Ridgefield Library Shares News and Upcoming Events

From the Ridgefield Library:

RIDGEFIELD, CT - The Ridgefield Library would like to share news and upcoming events with the community.

Lions Club Peace Posters on Display

The Ridgefield Lions Club Peace Poster contest returns to the Library after a hiatus of several years! Stop bythe Lodewick Children's Library during the first week in November to see the thoughtful submissions by talented young artists aged 11-13 on this year's theme of "A Celebration of Peace."

National Theatre Encores in HD: Frankenstein

Monday, October 31, 7:00 PM
Ridgefield Playhouse
National Theatre Encores in HD: Frankenstein

The Library is pleased to join the Ridgefield Playhouse in bringing to Ridgefield great stories, told through opera, ballet and drama by the greatest performing companies in the world - including the Bolshoi Ballet, Metropolitan Opera and National Theatre of London. Come to the Library to learn more about the history of these masterworks and their creators, then experience extraordinary performances on the big screen in HD @ the Playhouse. This week we are pleased to present an encore screening of the National Theatre's production of Frankenstein featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller

Ridgefield Library cardholders receive the Playhouse member discount price of $20 on tickets to these HD cultural series - just show your card at the box office. College students pay only $15 and students 18 and under attend FREE, so introduce your favorite young person to these classics. Contact the Playhouse at 203-438-5795 or www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org for information and tickets.

Parenting Lecture: Sex, Sexting and Hooking Up

Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PM

Main Program Room
Sex, Sexting, and Hooking Up: Talking to Your Kids about Healthy Relationships

Kate Ott, Ph.D, Drew University and Anne Rodwell-Lawton, Women's Center of Greater Danbury, will present a lecture that will equip parents to talk with their teens about:

* Relationships: what's healthy, what's not, and how to tell the difference
* Sexting; why kids do it, what it means to boys versus girls and why scare tactics don't work
* Hooking up: what it is and how to talk about your beliefs and values with your teens
* Issues of consent, sexual safety, sexual violations and how to help
* Values and self-esteem: how one's values can and should inform sexual choices

12:00 - 1:00 PM
Register for the November 1 lecture
Register for the November 2nd brown bag discussion

The Parenting the Selfie Generation: Instilling Resilience series is a collaboration of Ridgefield Public Schools, Ridgefield Council of PTA's, Ridgefield Library, Ridgefield Youth Commission, Books on Common, Project Resilience, Town Vibe, Fairfield County Bank and Silver Hill Hospital.

Books Building Bridges

Each fall the Ridgefield Library and Ridgefield High School choose one book from the curriculum for an intergenerational exploration, including book chats, lectures and other activities. The fall 2016 selection will be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.

Adult readers are invited to join students from Ridgefield High School for one of the following discussions facilitated by high school students:

Tuesday, November 1 at 6:30 PM at Ridgefield High School Learning Commons (register)
Wednesday, November 2 at 6:30 PM at Ridgefield Library (register)

Copies of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are available for loan from the Library's Circulation Desk. This program is made possible thanks to the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.

Author Talk: Treyf with Elissa Altman

Thursday, November 3, 7:00 PM
Main Program Room

Washington Post columnist and James Beard Award-winning author of Poor Man's Feast, Elissa Altman, discusses her latest memoir Treyf, a story about seeking truth, acceptance, and self in a world of contradiction.

Fans of Augusten Burroughs and Jo Ann Beard will enjoy this kaleidoscopic, universal memoir in which Elissa Altman explores the tradition, religion, family expectations, and the forbidden that were the fixed points in her Queens, New York, childhood. Spanning from 1940s wartime Brooklyn to 1970s Queens to present-day rural New England, Treyf captures the collision of youthful cravings and grown-up identities.

This program is co-sponsored with Books on the Common. Books will be available for sale and for signing. Please register.

Making STEAM: Adult Coloring

Friday, November 4, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Dayton Program Room
Adult Coloring

Coloring for adults is all the rage and has been shown as a great way to foster relaxation and creativity. Come give it a try! We'll provide all the materials you need, plus coffee and tea.
Registration recommended.

Memoir Writing Group

Saturday, November 5, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Randolph Room
Memoir Writing Group

Monthly session will include advice from other writers, a prompt with writing time, critique and sharing. No registration.

Please contact Eileen O'Halloran at eohalloran509@gmail.com or 914-441-8092 for more information.

ARTalk Field Trip: The Gargoyles of Yale

Saturday, November 5, 1:30 PM
On the Yale Campus
ARTalk Walking Tour: The Gargoyles of Yale
Photographer and author Mathew Duman will present a walking tour of the gargoyles of Yale, based on his book, An Education in the Grotesque. Tour is $ 10.00 per person, and transportation is not provided (meet on the Yaoe campus). To purchase tickets for the November 5 walking tour please click here.

Hail to the Chief! Political Caricature Exhibit Opens

Sunday, November 6, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Lower Level Gallery
Exhibit Opening: Political Caricatures by Robert Carley

To coincide with America's election of its forty-fifth president, Connecticut resident and caricaturist Robert Carle opens a show of our nation's chief executives past, present and future and celebrates the wit and wisdom of all of these history makers. Each of Carley's caricatures are surrounded by the president's or candidate's actual quotations and sayings.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in political science and fine arts, Carley had an internship with Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell in Washington, D.C. While living in Washington Carley contributed free-lance political cartoons to local publications including "Roll Call, The Newspaper of Capitol Hill." Carley's 100+ political caricatures have been exhibited most recently at Central Connecticut State University.

No registration required for the opening reception. The exhibit may be viewed from November 1 - 29 during the Library's open hours.

Book Discussions this Month

Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 PM
Randolph Room
The Nonfictioneers
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
More about this and upcoming Nonfictioneers selections

Thursday, November 3, 10:30 AM
Randolph Room
Murder by the Book
Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton
More about this and upcoming Murder by the Book selections

Thursday, November 10, 3:00 PM
Founders Hall
Founders Hall Book Discussion
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Open to all members of Founders Hall

Tuesday, November 15, 7:00 PM
Dayton Program Room
Critics' Circle Book Group
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
More about this and upcoming Critics' Circle selections

Wednesday, November 16, 10:00 AM
Please note date change due to the Thanksgiving holiday
Randolph Room
A.M. Book Group
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
More about this and upcoming A.M. Book Group selections

Friday, December 2, 1:00 PM
Please note date change due to the Thanksgiving holiday

Dayton Program Room
Poetry Discussion Group
Selected Poems of Dylan Thomas
Discussion led by poet and retired professor Dr. Alan Holder

No registration required for Library book groups. New readers always welcome!

Medicare Open Enrollment Counseling Sessions

November 2, 4, 9 and 16, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Donofrio Family Technology Center @ the Library

Individual Sessions on Medicare Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment period ~ October 15th - December 7th - is the only time you can change your prescription coverage and Advantage plans. Should you be reviewing your Medicare supplemental coverage and costs annually? The answer is YES...

* Insurance companies change their plans annually - You may need to too!
* Medicare recipients need to review their coverage annually to make sure it is still the best coverage for their needs.
* Talk with one of Ridgefield's trained counselors and let us help you determine the best coverage for you.

Let a CHOICES counselor help you through this process. Call Karen Gaudian at Ridgefield Social Services 203-431-2754 or email municipalagent@ridgefieldct.org to set up an appointment.

These programs are co-sponsored by Ridgefield Social Services, RVNA, Founders Hall, Ridgefield Library and Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging.

Sign Up Now for Scrabble Tournament on November 5th

The tournament is for any student in 4th through 12th grade. There will be three 50-minute school SCRABBLE games played in teams of two following official NASPA School SCRABBLE rules. We will find partners for players who do not have a teammate.

2-3 separate divisions will be offered. Prizes for all ages, plus special prizes for high game and high play, and a benefit raffle. Costumes optional. Special prize for best Halloween word and best costume!

Registration closes Thursday, November 3. $10 materials fee per player. No walk-in registrations. Click here to print a registration form or pick one up in the Ellis Family Teen Center or Lodewick Children's Library. Contact Cornelia Guest at CorneliaSGuest@gmail.com with any questions.

November Is Picture Book Month

Join us in throughout the month of November to read, share and celebrate your favorite picture books!

Come in to the Lodewick Children's Library, find a picture book you really like on the shelf, and bring it to the desk so we can add it to a display of Readers' Favorites.

Watch the Library's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for postings by our staff of their personal picks, then chime in with your own suggestions.

Weekly Drop-In Children's Activities

Monday, 10:30 AM
Leir Children's Pogram Room
Drop-In Storytime
Children ages 3 and up are invited for stories, songs and a short book-based film.

Tuesday, 10:30 AM

Leir Children's Program Room

Mother Goose

A language enrichment program for "walkers" ages 1 and 2 years. Activities include finger plays, music, movement and books of course!

Wednesday, 12:00 PM
Leir Children's Program Room
Baby & Me
Finger plays and songs for newborns through age 12 months with a caregiver. Parents of infants are invited to network with each other.

Friday, 11:00 AM
Leir Children's Program Room
Friday Flicks
Book based movies for ages 2 and up.

Saturday, 10:30 AM
Leir Children's Program Room
Drop-In Storytime
Children ages 3 and up are invited for stories, songs and a short book-based film.

Odyssey of the Mind Teams Forming

The Ridgefield Library provides membership for teams to take part in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. Teams are forming now for elementary, middle and high school students. If you would like to be a part of a team, please contact the Library at info@ridgefieldlibrary.org. Adult coaches for all levels are also sought; training is free and the first date is Saturday, November 5th.
To learn more about Odyssey of the mind, go to ctom.org.

Images via the Ridgefield Library.