End of Summer Musings

Hello everyone! Phew! Can you believe summer went by this fast?! It was filled with awesome books, great programs at the library and cool rewards. I want to thank all of our sponsors for donating everything they did; we had a lot of happy readers!

American Girl Store
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Boston Red Sox
EagleBrook Saloon
Ficco's Bowl-a-Drome
Green Mountain Chocolate
Kathy Ryan Dance Studio
National Amusements
Nicky's Restaurant
Panera Bread
Pawtucket Red Sox
Tootsie's Ice Cream Parlor
Wachusett Mountain

and of course the Friends of the Library, the Junior Friends of the Library and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

And of course, I am SO proud of our town for reading over 50,000 minutes over 6 weeks! This means that the Norfolk Public Library, by way of a generous donation made by the Friends of the Library, is now the proud owner of an adopted acre of land in the Appalachians! It was so cool to see everyone work together toward this common goal for the better of the environment.

I know there is a lot of anticipation about the bookmark contest. Winners and bookmarks will be available on Monday!

I hope everyone has a GREAT fall and, for most readers, an awesome new school year! And don't forget us here at the public library! We would love to see you!

Who doesn't love Nickelodeon?! They give out a lot of great tips about being green; here are just a few!

Big Green Help: "Celebrity Tips #2"

Watch all your favorite shows on Nick

Big Green Help EpisodesBig Green HelpGames

I especially love the last one. Do you have a recycling program at your school?

This week's Go Green tip comes from Seth McFarlane. Don't know who that is? Push play on this video, close your eyes and recognize the voice. Why, it's Peter Griffin from Family Guy! Seth created, writes for and voices several characters on the show and in his free time, gives out great advice about going green in your life.

Mangia Monday Recap

This week, we made fresh salsa with quesadillas, YUM! The recipe that is included here uses a can of diced tomatoes, but instead we used fresh tomatoes to liven up our salsa! Some of our chefs liked it mild, some liked it HOT! It all depends on the amount of chiles you use.


1 Large can organic diced tomatoes
1/2 large white onion
4-6 sprigs minced fresh organic oregano
3-4 grated fresh garlic cloves
sea salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
5-8 roasted green chiles, skin removed

Start by draining the tomato juice into a bowl. Place tomatoes into a food processor and pulse a few times to get the consistency you like (*again, we used fresh large tomatoes and just diced them). Add the tomatoes to reserved tomato sauce. Dice oregano finely and add to bowl. Run garlic across fine grater and add to bowl. Chop onions and green chiles and add to bowl. Mix all ingredients together then add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Taste salsa with chips to determine if any additional ingredients should be added. Allow salsa to sit for about 5 minutes to allow all of the fresh flavors to marry.

It IS Easy Being Green! Part Three

How often do you buy a bottled water? Or grab one from the fridge on your way out? Or maybe you buy in bulk so you never run out? Every day, 30 million single serve water bottles are thrown away. Crazy, right?

Our green video this week is related to Tapped: The Movie, a film about raising awareness of the World Water Crisis. Jack Johnson lends his talents to get the message across:



And check out the movie at tappedthefilm.com. Have a great Monday!

Mangia Monday Recap

Our first Mangia Monday was awesome! We started out with a snack that is pretty simple to make, cream cheese-filled strawberries. We all agreed that we LOVED them and even converted a self-proclaimed strawberry-hater into a bona fide fan! Here's the recipe we used, from the Boston Globe:

Cream Cheese-filled Strawberries
(makes 12)

12 large strawberries
12 blueberries
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice (we used fresh lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Gently rinse strawberries and pat them dry. With a melon baller, remove the green stems and scoop out some of the center of the berries. Cut a slice off the bottom of each strawberry so that they will sit on a plate. Rinse the blueberries and pat them dry.

2. In an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, and honey. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Place the mixture in a plastic zipper bag. Snip a hole in one of the non-zipper ends of the bag.

3. Pipe the cream cheese into each strawberry. Sprinkle them with brown sugar and top with a blueberry.




Just two of our talented "chefs."

Some of our awesome Junior Friends helping out!

It IS Easy Being Green! Part Two

As far as Monday-Go-Green videos go, this one is coming a little bit from left field. Jimmy Fallon from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (which might be on a bit late for some of our summer readers) is seen here singing about different ways to go green. Yes, I said singing. Take a listen:



What did you think? He did give some great tips about being more eco-friendly, no?

Keep tracking your reading! This week, once you've read 100 minutes, come into the library to grab a Go Green! bookmark and a color changing pencils (I know how much you love those!) and check the calendar for all the awesome programs we have this week including Ed the Wizard on Wednesday at 6:30! Keep reading and GO GREEN!

And we're off!

Summer Reading Program has officially begun! Here at the library, we're getting things started with Pied Piper Hamelin and his pottery presentation in a few minutes and we have much more fun coming your way this week and in the weeks to come. Don't forget to sign up and track your reading! Click here to get started!

This week, once you complete your reading of at least 100 minutes, you'll be able to come into the library and claim a FREE MINI CHEESE PIZZA from EagleBrook Saloon. Let's give a HUGE shout out to EagleBrook for so generously donating coupons to our Summer Reading Program. It wouldn't be the same without them, so THANK YOU EagleBrook!

And have you been to the library lately? If you have, you will see that our raffle prize boxes are up at the Reference Desk and we have some great stuff to raffle off this year. Take a look at what we have to give away by clicking here.

I think that's all for now! You can also go ahead and click on "Programs" on the left to see what's going on at the library this week. And check back for more updates, including recipes from Mangia Monday, our "travel log" from the "Road Trip" storytime and much, much more! Keep reading and GO Green!

Don't Forget!

If you want the chance to win some REALLY great stuff, you MUST sign up at www.readsinma.org/norfolk!! That way the library can know what you're reading! Take a look at what you can win here:

Summer Prizes

and happy summer!

It IS Easy Being Green!

Let's start summer off with a bang! I know it isn't officially the summer reading program yet, but it's never early to start going green! Every Monday, I'll post a new video about ways in which we can contribute more to a greener earth. This week's video comes from Mother Nature Network, a great website that has all kiiiiinds of great tips for a greener lifestyle. And they even managed to get some ideas from these Gleeks. Did I say GLEEKS?! You bet I did! Check out Finn, Sue Sylvester and more. Enjoy and GO GREEN!

Family Movie Night

Join us Monday nights in the Community Room for some great movies! Movies start at 6:30 pm. Families, feel free to bring snacks, blankets and friends! Children under 12 are required to have supervision. Lemonade and popcorn will be available for sale. Bring your own cup to Family Movie Night and your first lemonade is free! Take a look at what movies we'll be playing this summer:

NO MOVIE JULY 5th (We're closed; Happy Independence Day!)










July 12th

UP!

2009, PG, 96 minutes

After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) flies away on an unbelievable adventure, with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain.




July 19th

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2009, PG, 90 minutes

Inventor Flint Lockwood creates a machine that makes clouds rain food, enabling the down-and-out citizens of Chewandswallow to feed themselves. But when the falling food reaches gargantuan proportions, Flint must scramble to avert disaster. Can he regain control of the machine and put an end to the wild weather before the town is destroyed? Bill Hader and Anna Faris lend their vocal talents to this Golden-Globe nominated animated adventure.




July 26th

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009, PG, 93 minutes

Times are changing for moody mammoth Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), motormouthed sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) and crafty saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) in this third installment of the beloved computer-animated children's franchise. Life heats up for our heroes when they meet some new and none-too-friendly neighbors: the mighty dinosaurs. High jinks and hilarity ensue in this fun family adventure that's packed with celebrity voices.




August 2nd

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009, PG, 87 minutes

When Mr. Fox's nightly raids on three nearby farms raise the ire of the selfish farmers, he must outwit the men's increasingly outrageous plans to catch him in this animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl book. As the farmer's schemes take a toll on his hungry family, Mr. Fox must find a new way to get his paws on the bounty. Wes Anderson directs, and George Clooney and Bill Murray lend their voice-over talents in this Oscar nominee.




August 9th

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982, PG, 121 minutes

Steven Spielberg's 1982 smash hit tells the heartwarming story of the special bond 10-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas) forges with an alien he names E.T. The adventures they share as Elliot tries to hide his new friend and E.T. tries to get back to his planet ("E.T. phone home!") provide plenty of action, laughter and tears. Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote and a young Drew Barrymore co-star.



BONUS WEEK: August 16th

The Princess and the Frog

2009, PG, 98 minutes

Down in New Orleans during the fabulous Jazz Age, young Princess Tiana (voice of Anika Noni Rose) searches for true love and comes face-to-face with snooty debutante Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), ancient voodoo priestess Mama Odie (Jennifer Lewis) and the evil Dr. Facilier (Keith David). But with the help of her mother (Oprah Winfrey), a crooning alligator and other friends, Tiana's fairy-tale may come true after all in this Oscar nominee.

Sponsored by the Early Childhood Resource Center at the Norfolk Public Library and funded by the Department of Early Care and Education.

Performers

Pied Potter Hamelin
Tuesday, July 6th, 3:30p.m.
This program's uniqueness is in how he throws the same form but that piece of clay magically transforms in stages, until it is finished an identified as: melon pots, Lebanese samovars, teapots, gnomes, dragons and more! He discusses techniques, regional & national pottery history & rare stories about clay, potters, and pots.

To read more about Pied Potter Hamelin, click here.

Ed the Wizard
Wednesday, July 14h, 6:30 p.m .
Each 45-minute show is packed with comedy and illusion. Using many volunteers, Ed the Wizard is sure to please. Having learned wizardry the old-fashioned way, by reading, Ed the Wizard keeps reading the emphasis and drive behind each show. Watch as volunteers help vanish coins, pass objects through their heads, and of course, cut someone in half! Sponsored by the Norfolk Cultural Council.

To learn more about Ed the Wizard, click here.







Davis Bates, Storyteller
Tuesday, July 20th, 10:30a.m.

My performances are a mixture of family, Native American, international and regional stories and songs. They speak of empowerment, history, spirit and the environment. I have been a storyteller for over 20 years in schools, libraries, festivals and community settings. A young boy shoveling snow, an old woman who loves to dance, a wide mouth frog, a ghost lobsterman, a shapeshifting panther, grandparents remembered . . . These are some of my favorite images from stories and songs that I share with audiences. What I try to do in a performance, whether it's in a school or community setting, is to get folks thinking about and remembering their own stories and cultural traditions, and to excite them about the idea of sharing stories with others. Sponsored by the Norfolk Cultural Council.

To learn more about Davis Bates, click here.

T-Bone, America's Musical Pied Piper
Tuesday, July 27th, 6:30p.m. on Town Hill (Rain location: Community Room, Library)

TOM STANKUS, or T-BONE to his audiences, is affectionately known as “America’s musical Pied Piper;” and has entertained thousands of people since 1978. Maybe it’s the child in him that enables T-BONE to connect so well with his audiences. Maybe it’s the energy of a runaway freight train.
Whatever the reason, and before his audiences realize it, they are clapping, dancing and singing at T-BONE’s shows. “I love making people happy, especially children,” says T-BONE, “and it is particularly satisfying when my audiences feel that they are the most important part of the show. Which they are.” Sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library and the Norfolk Recreation Department.

To learn more a bout T-bone, click here.




Jungle Encounters
Thursday, August 5th, 3:30p.m.

We bring one animal out at a time to talk about and let the people see up close. We teach the kids about wildlife and conservation. You'd be amazed at the looks on the children's faces as they see real wild animals up close! We can also call a few kids out of the audience to pet some of the animals or we can walk around through the crowd of people with an animal to let them pet them! Sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.

To learn more about Jungle Encounters, click here.

Guard Up! Historical Weapons
Tuesday, August 10th, 3p.m.

We have a versatile knowledge of sword history from all over the world, and can teach techniques from Medieval Germany, Renaissance Italy, Feudal Japan, and others. We bring history, science, and geometry to life when our armored knights show up for the day.

We bring safe replicas of historical arms and armor, giving guests a chance to touch swords, try on armor, and more. We demonstrate techniques used throughout history by sword fighters, and then, making use of our safe foam swords, allow your guests to get in on the action. Your guests will have the chance to test out what they just learned against our trained staff in front of all their friends! Sponsored by the Norfolk Public Library.

To learn more about Guard Up!, click here.