Author: Donald Partelow

Artist Fran Traina taught a beginning watercolor class at our library on the 13th of November. It was a wonderful evening that we look forward to repeating. During the program participants learned a variety of painting techniques and then went on to create a landscape painting. It was a fun-filled learning experience for all. Additional painting classes will be scheduled in 2016.  Fran Traina’s work is on view at the Front Street Gallery in Patterson for their BLUE group exhibition. The exhibition was curated by Jeanette Rodriguez, who will present a jewelry wire wrapping workshop at our library on Friday, December 11th. A second jewelry workshop has been added for February 5th at 7:00 pm. Please check our online calendar for upcoming classes and events or give us a call at 845-855-3444. We love hearing from you!

On November 10th, food allergy advocate and author Colette Martin gave a presentation at the Pawling Library. Colette demonstrated to our audience how to prepare a variety of food allergy recipe substitutions, all of which tasted delicious! Thank goodness there are people like Colette Martin helping those with special dietary needs.  For those who have food allergies we highly recommend Colette Martin’s book, The Allergy-Free Pantry, available at our library.

On the evening of October 27th, health coach Nancy Osborn stood before a room filled with people. Her program, entitled The Sweet Truth, informed us about sugar. It is a substance contained in nearly all processed foods that Americans consume in high amounts and which can have a detrimental impact on our overall health. In her kind and caring way Nancy showed us the truth which many food industries would like to remain hidden. This was Nancy’s second presentation at our library. Her first, You and Your Health Style, took place in the spring. Nancy Osborn is a wonderfully engaging speaker. We look forward to her standing before yet another room filled with people, showing us how we can improve the quality of our lives.

Parents, grandparents and youngsters had a grand time creating works of art while enjoying each other’s company. Clay, paint and laughter stretched from one end to another of a long line of tables. Thank goodness we have so many! I marveled as little and big hands changed simple blocks clay into werewolves and zombies, pumpkins (some with very fine hats!) android monsters, Darth Vader and super dinosaurs, martians, a haunted tree, a bowl of creepy eyeballs and many, many, many strange and fantastic creatures! This sculpting workshop took place on two Fridays. Our special guest was children’s book author Helen Lester who started off the program on October 9th with a reading of her latest book Tacky and the Haunted Igloo. The artists returned on October 23rd to paint their now dry sculptures. Sadly, we must report that one goblin lost a tail while traveling to the library. Gorilla glue helped treat a few minor loose-fitting parts. There were no frowns and only smiles. The very special handmade Halloween sculptures were taken home along with...

There are many different ways people are aided through the Pawling Library. Here are two examples: On Tuesday, October 20th, First Lieutenant Brett M. White and First Lieutenant Tom Frost, of the New York State National Guard, were co-presenters for a Citizen Preparedness Training Program. Participants were instructed on how they can keep themselves safe in both natural and man-made disasters. At the programs end, each person received a training certificate. First Lieutenant White shared with us, shortly before the program began, that he served in Afghanistan. We are grateful to these men for helping our library and especially our country, and proud we are of them as well. For more information on how you can keep yourself and your family safe, please visit www.prepare.ny.gov. Over the years our library has held both morning and afternoon computer classes. All these classes are free to the public. On Wednesday, October 21st was our first evening computer workshop. This was a very special program, for it was conducted by a kind individual who wanted to give back...

Autumn at the Pawling Library began with Chef Lucas Muehlenweg who conducted a cooking class at his beautiful restaurant, Petite, where he instructed participants on how to make three delicious soup recipes. Another presentation devoted to desserts will take place in 2016. When we have a date scheduled you’ll want to register as soon as possible as these classes fill within a blink! Cathy Anderson from the Quilt Basket, located right around the corner from us on Oak St, brought in a selection of her beautiful quilts and explained this art form to us. The Quilt Basket has every imaginable fabric and offers classes on quilting for beginners to experienced quilters. We thank Chef Lucas Muehlenweg and Cathy Anderson for donating their time and talents to provide quality programming at our library. There is an abundance of talent within the Pawling community. You can find that talent here at our library. Please join us and enjoy a class or seminar with your gifted neighbors! Check our Events Calendar for upcoming children, teen and adult programs.

John Canevari conducted an Olive Oil and Vinegar tasting seminar on Tuesday, June 30th to an enthusiastic audience. Many lucky people were able to taste and learn how to prepare a delicious Cilantro-Lime Marinade, Mango Salsa, Mediterranean Pasta Salad and Blue Olive Pesto. We thank you, our neighbors at the Blue Olive, for an immensely enjoyable presentation, and we look forward to your return.

Steve Haggerty and Jeff Edrich, two talented writers from our Writers Circle, were the main speakers at Front Street Gallery’s Poetry in Motion Open Mic Night on Wednesday, May 20th. Both gentlemen read a selection of poems from their books to a full house. Steve is the author of Cows in the Fog and Jeff has written Dream of Broken Feathers and When the Sun Touched the River. Their beautiful words touched many hearts.