creative writing and her work in Team Building and group dynamics and you have a multi-faceted Educator! Registration is required. Tickets are available in the Children’s library beginning Monday, June 6. All ages are welcome. Funding for this program has been provided by the Friends of the Library.

Storyteller Rona Leventhal will capture your imagination on Monday, June 20 at 6:30 pm in the Griffin Room with her presentation Travelin’ Shoes: Stories from Near and Far! She will take you around the world and back with her many voices. You will be dancing, swaying in your seats, making funny noises, s inging, and laughing, as she shares stories from the silly to the serious, from the mysterious to the monstrous! For over twenty years Rona Leventhal has gained a reputation as an exuberant and dynamic performer who brings a cornucopia of voices and characters in a

fun, engaging and dramatic fashion. Her performances of multi-cultural tales and original stories beautifully weaving together drama, movement, songs, and h u m o r , e n c o u r a g i n g audience participation, and creating a joyful sense of community! Rona is a Specialist of Improvisational Theatre and Movement, an Environmental Educator and a certified Teacher. She has been a Visiting Lecturer/Adjunct Faculty with the Education Departments at Columbia and Lesley Univers it ies and the U n i v e r s i t y o f Massachusetts. Add to the mix her work in Integrating-the-Arts-into-the-Curriculum,

Storyteller Rona Levanthal

Archaeology in Scotland

D o r o t h y f r o m ScotScholars.com wi l l present the program “Archaeology in Scotland” on Saturday, June 4 at 2:00 pm in the Griffin Room. Just before the change of millennium, Dorothy began reading about New Year’s customs in various cultures, as it’s probably the only universal holiday. After reading about Hogmanay, the ancient New Year

custom of Scotland, one book lead to another and a passion for knowledge about Scotland’s ancient past took hold.

To prepare herself to be a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Dorothy learned the basics of Scotland’s geography, geology, Ordnance Survey m a p r e a d i n g , a n d archaeological techniques.

She will share the in format ion and experi-ences she had while re-searching Scotland’s ar-chaeology. Her goal is to encourage more people to become interested in the topic and form the first North American group ready to appreciate and follow the work of archaeologists in Scotland. All are welcome to this free program.

June 2016

Summer Hours

July 2—September 3

Monday through Thursday:

9:00 am to 8:30 pm

Friday:

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday:

Closed

Inside this issue:

Maximize your Social

Security Benefits

2

Friends Spotlight/

News; Bookstore

Specials

2

Friends Picnic

Summer Reading

Challenge

3

HOT Thursday Night

Movies

4

Regular monthly

library programs

5

Children’s Summer

Specials

6

Children’s Summer

Activities

6/7

Meriden Public Library

News

Www.meridenlibrary.org

Meriden Public Library, 105 Miller Street, Meriden, CT 06450 (203) 238-2344

The AAA Northeast Motor Club will conduct an infor-mational workshop for pre-retirees and the general public on Tuesday, June 21 at 6:00 pm in the Griffin Room at Meriden Public

Library. David Cowan, endorsed AAA retiree advisor, will discuss how to n a v i g a t e r e t i r e m e n t challenges, ways to safe-guard retirement savings and how to increase Social

Security benefits. Ages 60-66 will benefit most. For more information and to register, call 1-800-978-7 9 5 3 o r v i s i t www.aaaretire.com.

for just 50 cents a book so when you are tired out from gardening or fixing up your premises, you can sit down, relax and enjoy a good read.

Quick read mysteries are being sold 3 for a $1 and we have a great collection of knitting and crocheting books for half price.

Late spring specials at the Friends Bookstore include everything in stock on gardening and fixing up your home. Many of these are large, beautifully illustrated books with helpful diagrams and instructions. All are selling for half price.

Trade fiction is available

Frank Ridley recently donated his personal collection of hard cover books in pristine condition to the store. Readers may want to check out the many classics, out-of-print books and collections of Shakespeare’s p lays included in this lot.

Maximize Your Social Security Benefits

Friends of the Library News

Friends Spotlight

Since joining the Friends, he h a s s e r v e d a s Secretary, Vice President and President of the Board (as well as President of the Friends of Connecticut Libraries). Additionally he has served as Newsletter editor for many years, worked in the sorting room, assisted with grounds care for the library, and helped setting up for numerous

book sales.

He notes, “Our local library does so much, including providing meeting spaces and computer access for so many. I’m a great proponent of libraries, and volunteering with the Friends has given me the opportunity to help the l i b r a r y a n d t h e community.”

Gil Alwang’s involvement with the Friends of the Meriden Library dates back to 1984 before it even had a bookstore. He has always enjoyed reading, even as an elementary school student in Queens (NYC) when he would frequently walk 10 blocks to the Glendale Public Library to take out reading material.

Page 2

Friends Bookstore Specials

Friends of the Meriden Library will receive an Outstanding Friends of the Year Award at the Friends o f C o n n e c t i c u t Libraries annual meeting on June 11 at Middlesex Community College. The Library Board of Trustees nominated our

group in recognition of the $27,800 donation made for a new reference desk and for sponsoring a bus to Hartford for the Rally for Libraries last Spring. Kudos to all who made t h e s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s possible.

The next Friends of the Library meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 pm in the Marion Cook Room.

Next Friends

Meeting

Meriden Public Library

June 2016

Friends of the Meriden Library Social

When: Friday, June 17, 2016 at 6:00 pm

Where: Meriden Public Library

(enter in front door)

Salads, Cold cuts, Beverages

Provided. Bring a dessert to share.

Members are free. Guests $5.00

RSVP by June 13 to Karen Roesler 203-630-6352 or

kroesler@meridenct.gov

Summer Reading Challenge

Get ready for this year's Summer Reading Challenge for teens and adults at Meriden Public Library. Starting June 1st you can use the link on our website (meridenlibrary.org) to setup an account. Sign up early so you're already to start logging your books June 13th. We will have weekly drawings with prizes from local businesses each Friday through August 19th when we have our grand prize drawing of a Kindle Fire. If you have any questions contact the Information Desk at 203-238-2347.

Minecraft Meetup

Page 3

Are you into Minecraft? Want to meet up with other Minecraft players? Come to our Minecraft Meetup on Thursday, June 30 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm in the Griffin Room. Come play with others in person or virtually on our LION Libraries server. We will have a few com-puters available with Minecraft or you can bring your own. Open to ages 5-17. Sign up not required unless you want to reserve a computer. Not signed up yet for our server? Download the form off our website or get one from the Children's Room or Information Desk. If you have any questions contact Melissa at 203-238-2347 or at

mmurphy@meridenct.gov.

Homeschool Interest Panel

Taking those first steps on your homeschooling journey can seem overwhelming. Never fear… you’ve got questions and we hope we have some of the answers. Our panel of real-life homeschoolers, including special guests from the CT Chapter of Na-tional Home Education Legal Defense and from the CT Homeschool Network will an-swer your questions about homeschool curricula, philosophies, time management, state requirements, resources, and more. Light refreshments will be served. Registra-tion requested by calling 203-630-6347 or email childrenslibrary@meriden.lioninc.org.

June 2, 2016 6:00 pm

Griffin Room

Nothing to do on Thursday evenings? Come to the Meriden Public Library and watch a great movie on the big screen. All the movies will begin at 6:00 pm in the Griffin Room. The schedule is: June 23 – Rocky (with Sylvester Stallone) Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer, gets a supremely rare chance to fight the heavy-weight champion, Apollo Creed, in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.(www.imdb.com) June 30 – Apollo 13 (with Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon) NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive inter-nal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.(www.imdb.com) July 7 – Jurassic Park (directed by Steven Spielberg) During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok. (www.imdb.com) July 14 – Dead Poets Society (starring Robin Williams) English teacher John Keating inspires his students to look at poetry with a different perspective of authentic knowl-edge and feelings. (www.imdb.com) July 21 – Purple Rain (starring Prince) A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise. (www.imdb.com) July 28 – Rear Window (starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly) A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes con-vinced one of them has committed murder. (www.imdb.com) Aug. 4 – Chicago (starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere) Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. (www.imdb.com) Aug. 11 – Tootsie (Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr) Michael Dorsey, an un-successful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospi-tal soap. (www.imdb.com) Aug. 18 – Stagecoach (John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine) A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process. (www.imdb.com) Aug. 25 – Ghost (Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg) After an accident leaves a young man dead, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic. (www.imdb.com) Sep. 1 – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross) Two Western bank/train robbers flee to Bolivia when the law gets too close. (www.imdb.com) All are welcome. Contact the Community Services Department at (203) 630-6349 if you have questions.

HOT Thursday Night Movies

Page 4

Meriden Public Library

Zootopia

Thursday, June 16

6:15 pm

Griffin Room

June 2016

Free Computer Classes Coloring and Coffee

Monday Night

Card Duels Classic Book Club

Scrabble Chess Club

Writer’s Network

At www.meridenlibrary.org...

Meriden Public Library offers free computer classes monthly on Wednesday afternoons from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. The schedule for June is: June 1 – Basic computers June 8 – Email 1 June 15 – Email 2 June 22 – Job searching on the internet June 29 – Basic computers. Class size is limited. To reserve a seat for a class, contact the Information Desk at (203) 238-2346.

Friday, June 3 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm in the Griffin Room or Monday, June 13 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Marion Cook Room. Pictures, markers and pencils will be available. Refreshments served. No registration needed. Just stop in.

Monday, June 13 at 2:00 pm in the Cook Room

and Monday, June 27 at 2:00 pm in the Griffin Room All are welcome.

Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 pm in the Seminar Room. Bring your chess boards. All skill levels are welcome

Do you enjoy reading the classics? Join the Meriden Public Library Classic Book Club. The book club will meet on Thursday, June 9 at 1:30 pm in the Cook Room. The book selection for June is Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. A l l a re welcome.

Do you play Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering? Come and play with your friends at our monthly Trading Card Game Night on Monday, June 27 from 6 - 7:30 pm in the Marion Cook Room. Bring your own deck or learn how to play from one of our members. If you have any questions contact M e l i s s a at mmurphy@meridenct.gov or call 203-238-2347.

Are you a fan of anime, manga or just like Japanese culture? Then come to the next meeting of the Teen Anime Club on Friday, June 24

th at 2:30 pm

in the Griffin Room. All are welcome whether you’re an otaku or just discovering anime and manga. This program is geared towards 13-18 year olds. Food and drink are provided. If you have any questions contact M e l i s s a at mmurphy@meridenct.gov or call 203-238-2347.

Are you writing a book? Just getting started or need some encouragement to finish? Join the Writer’s Network at Meriden Public Library. The Writer’s Network invites anyone who is serious about writing fiction or nonfic-tion, wants to learn the process of getting published, or needs support for writing a book proposal or query letter is welcome to attend. The Writer’s Network will meet on Wednesday, June 22 at 7:00 pm in the Griffin Room.

Museum Passes that give you free or reduced admission for many places around the state.

Zinio for downloadable magazines

Overdrive for downloadable books

Chilton’s Car Repair that can be accessed on your mobile device

Transparent Language to increase your language skills

Glassdoor Access to find a job

LearningExpress Library for online tutorials, practice tests and ebooks to help your job search and workplace skills

Connecticut Driver’s Test Free Car and Motorcycle practice tests and Driver’s Handbooks. Page 5

Children’s Movie

Meriden Public Library, 105 Miller Street, Meriden, CT 06450 (203) 238-2344

OTHER GREAT SUMMER ACTIVITIES AT THE LIBRARY!

Tomie dePaola Children’s Library Meriden Public Library • 105 Miller Street • Meriden, CT 06450

(203) 630-6347 • childrenslibrary@meriden.lioninc.org

Monday June 20 6:30pm Travelin’ Shoes: Stories from Near and Far! • Skies talk, turtles sing, and magic happens during this storytelling concert. Great family show! All ages.

Friday June 24 10:30am Riverside Reptiles • Explore the wonderful world of reptiles and

amphibians! Learn more about these amazing creatures and have a chance to pet a lizard, stare into the eyes of a huge toad, and touch a giant python! All ages.

Monday June 27 6:30pm Sciencetellers • Throw on your lab coat and buckle in — you are

about to experience the science of power and energy through story and several exciting, hands-on experiments. K-5.

Friday July 1 10:30am Turtle Dance Music • Turtle Dance Music presents a wonderful,

zany, and gentle program that is sure to have children moving and grooving. All ages.

Monday July 4 LIBRARY CLOSED FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY

Friday July 8 10:30am Mr. Gym Band • Get ready to rock! (And leap, bend, twist and

stomp!) Mr. Gym leads kids in an active and fun program. PreK-3.

Monday July 11 6:30pm Animals! Animals! • Meet a variety of live animals from the

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and discover similarities and differences between them. All ages.

Friday July 15 10:30am Blue Moon Raptors • Come learn about several raptors and the

important role they have in our ecosystem. Meet several live birds that have been rescued and rehabilitated. All ages.

Monday July 18 6:30pm Flea Circus • Prepare to be amazed! Prepare to be astounded!

And, well…prepare to laugh a lot! It’s an entire big top circus In miniature, with incredible demonstrations by trained fleas! Ages 3+

Friday July 22 10:30am Justin Mazz Magic • Witness amazing feats of magic and mystery!

Lots of audience participation and fun for the whole family! All ages. (Program sponsored by the staff of Roger Sherman Elementary School.)

Monday July 25 6:30pm ZUMBA Kids! • Kid-friendly games and movement activities based

on original Zumba® choreography. Come dance along! Ages 4-11.

Space is limited.

Friday July 29 10:30am The Greg and Axel Show • A totally unique entertainment

experience featuring magic, comedy, audience participation and one hilarious dog. You will fall in love with Axel as he performs tricks with

Greg the Magician– and maybe causes a little bit of trouble! All ages.

Monday August 1 6:30pm Hoopin’ it Up! • Be amazed by cool hula hooping tricks and try these

special weighted hoops yourself! All ages. Space is limited.

Friday August 5 10:30am Sparky’s Puppets • Cheer the race between the tortoise and

the hare. Watch Jack's speedy escape from the giant and see more fast-paced adventures! Ages 3+.

All programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Meriden Public Library.

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Big Events

FREE FAMILY FUN

Tuesdays from 3:00 - 4:30 pm June 21 & 28, July 5, 19, & 26 and August 2 & 9

Griffin Room

When you step into The Lab, you become

an inventor, an engineer, and an artist!

Create a racing robot and a holographic hovercraft! Learn how to use our 3D printer and make animations!

Some weeks you’ll work as part of a team, and some weeks you’ll be an independent creator. Come explore technology,

science, engineering, math and art with us.

Participants will explore Squishy Circuits, Arduino, simple electronics, 3D design and animation.

Registration required. Open to tweens ages 9-14. Must be able to attend 6 of 7 weeks.

Summer 2016 at the Meriden Public Library

Summer Crafternoons!

Thursday afternoons June 23 to August 11

2:00 pm-8:00 pm

Drop-in to create fun and beautiful art projects from a variety of

different supplies including paper, cardboard, clay, and more. Each

week, instructions or ideas for a new arts and crafts will be available.

TUESDAYS 10:30 am Terrific 2’s & 3’s w/ caregiver

11:15 am 3-4 years old

2:00 pm Grades 3-4

6:30 pm 2-3 years old w/caregiver

WEDNESDAYS 10:30 am 2-3 years old w/ caregiver

2:00 pm Grades K-2

6:30 pm 3-4 years old w/ caregiver

THURSDAYS 10:30am Babies and toddlers w/ caregiver

All first time participants must show proof of age. Storytimes will begin the week of June 27.

Author Christine Ieronimo was inspired to write "A Thirst for Home" after she found her newly adopted daughter drinking from a puddle in her family's driveway shortly after moving to the United States from Ethiopia. Christine is passionate about the problems of unclean water that exist there and also advocates

for girls education in Ethiopia. Softcover copies of her book will be available for sale. Call for more information.

Thurs, June 23 6:30 pm

Cook Room

Children’s Author Visit

BOREDOM BUSTERS @ THE LIBRARY!

July 1 - August 19 I Spy Display

Can you find all the hidden objects?

July 11 - July 22 Book Review Bonanza

Write a book review and share your favorite book with other kids!

July 25- August 5 Picture This!

Draw a portrait of yourself reading!

Receive a free book for participating!

La hora del cuento es un programa divertido para familias y niños. Leyendo juntos los niños se preparan para ir a la escuela y tener éxito. Todos están invitados a celebrar cuentos y juegos divertidos en español y en inglés. Habrá refrescos y bocadillos.

Story hour is a fun program for families and children. Reading together helps prepare children for success in school. Everyone is invited to listen to stories in English and Spanish and participate in games and crafts.

Wednesdays at 11:15 am July 6, 13, 20 & 27

Tomie dePaola Children’s Library

Meriden Public Library ● 105 Miller St. Meriden, CT 06450 Phone: (203) 630-6347 ● Website: http://www.meridenlibrary.org

Thursdays 4:00 - 6:00 pm June, July, and August

Tomie dePaola Children’s Room

Read to a REAL dog at the library. One-on-one sessions build confidence. Children will sign up to read with a therapy dog for approximately 15 minutes. Time blocks are limited and

registration is required. Open to children in grades K-4.

For more information, or to register, call the Tomie dePaola Children’s Library at 203-630-6347.

Lego

Club! Trading Card Meetup! Pokemon! Yu-Gi-oh! And

more...

Call for more information!

Grub and Game

Thursdays 2:00 - 3:00 pm July 21 & 28 and August 4

Griffin Room

Take a break from the heat! Come for the refreshing snack, stay for

the awesome games! We’ll provide some board games but feel free

to bring any favorites along.

Open to children ages 8 and up. Registration requested.