THOMASTON LIBRARY NEWS

 

 

Assistant Librarian, Jocelyn Callaghan,

peers inside Jefferson Memorial. Photo by Joanna Hynd

New American Monument Display

The Thomaston Public Library now has on display eight of America’s greatest monuments!
Thanks to a very thoughtful donation, the library will now have a permanent display of some of Americas most recognizable land marks. These include the Lincoln, Jefferson and Iwo Jima memorials, the U.S. Capital, White House and Supreme Court buildings, the Statue of liberty and the World Trade Centers. All are finely crafted Danbury Mint Collectables. They will be on permanent display in the Libraries main room at the Thomaston Academy Building. Please stop in and view these new treasures during library hours. The Thomaston Public Library is located at 60 Main Street, Thomaston, Maine. Parking is in the back.

 

 

“Jared and his Robot Army.” Photo by Joanna Hynd

 

Model Robots Exhibit

The Library welcomes you all to come and view our newest art display. During the month of October, Jared Paradee will be exhibiting a display of model robots entitled WUNDER KOPY: Principles of Mass Production . Constructed of cardboard, the 24 figures strike a unique and whimsical sight. Paradee is currently working out of Bath as an intern where he will be teaching children the power of creative process. The robot Army will be on display in the main library room for the month of October. Please stop in and view them during library hours.

 

 

Assistant Librarian, Jocelyn Callaghan prepares

the table for the book sale. Photo by Joanna Hynd.

 

Book Sale

The Library will be holding a book sale for the entire month of October. Starting October 1^st and continuing through October 30^th, all orange books will be on sale. They will be two for the price of one. A large display has been set up in the hallway book store with many great titles. Come check out the many title available for purchase and get a great deal on any of our orange books.

 

 “A great way to get into the autumn spirit”

says library assistant Jocelyn Callaghan.

 

Children’s Harvest Festival

The Library will be hosting the Annual Children’s Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 13. We would like to invite all families and children from the surrounding area to join us from noon until 3pm. Highlights include: painting pumpkins, playing games, face painting, and reading stories. We will also be making our own bat themed crafts. Dena Davis’ Barefoot Books will be on sale with proceeds going toward future programming for the library, like this one! Come join Dena Davis, Joanna Hynd, Jill Langdon, Melissa Erin Carter, and many more of us at the Thomaston Public Library on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from noon to 3 pm. This is a free event sponsored by The Friends of The Thomaston Public Library.

 

 

We Love Our

Potatoes

This photo of the potato harvest in Maine
 is from the Maine Potato Council.

When I was working at the Hartford Courant in the early 70s I sometimes sent out stories to different publications as a freelancer. As this is a time of harvesting our Maine potatoes, I thought you might enjoy this story which appeared in the Bangor Daily News at that time.

The head they put on my story was “Maine Potatoes Come On Strong In Connecticut.”

HARTFORD, Conn.—A potato is a potato, is a potato. Or is it?

Not according to the Maine Potato Commission. Their ad in a Connecticut newspaper, and subsequent radio spots, says the only potato worth eating is a Maine potato.

The two column by 10-inch ad reads, “Only superb Maine potatoes have this official seal of approval.” A picture of the seal accompanies the ad. It has a State of Maine silhouette surrounded by the words “quality approved by the Maine Potato Commission.”

The ad also goes on “the most delicious potatoes in the world didn’t get that way by accident. Maine potatoes are quality inspected, washed, and graded for size. And when you see this seal on the package, you can be absolutely sure of it!”

If the newspaper ad doesn’t sell the Maine potato to nutmeggers in Connecticut, the radio advertisement will. You might expect the Potato Commission to use an old codger with a phony Down East accent. But no. Instead, they use a Brooklyn housewife-type character with a Jewish accent. She reminds you of “Mama” of the old TV show of that name. At any rate, she comes on strong for the Maine potato when she says, “diamonds they’re not but delicious …take my word (pronounced woid) for it.”

A check at a local Connecticut supermarket didn’t find any bags with the official seal of approval on them; but there were plenty of Maine potatoes on hand and selling for less than Idahos. Maine potatoes were selling for 59 cents for five pounds, while Idahos were 79 cents for five pounds.

The Maine potatoes were selling, but it’s a sure bet that if all the Maine people living in Connecticut bought their native Maine potatoes, the grocer wouldn’t be able to keep them in stock.

(A special note: I’ve never been able to buy Maine potatoes here in Georgia. I miss them.)

 

Falling Down and Staying There

A Life Lesson

 

Leaves stay where they fall.

No one picks them up and puts them back in the tree they came from.

Once down they stay there.

No more are they swaying with the other leaves on their own special branch.

Now the autumn wind blows them willy nilly into a big pile with all the rest of the leaves.

Life is like that lonely leaf set adrift among a swirling mass of other leaves they never knew before.

No longer special.

No longer safe with leaves they knew and loved—sitting high in a tree, looking down with pride and sometimes disdain on the humanity below them.

They were once useful. They helped provide shade on a hot summer day. They made rustling music to lull a restless heart to sleep. They enjoyed being buffeted by the wind against the other leaves of their branch.

Now it sits among all the other leaves on the ground. They are all as confused as this one leaf is.

What fate will befall them?

Will they be raked up with the rest of the leaves, stuffed in a bag, never again to see the light of day, never again to feel the wind or the rain?

Will they just turn brown and shrivel up till they are nothing but a dusty reminder of what they once were?

Or will a young girl pick out a special leaf from among the pile of other leaves around it.

Will it be singled out and admired for its longevity on the tree, for its contribution to a more beautiful world?

Will the young girl take it home and preserve it in a scrapbook to be shown to friends and admired again and again for its beauty, for its contributions to the world of nature.

Will it be remembered after all?

Halloween Orange Treat/ Children’s Carving Video

 

Orange Jelly Pumpkins

You will need:

Oranges
Jelly (jello) - we used blackcurrant
A sharp knife (and an adult)

Instructions:

Cut off the top of the oranges, and scoop the middle.

Mix up your jelly mix following the instructions on the packet. Pour carefully into the orange shells. Leave in the fridge to set.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut out a face. Yum!

Here’s a cute video showing kids how to carve a Halloween pumpkin: