@ Blue Hill Library
There is always something to do at the Blue Hill Public Library
The first Kneisel Hall Children's Concert was well-attended. Upcoming concerts for younger children will be performed Wednesdays July 6, 13, 27 and August 3, 4:30-5:05 PM (no concert July 20). Concerts for older children will be performed Thursdays July 7, 14, 21, 28 and August 4, 4:30-5:15 PM. All ages welcome!
Welcome to our library events newsletter.  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.
Events this week...
  • There are two more Kneisel Hall concerts this week: one for young children (TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY! July 6 at 4:30 PM) and one for older children (THIS THURSDAY! July 7 at 4:30 PM)! But all ages are welcome at both concerts.
  • Anne O'Regan will share images and talk about her adventures hiking the Pacific Crest Trail at the Library THIS THURSDAY!, July 7 at 7:00 PM. More info here.
  • Swiss author Christian Kracht will talk about his new novel, Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas, THIS FRIDAY! JULY 8 at 7:00 PM. More info below.
  • Don't miss the Friends of the Library weekly book sale THIS SATURDAY! July 9 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Paint the Peninsula Fresh Paint Auction
The Blue Hill Peninsula, home to some of the most iconic views in the state, will be rendered in paint, pencil, and pastel by over 70 local artists on the morning of Saturday July 16 during "Paint the Peninsula," the Library's fresh paint fundraiser.auction  Later that evening more than 100 original works of art will be sold to benefit the library at a reception and silent auction from 4:30 to 7:00 PM.
Boat on a Hill by Paula Dougherty, 2015

The resulting exhibition is a celebration of both the area and the artists who live here. It is rare to have so many artists--from young, emerging talent to some of the region's most celebrated painters--gather under one roof to show and sell their work. Opening bids range from $50-$350 making Paint the Peninsula a great opportunity to start buying local art or to add to an established collection. Most artists donate 50% of the sale to the library and some do more, so winning bids support both the Blue Hill Library's operating budget and the local arts community.
Art viewing at last year's event.

The Blue Hill Public Library is an independent non-profit organization serving all members of the Blue Hill Peninsula, and it depends on the financial support of the local community. There is a $15 suggested admission fee that includes wine and refreshments.  Advance tickets are available at the Library and online through the website for $12. Children and participating artists are free. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515 or www.bhpl.net
Author Event:
Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas
Swiss author Christian Kracht will talk about his new novel, Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas, at the Library THIS FRIDAY! July 8 at 7:00 PM.Imperium

In 1902, vegetarian nudist August Engelhardt set sail for the island of Kabakon in what is now Papua New Guinea. His goal: to establish a colony of fruit and vegetable eaters that would focus their diets on coconut. His malnourished body was found on the beach on Kabakon in 1919; he was forty-three years old. Imperium uses the outlandish details of Engelhardt's life to craft a fable about the allure of extremism and its fundamental foolishness. It is both a provocative satire and a serious meditation on the fragility and audacity of human activity.

Christian Kracht's books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. His previous novels include Faserland, 1979, and I Will Be Here in Sunshine and in Shadow. Imperium was the recipient of the 2012 Wilhelm Raabe literature prize.

Books will be available for sale and signing. This event is sponsored by the Library. There is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.
Larchwood Exhibit: Pipe Cleaner People
Sedgwick resident Carolyn Waite is currently exhibiting her collection of vintage "Pipe Cleaner People" in the children's Larchwood Room case at the Library through the end of August.pipecleaner She isn't sure how many she actually has but says, "These little guys grabbed my fancy years ago when I first discovered eBay." She believes most of them to be from the 1920's to 1940's.

The exhibit will be available for viewing during regular Library hours. For more information call Libby at 374-5515.
Book Event: A Rainbow Division Lieutenant in France
Blue Hill summer resident Stephen W. Taber will discuss the new book, A Rainbow Division Lieutenant in France: the World War I Diary of John H. Taber, at the Library on Thursday July 14 at 7:00 PM.rainbow Stephen Taber is the editor of this book of his second cousin's diary from World War I.

Lieutenant John Huddleston Taber was a New Yorker assigned to the 168th "Third Iowa" Infantry Regiment of the American Expeditionary Force's 42nd "Rainbow" Division during World War I. His diary provides a detailed narrative, from the voyage across the Atlantic to front line combat. He records his dealings with superiors and enlisted men, billets in French and German towns, life in the trenches, intense shelling, machine gun fire, gas warfare, leaves to Paris, the occupation of Germany, and his return to New York.
John H. Taber, officer candidate

John H. Taber graduated from the Columbia University class of 1917, and published a history of the 168th Regiment in 1925. He passed away in New York City in 1986. Stephen H. Taber, the second cousin of John H. Taber, is a financial specialist on Brazil. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Books will be available for sale and signing. This event is sponsored by the Library. There is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.
Jonathan Fisher Symposium: 1816 A Year Without Summer


A two-part symposium on "Jonathan Fisher's 1816: The Year without a Summer" will take place on July 15 and 16 at the Library and at the Jonathan Fisher HouseFisher This year is the two hundredth anniversary of what has been called "the year without a summer" in New England. 1816 was a summer of erratic and unusually cold weather worldwide, which led to crop failures and social unrest. The cause of the disturbing weather patterns, which was unknown at the time, was the massive eruption in 1815 of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. 
 
On Friday, July 15 at 6:30, the Jonathan Fisher Memorial will join with the Blue Hill Public Library in presenting Part One, "Causes and Consequences," in the Library's Howard Room. Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist and Assistant Professor at Maine's Climate Change Institute, will talk about a gigantic volcanic explosion in 1815 and its role in cooling climate worldwide; John Dippel, independent historian and author of Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death (2015), will describe the social and economic consequences of the sudden change in climate for the United States and Maine in particular; and Michael McVaugh, a historian of science at the University of North Carolina, will use the journals of Jonathan Fisher from 1816-17 to show how he-and Blue Hill-reacted to the unprecedented chilly summer. Rob McCall will moderate the evening event.  
 
The symposium will continue at the Fisher House (44 Mines Road) on Saturday, July 16, beginning at 1 pm with an account of "Lessons in Self-Sufficiency," when McVaugh will detail Fisher's experiences in the astonishingly cold winter of 1817 and its effect on his household and his crops. Leslie Cummins of 5-Star Nursery will talk about methods of food storage that could have helped, not just Fisher and his family, but the residents of Blue Hill generally, survive that terrible winter; Dippel will explain how the issue of Maine's prospective statehood became entangled with weather-induced migration westward. A general discussion will follow. The events are free to the public and light refreshments will be available. Participants can attend one or both events. 
Free Week-long Story Camp for Kids
The Library and School Union #93 are cosponsoring 3 one-week-long morning day camp sessions in July and August at the Library, called Leaping Literacy Summer Camp.literacy Children will use art, drama, and movement to enter the wonderful worlds of their favorite books, strengthen their reading skills and let their imaginations take them for a thrilling summer ride. Activities will include "music and jumping around," journals, interactive science, book-making, and art projects.

The program is for children entering K to 5th grade, but the age range is flexible based on interest and need. The sessions are scheduled for Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to noon, July 18 to 22, 25 to 29 and August 1 to 5.  Middle schoolers may request an internship to assist the teachers, and receive community service hours and a letter of recommendation upon completion of the program.

This program is free, thanks to the generous support of the Blue Hill Public Library, Friends of the Library and many local businesses. Registration is open and forms are available at the library. For more information call Dawn Robbins at the Union # 93 Central Office, 374-9927.
Weekly and Monthly Events

Youth:
  • Preschool Storytime for kids to age 5, Tuesdays 10:30 AMongoing
  • Rainbow Warriors Writing Group, 12 & up: Tuesdays 4:00 PM
  • Playgroup - up to age 3: Wednesdays 10:30 to noon
  • 52 Weeks of Giving for all ages: Fridays, 4:00 to 5:30 PM
  • Reader Dog: 1st Saturday/month, 10:30 AM (call to sign up)
  • Inklings Book & Movie Club, 8 & up: last Saturday, 2:00 PM
     
Adults:
*    Beyond Labels Discussion Group: Mondays, 10:30 AM-12:30
 *   Pickup Games of Chess: Thursdays 5:30 to 8:00 PM
 *   Basement Book Sales: Saturdays, 9 AM to 2 PM
 
We love your suggestions. 
Current Exhibits
Don't miss our ongoing exhibits: In the Britton Gallery (top), Then and Now: Historic Photographic Processes, by Lisa Tyson Ennis and Alan Vlach;   In the Howard Cases (middle), Asian Pottery from the collection of Frederica Marshall and Herman Kidder; and in the Larchwood Case (bottom), Pipe Cleaner People from the collection of Carolyn Waite.exhibits
God Bless Our Home, Abandoned Outport, Newfoundland, toned silver gelatin by Lisa Tyson Ennis 6/40.



Cowboy and Cowgirl Pipe Cleaner People 
 
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