Leif Ray is lecturing in front of his train exhibit in the Larchwood cases.

@Blue Hill Library

     Unless otherwise noted these events are free and open to everyone. Many of these free events are made possible by generous funding from the  Friends of the Blue Hill Library. If you like what you see, thank a Friend. Or better yet, become one! There are many ways you can help support the Library.

• Calling all Blue Hill area homeschool families: you are invited to attend a a "Homeschool Family Tea" at the Library THIS WEDNESDAY, September 18 at 2:00 PM.  Library staff will be on hand to briefly discuss library materials and services. Children's Librarian Pat Horton and Director Rich Boulet primarily hope to listen to homeschooling families about how the Library can best serve their needs. 

•  The public is invited to learn how simple it is to make your own kimchi, kefir, and other fermented delicacies, in a workshop presented by author and fermentation expert Sandor Katz at the Library THIS Wednesday, September 18 at 6:00 PM.  

• The public is invited to participate in the Library Play Reading Group THIS WEDNESDAY, September 18 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Library.  The play selected for this first meeting of the season is Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular (1972), a comedy about climbing the social ladder.    

• Deer Isle resident and author Barbara Hattemer will read from her recently published book An Island Just For Us, THIS THURSDAY, September 19 at 7:00 PM at the Library.  An Island Just for Us, released by OakTara Publishers, takes place on an island in Maine's beautiful Penobscot Bay. 

     As part of the ongoing "Art Adventures" series, local musicians Jay Peterson and Don Carmichael will present an interactive program, Western Swing: Where Jazz Meets Country, at the Library on Thursday September 26 at 7:00 PM.  Western swing is a uniquely American blend of jazz, country, Dixieland, blues, traditional fiddle styles, and recently even bebop.  

      Western Swing arose in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1920's and '30's.  As dance music, often with up tempo beats, it packed dancehalls from Texas to California for decades. It features free improvisation, attracting musicians from diverse backgrounds and people who just want to dance.
 
    Jay Peterson of Sedgwick is nationally recognized as a leading authority on Western Swing, having lectured on it and performed at major universities, schools and libraries across the country.  He has played on Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry and has been an instructor at the famous summertime Ashokan music camps in New York State for 20 years.  He now plays with his children, Bjorn and Ingrid, in the Blue Hill area, and hosts the Rhythm Ranch radio show on WERU on Tuesday afternoons, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. 

     Joining him will be Don Carmichael of Deer Isle who has been a jazz bassist since the 1950's. He has worked with several famous musicians and played with all jazz groups in this area since retiring here 16 years ago.  He has especially enjoyed playing Western Swing with Jay and his family and he and Jay promise to provide a fun-filled evening of music that's sure to inform and entertain. The event is free and everyone is welcome.  For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.

     Join us Friday September 27, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM for a reception for Jeff Kaley's exhibit in the Howard Room glass cases, Asian Artifacts and Handworks, collected from all of the Asian countries he's visited. The exhibit includes many ritual pieces, tools, textiles, whimsical items, some photographs, and all resourcefully and skillfully made from indigenous materials.

Thai and Nepalese instruments, and a "ritual color box" from India.

    This will be a great opportunity to view the exhibit and ask questions of Jeff, as well as sample some tastes of Asia that Jeff plans to make and bring, including Chai, Newari Potato Salad, channa, and papadams.  Please spread the word! Jeff says he may plan a future slide presentation based on questions and expressed interests from those who view the exhibit. 

   BHPL's First-Thursday Brown Bag Book Club will meet on Thursday, October 4, from noon to 1:30 PM to discuss Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.   The story is set in Florida in the early 1900's and is narrated by a black woman in her 40's telling the story of her life through flashbacks.
 
    The Book Club is open to anyone - no registration needed!  For more information or to request a copy of the book call the Library at 374-5515.

Don't hesitate to call us for more information at 207-374-5515.