Chess for all Ages

We are delighted to welcome chess expert Glenn Davison back, on Tuesday evening, January 24th at 6 pm, for a Zoom lesson-there will be also be an option to watch it from here, in the Hermann Room! Click here to register and get the Zoom link.

Partly due to a very popular (and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning!) miniseries on Netflix called “The Queen’s Gambit,” about a woman who breaks gender barriers in the male-dominated world of chess, chess has undergone a bit of a renaissance: many shops have sold out of chess sets! As Glenn says, there are many good messages in the show including reading, studying, preparation, learning, and practice.

Glenn is a lifelong chess player who has taught dozens of chess classes in Massachusetts resulting in hundreds of chess players and multiple chess clubs. He specializes in animated online chess classes that everyone can enjoy, often with grandparents learning at the same time as their grandchildren.

This class teaches the fundamentals of chess. In a little over an hour, you will learn the basics of playing chess including setting up, using the pawns and other pieces, special moves, tips and even how to win a game of chess in four moves.

Since teaching is done online with examples, interaction, animations and quizzes, a chess set is unnecessary. If you watch it here, though, you can play along with one of ours!

This event is free and appropriate for adults, teens and children ages 8 and up, and is sponsored by the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library.  Registration is required before the event. Click here to register, or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

The Garden Tourist, Florida: a Zoom Presentation

A trip to Florida is definitely sounding good right now! We are delighted to welcome garden designer and author Jana Milbocker back for a Zoom presentation on Tuesday afternoon, January 10th at 3 pm, by the Falmouth Public Library. Click here to register and get the Zoom link, or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7! 

Enjoy a virtual trip to the Sunshine State with a tour of exquisite gardens in Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Naples and Miami. Learn about the palms, bromeliads, hibiscus and other gorgeous plants that thrive in this tropical climate. Please note that we are unable to record this event. 

Jana combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. She loves to visit gardens and historic sites in the U.S. and abroad, and share her trips through her books, photos and blog. Her previous books are The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast in 2018, and The Garden Tourist’s New England: all are available at the library and at Eight Cousins Books.

She has lectured at flower shows in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New York and New Jersey, as well as a multitude of horticultural societies, garden clubs, and libraries in the Northeast. She is the owner of Enchanted Gardens, a landscape design firm in the Boston area. She is the past president of the Holliston Garden Club, and she is active in the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and GardenComm International.

This event is free and appropriate for adults and teens, and is sponsored by the Board of Library Trustees.

Learn Basic Genealogy Online with Falmouth Genealogical Society

Did you miss the Joy of Learning class with Tim Martin and Ralph Wadleigh of the Falmouth Genealogical Society and want to watch the video recordings?  
 
You can do so now on the Falmouth Genealogical Society page!  Check out the site and watch the lectures “Overview of Genealogy,” “Researching Sources,” “Building a Family Tree,” and “Genetic Genealogy.” Tim has time-stamped the recordings as well with the content!

Violin Concert with Joshua Peckins!

We are thrilled to welcome award-winning concert violinist Joshua Peckins back for a concert on Saturday, November 5th from 3-4 pm, at the Falmouth Library! His last appearance here was widely attended and loved. Joshua will present a series of recitals, Bach’s Sonata Number 1 in G Minor, Toshio Hosokawa’s Extasas, Jessie Montgomery’s Rhapsody Number 2 and Paganini’s Caprice Number 24. This concert is part of the project “Music Speaks.” The performance will include commentary about the composers and music.
Registration is required, as space is limited-please register by clicking here, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7. Please register each person separately!

Joshua has been among the most active recitalists in New England, performing solo concerts of “particular brilliance” (Worcester Telegram) and with “a gift for capturing audiences’ attention” (Backyard News). He has presented solo recitals nationally and internationally in over 30 venues, including the renowned Figaro Hall of Palace Pálffy (where Mozart himself presented his “The Marriage of Figaro”), Crystal Hall in Japan, the Haydn and Mendelssohn Halls in Austria, as well on the Artist Series of the Bled Festival in Slovenia, the Salzburg Festival at the Mozarteum, the Orford Festival in Canada, and the Cervo Festival in Italy.

An avid chamber musician, Peckins has appeared with the renowned New England Bach Festival at Marlboro, Grammy-nominated A Far Cry (also as section leader), Camerata New England, Music at Eden’s Edge (where he also received the Emerging Artist Award), and Manchester Summer Chamber Music (also as concerto soloist).  He has performed chamber music on nationally syndicated TV/radio on three continents He is most active today as a recitalist.

This is a free event. Registration is required, as space is limited. You can register by clicking here, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.  We thank the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library for sponsoring this concert!

Maddie, Day, author of the Cozy Capers mystery series!

We are excited to welcome Maddie Day also known as Edith Maxwell, Falmouth resident and author of the popular Cozy Capers mysteries, on Wednesday, October 5th at 6:30 pm, for a reading, talk and book signing! She will be discussing the newest book in the series, Murder in a Cape Cottage. Eight Cousins Books will be selling books at the event. Click here to register! Please note that our virtual Mystery Book Club will be discussing the beginning book in the series the following week-check our calendar at falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events for details!

“It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in Agatha-awarding winning author Maddie Day’s latest Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, as Cape Cod bike shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida and her book club sleuths must solve a murder before Mac and her fiancée’s New Year’s Eve wedding…as Mac delves into the decades-old mystery with the help of librarian Flo and her book group, she discovers a story of star-crossed lovers and feuding families worthy of the bard himself. Yet this tale has a modern-day villain still lurking in Mac’s quaint seaside town, ready to make this a murderous New Year’s Eve . . .”

Maddie Day is the Agatha Award and Macavity Award-winning author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mystery series and the Country Store Mysteries, as well as other series written under the name Edith Maxwell. A member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and belongs to The Wickeds, a group of six bestselling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. Day lives with her beau north of Boston, though she knows both Indiana and Cape Cod intimately. She is a talented amateur chef and gardener and can be found online at MaddieDayAuthor.com.

 

“Saving the Spadefoot Toad” with Mass Audubon

We are delighted to welcome Sean Kortis from Mass Audubon on Friday afternoon, September 23rd at 2 pm, for a presentation at the Falmouth Public Library! Please register by clicking here. Also, Sean will be leading a tour of the vernal pools for us at Ashument Holly on Friday morning, October 7th, check our calendar for more details!

 Vernal Pools are scattered around the Cape Cod landscape and are home to a variety of secretive creatures. The eastern spadefoot toad is one of them, and is also the rarest frog species in Massachusetts. Through unique and seldom seen photographic documentation, we will explore the secret life history of this elusive and little known species and what efforts are underway in our region to save this amazing animal.

Sean Kortis is the Adult Program Coordinator for Mass Audubon’s Cape Region. Sean has a long history of working with Mass Audubon dating back to 2011. They previously worked for the organization as a Teacher Naturalist and spent several years as a technician for the Spadefoot Toad Restoration Project. Sean also spent the last 8 years working in the field of environmental conservation and protection as a Natural Resource Officer where they managed the study and protection of endangered species on Sandy Neck Beach in West Barnstable. Sean shares a passion for environmental learning, exploration, and is working to better understand how our connection to nature can guide us towards a future of sustainable living in a rapidly changing world.

While all ages are welcome, the talk is aimed at adults and teens.  This program is supported in part by a grant from the Falmouth Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. 

Sea Captains of Cape Cod!

We are excited to welcome Dr. Michael Pregot on Tuesday, August 23rd at 6:30 pm, for a reading, talk and book signing! Registration is required-please do so by clicking here! Books will be available to buy at the event from Eight Cousins books.

 Cape Cod is surrounded by water on all four sides, jutting out prominently into the Atlantic Ocean. This characteristic accounts in large measure for its history, its economic development, its aesthetic beauty, and its maritime legacy.

This narrative explores the connection that each Cape Cod town has to the sea as demonstrated through its seafaring residents. It provides a glimpse into heroic maritime adventures, entrepreneurial brilliance, and an appreciation of the resolve needed by captains to thrive in a hostile seaside environment.

Dr. Pregot has served as a secondary school administrator and as a P-12 school superintendent. During his tenure as a practicing school leader, he has taught adjunct educational leadership courses at Boston College, Keene State, Franklin Pierce, Fitchburg State and Worcester State College. Prior to his appointment to the faculty at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, he taught educational leadership courses at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. 

His latest interest is in maritime history for which he has written Sea Captains of Cape Cod and Meet the Captains of the Captains Golf Course.

 

 

Author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series!

We are excited to welcome Peter Abrahams, also known as Spencer Quinn, Falmouth resident and author of the popular Chet and Bernie mysteries, on Wednesday, August 17th at 6:30 pm, for a reading, talk and book signing at the Falmouth Public Library! Eight Cousins Books will be selling books at the event. Registration required-please do so by clicking here!

Bark to the Future continues the bestselling series that Stephen King calls “without a doubt the most original mystery series currently available.”

When Chet the dog and his human partner, PI Bernie Little, are approached by a down-and-out older man with a cardboard sign at an exit ramp, Bernie is shocked to discover the man is a former teammate from his high school baseball team. Chet and Bernie take Rocket out for a good meal, and later, Bernie investigates Rocket’s past, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong.

Then, Rocket goes suspiciously missing…and Chet and Bernie are plunged into a dangerous case where the past isn’t dead and the future could be fatal.

Peter Abrahams is the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on the Cape with his wife Diana and dog Pearl.

 

 

Live Music on the Lawn with the Squeezebox Stompers Duo!

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

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.