Wallkill Public Library
The Downton obsession

 What is it about the well-to-do and their servants that fascinates us so?
Though Upstairs, Downstairs seemed to have covered all the bases in terms of that subject matter, almost 40 years after the show's end Downton Abbey comes along - a veritable carbon copy of the 1971-'75 series, with different character plots but an identical theme - and the world is enrapt once again.
What's more, it doesn't seem to be the moneyed folk that hold the audience spellbound so much as their footmen, scullery maids, and butlers. Whether it's because the majority of the working population can possibly relate better to that crew or perhaps because the plight of the underpaid, overworked kitchen maid makes women of their own (more modest) manors feel like Lady Grantham by comparison,  the servants are pretty much the stars of the show.
At least judging by the many outlets looking to turn a profit on the series' success. Barnes and Noble in Newburgh now has its own little Downton Abbey corner, complete with a cookbook, memoir, and other items.
The great thing about the smashing success of Downton is it's a testament to the fact that Americans (and people the world over) are obviously longing for something more intelligent to watch than reality TV, insipid talk shows, or talent contests that feature little more than a mix of mediocrity.
If this, the third season of the show, fails to quench your thirst for the Abbey-esque, the library offers plenty of more material to keep you entertained, including:

 

  • The First two seasons of Downton
  • Below Stairs, by Margaret Powell
  • Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants, by Alison Maloney
  • Life Below Stairs: Domestic Servants in England from Victorian Times, by Frank E. Huggett
  • Upstairs, Downstairs (the old one as well as the 2010 version)
  • The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook, by Emily Ansara Baines
  • Gosford Park (the Abbey-like 2001 film by Downton creator Julian Fellowes)

 

Coming up at the Wallkill Public Library 
   Tomorrow Bill Robinson will be presenting Birds of Prey at 2 p.m.! Come see the animals that have appeared on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Good Morning America, and the Today Show!
  
Monday: The Mini-Masterpiece Art Club meets at 10:30 a.m. This week's project is a Puzzle Puppet!
Tuesday: Book Buddies meets at 10:30 a.m. Winter Sports Story Time starts at 4 p.m. - ages 5 and up are invited to join us for stories, a craft, a game, and a mystery snack! Textile Tuesdays are held at the community room of Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Quilters and other handcrafters are welcome to come and go as they please during those hours. Books Alive! rehearsals take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Wallkill Reformed Church.
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m. Toddler Story Time meets at 11 a.m. The Art Club meets at 4 p.m. for the first of a two-part Valentine Heart Box craft. Sculpt a small heart keepsake box from papier mache for yourself or someone special! Part 2 of this project will be completed Feb. 6 at 4 p.m.
Thursday: The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m.
Friday: The Nintendo DS Club meets at 4 p.m. Bring your favorite games and play with your friends!
Saturday (Feb. 2): Take Your Child to the Library Day Story Time will feature newly arrived books and a craft from 11 a.m. to noon. All ages are welcome. Registration for this activity isn't required, but would be appreciated. A Books Alive! rehearsal will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Wallkill Reformed Church Saturday, as well.
Do you love your library? Tell us why!
   Coming in February....you can send us a Valentine while you wait at the circulation desk!
A box will be placed at the check-out counter along with a stack of cards you or your little ones can use to tell us why you love the library!
Stay tuned for next week's newsletter for a listing of fun programs and events scheduled throughout the month of February to celebrate Valentine's Day, Black History Month, and Presidents' Day!
Tuskegee Airmen at library next month

   Celebrate Black History Month Tuesday, Feb. 26, with a 6:30 p.m. presentation from a representative with the famous Tuskegee Airmen!

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Glendon A. Frasier, Tuskegee Chapter President, will be at the library at 6:30 p.m. to discuss this legendary group of African-American pilots from the 1940s.

African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military before 1940, but after pressure from civil rights organizations and the black press, the Tuskegee Airmen were formed in 1941. 

 Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.  (TAI) is a non-profit organization with 55 chapters nationwide.

  
Entryway quilt has its own rich history 
The hand-sewn quilt gracing the entry of the Wallkill Public Library was a generous donation from the family of longtime Wallkill resident Joyce Taggart Kopf. Joyce's Garden dates back to the 1900s and was completed by the Wallkill Public Library Quilters' Circle.
Joyce Taggart Kopf  was born in Canada. As a young girl, she came to Wallkill to live with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Mentz. She graduated from John G. Borden High School in 1940 and entered St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Newburgh. Upon graduation, she joined the staff at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City. In July, 1944, Joyce entered the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
Lt. Taggart was sent to England and on Christmas Day, 1944, she crossed the English Channel into France and then on to Verdun. She received a battle star for participating in the Battle of the Bulge. Upon her discharge, Joyce returned to Wallkill and became an Ulster County nurse. From 1957-1980 she was the nurse at Wallkill High School. She died at the age of 82 in 2005.
Thank you to the Kopf family as well as to the Quilters' Circle and Pat Countryman for her compilation of Ms. Kopf's biography. Joyce's Garden is a true gift to the community and the library welcomes all to come and see it. The flowers are hand-quilted and the fabric comes from flour sacks used during that time.
  
- Carolyn Thorenz
Book a timely seasonal read for youth
  Chinese New Year is Feb. 10. Enter the Year of the Snake and start the celebration off by reading Starry River of the Sky by Newbery Honor author Grace Lin. Follow Rendi, a runaway, as he discovers an unusual village and the many gifts storytelling has to offer. Grace Lin weaves this tale of a moaning sky and folk tales from her youth reinvented and brought back to life. Her lush, rich illustrations are a joy unto themselves. This book for grades 3 and up will truly draw the reader in the spirit of the season.
  
Carolyn Thorenz
Children's Room Coordinator
New kids' DVDs coming soon to shelves
There are some new arrivals due to hit the children's shelves soon - so break out the popcorn and get ready for some movie nights (or snow day afternoons)!
Recently ordered films include:
  • All Dogs Go to Heaven
  • American Tale
  • Balto
  • Land Before Time
  • Shrek
  • Happy Feet
  • Curious George
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Toy Story 3
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
  • Tangled

 

The complete Harry Potter collection as well as other popular favorites will also be available!
Remember, too, to look out for the newest kids' films upstairs, along with the other new releases the library leases from a distributor. We've recently separated the children's movies from the grown-ups' to make it easier for you and your family to find what you're looking for!
War divides close friends in new novel 
  Ignorance: A Novel, by Michelle Roberts
  
Jeanne Nerin and Marie-Angele Baudry grow up side by side in the Catholic village of Ste. Madeleine, but their worlds could not be more different. Marie-Angele is the grocer's daughter, inflated with ideas of her own piety and rightful place in society. Jeanne's mother washes clothes for a living. She used to be a Jew until this became too dangerous. Jeanne does not think twice about stealing food when she is hungry, or about grasping the slender chances life throws at her. Marie-Angele does not grasp; she aspires to a life of comfort and influence. When war falls out of the sky, the forces that divide the two girls threaten to overwhelm those that bring them together. In this dizzying new order, the truth can be buried under a pyramid of recriminations.
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