Pember Presents:

The Pember Library will present a lecture by Hallie Bond titled Common Threads: Adirondack Quilts Tell Their Stories. Free and open to the general public, the event begins at 6:00 PM on September 9 at the Pember Library. This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities. Speakers in the Humanities lectures are made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Legislature, and through funds from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Hallie E. Bond has written extensively on regional history and material culture since joining the Adirondack Museum in 1983. Her books include Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks (1995) and “A Paradise for Boys and Girls:” Children’s Camps in the Adirondacks (2005). Ms. Bond has a B.A. in History (University of Colorado), an M.A. in Medieval Studies (University of York) and an M.A. in American History with a Certificate in Museum Studies (University of Delaware).

New York’s Adirondack region has been the home of a vibrant quilting tradition for over 150 years. These patchwork quilts record the hardships of life in the Adirondacks among close-knit families and communities, as well as the influence of a wild natural beauty. They document national quilting trends, while also displaying delight in the creation of art from bits of fabric.

In this lecture we explore the common threads running through Adirondack quilts, as well the diverse influences on the region’s quilting traditions. From plain and fancy bedcovers meant to keep families warm during long mountain winters, to the stunning art quilts of the 21st century, the audience learns how Adirondack quilts tell unique stories of life in New York’s mountains, while also holding up a mirror to national trends.

Tom Sieling, widely acclaimed singer and songwriter from Newfield, New York, will perform a free, very participatory family program called “Take a Tromp Through the Swamp and a Break by the Lake” at the Pember Library at 6:00 PM on August 26. The show consists of humorous children’s songs that are guaranteed to engage everyone. Tom accompanies himself on the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and a drum machine, and all songs include parts for the whole family. Everyone, of any age, is invited. For more information, please call (518) 642-2525, or email pember.library@gmail.com.

Storyteller Karen Pillsworth says:

Come listen and you will hear about growing up in a small town, the jewelry box with  the dancing ballerina, and how things come to be in your “permanent record.” You DO remember the permanent record, don’t you?

It’s summer time, a time for sitting back and listening deeply, a time to remember what it is like to relax at the end of a hot day and sip lemonade and listen to stories as the crickets play their songs.

Come back with me to a time “not so long ago and far away” and remember the magic in hearing a story. Come, and we will make time stand still as we walk through the stories together and find there is a magical place in our hearts where stories still live. Come with me, I will take you there.

Karen wants everyone to know that this program is not for children.

Splish! Splash!  Tales ‘n Tunes invites young readers to wade in with stories and songs about the sea and all the characters and creatures encountered there. Come to the Pember Library at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 22 to enjoy a sing-along, clap-along high-participation program. Tales ‘n Tunes will chart the waters, sail over the ocean and explore the bottom of the sea in story and song. Audience members can catch the reading wave, then drop anchor for some fishy fun with Tales ‘n Tunes.  It’s an exciting and enriching musical story event, complete with puppets and participation, that encourages summer reading program participants to hook the reading catch of the day. Don’t forget your snorkel gear!

Tales ‘n Tunes is a musical storytelling duo from the Capital District of New York State with twenty years of experience presenting programs in schools, libraries, museums, and at community events and festivals. They perform stories, primarily from the folk tradition, with original songs creatively integrated in them to allow for audience participation. They also feature songs between stories. Carol Connolly and Don Darmer bring tales and tunes from around the world to audiences of all ages. They are high-energy performers and their programs engage children and have them singing and clapping along. Adult listeners are enchanted by their musical stories. Together, they bring folk and fairy tales to life for their audiences.

Don’t miss this lively performance by Tales ‘n Tunes at the Pember Library, Granville, NY on Thursday, July 22, 2010  at 6:00 p.m.  For more information about this performance or other activities planned by the Pember Library, please contact the library at (518) 642-2525.

The Pember Library will present a lecture by Robert W. Arnold III on “Let Loose the Dogs of War: New York in the American Civil War”. Free and open to the general public, the event begins at 6:30 PM, Thursday, June 10 at the Pember Library in Granville. This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.

Robert W. Arnold III is a career public historian now retired from the New York State Archives. He was Albany County Historian and an historical archaeologist and serves as a Commissioner of Historic Resources for the City of Albany. Arnold teaches colonial and nineteenth century American, New York State, industrial revolution and preindustrial New York, and regional history at the College of Saint Rose. At Excelsior College Arnold teaches Colonial America, Revolutionary America, American Civil War and U.S. Immigration and Ethnic History.

New York supplied more men, money and material in the Civil War than any other state North or South, but New Yorkers responded to the Civil War in diverse and often contradictory fashions. Concentrating mainly on the home front, this presentation will examine a sample of those responses and some individuals who exemplify them, put in the political, social and military contexts of the war. It will look at the social costs of the war as they played out in the farms and cities of the Empire State, in families, workplaces and neighborhoods and the transition that went with it from an era of reform to the Gilded Age.

Since its launch in 1983, the Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with a diverse audience through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics. All Speakers events are free and open to the general public. Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.

The Pember Library will present a lecture by Hallie Bond on “Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks”. Free and open to the general public, the event begins at 6:00 PM, Thursday, May 27 at the Pember Library in Granville.  This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.

Ms. Hallie Bond, Curator of the Adirondack Museum, has written extensively on regional history and material culture since joining the Adirondack Museum in 1983. Her books include Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks (1995) and “A Paradise for Boys and Girls:” Children’s Camps in the Adirondacks (2005). Ms. Bond has a B.A. in History (University of Colorado), an M.A. in Medieval Studies (University of York) and an M.A. in American History with a Certificate in Museum Studies (University of Delaware).

Ever since Ralph Waldo Emerson took a trip through the Adirondacks in a small boat, millions of Americans have seen an Adirondack vacation as the antidote to the stress and pollution of industrialized society. This illustrated lecture explores boatshops, liveries, and a way of life and leisure that has all but vanished.

The rich heritage of Adirondack small boats ranges from canoes of birchbark and cedar to sailing yachts; from humble fishing skiffs to motorboats powered by electricity or aircraft engines; and, the legendary Adirondack guideboat, called the finest traditional rowboat on the continent.

A century ago, the region was “that Venice of the woods, whose Highways are rivers, whose paths are streams, and whose carriages are boats.” Today, most travelers see the Adirondacks from the seat of a car. We have gained easy access to “the East’s last great wilderness;” by re-discovering the small boat heritage of the Adirondacks, we explore what may have been lost along the way.

Since its launch in 1983, the Council’s Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with a diverse audience through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics.  All Speakers events are free and open to the general public.  Each year, hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Through statewide collaborations, and programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, the Council works to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker.

Test your home, protect your family from Radon!

Radon is a gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. It occurs naturally in the earth, but can become a problem when it builds up indoors. It enters a home through cracks and openings in the foundation floor, walls and through openings around sump pumps.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Although lung cancer can be treated, the survival rate is one of the lowest of all cancers. Radon is responsible for over 20,000 lung cancer deaths annually.

Homeowners can test their homes at any time; however, it is best to do so in the heating season when homes typically let in less outdoor air. It is important to remember that every home is different and should be tested for radon.

If the test shows that radon is a problem, simple inexpensive techniques may be all that is needed to reduce radon levels. There are contractors throughout the state who have met certain requirements and are trained to identify and fix radon problems in your home.

Washington County is a HIGH RADON AREA county.  Within the county: Argyle, Granville, Greenwich, Jackson, and Salem are considered the highest concern.

Linda Law-Saunders of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County will be giving a presentation about radon at the Pember Library in Granville on May 20 at 4 pm and again at 6 pm. Advanced registration is required. Please call CCE at 746-2560 or 1-800-548- 0881. Individuals with special needs requiring accommodations who wish to attend this program should let CCE know when registering.

Come learn about and experience space travel, sunspots, craters on the moon, the planets, star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies.

Astrophysicist Kevin Manning, a former consultant with NASA, has always been passionate about astronomy, and wants to share the excitement with you! Learn about the size and scale of the universe, the stars, and other celestial wonders.