Category: Falmouth Village

Postcards from Falmouth: Falmouth Schools

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Rites of passage, secret passages, iconic teachers. Let Jim Kalperis and Otis Porter take you on a tour through the history of Falmouth’s schools, from tiny Lawrence Academy to the much newer facilities of Falmouth High School. In conversation with Barbara Kanellopoulos, they recount staff and student stories, and the many transitions that shaped Falmouth’s public school system.

Former faculty member Jim Kalperis remembers that one of those transitions, from the old Lawrence High School to its successor on Lakeview Avenue, was accomplished with a bit of student legwork. “The students all assembled in the old high school,” he says, “and whatever they could bring and carry by hand, they all marched from that school over to the new Lawrence School.” Library staff and visitors now park where the old building stood, and the high school has moved on again – not once but twice.

Watch the oral history recording here.

Explore the postcard collection here.

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

Posted on by Clint Johnson

On Monday, April 8th bring a chair or blanket and join us on the library lawn from 2pm-4:30pm for games, music and solar eclipse viewing!

In Falmouth, the solar eclipse starts around 2:16pm with a 89.3% max coverage around 3:30pm and ends around 4:39pm.  A free pair of solar eclipse glasses (provided by Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) will be available to attendees while supplies last.  

This event is weather permitting.  

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Flyer

 

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at (508) 457-2555 x7 or by email at info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org

 

Postcards from Falmouth: Falmouth Heights

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Before it hosted iconic hotels and streams of summer visitors, Falmouth Heights was the remote edge of town. Join Valerie Harding to learn about its deliberate transformation into a summer resort at the hands of the Falmouth Heights Land and Wharf Company – and of her own memories of off season life in the Heights, which might not have been picture-perfect, but provided its own kind of fun.


“In the winter when those hotels were closed up, as kids you’d run across the veranda and it looked very ghostly inside,” she said in conversation with interviewer Troy Clarkson. “With the table still set up, you know, with salt and pepper still on the table […] there was not a light on in any house down there.”

Watch the oral history recording here.

Explore the postcard collection here.

Postcards from Falmouth is a local history project of Falmouth Public Library, funded by a LSTA grant and administered by the MBLC.

YT link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2pv64p5EnA

Manga and Anime Club

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Manga and Anime club are back in business! Please come join on us in the Young Adult Room for our meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 (4/16/2024) from 2 PM – 4 PM.
We will be watching anime, introducing the manga series that we love the most, learning to draw anime, and making buttons of our favorite anime characters!
We may even play some Pokémon cards! The skies the limit. We can’t wait to see you there!

Please register here:

Register!

Postcards from Falmouth

Posted on by Clint Johnson

The traditions, stories, and hard work of Cape Verdean immigrants are deeply embedded in Falmouth’s history. Join Barbara Burgo, co-founder and Board member of the Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center, as she discusses ongoing efforts to preserve that history, and to foster the connections between Cape Verde and Cape Cod.

She emphasizes that those connections stretch simultaneously across the Atlantic, and across time.  The Museum and Cultural Center, which occupies the historic Emerald farmhouse in East Falmouth, was created to embody that fact. “If you went there to see so many of the valuable resources and gifts our folks have been giving to America for over 200 years […],” she says, “you would realize that we are so much more than cranberry pickers.”

Watch the oral history recording here.

Explore the postcard collection here.

Movies Under The Stars

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Village Association will be showing double feature movies on the library lawn every Wednesday night at dusk (6pm-10pm) starting July 19th and ending August 16st! 

BYO blankets and chairs and join us on the library lawn to enjoy some outdoor family fun with Movies Under the Stars.  These movies are weather dependent and are free to the public.  No registration is required.

Read below to find out the Wednesday night movie dates, themes, and selected movies!

July 19th ‘Night of Adventures’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Rated PG, Runtime 102 Minutes)
“Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her biggest challenge yet: High School. When her parents mysteriously disappear while searching for the Lost City of Gold, Dora must swing into action and lead a group of ill-equipped high schoolers on a quest to save them. It is a high stakes mission as Dora and her new friends navigate the jungle, outrun treasure hunters and solve ancient puzzles to unlock the mystery of the fabled city.”

~8pm Movie: The Goonies (Rated PG, Runtime 114 Minutes)
“Follows a group of misfit kids as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli and her outlaw brood.”

July 26th ‘Uncommon Friends’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Wall-E (Rated G, Runtime 98 Minutes)
“After hundreds of lonely years, a waste management robot finds a new purpose in life. With only a cockroach for a friend, he finds true love in another robot sent on a mission to Earth to see if it is safe for human life.”

~8pm Movie: Because of Winn-Dixie (Rated PG, Runtime 106 Minutes)
“The heartwarming ‘tail’ of a young girl whose life is changed by a scruffy, fun-loving pooch she names Winn-Dixie. The special bond between them works magic on her reserved dad and the eccentric townspeople they meet during one unforgettable summer.”

August 2nd ‘It’s About The Music’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Enchanted (Rated PG, Runtime 107 Minutes)
“The beautiful princess Giselle is banished from the animated land of Andalasia by the evil queen. She finds herself in the gritty streets of the real, modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that does not operate on a “happily ever after” basis, Giselle finds herself adrift in a chaotic world that is badly in need of enchantment. Giselle begins to fall in love with the cynical, no-nonsense divorce lawyer who has come to her aid. Little does he realize that this joyful, wide-eyed innocent is about to enchant him.”

~8pm Movie: Mamma Mia! (Rated PG-13, Runtime 108 Minutes)
“20 year old Sophie is preparing to marry at her mother’s hotel on a Greek island. She has a carefree life, a loving fiancée, and great friends. She is only missing one thing: a father. By reading her mother’s diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie secretly invites all three men to the wedding in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father. But not all goes according to plan. Now, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed, and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.”

August 9th ‘Fish Are Our Friends, Not Food’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Finding Nemo (Rated G, Runtime 100 Minutes)
“In the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, Marlin, an overly protective clownfish, embarks on a daring rescue mission when his beloved son, Nemo, gets scooped up by a diver. With his unforgettable friend Dory by his side, Marlin encounters an ocean full of memorable comedic characters on his momentous journey to find Nemo.”

~8pm Movie: Jaws (Rated PG, Runtime 130 Minutes)
“An enormous great white shark terrorizes a summer resort town, where a police chief, a grizzled fisherman and an intrepid marine biologist realize they’re “gonna need a bigger boat” to battle the bloodthirsty beast.”

August 16th ‘An Incredible Evening’ Movies:

6pm Movie: The Incredibles (Rated PG, Runtime 115 Minutes)
“Bob and his wife Helen used to be among the world’s greatest crime fighters, saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs where they live “normal” lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction.”

~8pm Movie: Shazam! (Rated PG-13, Runtime 132 Minutes)
“Everybody a superhero inside of them, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word, this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into an adult superhero, courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart, inside a ripped, godlike body, he revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! But he’ll need to master these powers quickly to fight the deadly forces of evil.”

Postcards from Falmouth: Falmouth Public Library

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

If you’ve ever wanted a firsthand account of how FPL acquired our historic postcard collection, look no further than this oral history with Library Director Linda Collins. She charts the library’s route from the Falmouth Library Society of 1792 to the FPL of today, a place where you can dive into whalers’ logbooks, play Giant Jenga, borrow a sewing machine, and, of course, browse thousands of postcards online.

“The library appropriation is only 1.5% of the town budget,” she says. “It is a real deal for the residents of Falmouth […] there’s truly something for everyone.”

Visit the Falmouth Public Library digital exhibit here.

Postcards from Falmouth is a local history project of Falmouth Public Library, funded by a LSTA grant and administered by the MBLC.

2022 Summer Movies

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

FPL Wednesday Night Movies (July 6th & July 20th)

The Falmouth Public Library will be showing two summer movie classics in the Hermann room on Wednesday Nights in July, Independence Day from 1996 and Jaws from 1975!   These movie viewings are free to the public and are sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.  Registrations are required and each movie is limited to 60 participants. 

Wednesday, July 6th at 5:30pm in the Hermann room
Independence Day (Rated PG-13; Runtime 2.5 hours)   
“In the epic adventure film “Independence Day,” as these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived; its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.”

Wednesday, July 20th at 6pm in the Hermann room
Jaws (Rated PG; Runtime 2 hours) 


“When a young woman is killed by a shark near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.”


FV Movies Under The Stars (July 27th – August 31st)

The Falmouth Village Association will be showing double feature movies on the library lawn every Wednesday at dusk (6pm-10pm) starting July 27th and ending August 31st!  BYO blankets and chairs and join us on the library lawn to enjoy some outdoor family fun with Movies Under the Stars.  These movies are weather dependent and are free to the public.  No registration is required.

Wednesday, July 27th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope (Rated PG; Runtime 2 hours)
“Young Luke Skywalker leaves his desert home planet to rescue Princess Leia and become a Jedi knight.”      
~ 8pm Movie: Apollo 13 (Rated PG; Runtime 2.3 hours):
“The true story of the Apollo 13 space mission where astronauts are stranded in their crippled spacecraft while the ground crew race against time to bring them home.”


Wednesday, August 3rd from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: My Dog Skip (Rated PG; Runtime 1.5 hours)
“Set in Mississippi in the late 1940s and based on Willie Morris’ boyhood memoirs, eight-year-old Willie loses his only friend in the world to the draft until his mother gives him a puppy for his birthday.”

~ 8pm Movie: Dog (Rated PG-13; Runtime 1.6 hours)
“Briggs and his companion Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, haul ass down the Pacific Coast in time to catch their best friend’s and handler’s funeral.” 


Wednesday, August 10th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Sing 2 (Rated PG; Runtime 1.8 hours)
“The ever-optimistic koala, Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet, all in the glittering entertainment capital of the world.”

~ 8pm Movie: The Greatest Showman (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“An original musical screenplay brings to life the story of P.T. Barnum and his creation of “the greatest show on Earth”.”


Wednesday, August 17th from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Coco (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz.  Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events.”

~ 8pm Movie: McFarland, USA (Rated PG; Runtime 2.1 hours)
“Inspired by the 1987 true story, the movie follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White, a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school.”


Wednesday, August 24 from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Ratatouille (Rated G; Runtime 1.8 hours)
“A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession.”

~ 8pm Movie: Julie and Julia (Rated PG-13; Runtime 2 hours)
“Julie Powell is a frustrated insurance worker who wants to be a writer. Trying to find a challenge in her life, she decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ in one year, and to blog about it.”


Wednesday, August 31st from 6pm-10pm on library lawn
6pm Movie: Ron’s Gone Wrong (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“The story of Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler, and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally connected device, which is supposed to be his ‘Best Friend out of the Box.’ Ron’s hilarious malfunctions, set against the backdrop of the social media, age launch them into an action-packed journey in which boy and robot come to terms with the wonderful messiness of true friendship.”

~ 8pm Movie Chistopher Robin (Rated PG; Runtime 1.7 hours)
“The young boy, who loved taking adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with a gang of spirited and loveable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into that world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.”

 

Postcards from Falmouth: St. Barnabas Church

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

By any measure, St. Barnabas Church is distinct. Reverend Will Mebane, Jr. recounts the history of its founding: how the Beebe family pushed to establish the parish, and chose Gothic Revivalist architect Henry Vaughan to build a church unlike any other in Falmouth. 

“We like to be known as the parish of the community,” he says, “so we are constantly opening our doors and welcoming nonprofit organizations and other entities to use our beautiful campus.” In the summer months especially, that campus is a hub of activity – for example, did you know that the 70th annual Strawberry Festival was celebrated this June? 

Explore the oral history and digital exhibit, and learn for yourself how St. Barnabas became part of the fabric of Falmouth’s community!

See our Saint Barnabas Church digital exhibit here.

Explore the postcard collection online here.

Postcards from Falmouth is a local history project of Falmouth Public Library, funded by a LSTA grant and administered by the MBLC.

Postcards from Falmouth: Falmouth Historical Society

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Based right in the heart of town, the Falmouth Historical Society – also known as the Falmouth Museums on the Green – has a story for each feature of its historic campus, and a dedication to preserving those stories for future residents and visitors. Former director Mark Schmidt takes us on a tour through the Museums’ past, present, and future, with an emphasis on one important point: today’s events are history in the making.

 

 

“We tend to think that if it happened in our lifetime it’s ‘not cool,’ or just not that important,” he says. He points out that history doesn’t start and end with Colonial houses and 18th century French wallpaper: “We’ve gone through some pretty major things in our lifetime.”

Tour the Falmouth Historical Society with Mark Schmidt here.

Explore the postcard collection online here.

Postcards from Falmouth is a local history project of Falmouth Public Library, funded by a LSTA grant and administered by the MBLC.