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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our last book discussion of 2022...
Remarkable Reads
*NEW DATE* Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at 3 PM
cin our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall
Hosted by Matt Pfisterer
This event is free but limited to 25 attendees.
Registration is *NOT* required for this rescheduled event.
About the Book
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
- NONFICTION. From the publisher’s description:
"Stanley Tucci grew up in an Italian American family that spent every night around the kitchen table. Taste is a reflection on the intersection of food and life, filled with anecdotes about his growing up in Westchester, New York; preparing for and shooting the foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia; falling in love over dinner; and teaming up with his wife to create meals for a multitude of children. Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burned dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last."
Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.
About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.
This event is free and limited to 25 attendees.
Masks recommended but not required.
view event flyer →
Zumba
"The workout you actually look forward to!"
Tuesdays, 10:30 AM, October 4th -
December 13th at Middletown Thrall Library
PLEASE NOTE: the Dec. 13th class has been cancelled.
Come dance, have fun, and meet people in your community!
Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467.
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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next
Remarkable Reads Book Discussion
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 at 3 PM
in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall
Hosted by Matt Pfisterer
This event is free but limited to 25 attendees.
Registration required
Please call 1-845-341-5485 or visit
thrall.org/register.
About the Book
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James:
- FICTION. From the publisher’s description:
"The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls. Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden there. Upstate NY, 2017. Carly Kirk has always been fascinated by her aunt Viv who disappeared from the Sun Down before Carly was born. Using a small inheritance from when her mom dies, Carly leaves college to go to Fell to figure out what happened to her aunt thirty-five years ago. Soon, Carly is mirroring her aunt's life, working as the night clerk at the motel, which hasn't changed since 1982. The guest book is still handwritten, the rooms still have actual keys, and a haunting presence still lingers. Carly discovers that Viv had been trying to unravel mysteries of her own--including a possible serial killer working in Fell. If Carly can find the answers Viv was searching for, she might be able to solve the mystery that has haunted her family for years."
Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.
About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.
This event is free and limited to 25 attendees.
Masks recommended but not required.
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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to become…
enTHRALLed with Crafts
Starting October 5, 2022, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Please join us every Wednesday evening at Thrall as we begin an exploration into crafts!
We will start with the basics on Week One of each month and end the month with a completed project you will be proud to display in your home or gift to a friend or family member!
Also, each month we will introduce a book-or books-available here at Thrall and other RCLS Libraries that you can read if you want to pursue your newly learned hobby further!
This event is limited to 12 participants, so sign up early, and LET THE FUN BEGIN!
To register, please visit
www.thrall.org/register
or call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467
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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next
Remarkable Reads Book Discussion
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022 at 3 PM
in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall
Hosted by Matt Pfisterer
This event is free but limited to 25 attendees.
Registration required
Please call 1-845-341-5485 or visit
thrall.org/register.
About the Book
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land:
- FICTION. From the publisher’s description:
"At 28, Stephanie Land's plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer, were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet, and with a tenacious grip on her dream to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly. She wrote the true stories that weren't being told: the stories of overworked and underpaid Americans. Of living on food stamps and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) coupons to eat. Of the government programs that provided her housing, but that doubled as halfway houses. The aloof government employees who called her lucky for receiving assistance while she didn't feel lucky at all. She wrote to remember the fight, to eventually cut through the deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor. Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them. 'I'd become a nameless ghost,' Stephanie writes about her relationship with her clients, many of whom do not know her from any other cleaner, but who she learns plenty about. As she begins to discover more about her clients' lives-their sadness and love, too-she begins to find hope in her own path."
Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.
About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.
This event is free and limited to 25 attendees.
Masks recommended but not required.
view event flyer →
The Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc. Present
Repair Café 2022
Clothes, furniture, electrical / mechanical, toys, sharpening, etc.
Event dates:
10 AM to 1 PM in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library on:
- September 17, 2022
- December 17, 2022
What do you do with
- A lamp that no longer lights?
- A vacuum that can't suck it up?
- A scissors that can't cut it?
Toss it away? No way!
Repair Café is
- repairing broken items together
- professional advice
- encounters and inspiration
Costs? A voluntary contribution.
Adult Summer Reading Challenge
We invite you to
visit our Facebook post
to learn more about our Summer Reading Challenge for adults - and the prizes we're giving away!
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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next
Remarkable Reads Book Discussion
***RESCHEDULED***:
Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 3 PM
in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall
Hosted by Matt Pfisterer
This event is free but limited to 25 attendees.
Registration required
Please call 1-845-341-5485 or visit
thrall.org/register.
About the Book
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green:
- FICTION. From the publisher’s description:
"In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green - co-creator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow - spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined. The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye."
Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.
About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.
This event is free and limited to 25 attendees.
Masks recommended but not required.
Earlier Events at Thrall...
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Blood Drive
July 6, 2022, 12 - 6 pm
in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library
New York Blood Center will be holding a blood drive at the library:
If you have any concerns or medical questions, please
follow this link for NYBC's contact page.
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Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next
Remarkable Reads Book Discussion
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 3 PM
in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall
Hosted by Matt Pfisterer
This event is free but limited to 25 attendees.
Registration required
Please call 1-845-341-5485 or visit
thrall.org/register.
About the Book
Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker:
- NONFICTION. From the publisher’s description:
"The heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease. Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don’s work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins–aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony–and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family? What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. And unbeknownst to the Galvins, samples of their DNA informed decades of genetic research that continues today, offering paths to treatment, prediction, and even eradication of the disease for future generations."
Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.
About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.
This event is free and limited to 25 attendees.
Masks recommended but not required.
view event flyer →
Chair Yoga
Balance, breathe, flex, relax...
Sign up for one of these
free classes (10- 11 am):
- June 3, 2022
- June 10, 2022
- June 17, 2022
- June 24, 2022
All classes will be held in our
2nd floor Community Room.
Registration required:
- please call Tracy Allen at 1-845-341-5454, extension # 5467
- or register online.
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Your Life Story
with Donna J. Atkins, “The Life Story Lady”
Everyone has a story to tell...
Some don't know where to start.
Some don't know what to include.
Others don't want to spend weeks or months attending writing classes,
and that's where these two exhilarating programs come in...
-
"Relatively Speaking"
Thursday, May 12, 2022, 6:30-7:30 PM
A one-hour interactive lecture with music and humor.
12 Reasons to Document Your Life Story & How to Begin.
Free Handouts.
-
"Then, Now, and Forever"
Thursday, June 9, 2022, 6 - 8 PM
An innovating two-hour workshop.
Outline Your Entire Life Story in Only Two Hourse.
Free workbook.
Take either one or both of these compelling programs!
How to Register:
Visit
www.thrall.org/register
or call
1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467.
About the Presenter: "Donna J. Atkins, The Life Story Lady, is an award-winning communications specialist who has spent a lifetime working with individuals, groups, and organizations in the application of storytelling and narrative."
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Floral Arranging Basics
with Patti Martellaro & Lori Lotito
Tuesday, May 10th, 6 - 7:30 pm
in our 2nd floor Community Room
This entertaining and informative lecture will include a helpful demonstration to show you how to have fun arranging flowers from your garden or with purchased flowers.
You will learn about...
- designing different types of floral centerpieces
- types of flowers you can select
- conditioning flowers
- arrangement supplies
This program is free and open to the public.
Please register by
following this link or calling the number below.
Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467
About the Presenters: "Patti Martellaro is a Senior Master Gardener. She enjoys meeting people through Workshops and Speaker Bureau demonstrations. Some of her favorite programs involve working with flowers, arranging flowers, container gardening, and several nature craft programs. Lorie Lotito is a Master Gardener since 2015. Into the woods she goes! Collecting natural materials to create organic art is a favorite pastime. Sharing her love of flowers and nature with others to spark their creativity is a joy!"
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The Three B's of Music
presented by Barry Wiesenfeld
There's an expression in the classical music world, The Three B's, and it refers to Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. But this is a broader, modernized version of that esteemed list, and there's been a small substitution. A variation on a theme, if you will. These Three B's are Bach, Beethoven, and The Beatles.
Why do The Beatles deserve to be in this lofty club of musical pioneers? Simple: they, like the others, changed the course of the music to follow. Join us. Find out why they deserve to be in the company of greats!
This FREE event will be held in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall.
- Session one (May 7, 2022, 1 - 2:30 pm): Back to Bach.
Bach wrote the book (literally and figuratively) on how music works. He explored and refined chord progressions, harmony, form, and much of the music theory we still use today, three hundred years later. Join us to learn about his world and some of his most monumental works!
- Session two (May 14, 2022, 1 - 2:30 pm): Learning Ludwig.
He took the musical world into which he was born, mastered it, and then yelled, "Hey, everybody, follow me!". And he transformed the Classical era into the Romantic Era. He lived a tragic life, but he gave us gifts that we treasure still, and the emotion in his music is unrivaled. We'll delve into his life and his gifts.
- Session three (May 21, 2022, 1 - 2:30 pm): The Beatles - 50 Years Later.
In this single session class we'll explore the phenomenon that was The Beatles - their growth, originality, musical innovations and lyric depth. Join us for the discussion!
To register, please visit
www.thrall.org/register.
Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467., or e-mail
tallen@rcls.org
About the Presenter: "Barry Wiesenfeld is an internationally recognized award-winning musician, a published author, and is on the music faculty of SUNY and Ramapo College. He has accompanied Grammy- and RMI-winning artists, performed on three continents and has played on numerous recordings, radio and TV. Barry's lecture series has been enjoyed both around the U.S. and abroad. For more information or to contact Barry, please visit www.barrybassist.com."
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AARP Defensive Driving
6-Hour Courses at Thrall
Courses will be provided
*in-person* by class instructor
Tom Barrone on these dates at 9 AM sharp:
- July 27, 2022
- August 10, 2022
- September 14 2022
Additional details...
- Classes will be held in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library
- Registration required: to register, please call 1-845-341-5461.
- Classes are limited to 20 participants each.
- AARP Member Price (must have ID Card): $25.00
- Non-AARP Member Price: $30.00
- Pay by cash, or bring a check or money order made out to AARP.
- You can bring lunch and a beverage/thermos. No coffee provided.
- Face mask recommended.
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Broadway Magic!
with Francine & Joel
Saturday, April 30, 2022, 2 - 3:30 pm
in our 2nd floor Community Room
Join us for an entertaining afternoon
of Broadway show tunes!
This program is free and open to the public!
Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467
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Middletown Thrall Library
Proudly Presents
Garden Design for Your Home
with Gerda Krogslund
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 6-7:30 pm
in our 2nd floor Community Room
It's time to think Spring! This informative presentation
will introduce gardeners and homeowners
to the fundamentals of garden design
for year-round beauty!
You will learn...
- Garden design basics
- Proper site preparation
- Keys to plant selection
- Helpful small-space gardening tips
This program is free and open to the public.
Please register by
following this link or calling the number below.
Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5454, ext. 5467
About the Presenter: "Gerda Krogslund has served the gardening community since 2005 and is an active Senior Master Gardener Volunteer at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County, NY. Gerda retired in 2003 from her career as a high-school math teacher and she often uses her teaching skills to help her grandchildren with their on-line education. Gerda loves traveling, presenting to local community groups and reading. She still finds a few moments to maintain lovely gardens at her homes in NY and Martha's Vineyard."
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Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights Leader / Minister
a live performance by G. Oliver King
April 16, 2022, 2 PM
in 2nd floor Community Room
at Middletown Thrall Library
This event is free and open to the public.
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Meet Frederick Douglass
Civil Rights Leader / Minister
a live performance by G. Oliver King
April 9, 2022, 2 PM
in 2nd floor Community Room
at Middletown Thrall Library
This event is free and open to the public.
Middletown Thrall Library's Youth Services Dept.
invites you to a live theatrical performance of
The Merry Tales of Robin Hood
Presented by Traveling Lantern Theatre Company
April 14, 2022, 11 AM
in our 2nd floor Community Room
Heroic deeds and jolly adventures!
Enjoy the exuberant tale of intrepid Robin Hood and his Merry Men, who are ever jauntily escaping from the clutches of the ill-disposed Sheriff of Nottingham!
This is a free in-person event for the entire family!
Registration is required.
To register, please call (845) 341-5470.
About the Presenters: "Traveling Lantern has been educating and entertaining children nationwide since 1985. Our mission is to bring great stories to children, to draw them into an active theater experience, to excite their minds and to tickle their imaginations." For more, please visit
www.travelinglantern.com.
*ONLINE Event*
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The Harlem Renaissance
presented by Rena Tobey
Monday, February 28, 2022, 6:30 - 7:30 PM *ONLINE*
Harlem flourished in the 1920s, energized by the Great Migration of African Americans from the South who were looking for jobs in New York City.
The first generation of photographers, painters, and muralists tapped into new calls for expressing racial pride and optimism; the second worked through the Depression and World War II, carrying on this inspiration and deepening the depictions.
This is the story of the art of the Harlem Renaissance, which is still influencing artists today.
As we embark on a journey through the art of the Harlem Renaissance, which celebrated Harlem and its people through a flowering of creative inspiration, our virtual showcase will include:
- A look at the diverse styles of artists working in Harlem from the 1920s to 1940s.
- An overview of two generations of Harlem Renaissance artists - some well-known, others less familiar.
- An understanding of how contemporary African American artists stand on the shoulders of these breakthrough artists.
About the Presenter: Rena "has a PhD in Human and Organizational Studies, with 14 years experience as an organizational coach, trainer, and consultant. Recently, Rena completed her MA, art history program at Hunter College, with a thesis on Elizabeth Okie Paxton and her provocative 1910 painting The Breakfast Tray."
*To register for this FREE online event, please sign up
through this link or contact Tracy Allen:
*ONLINE Event*
Jazz in the Civil Rights Movement
Thursday, February 10, 2022, 7 - 8 pm
Join us online for this outstanding program that is both lecture and performance!
Jazz musician and speaker Galen Abdur-Razzaq of Flute Juice Productions will take you on a journey
from the turn of the century through the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting how jazz itself and jazz musicians became
advocates for civil rights and the influence they had on the movement.
Seats are limited!
To register, please do one of the following: