Let there be fall!  

After last year's "winter that wasn't," an overly warm spring and a hot, humid summer, I am eagerly anticipating the glories of autumn-cooler temperatures, multi-colored leaves, and bright blue skies (not to mention wearing socks and turning my oven on again).

The change of seasons also marks the return of several popular library programs. Check the Library's website (or better yet, sign up to receive Library emails) for the most up-to-date information and event listings.

Food for Fines is back! During September, Yarmouth Port Library patrons can exchange canned goods & other foods for library overdue fines. One dollar ($1) in current fines* will be waived for each can or package donated during the drive.  

• Food must be "in date", not expired or nearing expiration.
• Items especially needed include: peanut butter, canned meats (tuna fish, beef stew), canned vegetables and fruit, macaroni and cheese, rice and pasta. Bring canned goods or items in boxes, plastic bags or jars to the circulation desk.
• Donations benefit the Yarmouth Food Pantry.

The YPL 3rd Wednesday at 3 PM Book Club resumes September 19th with That Woman: the life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba. All are welcome; refreshments will be served. Future selections include Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (October) and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (November).

Hope to see you (and fall) soon!

Anne Cifelli

America's natural gas bonanza and falling natural gas prices plus persistent increases in fuel oil prices have prompted the YPL to convert its heating system from an oil fired boiler installed in 1996 to one powered by natural gas. The YPL Building and Grounds Committee concluded that converting to gas would be relatively simple and it would allow the purchase of newer, more efficient burner technologies. The savings should prove to be so dramatic that the Building Committee calculated that the investment is expected to pay for itself in four or fewer years.  

Four local vendors proposed seven different systems to replace YPL's old boiler. The vendor chosen for the conversion was Seaside Gas Services. Seaside is a supporter of the YPL and its owner, Kevin Saunders, is a Yarmouth Port resident, who stresses his workmanship, a trait in evidence in the finished product.

 Full Warming the Library article 

This fascinating book, although not an "easy" read, contains an incredible amount of Cape Cod information and history. While we all know that the land was never very fertile and it forced Cape Coders to turn to the sea, we overlook that our inshore fisheries were very closely managed throughout our history. They had to be, because the Cape's population and commercial development collided with finite aquaculture and inshore marine resources.

Fishing weirs which caught herring, shad, and other fish used for bait were just too successful. Actually, the weirs on Cape Cod were pound nets. Maine used the wooden slat weirs, Rhode Island used traps, and Massachusetts used pound nets but they were all called weirs. But all that changed in 1872. A nation-wide economic crisis, coupled with fishing stocks failing, forced many locals to consider leaving. Cape Cod actually lost 25% of its population between the Civil War and World War I. Into this void stepped tourists who took advantage of easy rail connections to Boston and New York.

Artists visually erased coastal fishing after the Civil War. Their canvasses showed the sublime beauty of nature with majestic shoreline vistas, and often just plain left out weirs and other fishing equipment. This visual removal helped wealthy urban patrons consider the Cape a place to visit. Thus, the name of the book - Clearing the Coastline; Ecological and Cultural Transformation of Cape Cod.

If you're looking for a book with more information about the life of Cape Cod herring, the best book is John Hay's, The Run.

As part of the Yarmouth Port Library's program series, author Martha Muetzel recently visited and discussed her writing and the self-publishing process.  

Her children's book, Tuxedo Tales, is told through the voice of a retired barn cat. The eighteen year old Tuxedo recalls her past adventures in delightful short tales ranging from catching a thief to a garden rescue. The cat's own whimsical and clever stories are enriched with those told to her by the other animals she refers to as "four-leggeds". Descriptive details acquaint the reader with country life and nature through scenes of shoeing a horse, a fiesty squirrel in the pine boughs, frolicking maple leaves in autumn, and a desperate cat in a frozen woodland. The thoughts and emotions expressed by the simple "four-leggeds" draw laughter and perhaps a tear from young readers and adults alike.

It is a very enjoyable read for both children and adult cat-lovers. A copy is available at the library or may be purchased at AuthorHouse.