At the Florida Public Library
Florida - There are many ongoing and special events on the calendar for May. The programs are free with preference given to Florida residents, but non-residents may attend as space allows. Registration is necessary for all programs (except where noted) by stopping in the library or calling 651-7659. The Florida Public Library hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. The library will be closed on Monday, May 28 in observance of Memorial Day. 2007-08 budget and election All residents and voters are invited to the public hearing about the Florida Public Library’s 2007-08 annual budget on Monday, May 7, at 7 p.m. The monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees will immediately follow and the public is also encouraged to attend. The 2007-08 Annual Library Budget and two Library Board of Trustee seats will be on the ballot of the Tuesday, May 15, election. Voting will take place in the music room at S.S. Seward Institute on Main Street in Florida from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friends On Monday, May 14, the Friends of the Florida Public Library will hold their monthly meeting at 7 p.m. to finalize details of the May 18-20 Seward Day Weekend used book sale. Volunteers are needed for the set-up, sale and clean-up. Attend the meeting or contact Friends President Donna Keppler-Dellatto at 651-2636 if you would like to help at the book sale or become a new member. The Friends of the Florida Public Library will kick off their annual Seward Day weekend used book sale at the Seward Senior Center next to the library with a members-only preview on Friday, May 18 from 5-8 p.m. You may buy a membership at the door or in advance at the library. The regular sale will continue on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A dinner will be held for all the book sale volunteers immediately following the clean-up of the book sale on Sunday afternoon. Donations of books in excellent condition are now being accepted at the library during our regular hours. Magazines, encyclopedias or Readers Digest condensed books cannot be accepted. Friday-Sunday, May 18-20. Programs for Families Mad Science of the Mid Hudson will be at the library to spark your imagination with a spectacular, educational and highly interactive science show for the whole family. Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. Register. Meet the Alpacas from Warwick’s Shalimar Alpacas Farm in the library parking lot. These animals are beautiful, graceful and friendly. See them up close, touch their fur and learn about how their fleece can be used to create luxurious fibers for fashion. Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m. Programs for Children in Grades K-5 Books and Beyond at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays is a drop-in program for kids in grades K-5. No registration is necessary. May 1 and 8: Because of Winn-Dixie on the BIG screen. May 15: Unusual Pets: See the strange animals you might keep as pets. Page to Screen Favorites from the new Scholastic book-based, short-film collection will be shown in the children’s room on the BIG screen. Drop your children (K-5) off anytime during the two hours to watch their favorite stories while you shop our book sale. Popcorn and juice will be provided. Sunday, May 20, 1-3 p.m. Programs for Young Adults Cartooning Workshop for young adults in grades 6 and up. Learn cartooning techniques and how to create graphic stories. This is a three-week course taught by Florida, N.Y., cartoonist and author Mark McKenna, who has been illustrating comic books for Marvel and DC, working on Spider Man, X-Men, Batman and others. He also authored and published the children’s story Banana-Tail in 2002. His Web site is at www.bananatail.com. A few seats are still available. Tuesdays, May 1, 8 and 15, 6:15 p.m. Programs for Adults In the ongoing Page to Screen program, adults (age 16 and over) are invited to attend a showing of the movie, “A Good Yea,” on the BIG screen at 6 p.m. Afterwards there will be a short book and movie discussion. The novel of the same title by Peter Mayle is available to check out now. Refreshments will be served. Wednesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. A defensive driving course will be held in the library. Earn a 10 percent insurance and point reduction on your vehicle liability, P.I.P. and collision coverage for three years. Call 845-733-6000 to register. The cost is $50 and a pizza lunch is included. Sunday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appealing Appetizers with John Moultrie: Radio personality and guest chef John Moultrie will show you how to prepare three different kinds of appetizers to serve at your next party. Taste testing. Wednesday, May 9, 6-7:30 p.m. The Black Dirt Storytelling Guild, dedicated to promoting and preserving the art of storytelling, meets on the second Thursday of each month. May’s story theme is enchantments. Story tellers and story lovers over the age of 16 are invited to attend and tell a story or “just listen.” Thursday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. Adult book discussion: Pick up your copy of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” by John Berendt at the library now. Part travel book, part murder mystery, this is an original and funny spellbinding story with a gallery of remarkable characters. Refreshments will be served. Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. Come for homemade desserts Friday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m. and stay for the show at 7 p.m. The Book Banquet is a smorgasbord of recent terrific books for children and teens. Parents, teachers and other adults will be treated to a fast-paced book show in which RCLS Youth Services Consultant Randall Enos will present an overview of some of the 100 books chosen by the 2006 American Library Association’s Notable Children’s Book Committee as the “cream of the book crop.” Many of the selections will be available that evening for check-out after the program. William Alexander, the Hudson Valley author of “The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden” on Saturday, May 19 at 1 p.m. The Florida Public Library Knitting Club is for knitters and crocheters of all experience and levels. Master knitter Siw Fritsch will teach you to knit or help you work on a current project of your own. If you are a beginner, bring a skein of yarn and #10 knitting needles. Spring projects and patterns will be highlighted. Monday, May 21, 6-7:30 p.m.