Exhibits

 Come and be inspired! March 16 through May 6 the library will be displaying a collection of kites made by Charles Hunt. The kites will be on exhibit on the first and second floor and will help get you ready to enter Park and Rec’s kite flying contest that will be taking place at Ram’s Pasture on Sunday, May 6.

The Newtown Scrapbaggers have an exhibit of art quilts on display titled “Elements of Architecture” from February 24 through April 6 on the main floor of the library during regular library hours.

Children’s Programs

Registration for Story Hour: Story Hour registration will be taking place from March 21 through 30. Toddler Time is for two-year-olds and their caregivers and Story Time is for 3 to 5 year olds. There are four seven-week sessions for each of the two age groups. Please call the library at 426-3851 with any questions. Registration forms complete with dates and times are available at the library beginning March 21. Please come to the library to register as we can not accept registrations over the phone.

Book Discussion: Grades 4-6. “Man, bird, or angel? Who or what is Skellig?” Check out this mystery-adventure story at the library and join Liz Arneth on April 6 at 3:30 pm for a lively discussion.

         

Adult Programs

Book Discussion on Family Relationships: “So You Think Your Family’s a Mess?” Gordon Williams and Liz Arneth will be leading a new discussion series on four great American plays that all deal with family relationships Thursdays at 7:30 pm. On March 22, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams; March 29, The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman; April 5, Fences by August Wilson; April 26: Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill. Besides discussing the plays they will show a movie or two, and also have plans to see The Glass Menagerie on stage in Hartford.

Intermediate Internet Class with Bob Brand on Saturday, March 24, from 10am to noon. Mr Brand will discuss how to get the maximum performance out of your Internet connection – modems, cable modems, DSL, browser techniques, top level domains, and more. There is a $10 materials fee and registration is required. Please call the library at 426-4533.

Tax Help: Ken Wilkinson is at the library on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:00 pm during tax season to help with tax related questions. No appointment is necessary. Mr Wilkinson can be found in the Large Print Room, which is located next to the circulation desk on the main floor of the library.

Mystery Author to Visit the Library: Marcia Talley’s talk originally scheduled for March 6 has been postponed until April 10 at 7:30 pm. Along with discussing her book Sing It to Her Bones, Ms Talley will talk about how she got started writing mystery novels, how she develops characters, as well as answering questions. Marcia Talley’s second book, Unbreathed Memories, came out in 2000, and her third, Occasion of Revenge, is due out in August. Please join us for this very special evening. Books will be available for purchase at the talk.

A Creative Sampler: Ginger Humeston’s five-part workshop on creativity has been wildly successful and she has offered to coordinate an evening class for those who were unable to attend the January and February workshops. Please call the library at 426-4533 if you are interested in learning more about this program. The workshop on March 14 focused on ways we can all enrich ourselves through a variety of mediums.

Flagpole Photographers will meet on March 15 at 7:30 pm in the meeting room. The public is invited to attend.

Alcoholism: Family Counseling Center will be hosting a program on alcoholism in recognition of National Screening Day on Tuesday, March 20, at 7 pm in the meeting room.

Gardening Talk: Garry Ober, a popular speaker on gardening issues, will speak on Wednesday, March 28, at 10 am in the meeting room on the interesting topic of ecological gardening. Many common garden plants such as Japanese barberry, Asiatic bittersweet, and purple loosestrife are non-native invasive plants that establish easily here in Connecticut. They compete aggressively, leading to the local exclusion of native plants. Invasive plants can disrupt entire ecosystems by changing the makeup of plants in native communities. Come learn how to identify and help eliminate these pesky invaders. This is a topic of great importance here in Connecticut. This program was rescheduled due to inclement weather so please make note of the new date.

Free Blood Pressure Screening: The fourth Wednesday of the month Ashlar sponsors a blood pressure screening in the Genealogy Room at the library from 10 am to noon. The next screening will take place on Wednesday, March 28. No appointment is necessary.