By Pamela West-Finkle
Since the last issue had gone to print before the Andes Rhythm and Food Festival, on behalf of the Andes Public Library and Board of Trustees, I would like to thank everyone who made this wonderful event a fabulous success! First, thank you to Mary Davis and Joe Damone who took the reins as festival organizers—not an easy task! Secondly to the O’Connor Foundation for the $1,500 fundraising grant and all of our business and personal sponsors who matched the grant: Mary Davis, Andes Connection Ltd, William Duke, Judy Garrison of Paisleys, Wild Common Wine, the Sluiter Agency, Tin Horn, Gladstone Farms, Debbie and Gary Marmaro, Susan Dey, and Diane and Judd Maze.
We raised a little over $2,000 for the library and we estimate that somewhere between 200-300 people attended. The bake sale alone, headed by our board member Debbie Abbate, brought in $600. Thank you to all those who donated delicious items for the bake sale, to all of our dedicated volunteers, and to all of our food vendors for providing a yummy array of food. Lastly, thank you to the extraordinary musicians who shared their talent: The Hyzer Hillbillies (Bill Duke and Joe Laureira), Yolanda Bush and the Coolwater Collective, and the Dave Keyes Band. I was also very grateful to finally get to share my music with the Andes community. We have hopes of sponsoring the event again next year, so if you’d like to be on an organizational committee, please reach out.
Regarding the construction project, we are still working to pin down our base flood elevation levels. We did receive funding from the Catskill Watershed Corporation to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether or not our building is structurally sound enough to withstand raising it to meet the flood mitigation. On September 14th, I attended a Legislative Appreciation day at the Tompkins County Library in Ithaca to personally thank Senator Seward for the Library Construction Aid we received, as well as the additional appropriation and Bullet Aid he has given us. We will keep you updated as things progress.
On Tuesday, September 25th, our very own Jane Tompkins, gave a book talk, discussing her new book Reading Through the Night. Jane is a renowned literature professor and award-winning author (as well as a regular contributor to the Andes Gazette!) Her new memoir is about her personal journey discovering that literature can be not only a source of information and entertainment, but also a key to unlocking long-forgotten memories that lead to a new understanding of one’s life. A copy of this book plus several of her other books are available for checkout from our local author section in the glass display case across from the circulation desk.
On Saturday, October 6th from 1 to 4 pm, Writers in the Mountains (WIM) presents Poetry with Sharon Ruetenik. This workshop will discuss how form and content provide a happy marriage in poetry. Line length is the foundation of this union. Does the poet choose a short or long line for expression? What are the most effective words to end a line? Participants will write a single poem using two different line lengths. They will share their efforts with the group to determine which format is most successful. Prompts and samples will be provided and the workshop is appropriate for all levels. The class fee is $35. To register, call Jean Stone at (607) 326-4802, or e-mail her at jtstone@catskill.net.
Notice of Rescheduled Event: The Rock and Roll Trivia night that was originally scheduled for Thursday, September 27th at the Andes Public Library, 242 Main Street in Andes, has been rescheduled to Thursday, October 25th. Signups at 6:30, contest from 7 to 8 pm. If you plan to attend this event, please RSVP to an.ill@4cls.org or 845-676-3333 so that we can get an idea of how many will show up. Prizes will be awarded!
Finally, the Andes Library is collaborating with Amie Brockway of the Open Eye Theater to promote their performances of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Dwayne Hartford, from the book by Kate DiCamillo. This is the story of an expensive, vain and self-centered toy rabbit who is loved by a little girl named Abilene, but doesn’t care. His journey begins when on an ocean voyage he is accidentally thrown overboard and sinks to the bottom of the sea. He meets many different people in many different situations and through his journey learns what it is to love, to lose that love, and to find the courage to love again. Performances will be October 24-November 4, Thursday-Saturday at 7 pm; Sunday at 3 pm at the Open Eye Theatre in Margaretville. In the weeks leading up to the performances of the play, I will be giving readings from the book for students at Andes Central School. We also have a copy of the book in our juvenile section available for checkout.~