By Pamela West-Finkle
We have wrapped up a wonderful summer of programs and activities here at the library, and this summer has seen a regular stream of visitors and new residents, children, grandchildren, and bibliophiles who love our little rural library.
Our August in Bloom Garden Tour was a fabulous success thanks to the hard work of our garden tour committee (Joanne Warner, Vincent Lopez, Buffy Calvert, Judy Garrison), our volunteers, and the generous gift of our gardeners’ time and energy. A huge thank you to Kelley Short and Joe Matranga, Peter and Linda Lederman, Mel and Peggy Bellar, Mike and Joanne Warner, Kathe and Marcello Reale, Vinny Lopez and Jason Frank, Linda Dunne, Julianna Egner and Athan Tskalakis, Anne Roberti, Pasquale and Carolina Capasso, and Don and Vera Liddle for sharing your beautiful gardens and properties. Lastly, thank you to everyone who attended the garden tour. Over $1,900 was raised for our library.
On Community Day, we kicked off our book, DVD, and audio book sale (which is still ongoing upstairs and on the porch), and at 2 pm, were treated to the wonderful performance of “Dirt” by the talented Arm-of-the-Sea Theater troupe. A line of children sat mesmerized as the larger than life puppets, props, and musical narration took them through millions of years of soil development, starting with cosmic stardust and ending with the harvest of food. We would like to again thank Andes Central School for hosting the performance, and the Community Foundation of South Central New York Library Fund for providing the funding. Thank you also to our volunteers Marcello Reale, Kari Haugeto, and Denise Munoz, and to the bakers who contributed to our bake sale.
Volunteer Training September 13th– 4 pm
We are looking for volunteers to help out at the library. Our volunteers run the library for two hours on Saturday mornings, help out at programs, events, and fundraisers, and help cover the circulation desk when Tami or I are out for illness or vacation. The training takes about 60-90 minutes. Please call 845-676-3333 or email an.ill@4cls.org if you are interested in coming to the library for training.
Music Together with Miss Pam at the Andes Library
Starting September 19th, we will start a ten-week Music Together® early childhood parent/caregiver class at 10 am on Monday mornings. This class is by registration and is part of the community outreach for The Community Music Network. Tuition is $180 for the first child, $75 for the 2nd, and $50 for each accompanying sibling and includes all parent materials, the music collection, an illustrated songbook. Scholarships and partial scholarships are available as long as space is available.
I have been teaching the program for twenty years and the best gift for a young child is early childhood music. The class lasts 45-50 minutes and it is fully participatory for both children and caregivers. Infants and pregnant moms are also welcome to join! Grandparents and visiting family members are also welcome to join the fun. Research shows that the sooner full immersion music is started, the faster the child’s brain develops in cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional areas.
To register and learn more, please email communitymusicnet@gmail.com or call 607-441-8448. For more information on the international, award
winning community program, visit www.musictogether.com.
Afternoon Music Programs for Children & Adults
I will also be offering after school group music lessons for youth and teens in beginning guitar and voice, as well as an adult beginning guitar and voice group. We will plan to start these in October, possibly on Tuesdays. If you would be interested in joining us, please let us know.
In the Fall, I plan to schedule another Rock and Roll trivia night and Music Bingo events. Stay tuned!~