great videos and further book recommendations, check out our Community Read page. 

WHOI & FPL Community Read 2022 Events

WHOI & FPL Community Read 2022 events are free to the public and registration is required.

Inner-Space Aliens with Larry Madin on Wednesday, May 11th from 3pm-4pm in the Library’s Hermann meeting room. Register here.

        The organisms of Earth’s ‘inner space’ – the oceans, are so alien in appearance and behavior to what most people know. Following a video on ‘Blue Water Diving’, Larry will give a short presentation to illustrate more of the biology of the open ocean and deep-sea and its connection to the rest of the world and society.  A discussion and Q&A period will follow.  Larry Madin is Deputy Director Emeritus and Senior Science Advisor at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, MA, USA.

Below the Edge of Darkness Book Discussion with Allan Adams on Wednesday, May 25th from 7pm-8pm via Zoom. Register here.

        Discuss Edie Widder’s book, Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, in a group setting.  We will have a special guest, Allan Adams.  Allan is an Adjunct Oceanographer in the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department at WHOI.

Below the Edge of Darkness Book Discussion with Dana Yoerger on Wednesday, June 1st from 3pm-4pm in the Library’s Hermann meeting room.  Register here.

        Discuss Edie Widder’s book, Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, in a group setting.  We will have a special guest, Dr. Dana Yoerger.  Dana is a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a researcher in marine robotics. He supervises the research and academic program of graduate students studying oceanographic engineering through the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in the areas of control, robotics, and design.

Edie Widder Book Reading & Signing on Saturday, June 11th from 1pm-2:30pm in the Library’s Hermann meeting room.  Register here.

        Come join us as author Edie Widder does a select reading from her book, Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, followed by a short Q&A and then a book signing.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase by Eight Cousins at the event.  

Edie Widder Ocean Explorer – A Conversation on Saturday, June 11th from 4pm-5pm at WHOI’s Redfield Auditorium.

        After an introduction by Larry Madin, Edie Widder will engage in a conversation with Sam Harp, WHOI’s Vice President for Advancement, followed by a Q&A with the audience about her book Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea.

Understanding your Cat

Posted on by Sue

We are delighted to welcome Cat Behavior and Retention Specialist Rachel Geller on Monday afternoon, March 28th at 2 pm, for a Zoom presentation by the Falmouth Public Library. She will talk about what a cat behaviorist does and the most common problems she encounters, and then answer some cat behavior questions from the audience! Click here to register and get the Zoom link.

Rachel Geller, Ed.D. is the Founder and President of All Cats All the Time, Inc. which is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to promoting the adoption of cats and preventing their surrender and abandonment by helping cat/animal shelters and cat access cat behavior counseling free of charge.

Rachel is currently a cat behaviorist for cat/animal shelters all over the world, including working with adopters, training shelter volunteers and instituting surrender prevention programs. She also provides individual cat behavior help to cat parents. She is certified as a Cat Behavior and Retention Specialist, Humane Education Specialist, Pet Chaplain®, Fear Free Shelter Specialist, American Association of Feline Practitioners Cat Friendly Veterinary Advocate and RedRover Reader.

She is the author of Saving the World, One Cat at a Time: What I Know about Cats, and Why You Should Know It Too, which is available at the library and at Eight Cousins Books-Rachel donates 100% of her proceeds from the book to cat shelters.

This event is free and appropriate for adults and teens.  

 

Owls of Cape Cod with Mass Audubon (via Zoom)

Posted on by Sue

We had a great Zoom talk by Chris Walz from Mass Audubon back, on Wednesday, January 19th!

You can view the recording here!

We learned how to identify Cape Cod’s owl species, gain into insight their life histories and discover the art of owling!

Chris Walz is the property manager and a naturalist at Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary. He has been birding for over 20 years and has taught many birding classes for birders of all backgrounds and abilities.

This event was free and sponsored by the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library.  

Graphic Novel Recommendation: ‘Hawkeye’ by Matt Fraction, et al.

Posted on by Sue
This Thanksgiving, Disney+ is set to drop the first two episodes of their newest Marvel television show, ‘Hawkeye’. The show is a loose adaptation of Matt Fraction’s 2012-2015 run on the comic book series, ‘Hawkeye’.
 
In this series, Hawkeye (a.k.a. Clint Barton) is a bit different than the character we know from the films. He’s more of a shaggy dog type — down on his luck, living in a run down apartment building in NYC, caring for a one eyed dog while fighting an endless string of random fistfights with various members of the local Russian mob. He’s still an exceptionally talented archer battling crime in a superhero outfit, only now his outfit is a wrinkled mess and he’s usually sporting a black eye. Or two.
 
Think: James Garner in ‘The Rockford Files’ or Elliot Gould in ‘The Long Goodbye’.
 
If you’ve seen the trailer for the Disney+ adaptation of ‘Hawkeye’, you’ll have no doubt noticed he’s got a young woman shooting explosive arrows alongside him — and that she is also calling herself Hawkeye. This Hawkeye is Kate Bishop, an equally talented archer, only with a MUCH more eager approach to crime-fighting and superheroics.
 
This unwanted and unexpected partnership has two equal yet opposite effects on Barton. 1. It makes him kinda old man cranky. Seeing as how he hadn’t realized he was an old man yet, that makes him doubly cranky. 2. It reignites a fire under his quiver, inspiring him to do more, do better, and to properly train this new Hawkeye for a life of shooting boxing glove arrows at ne’er do wells. It’s the classic comedic pairing of opposites, and the results are hilarious.
 
When it comes to comics, good writing is only half the equation. The art is equally important. And in ‘Hawkeye’, the art is phenomenal — stylish, minimalist, and often using only one or two colors to accentuate the thick, black linework. The first 11 issues are drawn by David Aja, and he is clearly having fun, designing clever panel layouts that sometimes read like those little maps in the old ‘Family Circus’ comic strips, and sometimes read like full-blown storyboards for big budget action flicks. The result is something akin to a New Yorker cartoonist adapting ‘The French Connection’.
 
So now you’ve got a decision to make. Do you patiently wait week to week to watch the story unfold on TV, or do you embrace your inner Veruca Salt and scream, “I don’t care how, I want it now!”?
 
If you’re the Veruca Salt type (spoilers: you are), have I got good news for you! Matt Fraction’s entire run on ‘Hawkeye’ comic book series has been collected into four graphic novels, and they’re all available as both old-timey paper versions AND as free ebooks. You can either request them for pick-up at your local library (we have ’em all at the main branch of the Falmouth Public Library), or visit Hoopla and read them there!
 
 
Hoopla links:
 
 
(reviewed by Josh M.)

Backyard Birds with Mass Audubon!

Posted on by Sue

We welcomed Chris Walz from Mass Audubon, on  November  15th for a Zoom presentation-you can view the recording here!

We learned to identify the most common feeder birds including those confusing finches and sparrows, and discussed best bird feeding practices and native plants that attract birds.

Chris Walz is the property manager and a naturalist at Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary. He has been birding for over 20 years and has taught many birding classes for birders of all backgrounds and abilities.

This event was sponsored by the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library.