Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-Opening

Full Text:

Get Ready For Some Library Fanfare

(with cut)

BY DOROTHY EVANS

After 17 months of being locked out of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown

residents will be warmly welcomed back to 25 Main Street at the grand opening

planned for this Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 pm.

But what to wear?

Dressing appropriately for the wide variety of activities might pose a

dilemma, especially if Sunday's open house guests have not attended Saturday

night's Gala invitation-only event the night before.

For Sunday's grand opening, therefore, here are suggestions for suitable

attire.

In honor of the formal ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 pm, perhaps you should

select something respectful in dark blue or black. There will be town and

library dignitaries aplenty, not to mention a contractor or two.

Then again, black seems rather gloomy for such a happy occasion. Bright colors

would be more to the point, so as to adequately express joy and relief at the

new Booth Library's long-awaited completion and reopening. Wear something

wonderful to mark the end of what library board chairman Gordon Williams has

continually dubbed an awfully "long haul."

Selecting silver or gold might help commemorate the fact that despite the

ever-extending construction timetable, the massive $4.1 million renovation and

addition project did come in on budget -- if not on time.

For the guided tours, open house guests should put on sturdy, flat shoes

because there are a lot of stairs to climb and only one elevator. With nearly

twice as much floor space as before, including the 22,000 new square feet in

the rear addition, comfortable footwear will be de rigeur.

Leave the four-inch platform shoes at home in the closet.

Finally, to enjoy the entertainment and participate fully, open house guests

might want to wear their oldest clothes and even don helmets to guard against

flying chickens.

Juggle And Joy

Vaudeville Clowning

A husband and wife clown act titled "Juggle and Joy" will be performing a wide

variety of circus skills for all comers, including target shooting with

yo-yos, blindfolded uni-cycling, magical sword box illusions and juggling

chickens.

(It was not clear from the "Juggle & Joy" press release whether actual

chickens would be doing the juggling or be juggled. Either way, it looks

promising from an entertainment standpoint.)

The Juggle & Joy troupe, featuring Keith Hughes and Mary Joy Moriarty, has

performed in Connecticut since 1992 for audiences ranging from kindergartners

to senior citizens. This duo has also taught circus and theater arts

throughout the state.

They are scheduled to present their show more or less continuously between 2

and 4 pm so there will be plenty of time for open house visitors to catch one

of the acts.

At least two "surprise events" are planned that will feature classical tunes

played on a water glass harmonica and fire-eating to the poetry of Mother

Goose.

You might be tempted to wear your asbestos vest for the fire-eating act, but

we advise against it. Asbestos in any form would not be welcome inside the

Cyrenius H. Booth Library.