Author visit: Marlene Lewis

Author Marlene Lewis will be @ CDPL April 9, 12pm to 3pm
Her titles include Adult Fiction: Imaginary Minds
Children’s Books (Best Buddies Series): Jolly Gets a Skateboard, Jolly and His Friends
Meet the author and/or buy an autographed copy of one or all of her books!

Photography Classes

Photography Classes! First Class is FREE!

Thursday March 31st 6:30 to 8pm

Thereafter $60.00 for 6 additional classes that will be held every Thursday beginning April 7th.

You can find a pamphlet with all information at the Circulation Desk.

Highly recommended to get the most out of your digital camera!

Easter Egg Hunt on April 16th

CDPL's Youth Services Department will hold an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday April 16th at 10 a.m.. This event is geared towards children aged 3 to 8.  

Registration is required so call 362-2242 ext 115 after April 1st to sign up. 

Don't forget to bring your Easter basket!

Free Banjo Lessons!

Free Banjo Lessons March 31 and April 14!

Teens: 5-5:30pm
Adults: 5:45-6:15pm

Bring your 4-string tenor banjo if you have one!
(The instructor will have a few banjos to use if you do not have one.)

Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011

Celebrate the life of Elizabeth Taylor by checking out these biographies at CDPL!

How To Be A Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William J. Mann
921 Taylor, E.

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner
920 Kas

A Passion for Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor by Donald Spoto
921 Taylor, E.

Liz: An Intimate Biography of Elizabeth Taylor by C. David Heymann
921 Taylor, E.

CDPL also has some of Taylor's best loved movies available on DVD!

National Velvet DVD FIC NAT

Life with Father DVD FIC MY

Father's Little Dividend DVD FIC ELI

The Last Time I Saw Paris DVD FIC LAS

A Place in the Sun DVD FIC PLA

Giant DVD FIC GIA

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof DVD FIC CAT

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? DVD FIC WHO

Stephen Crane in The Crime Doctor's Courage

Turner Classic Movies will present The Crime Doctor's Courage on Tuesday March 29th at 1pm.   This 1945 mystery film features Crawfordsville native Stephen Crane in the role of Gordon Carson.

 The Crime Doctor's Courage was a part of the Crime Doctor series of mysteries that were released throughout the 1940s.  The films were based on the CBS radio program of the same name.

For more information about the film, visit TCM's movie database.

New Books!

Don't forget that the library displays its new adult non-fiction books in a separate area on the 2nd floor! You'll enjoy browsing among the recent additions that the library has to offer. Did you know that most new items also circulate for the same period as the non-new items?

If you want to see all the "new" items when you do a catalog search, simply choose "New adult non-fiction" from the Limit by drop-down box and then hit Go!

You'll then see just the new items -- and at the time of this post, there were more than 500 choices.

You can use the same drop-down to find all new fiction, too (which is shelved on the 1st floor).

In fact, you can use this drop-down to limit your choice to many different types of books and materials. If you need help, just ask a librarian!

Oil Painting Class

Jan Brown's oil painting class wil be held on March 15th at 5pm in the library. This instructor uses the Bob Ross Wet on Wet technique. All you need is a 16 x 20 inch canvas and $40 for registration. Call 362-2242 ext 109, the CDPL Circulation Desk, for details.

Pi Day at the Carnegie!

Celebrate Pi Day!

The Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County will host the 3rd annual Pi Day on Saturday March 12, 2011 from 2 pm until 4 pm.  Wabash College Society of Physics Students will help visitors explore with light, waves, lasers, and pressure.  This event is free and aimed at the whole family. 

Call 765-362-4618 or email carnegie@cdpl.lib.in.us for more information!

Taste of Home @ CDPL!

Amateur Chefs are needed to participate in CDPL's, recipe-testing program, Taste of Home.

Come to the circulation desk, sign-up, and pick a recipe you are willing to bring in "made" for all participants to share before the meeting:

March 3rd (Thursday) at 6pm

Bring your own drink and appetite!

In the Gallery -- Tri Kappa High School Art Contest and Exhibit

INGENIOUS HIGH SCHOOL ARTISTS EMBELLISH CDPL GALLERY
While anxiously awaiting the first breath of spring "outside"; the Library’s Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery offers you an opportunity to view colorful spring profusions "inside" at this year’s diverse Tri Kappa High School Art Contest and Exhibit. You will find an energetic explosion of over 250 images from the imaginations of young Montgomery County artists whose work is on display from Saturday, February 20th until Sunday, March 14th during regular Library hours. An Awards Reception will be Wednesday evening, March 9th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in lower level rooms A & B. Everyone is invited.

igh School Art Students, with the help of Art Teachers and Tri Kappa Sorority members, will wow you with their rich talent and focused abilities. Every art student who wishes may enter this event, in one or several of the twelve categories.

The High School Art Teachers, Sheila McCormick and Marianne Ballenger of Crawfordsville, Mike Strickler of North Montgomery, Eleanor Brewer and Milt Anderson of Southmont, stimulate students to try new things, teach necessary skills and encourage artists to put forth their best effort.

Ribbons and Financial Rewards, in each of twelve categories, are given for first, second, third place and honorable mention.

Each year Tri Kappa hires an experienced, independent artist to judge student’s work. Austin Gabriel Pittman, who was raised in Zionsville, is this year’s judge. He graduated from Herron School of Art and Design with a Bachelors Degree in painting with an emphasis on drawing. After Herron graduation, he moved to Philadelphia to pursue his Masters Degree in painting at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the country’s oldest art institution. The human figure became the focus of his studio work.

Today he is teaching at the Art Institute of Indianapolis where he provides instruction to bright and imaginative students who are trying to find their own voice. Providing guidance to others who are eager to find their voices is a valuable resource for his explorations of expression through the human form in a variety of wet and dry mediums that provide a different feel and articulation.

Without Tri Kappa volunteers this philanthropic event would not take place. Each year Tri Kappa women, most of whom are employed full time outside the home, work with high school art teachers preparing for the event, receive and tag the art and then on Saturday morning place finished art categorically in the Gallery and Display cases.

When you visit this exhibit, be prepared to be awed by the scope and depth of talent emanating from these high-spirited young artists. Enjoy!

Wallace's Ben-Hur on Screen

Turner Classic Movies will continue to highlight Oscar-nominated films with the showing of Ben-Hur on Thursday February 24th at 10pm.  Released in 1959, the epic film follows Prince Judah Ben-Hur as he escapes enslavement and battles his enemy Messala in a Roman chariot race.  The film won 11 Academy Awards.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was written by Crawfordsville's Lew Wallace and published in 1880. Ben-Hur was the best-selling American novel until the 1936 publication of Gone with the Wind. To learn more about Lew Wallace, visit the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Crawfordsville.  CDPL has many items related to Lew Wallace in our circulating and local history collections.

If you cannot catch this classic film on television, come by CDPL and check the DVD out!

Happy Birthday, Steve Crane!

Steve Crane, second from left, in Tonight and Every Night

Stephen Crane was born in Crawfordsville on February 7, 1916.  After working in his family's local cigar shop, the Stephenson and Crane Cigar Store, and attending Wabash College, Crane moved to California.  Although he is most widely known as one of Lana Turner's husbands, Crane had a short-lived movie career before he created lasting success in the restaurant industry.

The 1945 film Tonight and Every Night is set in London during World War II. The Oscar-nominated musical features Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman, and Janet Blair.  Stephen Crane plays Observer Leslie Wiggins, a friend of Lee Bowman's character.  Although his lines of dialogue are limited, Crane is featured in many scenes throughout the film. 

Turner Classic Movies will show Tonight and Every Night on Thursday February 10th at 11:00 a.m.  Don't miss out on the chance to see Crawfordsville's Stephen Crane in this classic musical!

View TCM's page on the film here.

Want to know more about Steve Crane?  Visit CDPL's Stephen Crane research page or come by the library and take a look at our Joseph Stephen Crane papers in the Local History collection.

Maurine Watkins and Libeled Lady

Released in 1936, the film Libeled Lady featured an all-star cast including Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy.  The film, nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, credited four writers for its screenplay--one of the writers was Crawfordsville's Maurine Watkins.  After graduating from Crawfordsville High School in 1914, Watkins attended several universities before writing her Broadway hit, "Chicago".  After success on the stage, Watkins turned her attention to film writing.  Watkins' other screen contributions include Doctors' Wives (1931), No Man of Her Own (1932), and I Love You Again (1940). 

In Libeled Lady, an heiress sues a newspaper for libel after a false story is printed. The newspaper's editor then tries to set the heiress up in a compromising situation so that she is forced to drop the suit. 

Want to see Maurine Watkins' film for yourself?  If you have Turner Classic Movies, you're in luck.  TCM will be showing Libeled Lady on Monday February 7th at 12 p.m. and on March 15th at 11:15 p.m. 

Also, CDPL has a photograph of Maurine Watkins with the Sunshine Society.  You can view the photo here.

Sources:
TCM database entry for Libeled Lady

IMDb entry for Maurine Dallas Watkins

In the Gallery -- February 2011

PHOTOGRAPHIC AWAKENINGS by Bob Hamm

Bob Hamm, a native Hoosier, comes to us from Linden, Indiana. Before settling in Linden, he had been a citizen of the world, thanks to Uncle Sam. He joined the United States Air Force after graduation from high school in 1969, signing up to serve four years. He graduated from Basic Training, Technical Training and then went on to an On the Job Training career as an Antenna Maintenance Specialist; later becoming a Communications Specialist. He served in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Tachikawa, Japan and Koza, Okinawa.

He reenlisted and was assigned for four years to Spain where he was able to toured the country. His last assignment was at Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE where his military career ended in 1977 -- He had served over 7 years of a 4 year tour!

It was during one of his assignments in Okinawa, Japan that he became interested in photography. He wanted to document places he had been and people he had met while in the military. He bought a 35 mm manual film camera with a 55 mm lens and began educating himself about how to use it. All the bells and whistles on the camera were intimidating, but eventually he learned it all. His first 35mm camera was a Petri for which he later purchased a 135 mm lens.

After Robert was honorably discharged from the military, he wanted to become a "Professional Photographer". He took a correspondence course through the School of Modern Photography in Little Falls, New Jersey and did well. He received a Certificate of Completion in December of 1978, which made him feel very proud indeed. He was young and more than ready to prove that he was the world's best photographer! Well maybe not! Bob learned the hard way that sometimes the best laid plans simply do not work out as hoped.

Since that time, Bob has kept in touch with his passion for photography by reading as many books as possible on great and not so great photographers and their work. He has photographed weddings, taken portraits inside and out and enjoys taking scenic and nature shots. At present he has everything he needs to open a studio. Maybe you would like to be one of his first customers and get a discount. Take one of his cards and enjoy!

The ORCHIDS IN THE SNOW Display Case exhibit will remain until February 18, 2011

J.D. Salinger 1919-2010

January marks the month for both the birth and death of the reclusive author J. D. Salinger. He was born in New York, January 1, 1919 and died January 27, 2010. In his most famous work, The Catcher in the Rye, the angry protagonist Holden Caulfield narrates his adventures when he runs away from boarding school and finds his way to New York City.

Salinger had attended Valley Forge Military Academy which became the model for Caulfield's Pencey Prep. After graduation Salinger drifted through life until he found his calling as an author. He submitted stories to the mass-circulated magazines hoping to one day be published in the New Yorker. Finally the New Yorker accepted his story about young rebellious Holden Caulfield. The novel The Catcher in the Rye was finally published in 1953 to critical acclaim.

Salinger did not enjoy his popularity and guarded his privacy with a shotgun. He became the ultimate anti-celebrity and even went as far as having his picture removed from the dust jackets of his books.
He said "I love to write, but I write just for myself and my own pleasure."

CDPL has copies of his books plus a biography of elusive author.


Sources:

Lacayo, Richard. J.D. Salinger, Dies: Hermit Crab of American Letters, http://www.time.com/time/printout/ 0,8816,1957492,00.html, 1/5/2011..

DeCourcy, Anne, Why did J.D. Salinger spend the last 60 years hid in a shed writing love notes to teenage girls?, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246881, 1/5/2011.

Euchre at the Library!

Euchre at the library!

Beginning: Wednesday February 2nd      Time:  5:30

We will meet for seven consecutive Wednesdays -- Just For Fun -- and have a final meeting March 23rd for a Euchre Tournament.

All "Fun" meetings are scheduled in  the basement classroom.

Must be at least 18 years old! Please sign up at the Circulation Desk.

After Hours Genealogy Research

The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, IN Corp is holding its "After Hours Genealogy Research" from 5:00 -9:00 pm, January 28, 2011 at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.

Pizza Supper and research -- no charge -- donations accepted towards pizza
-- 5:00 pm = Donnelley room, lower level;
-- 5:45 pm = Research in local history and reference area, 2nd floor (no time limit on computers)
-- 9:00pm = final closing.

Advanced arrival (Before 5:00pm) is required. Library is locked at 5:00pm -- Visitors Welcome --Please confirm your expected attendance by Wednesday, January 26, 2011. 765-362-2242 ext 118 or 624 or gen@cdpl.lib.in.us

New Adult Non-Fiction: Resources for Guitarists

CDPL now has new resources for guitarists!

Teach yourself to play guitar with Mel Bay's Guitar Chords and Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method Grade 1.  Both of these instruction books include DVD tutorials.

Once you've learned the chords, learn to play the songs of John Mayer and Jack Johnson.  John Mayer Anthology Volume 1 (for piano, vocal, and guitar) includes the songs Daughters, Why Georgia, Your Body is a Wonderland, and Waiting on the World to Change. 

Strum & Sing Jack Johnson (for guitar and vocal) includes the songs Bubble Toes, Cocoon, Rodeo Clowns, and Inaudible Melodies. 

Happy Birthday, Wilbur de Paris!

Bandleader and trombone player Wilbur de Paris was born in Crawfordsville on January 11, 1900. The Paris family lived at 601 Illinois Street in Crawfordsville and his father, Sidney, is listed as an auctioneer in the city directory. Wilbur attended Crawfordsville High School and played the tuba in the school orchestra before traveling to New Orleans with Billy and Mary Mack's Merrymakers. Along with his brother, Sidney, Wilbur formed New New Orleans Jazz, a band that toured and released many records throughout the 1950s. He worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington. Wilbur and his band performed at the Cannes Jazz Festival in 1960 and were also showcased in The Pirate starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland.  He died on January 3, 1973 at his home in New York City.

Sources:  
American National Biography
REF 920 Ame
Crawfordsville City Directory, 1914-1945 
RL977.248 Cra