Library Filled with Mad Science This Summer

LIBRARY GOES MAD FOR SCIENCE—Staff at McAlester Public Library have donned their lab coats, and grabbed test tubes and science books in preparation for a science-filled Summer Reading Program. Getting ready for special summer programs are (clockwise, from top) Ellen Barlow, Christopher Elliott, Erin Austin, Anita Ross, Candy Larkins, Kathy McGilberry, Forrest and (center) Janice Saaranen.

 

Science-Themed Summer

Will Fizz, Spark at Library

Librarians will transform into mad scientists, and programs for all ages will fizz, boom and spark, when McAlester Public Library focuses on a science theme during its annual Summer Reading Program.

Beginning June 1 and continuing until July 31, everything from a Mad Science show for kids to a stop-motion animation class for teens will be on the schedule. Special programs for adults and family groups will range from a special audience-participation movie to a stargazing night at the Expo Center with local astronomy experts.

The theme for all children’s programs is “Fizz, Boom, Read!” Teens will be urged to “Spark a Reaction” through reading. And for adults, the theme is “Literary Elements.” Calendars and catalogs are now available at the library with details of all the programs.

The library’s Facebook page and Twitter feed (@McAlestrLibrary) will have daily updates, and the website, www.mcalesterlibrary.net, will host additional information.

“We are combining science and literature in ways sure to pique anyone’s interest,” said Head Librarian Christine Sauro. “And this year, the library will sponsor a field trip to the Science Museum in Oklahoma City as well.”

The only requirement to make the trip is attendance at three children’s or teen library programs. Up to 10 teens and 25 children age nine or older—along with five adult chaperones—will receive free admission to the museum, free transportation and a free lunch. A bus and driver provided by Frink-Chambers School will leave the library at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 24 and return at approximately 6 p.m.

Registration for the trip will be first-come, first-serve. Any additional family groups wanting to attend will have to follow the bus in a caravan, and pay for their own admission and meals.

Beginning Monday, June 2, free lunches will be provided for anyone age 18 or younger each Monday-Thursday at noon, through the Summer Feeding Program. Those planning to take advantage of this program should note that Friday lunches are no longer being served.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

The main weekly programs for children will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. each Wednesday. Tuesdays will feature Lap Sit Story Times at 10 and 11 a.m., and an afternoon children’s movie at 2 p.m. Thursdays will feature a 10 a.m. Story and Activity Time, and a 2 p.m. Game Time.

The children’s schedule is:

*June 4—Extreme Animals. Presenter Shana Schmidt said children will learn about animal habitats and get up close to exotic animals like a baby kangaroo, a lemur and more.

*June 11—Derick Brock’s “Ooh! Aah! Mad Science Show” will feature chemical reactions and even small, but safe, explosions.

*June 18—Joann McMillan’s show “Earth, Air, Fire and Water” will feature many different sizes and shapes of puppets representing the basics of life on earth, and will feature lots of audience participation.

*June 25—Monte Harper’s show “Songs from the Science Frontier” will feature songs like “What is the Shape of the Molecule?” “Super Scientist” and “Microbe Hunter.”

Programs in July will feature Susan Campbell’s “Science Safari;” Michael Corley’s “Science of Magic,” a series of magic effects in the form of science experiments; magician Steve Crawford and his “Doc Crawford’s Water Experiment;” and Native American storyteller Will Hill.

“Science is all around us,” said Children’s Librarian Anita Ross. “The plants, the animals, the way the sun hits the earth…it isn’t just test tubes.”

TEEN PROGRAMS

Teen programs are open to students in Sixth Grade through age 18. Teens can earn points by reading books and coming to programs, and each point gets them one entry into a drawing for an iPad Mini and other prizes to be given away at the end of summer.

The main weekly programs for teens will be on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Other activities include weekly Game Times on Thursdays, 2-4 p.m.; Yu-Gi-Oh Clubs every other Tuesday, 2-4 p.m.; a monthly Teen Movie; and monthly Teen Challenges, with games like Minute to Minute and Charades.

The teen schedule is

*June 4—Kickoff Decorating Party, with snacks and drinks, as teens prepare their meeting room for summer.

*June 11—Make Your Own Lava Lamp activity;

*June 18—A Taste-Trippin’ Party, with taste surprises;

*June 25—Stop-Motion Animation Class;

*July 9—A creative exercise called “Wreck This Journal;”

*July 16, 18 and 23—Volcano creation;

*July 23—Diet Coke/Mentos experiments in the vacant lot north of the library off Second St.; *July 30—A Zombie Party, with a special movie, at which teens will come in Zombie costume, with a prize for Best Costume.

“Area teens are encouraged to participate in ‘Spark a Reaction’ activities,” said Teen Librarian Erin Austin. “We know they will find much to interest them.”

ADULT/FAMILY PROGRAMS

Adult/Family programs are open to everyone, and attendance at each movie, book discussion or presentation will give participants the chance to enter to win a Kindle Fire HD to be given away July 31. Special science-themed door prizes and incentives will be given away at other events.

The main weekly programs for adults and families will be on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Other activities will include Bookies, Light Readers and Night Readers book clubs; Socrates Café discussion group; monthly crafts group; the re-launching of the SteamPunk book group on Wednesday evenings; special science-themed movies; and a new nonfiction book group on Saturday mornings.

The adult/family schedule is:

*June 5—A summer-only Mystery Science Book Club reading the The Periodic Table Mysteries, beginning with The Hydrogen Murder by Camille Minichino, with a Periodic Table shower curtain as the prize;

*June 12—The Science of Storm Chasing, with Pittsburg County Emergency Management director Kevin Enloe;

*June 19—The Science of Ham Radio, with Pittsburg County Amateur Radio Club officer David Weeks;

*June 26—“What If…I DON’T Immunize My Child?,” a program by Lesa Curry and Melissa Locke of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, addressing the anti-vaccination movement;

*July 3—Mystery Science Book Club, discussing Camille Minichino’s The Helium Murder, with another Periodic Table shower curtain as a prize;

*July 10—A look at injection wells and their relationship to earthquakes, with Dr. Kyle Murray of the Oklahoma Geological Survey;

*July 17—The Science of Crime Scene Investigation, with OSBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jenny Virden;

*July 23—SteamPunk 101, a presentation by steampunk enthusiasts, in character as Dr. Henley Fenchurch, alchemist, and Vivian Tamsel, procurer of rare items;

*July 24—The Science of Agricultural Research, with Hugh Aljoe of the Noble Foundation; and

*July31—The Science of Astronomy, with Phillip Scott and Dr. Aaron Watkins, who will present “Finding Your Way Through the Night Sky” at the library, to be followed by an 8-9 p.m. free picnic dinner on the grounds of the Expo Center, and stargazing at dark, with telescopes provided by the presenters.

“We’ve mixed fun science activities with real-life science applications to show everyone how science affects their lives,” said Assistant Librarian Kathy McGilberry. “We hope everyone will find something to examine at the library this summer.”

Classical Guitarist Peter Fletcher Sets Free Performance Here

  Peter Fletcher

Classical guitarist Peter Fletcher of New York City will return to McAlester Friday, May 16 for a special free performance open to the public.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of All Saints Episcopal Church, 325 E. Washington. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Library of McAlester and The Puterbaugh Foundation. Although no admission will be charged, donations to fund library programs will be accepted.

Fletcher, who began to study guitar at age seven, is currently touring the country promoting his new Edvard Greig CD, released in February by Centaur Records. He will perform selections from the new CD, as well as pieces by Paganini, Bach, Mozart, Michael Praetorius, Girolamo Frescobaldi and Isaac Albeniz.

The evening will be divided into two 35-minute performances, with an intermission at midpoint.

Fletcher says churches and chapels are his favorite performance venues.

“Something very special happens when an audience is completely silent in a classical guitar concert. New York critics refer to this as the ‘Segovia Hush.’ To that end, I would be very happy to perform in churches exclusively not only for their great architecture but also for their great reverb,” he said.

In demand as a performer in cultural venues throughout the country, Fletcher has been invited to give recitals at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York; Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall; St. Philip Cathedral in Atlanta; Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and many others.

In 2003, he performed on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center. He made his New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in February, 2007 and returned in 2008, 2099 and 2010 to sold-out houses.

Fletcher plays a 1987 Robert Mattingly guitar built in Long Beach, California. Mattingly was known for hand-building two guitars a month.

The guitarist says he usually practices six hours per day. “At this point in my life, every day is different…I do a lot of abstract memorization away from the instrument,” he said.

The new CD, which will be available for purchase at the concert, features transcriptions done by the guitarist.

“Transcribing is what everyone learns how to do because the guitar repertoire is so limited. In fact, numerous sources from earlier centuries testify to the historical authenticity of transcribing music from one instrument to another, so no matter what the musicologists say, the custom is perfectly justified. I’m pretty much self-taught although I look at (Andres) Segovia and (John) Williams and their projects to make sure that I am on the mark,” he said.

 

 

Top Genealogy Researcher to Speak Here May 6

    Dr. Debra Spindle Sets Two Presentations Tuesday

Dr. Debra Spindle, a research librarian and genealogist at the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City, will be in McAlester for two programs tomorrow.

At 2 p.m., she will present “When Do You Need a Professional Genealogist?” in the Whiteacre Room of McAlester Public Library. The program is free and open to the public.

Then at 7 p.m., she will present “Finding the Girls” at the Pittsburg County Genealogical and Historical Society, 113 East Carl Albert Parkway. This guide to researching female ancestors will help researchers change some of the MNU (Maiden Name Unknown) designations to names with parentages.

Dr. Spindle, a professional genealogist with her own research company, is the librarian in the Research Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. She has been a professional genealogist for five years and an avid genealogist for over 30. She was manager of the Downtown Library in the Metropolitan Library System for Oklahoma County for 10 years prior to her work at the Historical Society.

At that agency, she oversaw the move into a new facility and the rejuvenation of the system’s genealogy and local history collection. She has served as an administrator for the University of Oklahoma’s School of Library and Information Studies as well as adjunct professor. Her prior teaching experience includes working with adults returning to university to finish a degree, teaching communication at the university level for 16 years, and surviving teaching 7th grade for two years.

Debra’s current position utilizes her knowledge of American Indian resources, assisting persons seeking to document Indian ancestry, as well as locating people in early Oklahoma and Indian Territories. As an affiliate of the National Archives, the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division holds original records for the Five Civilized Tribes. Debra has extensive knowledge of these holdings, and used them researching for the television show Who Do You Think You Are?

Her article “Claiming Native Heritage: Iron Eyes Cody and Chief Thundercloud” is included in the Society’s publication “Oklahoma @ the Movies.” She provided genealogical research for the “Governors of Oklahoma” opening exhibit and located relatives of the inductees into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.

“Researching the History of Your Home,” “Researching Your Civil War Ancestor” “County Histories” and “Finding Your American Indian Ancestor” are among the research guides Debra has published for the Library.

Debra has attended multiple IGHR courses including Advanced Methodology, Military Records, African American Research, Writing and Publishing, and Southern Research. She is a graduate of ProGenealogy Group 6 and attended the RIGSA Workshop in Fort Worth. In addition, she has completed graduate courses in government documents, Indian resources in Washington, DC and archives management. She has researched in depositories across the United States, including national and state archives as well as public libraries and courthouses.

She has taught genealogy courses for community education, including OLLI (Oklahoma Lifelong Learning Institute), and is a regular lecturer on a wide range of topics such as finding females, use of internet resources, internet search techniques, beginning genealogy, blogging, vital records and their substitutes, African American and American Indian research. She holds membership in multiple genealogy societies and has served on the board of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society.

 

 

 

100 Years Old? We Don’t Look a Day Over 98

 

Library Celebrates Centennial

By KATHY McGILBERRY

One hundred years is an impressive stretch of time, and this year McAlester Public Library marks its centennial. Friends of the Library and the Fortnightly Club will host a reception celebrating that milestone Tuesday, May 20 from 1-3 p.m. at the library. There will be cake, punch and special displays highlighting the library’s history. Look for more news about this special event as we draw closer to the date.

In the meantime, we have all our regular book clubs, movies, teen and children’s events and special programs. One of our patrons, who is moving to another state, said this week that the library in her new city is nice, “but it’s not like McAlester’s.”

And we agree. We’re pretty vibrant for a 100-year-old. Just look at all we’re doing this month:

*Today (Thursday, May 1)—The Bookies will meet from 1-3 p.m. to discuss Anchee Min’s “Pearl of China.” They’ll also distribute books for next month’s first-Thursday discussion, when the subject will be “The Last Policeman” by Ben H. Winters. Teen Game Time begins at 3:45 p.m. upstairs on this and every other Thursday in May.

*Tuesday, May 6—Anyone interested in genealogical research will want to attend a special program with Dr. Debra Spindle of the Oklahoma Historical Society at 2 p.m. in the Whiteacre Room. She will present “When Do You Need a Professional Genealogist?” and later, will present another program at the Pittsburg County Genealogical and Historical Society called “Finding the Girls” at 7 p.m. at the Society’s location at 113 East Carl Albert Parkway. The nice folks at the Historical Society do wonderful work, and partner with us on a number of projects. Take advantage of these free and informative programs, and get started on your family history research! Also on Tuesday, the Teen Yu-Gi-Oh Club will meet upstairs from 4-6 p.m.

*Saturday, May 10—For those too young or too old for last month’s Teen Movie, we’re hosting a repeat screening of the record-setting Disney movie that features the ubiquitous song “Let It Go.” Brrrrrrrr-ing the whole family to Second Saturday Cinema at 2 p.m. for this PG-rated re-telling of “The Snow Queen” story. We’ll do our best to set the thermostat at the correct temperature, so you won’t be frozen. Free popcorn, as always.

*Monday, May 12—We’ve just shelved a number of new fiction and non-fiction books, including a beautiful coffee table book called “Oklahoma @ the Movies” by Larry O’Dell. It includes information about movies shot in Oklahoma, like the one we’re featuring for Arthouse Theater. The story is set in Tulsa, and among the many stars are Eric Stoltz, James Spader, Cameron Diaz, Mary Tyler Moore and James Coburn. Come see this R-rated thriller with us. We understand some of the “Oklahoma accents” are quite amusing. The movit begins at 6 p.m. in the Whiteacre.

*Tuesday, May 13—Then Teen Challenge begins at 4 p.m. upstairs, and features the classic game Monopoly.

*Wednesday, May 14—Decorative Wall Hangings are the project of the day at the regular second-Wednesday Free Crafts Workshop. Spaces are limited, so call 918-426-0930 to register. The group meets from 1:30-3:30 in the Whiteacre. The Teen Cooking Class meets at 3:45 upstairs. On the menu? Chicken Curry. Yum.

*Friday, May 16—You’ll want to mark your calendar for this special event! Classical guitarist Peter Fletcher will perform a free concert beginning at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of All Saints Episcopal Church, 325 E. Washington. This event is made possible by the Friends of the Library and the Puterbaugh Foundation, and is open to everyone. Fletcher is on a nationwide tour promoting his new CD of Edvard Grieg compositions, and will be here for one night only. Don’t miss it.

*Monday, May 19—The Light Readers will meet at 6 p.m. to discuss Karen Kingsbury’s “Fifteen Minutes.”

*Tuesday, May 20—It’s a full day for sure. First, the Friends of the Library meet for their monthly noon luncheon, before breaking for the summer months. Then they host the 100th Anniversary reception on the main floor of the library. Please come help us celebrate our Centennial, and while you’re here, pick up information about all the great programs we’ll be hosting this summer. Then at 6:30, the Night Readers will meet in the Conference Room to discuss John Williams’s “Stoner.”

*Wednesday, May 21 through Friday, May 23—Computer Tech Anthony Smart teaches another comprehensive Computer Skills Workshop. You’ll learn all the basics, but spaces are limited. Call 918-426-0930 to register for this hands-on course. As always, it’s free.

*Saturday, May 24—Recently, we screened a most interesting documentary about something called The Toynbee Tiles. This month, we’re showing another documentary from the same company. It’s a fascinating look at the eclectic community grown up on the shores of Southern California’s Salton Sea. Terry Gilliam called it “a beautiful, quirky and ultimately moving film about the American Dream as it teeters on the edge of a desert sea.” Join us at 2 p.m. for Documentary Matinee, with (of course) free popcorn.

*Sunday and Monday, May 25-26—The library will be closed for Memorial Day. Sunday hours will be halted until after Labor Day. Remember, no Sundays in summer.

*Monday, May 27—Socrates Café meets in the Conference Room at 10 a.m. for philosophical discussion. Then at 6 p.m., our monthly Film Movement independent feature will be “The Deflowering of Eva Van End,” a Dutch film that blends satire and sincerity as it looks at a dysfunctional family transformed by the arrival of a “perfect” exchange student. This unrated film has English subtitles.