Splendid Life Meditation

Learn to manage stress, be happier and more creative under the guidance of Fauzia Burke at 10:00 am at Bernardsville Library. Free. No sign-up is needed. This group meets monthly.

Images of Land & Sea: Paintings by Carol Johnson On Display at Bernardsville Library in January

Oil paintings on canvas by Carol Johnson will be on display in the library’s Community Room during the month of January in an exhibition titled "Images of Land and Sea."  The public is invited to the artist’s reception on Sunday, January 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

Ms. Johnson creates her landscapes from photographs she has taken in her travels throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.  Other subjects of her focus include local birds and the houses and pets of her friends and family. 

Ms. Johnson has studied the art of landscape oil painting at various times over the past 35 years, and she has been pursuing her art career more actively since her retirement from Chubb and Son as a computer programmer and data architect.  She started painting while earning a B.A. in Music Education at Douglass College and is currently studying with Eleanor Morehouse of Somerset.  Her work has also been influenced by classes taken in Italy using egg tempera and watercolor with Fred Wessel and Jeremiah Paterson of the Hartford Art School.   

As a member of the Morris County Art Association, she exhibits her work in their shows as well as having had her own exhibits in 2008 at the Bridgewater Library, in 2009 at the Mendham Borough Library and 2010 at the Atlantic Rehabilitation Hospital in Morristown.  She has also participated in juried art shows in Tewksbury and Bernardsville Public Library. 

This exhibition will be on view in the library’s Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress.  For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.

Latin Jazz Ensemble to Perform @ Bernardsville LIbrary

Frank & 3 To Clave, a Latin jazz ensemble headed by Frank Villafañe, will perform in free concert at Bernardsville Public Library on Sunday, December 9 at 3:00 pm.  Part of the “Sundays at Three” series, this concert is funded by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library.  Doors open at 2:45 pm.  No sign-up is needed. 

Frank Villafañe is a pianist, composer, and music arranger.  He plays piano "con clave" in the styles of Eddie Palmieri, Peruchin and Sergio Mendes.  The other members of his ensemble are bassist Victor Mendoza, drummer Larry Evans, and percussionist/vocalist Jose Chavarria.   

Born in Bremerhaven, Germany, Mr. Villafañe grew up in the United States and Europe and experienced multi-culturalism first-hand.  Musically, his upbringing was eclectic.  He was exposed to Latin, jazz, calypso, folk, and the classics early on, and began piano lessons at the age of eight.  At twelve, he moved to Puerto Rico and was quickly exposed to the infectious music known as "salsa."  But hearing an original copy of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" played by Scott Joplin himself changed him forever.  After moving back to the United States, Villafañe studied ragtime music and earned his first paying "gig" as a professional musician at the age of 14, performing ragtime favorites for the Whiteman Air Force Base Officers’ Club.  He attended Rutgers University and played piano for a number of jazz and Latin "conjunto" style bands and orchestras, while studying piano with Kenny Barron.  He later formed “Jazz Y Clave,” an eight-piece “conjunto.” 

Frank & 3 to Clave has performed at various venues throughout New Jersey, including Trumpet’s Jazz Club, Rutgers University, Moonstruck in Asbury Park, and Restaurant Village in Long Valley, among others.  

There is no charge to attend the concert and no sign-up is needed.  For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

Yoga! Your 60-Minute Holiday Vacation

Press the "reset" button and take an opportunity to really connect with the feeling of the holiday season.  Make an appointment with yourself for 60 minutes of soothing music, gentle stretching, rejuvenating yoga poses and calming relaxation at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 pm.  Through the benefits of Classic Hatha Yoga, your body and mind and heart can be filled with peace, patience and well-being. 

Marsha Stablein, a teacher at the School of Royal Yoga in Chester, will lead the class and show participants how yoga is much more than physical exercise; it benefits the whole person.  Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat or towel.  All are welcome – current students of yoga or anyone considering a yoga program.

Marsha Stablein has been teaching yoga at The School of Royal Yoga for over 16 years and is certified to teach all ages (prenatal to senior) and train others to become yoga instructors.  She is a speaker and facilitator for international yoga seminars and workshops, and produced the video “Complete Yoga: An Introduction to Yoga.”

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.

Library Partners with Bernardsville Recreation to Offer Basic First Aid Class

Bernardsville Public Library and Bernardsville Recreation are partnering to offer a class on basic first aid, CPR and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) on Thursday, December 6 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  "We never know when an emergency will strike, so it's always best to be prepared," said Library Director Karen Brodsky, "We saw that in many ways during Hurricane Sandy, and this class is an outgrowth of our desire to give our residents an avenue to be trained so they'll be ready when the need arises."   

This course will be taught by Mine Brook Search and Rescue, Inc., which is based in Far Hills, and the cost is $70/person.  With course completion, attendees will earn an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid/CPR/AED Course Completion Card that is valid for two years.

The class will be held in the library's Community Room; registration is through the Borough website’s Community Pass portal: https://register.communitypass.net/bernardsville.  For further information, call Borough Recreation at 908-766-2546 or the Library at 908-766-0118.

 

Basking Ridge Author to Read @ Bernardsville Library

Basking Ridge author Jacqui Boulter will be at Bernardsville Public Library's Saturday morning Story Time to read her book, "Where Horses Fly," on Saturday, December 8 at 10:30 am.  The book, which is her first, was published earlier this year by Vineyard Stories.  It tells the tale of a little girl named Caroline whose heart is broken from the loss of her beloved horse.  During a summer visit to her grandparents on Martha’s Vineyard, Caroline catches the brass ring on the Flying Horses carousel.  The magical ride that follows, to the place where horses fly, helps Caroline heal from her loss.  The book includes a foreword about the Flying Horses on Martha’s Vineyard, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.  There is no charge to attend the program, and no sign-up is needed.  This program is especially for children ages 2-1/2 to 5 years old, but families are welcome.  Call the library at 908-766-0118 for further information. 

Take Back Your Garage in a Weekend

Get started early on New Year's Resolutions—especially that one about cleaning out your garage.  On Monday, December 3 at 7:00 pm, Professional Organizer Amara Willey will speak at Bernardsville Public Library on how to develop a workable plan to de-clutter, sweep out, give away, donate, and find clear space in your garage.  With a doable plan, everyone can join in to get the garage clean in a weekend.  It’s not just about organizing; it’s about being empowered to make the decisions to get rid of the belongings you no longer use or need.  Listeners will learn a step-by-step process to attack their clutter and conquer it once and for all.  At the end of the evening, they will be motivated to turn their garages into useful, functional storage. 

Certified Professional Organizer^® Amara Willey has been helping people put their lives in order since 1993.  She believes that everyone can discover his or her own personal organizational style.  Her hands-on approach is supportive and non-judgmental.  A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), she is also managing partner of Time to Get Organized LLC, whose services include financial, home, and office organization; time and paper management; storage solutions; and space design.  

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.