Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Celebrating Seniors @ Bernardsville Library


On Friday, June 8 at 10:00 am, Bernardsville Public Library will hold its tenth annual Seniors’ Day with a free continental breakfast, a chance to socialize, and a program tailored specially for the senior generation. “Music of Vaudeville'' will be presented by “Cracked Walnuts,” a husband and wife team who call themselves a “nutty washboard and banjo duo specializing in old time music.” From the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, Jeff and Jan Ausfahl, entertain with music from the Civil War era, campfire and folk songs, barbershop quartet style music, patriotic favorites, traditional jigs and reels, hits from the Roaring Twenties, Western Swing, and even old movie and television music.

“Music of Vaudeville” features music, stories and humor of the stars from 1890's Vaudeville through Prohibition, including such artists as Al Jolson, Fanny Brice and Eddie Cantor. Even though many of these songs were popular at the time of the Titanic's famous voyage, familiar songs like “Carolina in the Morning” or “Shine on Harvest Moon” are still hard to resist. Singing along will be encouraged.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is required. To register, call the library at 908-766-0118 or sign up online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs.

Develop A Personal Exercise Program

Jennifer Schweizer M.S., B.S., an Exercise Physiologist for Barnabas Health Care System, will be at Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, June 7 at 7:00 pm to speak about developing a personal exercise program. Beginners will learn how to develop their own safe and effective exercise program by incorporating cardiovascular fitness, strength training, and flexibility. The importance of intensity, form and progression of exercise will also be discussed, and there will be time for questions.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.


Friday, May 25, 2012

Saturday Samplers Book Group to Meet

Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, June 2 at 3:30 pm to discuss Broken for You (2004) by Stephanie Kallos. [The author will not be present.]
A national bestseller and Today show Book Club selection, Broken for You describes two women in self-imposed exile whose lives are transformed when their paths intersect. This debut novel tells the story of septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company, and Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. As their tentative friendship evolves, the armor begins to fall away. Both funny and heartbreaking, Broken for You is a testament to the saving graces of surrogate families and shows how far the tiniest repair jobs can go in righting the world's wrongs. Kirkus Reviews called it “A dazzling mosaic of intersecting lives and fates…[A] multilayered rhapsody…”

Author Stephanie Kallos spent twenty years in the theatre as an actress and teacher of voice, speech, and accents. Her short fiction has been awarded a Raymond Carver Award and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her second novel, "Sing Them Home," was an IndieNext selection, a Shelf Awareness Pick of the Year, and was chosen by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 10 Best Books of 2009. She lives in Seattle with her husband and sons and is at work on her next novel.

Led by Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

“Three Women Photographers/Three Visions” - June Exhibition at Bernardsville Library


Bernardsville Library is pleased to present “Three Women Photographers/Three Visions,” an exhibition of photographs by Nancy Beckerman, Lane Lewis and Jann Slapin. The exhibition will be on view during the month of June.

The three photographers met at the personal projects class of Don Polzo at the Visual Arts Center in Summit. In the class, they work to define how to use photography to see their different worlds. Ms. Beckerman’s photographs tend toward abstraction; Ms. Lewis concentrates on landscapes; and Ms. Slapin creates images of multiple subjects.

Nancy Beckerman, who lives in Mendham, creates photographic images that capture the experience of being in the setting, as opposed to depicting the reality of the scene. “One can learn from this technique that beauty presents itself in many forms and can be viewed and appreciated for what it suggests as well as what is readily apparent,” she says, "In many ways my evolution as a photographer has paralleled my work as a psychotherapist for over thirty years. As I view the world and the people in it, I'm always paying attention to what lies beneath the surface. In this way, I hope to reveal dimension in the photographic image, and to support the people with whom I work in developing a deeper understanding and knowledge of themselves."

Ms. Beckerman began her studies in photography with Dennis Simonetti, Master Photographer Instructor at the New School for Social Research. Rameshwar Das, a writer and photographer from Long Island, New York, taught her about the broad range of possibilities in environmental photography. Her focus on landscape was also inspired by Kathryn Szoka, a commercial and fine art photographer from Sag Harbor, New York. She currently studies with Don Polzo, Digital Media Coordinator and Instructor, at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.

For the past 40 years, Lane Billings Lewis has been drawn to the beauty of landscapes, oceans, and countless natural settings, predominantly of the American Northeast. Although Ms. Lewis is mostly self-taught, she has recently worked with Don Polzo at the New Jersey Visual Arts Center, Eddie Soloway, at the Maine Media Workshops and Chip Forelli. Her work has been shown in many international shows and received awards. It is highly sought after for private collections.

“My photography has been influenced by my early years of riding my horses across the beautiful countryside,” said Ms. Lewis. I recall early mornings, riding through the woods and observing all the beautiful trees, inhaling the wonderful smells and watching the magical lights, and then leaving the woods behind, and emerging into an open meadow, filled with wild flowers and tall grasses.” Ms. Lewis, now a resident of Peapack Gladstone, grew up in New Jersey and Bermuda. She attended the Gill School in Bernardsville and Syracuse University. Her images in the exhibit are mostly from surrounding areas in New Jersey.

Jann Slapin, who lives in Basking Ridge, studied at Pratt Institute graduating in 1971 as a photographer and printmaker. After graduation, she went into public school art teaching for many years, married and had a family. “All during those years, I always did some photography, but it was only recently, when I retired, that I decided it was time to take my photography seriously and really learn the digital world,” she said, “It is amazing and I am having a wonderful experience becoming an artist and photographer again! I find the digital photography world extremely creative and exciting.”

The show will be on view in the library’s Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. The three photographers will host a "Meet and Greet" at the library on Monday, June 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.


Upper Meadow2 by Lane Lewis

Sunflower by Jann Slapin

Green Tinted Trees by Nancy Beckerman


Friday, May 11, 2012

The University of Can-Do

The next session of "The University of Can-Do,” led by inspirational speaker Andrea Mastrobattista, will meet on Wednesday, May 30 at 7:00 pm. "Do you have a goal that you think you can't make happen?" asks Ms. Mastrobattista, "Well, you can, because you have what it takes to accomplish it."

This workshop will run throughout the year, and each month participants will discover how to cultivate and maintain the "can-do" determination to make a dream come true. On May 30, the discussion will center on learning to ask for help, which is difficult for many people to do. “Come to this workshop to get help asking for help! You’ll be amazed at the people who are waiting to help you with your dream,” says Ms. Mastrobattista. “We will also continue working on our individual vision boards, or create one if you haven’t made one yet.”

There is no charge to attend the library workshop, but advance registration is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org, and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

First Year College Student Panel to Answer Questions


Join us at Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, May 23 at 7:00 pm, when a panel of college freshman just back from school will discuss their first year college experiences and what would have been helpful to know in advance. These students, all graduates of local high schools, are a wonderful source of information and reassurance both for high school seniors graduating this June and for their parents.

This program is sponsored by “Moms Mentoring Moms.” The group, which meets monthly, is designed for parents of high school students and seeks to provide a forum in which parents can come together for an opportunity to interact with other parents to provide support and insight as they wade through the high school years with their children. This particular presentation is for both high school parents and their children.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.



Monday, May 7, 2012

Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, May 22 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of “Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War” (2011) by Deb Olin Unferth. [The author will not be present.]

The book is a coming of age story of the year she ran away from college with her boyfriend and followed him to Nicaragua to join the Sandinistas. It was 1987, and despite their earnest commitment to the cause, the couple found themselves unwanted, unhelpful, and unprepared as they traveled around Central America looking for “revolution jobs.” They ran out of money and grew disillusioned. Years later, she went back to Nicaragua to make sense of the whole experience.

Ms. Unferth is the author of the story collection “Minor Robberies” and the novel “Vacation,” winner of the 2009 Cabell First Novelist Award and a New York Times Book Review Critics’ Choice. She has won two Pushcart Prizes and a 2009 Creative Capital grant for Innovative Literature. She teaches creative writing at Wesleyan University.

There is no charge and no sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Craft Group to Meet @ Bernardsville Library

Saturday Crafters, a monthly craft group organized by Bernardsville Public Library, will meet on Saturday, May 19 at 3:00 pm. Individuals are invited to bring their own handwork projects to the Library and work together in a comfortable, communal setting while enjoying the benefits of shared tips and conversation. They can also take advantage of the many books available at the library on different types of crafts.
There is no charge to attend the meeting, and no sign-up is needed. For more information, call the library at 908-766-0118

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Discover the New iPad

Learn all about the functionality of the new iPad from Dave Marra, Apple Senior Systems Engineer, who will speak at Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 pm. Designed to be thin and light enough to take anywhere, the new iPad allows users to experience the web, email, photos, videos, games and books through the use of an amazingly powerful chip. Says Mr. Marra, “The iPad isn't just the best device of its kind, it's a whole new kind of device.” Attendees may bring their own iPads with them, and there will be time for questions.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Protect Yourself Against Medicare Fraud

Tunde Akinrolabu, an Outreach Specialist for the Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey, will discuss how seniors can protect themselves against Medicare fraud on Thursday, May 17 at 10:30 am at Bernardsville Public Library. With Medicare losing billions of dollars to fraud, waste and abuse each year, information on these types of activities is vital to preventing financial loss to the Medicare Trust Fund.

The Senior Medicare Patrol of New Jersey is a federally funded national program that educates Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries on fraudulent and wasteful practices in the Medicare system. Mr. Akinrolabu’s responsibilities in this organization are to reach out to seniors in New Jersey and spread awareness of such issues. Prior to his position as Outreach Specialist, Mr. Akinrolabu was an Activities Coordinator at a senior social day program for three years where he gained experience in dealing with issues concerning the geriatric population. He has been working as an Outreach Specialist for the past year and has given many presentations on Medicare fraud, waste and abuse to senior groups throughout the State of New Jersey.

This program is part of the library’s CARES (Community Assistance Resource & Educational Services) series, a locally administered umbrella program that delivers informational sessions pertaining to local, county, state and federal programs. Its objective is to inform and educate local residents and support the goal of healthy, fulfilling and happy lifestyles. All CARES events will be presented by subject matter experts who will be able to answer all questions pertaining to their topics.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.