Music Event: Great American Songbook

Thad MacGregor

Sunday, November 20, 2 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall.

Featuring selections fron the Great American Songbook and a special musical tribute to Frank Sinatra.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Fall 2011 Book Discussion Series

Stories into Screen III

"Do Great Books Make Great Movies?"

The Fall 2011 Book Discussion Series

at Middletown Thrall Library

About this Series

Back by popular demand for the third consecutive year, the series that poses the provocative question avid readers and moviegoers alike have been asking: "Do great books make great movies?"

Whether you are a fan of great books, great movies, or both, we hope you enjoy this year's selections. We cordially invite you to attend our series and discover your own answers to the question.

Our Schedule of Book Discussions & Films:

1. Book: Atonement by Ian McEwan
   Tuesday, October 4, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
   Scholar: Anne Sandor, Professor of English, SUNY Orange
   
   A fateful moment of misinterpretation casts three key characters - a couple and young girl, who is as inventive as she is impulsive - into an all-consuming whirlpool of tempestuous emotions, bittersweet memories, unfilled potentials, and lifelong regrets. Set in England during the second World War, this epic love story appeals to universal desires for personal closure, prospects of forgiveness and understanding, and the renewal of hope amid such troublesome times.
   
   Film: (2007. Rated R. 123 minutes.) Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 7 PM. Drama. Mystery. Romance. Won an Oscar for best original score and nominated for Best Picture. Stars: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Brenda Blethyn.
2. Book: Cider House Rules by John Irving
   Tuesday, October 18, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
   Scholar: Mary Makofske, Professor SUNY Orange, English Dept., retired
   
   A young, self-made doctor grapples with issues encompassing yet transcending medical ethics in this very human drama of women, orphans, and apple pickers. The orchard serves as both backdrop and extended metaphor, as the concept of sifting "good apples from the bad" achieves a greater meaning when matters involve crucial decisions ranging between such extremes as life and death, personal moral stances and newfound empathy for another person's unimaginably difficult choice.
   
   Film: (1999. Rated PG-13. 126 minutes.) Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 7 PM. Drama. Romance. Won Oscar for Best Actor in a supporting role, Best Adapted Screenplay, and nominated for Best Picture. Stars: Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, and Charlize Theron.
3. Book: Primary Colors by *Anonymous
   (* Joe Kline was later identified as the author)
   Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
   Scholar: Tony Nappo, Middletown City School District, retired A campaign to become the next President of the United States unfurls in a decidedly less-than-presidential manner during this Washington-insider's fictionalized and thinly-disguised retelling of Bill Clinton's legendary candidacy. From authentically rendered politicking to larger considerations of the national electoral process and voter preferences of style over substance, this unrelenting novel offers keen insight into contemporary primaries and the many competitive and contemptible forces gathering like storms around those few individuals daring to become one of the most powerful and prestigious leaders in the world.
   
   Film: (1998. Rated R. 142 minutes.)
   Date: Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 PM. Drama. Comedy. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a supporting role and Best Writing. Stars: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Kathy Bates.

Baseball Program

Friends of Middletown Thrall Library Present

Baseball in Black and White

The Cuban Giants, the Asylum Base Ball Club and Their Great Rivalry

Sunday, September 25, 2011, 2 PM

at Middletown Thrall Library 2nd Floor Community Room.

Fresh from speaking at the 19th Century Baseball Conference at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Bob Mayer, Baseball Historian, Writer and Collector, will take you back to baseball's early days in Middletown.

The focus will be on the rivalry between Black Barnstorming teams and Middletown's best amateur and semi-professional baseball teams (1887 - 1905).

Speaking on a foundation of 50+ years experience with baseball, Bob, a member of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) will entertain and educate baseball and local history enthusiasts alike, as well as anyone else curious about life and sports in the 19th Century.

Please join us for this "home run" of a program!

Reel Ecclectic Film Series: September 2011

The Colors of the Mountain

(Los Colores De La Montaña)

Thursday, September 1, 2011, 7 PM

Admission is FREE!

Playing in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Drama: Directed by Carlos Cesar Arbelaez. In Spanish with English Subtitles. Winner of the New Directors Award, San Sebastian Int'l Film Festival.

Young Manuel lives with his hard-working farmer parents in the remote, mountainous region of the Colombian countryside. While the adults in their lives try to avoid both the armed military and the guerrilla rebels fighting each other in the area, Manuel and his friend Julian are obsessed with playing soccer any chance they get. Shortly after his birthday, the new ball Manuel received as a gift gets kicked off to a minefield, and he, Julian and their albino friend Poca Luz will do everything in their power to recover their prized belonging—an essential part of their everyday lives and dreams.

Reel Eclectic Film Series Schedule (first Thursday of each month):

Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1

Most of these films are not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America and are intended for for adult audiences. Additional information for some films in this series may be found online at: www.filmmovement.com or www.imdb.com. For more information please call 845-341-5485 or send e-mail to thrall7@warwick.net.

Home Energy Program

Middletown Thrall Library Presents

It's Your Home!

Save Money & Make It Energy Efficient!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 7 - 8 PM
in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Attend a free and informative lecture presented by Steve Tesoriero, President Renewable Resource Systems, Allendale, NJ

Learn about:

• Energy Audits
• Lower Energy Costs
• Financing
• Home Improvements
• New York State Incentives
• and more!

For more information please call (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 or send e-mail to thrall16@warwick.net.

Learn about Dolls

Art of the Doll

June 14, 7 - 8: 30 PM

Starring Michele Severino,
Award-winning Doll Artist, Sculptor, Mold Maker,
Illustrator, and Creative Consultant

Learn the history, process, and "heart and soul" of doll making.

Michele has designed dolls for Marie Osmond, QVC, HSN, Effanbee, The Hamilton Collection, and more.

Music Performance

In Honor of the Annual Ed Kurdyla Commemorative Program
Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc. Presents...

Let Me Sing!

starring Jeanne MacDonald

May 15, 2011 at 2 PM

at Middletown Thrall Library
in the 2nd Floor Community Room

Based on the Irving Berlin classic "Let Me Sing And I'm Happy," Jeanne MacDonald's newest offering again brings to her audience a blend of music from a wide and diverse range of songwriters and lyricists, including Carly Simon, Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Mercer, Jimmy Webb, Harry Nilsson, Susan Werner, Sam Cooke, and more

While these composers may be separated by multiple generations, they are connected by their uncommon ability to write songs that share relevant and compelling stories about people and things that we are drawn to care about and somehow relate to.

Jeanne MacDonald interprets these expressive songs in a way that allows her audience to have shared emotional experiences. As Irving Berlin says, " if my song can make you happy start you laughing make you homesick start you tapping your feet start you crying " Jeanne MacDonald is happy!

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Concert:
Brooklyn Baroque

Brooklyn Baroque to perform "J. S. Bach: Friends and Family"

Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 2 PM
at Middletown Thrall Library, 2nd Floor Community Room

Starring:

• Andrew Bolotowsky, Baroque flute
• Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord
• David Bakamjian, Baroque cello
• Special Guest: Rachel Evans, Baroque violin

Join us for a free musical performance featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, his sons Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, his pupil Johann Ludwig Krebs, and his friend George Philipp Telemann.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information on Brooklyn Baroque, please visit www.brooklynbaroque.com

You and Your Landlord

"The Rights and Responsibilities of Tenants"

Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 7 - 8:30 PM in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

This is a FREE program!

Have your questions answered by an expert! Discover your rights and legal options when dealing with:

• evictions
• timely notifications
• privacy
• safety issues
• Section 8 housing
• seniors and disabled renters
• mobile homes
• and more

Presented by Jaime Samarel, a staff attorney in the Housing Unit of the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (Newburgh office) since November 1999. He has represented tenants in eviction proceedings in courts located throughout Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Rockland and Sullivan Counties.

For more information, please call (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 or e-mail thrall16@warwick.net.

"Peace of Mind"
Elder Law 2011

Attend a "free legal checkup" to put your mind (and your family) at ease!

Thursday, April 14, 2011, at 11 AM to 12 PM in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Learn about wills, health care proxies, powers of attorney, how to choose an agent for health care proxies or powers of attorney, probate, and guardianship issues.

A volunteer lawyer will explain it all so that you can begin to make more informed personal health care and financial decisions!

Now in its seventeenth year, Decision Making Day is a volunteer-driven public service of the Elder Law and Health Law Sections of the New York State Bar Association.

Handouts and sample documents will be given out to the audience to assist people in making informed decisions about important legal issues.

Please call us as (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 or send e-mail to thrall16@warwick.net if you have any questions.

Book Discussion Series

Scholar's Choice

Voices, Insights, & Decisions

Our 2011 Spring Book Discussion Series

Discover what some of our favorite scholars have read recently and why those books have "made the cut" in this dynamic series examining the voices, insights, and decisions of the characters within these stories.

Schedule of Book Discussions

• Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
  Book: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
  Scholar: Tony Nappo, Middletown City School District, retired
  
  This is the true story of one family caught between America's two biggest policy disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina. Eggers draws an indelible picture of Bush-era crisis management. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painting contractor, decides to stay in New Orleans and protect his property while his family flees. After the levees break, he uses a small canoe to rescue people, before being arrested by an armed squad and swept powerlessly into a vortex of bureaucratic brutality. When a guard accuses him of being a member of Al Qaeda, he sees that race and culture may explain his predicament. Eggers compiled his account from interviews and lets injustices speak for themselves. His skill is most evident in how closely he involves the reader in Zeitoun's thoughts. Zeitoun reminds us that we are just as capable of responding to fear fearfully, forgetting the very things we claim to value most. One is left wondering how this could happen in America.
  
  
• Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
  Book: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
  Scholar: Mary Makofske, Poet and SUNY Orange Professor, retired
  
  Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. In The Lacuna, Kingsolver tells the story, in diaries and letters, of Harrison William Shepherd, a man caught between two worlds. He is an unforgettable protagonist whose search for identity will take readers to the heart of the Twentieth Century's most tumultuous and pivotal events. The experiences of this fictional loner merge with those of larger-than-life figures who played unique roles in world politics. The Lacuna can be enjoyed for the lyricism of its passages on nature, archaeology, food and friendship and for its portraits of real and invented people. But the fuller value of Kingsolver's novel lies in its call to conscience and connection. She has taken Shepherd's richly imagined history to create a vibrant remembrance of events and people in a dark period in American political history.
  
  
• Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 7 - 9 PM
  Book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  Scholar: Chris Godwin, Professor Emeritus, SUNY Orange
  
  This fictional debut from Swedish writer Steig Larsson has literally taken the world by storm! Publisher's Weekly wrote, "This first book in a trilogy introduces a provocatively odd couple: disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, freshly sentenced to jail for libeling a shady businessman, and the multipierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, a fierce but vulnerable superhacker." Lisbeth is hired by Henrik Vanger, an octogenarian industrialist, and (before he dies) he tries to learn what has become of his great-niece. Lisbeth and Mikael work together to fight and reveal corruption of unimaginable magnitude. Larson passed away in 2004, but his compelling series and characters continue to enjoy a very wide readership. Most mystery-lovers may find Larson's creation fascinating and multifaceted, but readers are to be cautioned: this novel has more than the average mystery novel's share of generally shocking aggression as well as violence of a largely misogynistic nature.
  
  

For Books & Other Information Because these are popular books and still in demand, please consider sharing copies. For additional program information or special accommodations, please contact the program coordinator at (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 or send e-mail to thrall16@warwick.net. If you would like to receive library news and program updates by e-mail, please register online at this link.

Free Music Performance

Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc. Present

A Taste of Mexican Culture

with Grupo Amistad

March 20, 2011, 2 PM

We invite you to attend a musical celebration of traditional Mexican music and culture!

Contemporary and traditional dancers will also perform.

Attendance is free and open to the public.

Family Albums

"Poetry Across Generations"

Presented by Mary Makofske and Donna Spector
Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7-8 PM
in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Enjoy an evening of great poetry read by two well-known published poets!

Mary Makofske retired from Orange County Community College in 2006. She has taught literature, Freshman English, writing skills, and creative writing and is the author of two books of poetry The Disappearance of Gargoyles and Eating Nasturtiums. Her new book Traction, winner of the Snyder Prize, will be published in 2011 by Ashland Poetry Press. She has led book discussions at the Thrall, Wisner, Chester, Moffat, Woodbury, Newburgh, Ellenville, and Goshen libraries.

Donna Spector is a playwright as well as a poet. Several of her plays have been produced off Broadway and her poetry and stories have been published in literary magazines and anthologies. Her poetry collection The Woman Who Married Herself was a finalist for the Sinclair Poetry Prize and was published this past Spring. She received two National Endowment for the Humanities grants to study in Greece.

Both Mary and Donna live in Warwick, New York.

Black History Month Event

In Honor of Black History Month the Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc. present

Kofi and Sankofa

African Drum and Dance Ensemble

Sunday, February 27th at 2 PM
in the 2nd Floor Community Room
at Middletown Thrall Library

Sankofa, which means "going back to the roots" in the Twi language from Ghana, West Africa, is symbolic as it attempts to promote both personal and community awareness of the positive role of the arts in the villages in West Africa, passing on values from the ancestors.

We hope you will join us for this memorable, musical, and inspiring celebration of culture!

This program is free and open to the public.

American History Event

Middletown Thrall Library Presents

Rendezvous with Treason

Bringing the Arnold-Andre Conspiracy to Life

Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 7-8 PM
in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall

Meet this country's most-intriguing anti-hero! Spend Tuesday evening (Washington's birthday!) with the two men who tried to bring down the cause for American Independence.

Chat with our nation's most notorious traitor, Benedict Arnold. Dressed in period costumes, learn about Major John Andre and his aspirations to rise through the ranks in the King's Army and the motivation behind Benedict Arnold's eventual treason. Actors, Gary Petagine and Sean Grady bring Arnold and Andre to life in an entertaining, interactive and dramatic play.

Photo opportunities, question and answers, and refreshments will follow this free program which all ages should enjoy!

This program was made possible by The Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc.

"Afternoon Movies" Film Series: 2011

In addition to our "Reel Eclectic" film series Thrall invites you to consider attending one or more of the films in our "Afternoon Movies for Grownups" series, which offers "something for everyone."

All movies are FREE and begin at 2:00 PM and play in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library on the the 3rd Wednesday of Each Month in 2011.

Here is our schedule for 2011:

• January 19, 2011: (* call for title)
  1982. 128 minutes. PG. Family / Musical.
  Directed by John Huston. Little Orphan Annie (Aileen Quinn) dreams of the day when her parents will rescue her from evil Mrs. Hannigan's (Carol Burnett) orphanage for girls in this heart-warming musical. Her dreams are dashed, however, when she discovers her family was killed in a fire. But Annie finds happiness with millionaire "Daddy" Warbucks (Albert Finney), who reluctantly falls in love with this small red head.
• February 16, 2011: (* call for title)
  1989. 99 minutes. G. Comedy / Drama.
  Winner of four academy awards including Best Picture. Set against the changing American South, this adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play stars Jessica Tandy as the independent, yet eccentric Miss Daisy, and Morgan Freeman as Hoke. This beguiling "odd couple's" friendship ultimately tests the limits of their differences . . . and similarities. Won an Oscar for Best Picture.
• March 16, 2011: (* call for title)
  1942. 134 minutes. Not Rated. Drama / Romance / War.
  Winner of six Academy Awards including Best Picture. In the fearful months and years that followed the announcement of World War II, a brave and lovely lady goes about her tasks, coping courageously with every horror that war can bring. Greer Garson won an Academy Award for her performance as Mrs. Miniver.
• April 20, 2011: (* call for title)
  1989. 128 minutes. PG. Drama.
  Fall 1959: Another year begins at Welton Academy, a secluded and traditional school set in the tranquil hills of Vermont. This year, seven students will encounter a teacher (Robin Williams) whose ideas about learning inspire them to pursue their individual passions, explore new horizons of self-expression, and discover the excitement of a world outside Welton's strict curriculum.
• May 18, 2011: (* call for title)
  1956. 111 minutes. Not Rated. Comedy / Musical / Romance.
  With Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly. Newport, Rhode Island is eagerly anticipating two upcoming events - the Jazz Festival and the wedding of Tracy Lord to George Kittredge. But when Tracy's former husband, suave millionaire Dexter Haven arrives to attend the Festival, their love is rekindled with complications and laughs for all.
• June 15, 2011: (* call for title)
  2009. 104 minutes. G. Ecological Drama / Documentary.
  Filmed throughout the globe, part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world. This film shows a variety of images of undersea creatures-those that men consider to be both friend and foe and is narrated by Pierce Brosnan.
• July 20, 2011: (* call for title)
  1994. 101 minutes. PG. Comedy / Crime / Mystery / Thriller.
  With Mia Farrow and Natasha Richardson Widows Peak is set in the 1920s in a village in Ireland. This film tells the story of a tightly knit group of widows and a stranger who shakes things up. The movie does, it turns out, have a plot, and even a surprise twist ending. But they're not really the point: this film is more about sharp-edged humor and barbed tongues and women who maintain a facade of perfect respectability while getting up to all sorts of mischief.
• August 17, 2011: (* call for title)
  1996. 110 minutes. PG. Family / Adventure.
  Amy is just 13 when her mother is killed in an auto wreck in New Zealand. She goes to Canada to live with her father (Jeff Daniels), an eccentric inventor whom she barely knows. There she discovers a nest of abandoned goose eggs. The eggs hatch and Amy becomes "Mama Goose". The young birds must fly south for the winter, but who will lead them there? With a pair of ultralight airplanes, Amy, her dad and their friends must find a way to do it... Nominated for an Oscar for best cinematography.
• September 21, 2011: (* call for title)
  1981. 124 minutes. PG. Drama / History / Sports.
  With Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Ian Holm, and Nicholas Farrell this is an intense, exhilarating true story about the 1924 Paris Olympics. Winning is everything to two British runners, but their psychological and emotional reasons compelling them to win are totally divergent in this inspiring drama. Won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture.
• October 19, 2011: (* call for title)
  2006. 87 minutes. PG. Animated Comedy / Family.
  Voices by Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman. In Antarctica, the Emperor Penguin must attract his mate with his own distinctive heart song. Mumble is a penguin who is born without the ability to sing… however he is the best tap dancer at the South Pole! Toe-tapping may ensue in this sweet animated comedy. Won an Oscar for best animated feature film of the year.
• November 16, 2011: (* call for title)
  1995. 140 minutes. PG. Adventure / Drama / History.
  A triumph of suspense. It seemed to be the perfect mission-another trip to the moon for three of NASA's finest astronauts. But when the pilot Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) uttered a simple, heart-stopping message across the dead of space, "Houston, we've got a problem," mission control and the rest of the world learn that something had gone horribly wrong.
• December 21, 2011: (* call for title)
  2008. 108 minutes. PG-13. Musical / Comedy / Romance.
  Features Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth. In this big screen version of the stage musical featuring the songs of ABBA, Donna is the mother to Sophie, who's on a quest to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding. Donna owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island and when three men from her past arrive unexpectedly it is a trip down memory lane that no one will ever forget.

* Due to licensing restrictions, we cannot publicize film titles outside of the library. Please call (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 for more details or send e-mail to thrall16@warwick.net.

Annotations are adapted from both Movie Licensing USA (www.movlic.com) and the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).

"Reel Eclectic" Film Series: 2011

"Reel Eclectic" is Middletown Thrall Library's year-long art / independent / international film festival.

Throughout this series we present thought-provoking, unique, and critically-acclaimed films, many of which are international in scope.

If mature entertainment of a truly different order is what you crave, this series should appeal to you!

Here is our film schedule for 2011 (first Thursday of each month):

• January 6, 2011
• February 3, 2011
• March 3, 2011
• April 7, 2011
• May 5, 2011
• June 2, 2011
• July 7, 2011
• August 4, 2011
• September 1, 2011
• October 6, 2011
• November 3, 2011
• December 1, 2011

All films begin at 7 PM, and admission is always free! Films are shown in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library.

Due to licensing restrictions, we cannot publicize film titles outside of the library. Please call (845) 341-5454, ext. 5479 for more details or send e-mail to thrall7@warwick.net.