Thomaston Library News

The Secret Code of Braille

(Perceiving the World without Sight)

Wednesday, August 7, 11 AM

Discover how to decode secret messages with your fingers! Use the code to read in the dark! Write coded messages to your friends! Does this sound pretty cool? Then come to a very special program at the library and learn the secret code of Braille.

We are very excited to have as our special guest 13-year-old Nathanael Batson of Fairfield, Maine. Nathanael loves playing the trumpet and is learning the clarinet. He's a first-class Boy Scout on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. And he has volunteered at a school and a nursing home.

Nathanael also happens to be blind. He's going to read aloud to us from the Braille version of Keep Your Ear on the Ball by Genevieve Petrillo and tell us a bit about Louis Braille, the creator of Braille.

We'll have another special guest too: Aisha Hixon, a Visual Rehabilitation Therapist for the Iris network, who will teach us how to write our names and simple messages in Braille. We'll also explore and identify objects by using only the sense of touch and find creative ways to describe colors through the senses of smell, hearing, taste, and touch – but not sight.

We need sign-ups for this special event, which is open to all ages but may appeal most to those 6 and over, so stop by the library or sign up by phone at 354-2453.

Pirates & Mermaids Event 

On August 14, 11:00 a.m., the library will offer a fun children's event about pirates and mermaids. Come hear some salty stories, learn a little pirate lingo, and find out where mermaids come from. We'll wind up the program with a fun craft centered on these tough guys and fishy ladies from the sea.

Children's Summer Reading Program & Activities 

The Thomaston Public Library continues to sign-up kids of all ages for the summer reading program. The reading period began June 15th and will run through August 10, with a grand-finale party on Saturday, August 17, when we will recognize all program participants and cheer the biggest readers.

Particular levels of reading allow you to achieve star- or super-star status. If you're not content with that, head for infinity . . . and beyond!

The library will also feature weekly special events for children. All events are open to kids of all ages. You do not have to be a summer-reading-program participant to attend.

Check with the library for July activities.

Farnsworth Art Museum Tickets Available at Thomaston Public Library

Thomaston Public Library patrons now have the opportunity to check out passes to The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Two sets of two passes are available, allowing patrons full access to the museum, including the Wyeth Center, dedicated to the three generations of the Wyeth family; the Farnsworth Homestead, a historic property and former home of the museum's original benefactor; and the Olson House, a separate building filled with the works of Andrew Wyeth, itself a subject of many of the artist's paintings.

To check out museum passes, patrons must have a current library card and deposit $5 per pass, which will be reimbursed upon return of the passes. Passes have a 3-day check-out window and are good for any time the museum is open. And remember, children 16 and under get into The Farnsworth for free.

For more information, please call the Thomaston Public Library at 354-2453.