Off the Shelf: September events at Maxwell Library
Submitted by Rena Brower
The Aug. 21 solar eclipse was visible for just under three hours, but the preparation for making the event safe and accessible to the Camillus community took many months and many hands. We at Maxwell Memorial Library in the Village of Camillus want to thank everyone who was involved, including: Susan Stukus, for her help with our Girl and Boy Scout pre-eclipse programs, Cam’s Pizzeria of Camillus, for their donation of pizza boxes for our solar ovens, Jason Paussa of Salt City Sound Machine, for the use of the bubble machine on Eclipse Day, Brian Bush from Bush Funeral Home and Pastor Marcia Wickert and Lee Goetcheus from the Camillus First United Methodist Church, for additional parking spaces on Eclipse Day, The Village and Town of Camillus, Camillus Parks and Recreation, and the Camillus Senior Center, for letting us gather in Munro Park and nearby during the eclipse, The Camillus Police Department, for being on standby for traffic control, The STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) and its NASA@ My Library project, for providing resources and STEM activities to libraries across the nation related to the eclipse and of course, the hundreds of library patrons and visitors who attended our pre-eclipse programs and our Eclipse Day Viewing Party.
You all made the Great American Eclipse a great Camillus memory. We hope to do it again on April 8, 2024, when the next total solar eclipse will be fully visible in Syracuse.
Thanks to all our participants and sponsors, the 2017 Summer Reading Club was a great success! Reading provides its own pleasures, but the support, funding and donated prizes made our programs even more fun. Special thanks to Friends of Maxwell, New York State Library’s Family Literacy Library Services grant program, Senator John DeFrancisco, Anissa Croft and Shelby Hemler from Camillus Con, Carol’s Polar Parlor, Edible Arrangements, Fairmount Glen Miniature Golf, and Wegmans. Kids, you did a fantastic job. Keep on reading!
Art exhibit
Warner K. Varno
Both Sides Now: A Collection of Mixed Media Artwork
Running now through Sept. 29.
Thursdays @ Maxwell
Sept. 21, and 28. Times and topics vary.
Get ready to love your Thursdays! Each week, we’ll offer a new and exciting class, craft, or program for people of all ages. Check our calendar to see what we have planned, and stop in or sign up. Let us know what things you want to know more about, and we’ll do our best to add those. This month’s programs are:
September 21, 4:30-7 p.m.. Big Blue Block Fun. Free. Registration not required.
Come and play with some really Big Blue Foam Blocks! All ages are welcome.
Sept. 28, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Buying a Mobile Device. Free. Registration preferred. Learn about questions to ask when choosing a new smart phone or tablet, including differences between features, platforms, manufacturers, and service providers.
Kitchen Remodeling series with Lena McGuire of Spoca Kitchen and Bath LLC.
Saturdays, Sept. 23, 10:30-11:30 a.m.. Free. Registration required.
Sept. 23: Ten Keys to Kitchen Remodeling Success: Strategies to Help You Maximize Your Return on Investment and Maintain Your Sanity
Peer-Based Suicide Support Group
Wednesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 20, and 28, 6-7:30 p.m.. Free. No registration.
Two Brothers’ Light is a non-profit organization that promotes suicide prevention and awareness. It holds peer-based support groups for individuals affected by suicide and other mental health issues. These meetings are free and open to anyone seeking information on suicide prevention and awareness, alternatives to suicide, or grief support for those affected by suicide. For more information, contact Natalie at 315-632-1996, or go to twobrotherslight.org.
Friday, Sept 22, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Registration required.
Be part of developing Maxwell Library’s filmmaking program. Started in 2015 through a DeFrancisco grant, the program is ready to expand. We’re looking for input from teens and adults who share an interest in all aspects of the filmmaking process, both creative and technical. The interest group will create an outline and schedule for the actual film workshop sessions, planned for early- to mid-2018. No special requirements other than a desire to learn about the history, art, and production of film.
Time for Art and Yoga Parent-and-Child Mini-Camp
Saturday, Sept. 23, 1-2:30 p.m. Free. Registration required. For grades K through 6, with a parent or guardian, although children in higher grades are welcome.
Time for Art and Yoga is an art enrichment program offering all students an opportunity to create fine art. Mixed media artist/master teaching artist Warner K. Varno has taught her Time for Art and Yoga classes in Colorado and the Finger Lakes region, and has opened a small studio art school in Auburn. She is also Maxwell Library’s September artist of the month. Please join Ms. Varno today for a free parent-and-child class. Art supplies will be provided. Bring water as well as a large towel or yoga mat.
Between the Lines Book Club (for adults)
Monday, Sept. 25, 2-3:30 p.m.. Free. No registration.
The group reads a variety of genres, from literary fiction to suspenseful bestsellers. Copies of this month’s selection, Daniel James Brown’s “The Boys in the Boat,” and reading guides are available at the desk. Everyone is welcome.
Ongoing programs for kids and teens:
Monday Fundays
Mondays, Sept. 25, 5 to 5:30 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For children ages 5 to 10.
What’s this week’s creative craft? Check online, or be surprised!
Tween Scene
Tuesdays, Sept. 26, 5 to 5:45 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For students ages 10 to 14.
Activities will include craft projects, movies, games, open mic, or you may suggest an upcoming activity.
Teen Zone
Wednesdays, Sept. 20, and 27, 5 to 5:45 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For students in grades 9 to 12.
Activities will include craft projects, movies, games, open mic, or you may suggest an upcoming activity.
Preschool Book Club
Thursdays, Sept. 21, and 28, 1:30 to 2 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For children ages 3 to 5 with a parent or guardian.
Children, adults, and Ms. Melissa will read a book together and then talk about it.
Year-round ongoing programs for kids (all free; no registration unless otherwise noted).
Sally’s Story Time, for preschoolers.
Tuesday, Sept. 26, 10:30–11 a.m.
Stories with Sally, for the under-3 crowd and a participating adult.
Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 20, 25, and 27, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Saturday Story Times with Ms. Melissa; held on the second Saturday of the month.
Lapsit, for under-3 and a participating adult
Go Digital:
With OverDrive and Hoopla, great entertainment is only a click away on your computer or mobile device. We have ebooks, audiobooks, music and videos, with new titles added daily. It’s easy, fun, and free! Call to set up a help session.
Your library card is the key to amazing free online encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, archives, tutorials, and courses. Go to the Digital tab on our website, or to onlib.org/research/databases.
We have a variety of devices for you to use or borrow, including ereaders, Google Cardboard virtual reality viewers, iPads, Kindle Fire HD, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Android FamTab, and the AWE children’s computer.
Stay Connected:
Sign up for our monthly online library newsletter. Submit your name and email address at the library or via email to [email protected], with “Maxwell newsletter” typed in the subject box. The newsletter can also be found on the “News and Events” tab on our website. See upcoming events and register as needed by clicking on the calendar icon on the homepage. Provide your email address and get an automatic reminder before the event. You can support your library online through the PayPal Donate feature on our website.
Being a Friend of Maxwell is a great way to support the library. The group sponsors library programs and fundraising events. Click the Friends tab on maxwellmemoriallibrary.org for news and updates of meetings and special events.
Maxwell Memorial Library is located at 14 Genesee St., Camillus. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 10 to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 to 3 p.m.; closed Sundays. Closed Saturday through Monday, Sept. 2 through 4, for Labor Day. Please call 315-672-3661 for additional information about any of our programs, visit our website at maxwellmemoriallibrary.org, like us on Facebook, or find us on Instagram and Twitter @maxmemlib.
