Library Events for August 2010

Our Sesquicentennial!

The Hancock Town Library is celebrating 150 years of lending books this year. It was in 1860 that the town voted to appropriate $50 for the purchase of books and instructed the selectmen to appoint a library committee of three. Adolphus Tuttle cleared shelves in the local store’s back room and became Hancock’s first librarian.

We’ll be marking our sesquicentennial with several events in the fall including Saturday Night in the Stacks on September 25th – an open house at the library with local authors. And on November 13th we’ll host Book Trivia Night – stay tuned for more details!

We’d also like to invite the children of Hancock to envision what libraries will look like 50 years from now. You can write an essay or draw a picture or whatever creative endeavor you’d like to undertake to show us your vision. When you’re done, we hope you’ll share it with us so that we can post them on the bulletin boards in the Children’s Room.

But the first thing the library needs to mark our 150th birthday is help with our float for the Old Home Day parade. The library would like to invite patrons of all ages to march in the parade with us dressed as your favorite literary character or author. Just let us know if you can join us by calling 525-4411. The more the merrier! Please join us. Really. We need you!


Events for August ~ for the grown-ups…

Monday August 2nd at Noon in the Daniels Room
A reading from Tartuffe by Peterborough Players Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen from his new translation

Peterborough Players Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen will speak about the process of translating Molière’s classic comedy Tartuffe, and will do selected readings from the play. There will be time for questions/answers. Mr. Kaikkonen is directing Tartuffe, which will open at the Peterborough Players on August 4th and run through August 15th. Mr. Kaikkonen has a long and distinguished career as a director, actor, and playwright in New York, at regional theatres across the country, and in England, in addition to serving as the Peterborough Players artistic director for the past 15 years. Awards include the Lecomte du Nouys Playwriting Award and Thurber and MacDowell Fellowships.


Friday August 20th 5:30-8:30 pm
Early Bird Book Sale!

Free to current members of the Friends of the Hancock Town Library; all others $10 admission fee.

Saturday August 21st 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
BOOK SALE!

Please join us for our annual book sale which benefits the Friends of the Hancock Town Library. Some wonderful donations have come in this year – current fiction especially. Many DVDs in excellent condition were generously donated this year as well. It’s not too late to make donations yourself! Drop them by anytime the library is open or call 525-4411 for pick up.

Tuesday August 24th at 7:00 pm
Author Stephanie Cooke: In Mortal Hands – A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age

Author Stephanie Cooke will discuss her book, In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age. Ms. Cooke has covered the nuclear industry since the 1980s. She is currently an editor for the Energy Intelligence Group and a contributor to The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. She has written for the UK editions of GQ and Vogue, the Index on Censorship, and many other publications. After living in London for twenty years, she returned to the United States and now lives with her son in Kensington, Maryland. This program is free and open to all. For more information call the library at 525-4411.


From the Children’s Room…

The Summer Reading Program theme this year is “Make A Splash…READ!” and the children and teens in town are rising to the occasion. It’s all going swimmingly! As of late July they have read just over 400 books with a total goal of 700 by August 11th. If they reach the 700 mark, the Library Director will dye her hair blue and be the target for a water balloon toss! Keep reading!!

Winners of the Summer Reading Program’s weekly drawings include Isabelle Laskey-Rigrod, Evan Blanchette, Gabby Ramsden, Veronika Raczek, Theresa Kuchinos, and Cailin Ennis. Grand Prizes (giant stuffed sea animals & a book for the younger children, a Nook for the middle & high school students) will be awarded in August. Prizes for the Summer Reading Program are made possible by funding from the Hancock Woman’s Club and the Friends of the Library. Thank you!


Tuesdays at 10:00 am through August 24th
Summer Story Time for Preschoolers

Tuesdays at 2:00 pm
Kids’ Summer Film Fest

August 3 – Planet 51

August 10 – Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Thursday August 5th at 1:00 pm
Float Your Boat Contest

Materials will be provided for building your own boat and prizes will be awarded to the best floaters! Please sign up ahead of time as space is limited. 525-4411.

Wednesday August 11th at 7:00 pm ~ Summer Reading Program Finale!
The Hampstead Stage Company presents Alice in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll’s immortal classic, “Alice in Wonderland”, is a wonderful tale about a young girl, whose boredom takes her on a journey of the imagination, creating a wonderland of characters. Through Alice’s imagination, ordinary everyday things become extraordinary. The words on the page come alive as Alice recites The Jabberwocky and learns how to overcome her own fears. Through this story, we hope to encourage children to enjoy using their imagination and triumph over their fears. The Hampstead Stage Company began its mission 27 years ago and now performs over 2,000 shows a year all over the United States. Their educational tours run year-round and are performed by two professional actors, each playing multiple roles. The scripts are original adaptations, based directly on literary classics, and include children and adults from the audience. The plays last one hour, with a question and answer session following the performance. This program is made possible by the Hancock Woman’s Club and the Friends of the Hancock Town Library and is free and open to all. The ice cream truck lady will join us at the end of the program for free ice cream to all Summer Reading Program participants. (Sorry, grown-ups, you’ll have to pay for your own treats!) Prizes for SRP participants will be announced.