Tuesday, September 22, 2015-- In this issue:

•  You're Invited: Our 75th Anniversary Bash! 
•  The Blue Hill Peninsula's Original People
•  Opera Preview: Il Trovatore
•  Hunter Firearms Safety Workshop

• Art writer Carl Little will present "A History of Maine Art" THIS THURSDAY!, September 24, at 7:30 PM, (a half hour later than previously advertised). More info here.

As every married couple knows - you only get to celebrate your 75th Anniversary once and very few people are around long enough to do it. The Library is excited to be marking this once-in-a-lifetime milestone with an Anniversary Bash on Friday, October 2nd from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The public is invited to a Swing Dance Party to celebrate 75 years of information, culture and community in our historic building on Parker Point Road.

Music will be provided by the George Stevens Academy Jazz Band under the direction of Steve Orlofsky, with dance demonstrations and lessons provided by local performers Bernadette Dempsey and Bob Brown. Period costumes are optional, but encouraged with some costume bits provided for a 1940's photo booth. Sidle up to the soda fountain, snack on treats from El El Frijoles and grab yourself a piece of birthday cake before or after you visit other Blue Hill First Friday offerings.

This party is a free community event thanks to our sponsors: Camden National Bank, Tradewinds Marketplace, EBS, Merle B. Grindle Agency and El El Frijoles. For more information contact the Library at 374-5515.

Deer Isle author and anthropologist William Haviland will give a talk, The Blue Hill Peninsula's Original People at the Library on Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 PM.  He will discuss who these natives of the Down East region were and how they lived, from 12,000 years ago after the ice sheet from the last ice age receded from the area, to the arrival of Europeans.

William Haviland studied anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his PhD in 1963. He is now professor emeritus at the University of Vermont, where he founded the Department of Anthropology. Previously he taught at Hunter and Barnard Colleges in New York City. He has done archaeological work in Belize, Guatemala, South Dakota, and Vermont. He has authored over a hundred publications, including eleven books. His most recent book is Canoe Indians of Down East, Maine.

This event is sponsored by the Library. There is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.

The Bagaduce Music Lending Library and Friends of the Blue Hill Public Library will present a preview of Giuseppe Verdi's opera,

Il Trovatore at 1:00 PM on Friday, October 2, at the Blue Hill Public Library. A live performance of the opera will be simulcast at the Grand in Ellsworth the following day, Saturday, October 3rd, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

A scene from Verdi's "Il Trovatore." Photographed by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.

According to the Met website, "Soprano Anna Netrebko's dramatic and vocal skills are on full display in her next new role at the Met-Leonora, the Verdi heroine who sacrifices her own life for the love of the gypsy troubadour. Tenor Yonghoon Lee sings the ill-fated Manrico, baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky is his rival, and mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is the mysterious gypsy with the troubled past."

Local opera enthusiasts Linda Lesko and David Porter will summarize the plot, introduce the music and offer some ideas of special ways to enjoy the Saturday simulcast. All are welcome, no previous opera knowledge is needed, and admission is free. For more information, call the library at 374-5515.

The Library will again be hosting the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's Firearms Safety Course for hunters. The course meets two times: on Friday, October 16 from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. and Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Both class meetings are required for anyone applying for a hunting license. The class can also be taken as a "brush up" course.

This is a Department of Fish and Wildlife Certified Hunter Safety Program. Students are provided with a course handbook, outdoor survival information, and additional handouts. Courses involve lectures and demonstrations by instructors, homework, field experiences and a final written exam. The minimum course length is 12 hours, although many will average more. You must attend every day of the class in order to receive your certificate.

The course covers the basics of safe firearms handling, responsible hunting practices and Maine's hunting regulations. Proof of having taken the course must be shown with all first-time license applications. Participants must be at least 10 years of age and all minors will be required to have a signed parental consent form, available at the first session. The course is free.

Registration is required and can be done through the library's events calendar at www.bhpl.net, or by calling the library at 374-5515. For more information on the content of the course check the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife web page at http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/safety/firearm.htm.  

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