Mark Your Calendars With Events Coming To Ridgewood Library This Month

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood Public Library has a lineup of events, programs and activities scheduled later this month, spokesperson Jin Lee said.

Featured Events

Lunchtime Meditation with YogiJay (virtual), Sept. 13, noon to 12:30 p.m. Join Jason Mazar-Kelly for a virtual meditation session, live from Martha's Vineyard! Incorporating breathing exercises and gentle stretches, take a moment in your day to ground yourself and find balance. Join us through Zoom or Facebook Live. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Women & Finance, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Tips and advice about personal finance from top Forbes advisor Kathleen Entwistle. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

World Language Café: Spanish RETURNS (onsite), Sept. 16 and 23, 10 to 11 a.m. Led by a volunteer, join fellow Spanish language speakers in this casual and engaging conversation. Registration required: ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Repair Café (onsite), Saturday, Sept. 17, 1 to 4 p.m. Bring your broken belongings — toasters, lamps, bicycles, clothing, jewelry and more —and work with a volunteer expert to get them back in action (now replacing watch batteries and bands, and sharpening knives). Also, the library will have a glue table with adhesives for ceramics, metals, plastic and wood, with clamps to hold the item until the glue cures. All are welcome. If you'd like to volunteer: email lbrookes@ridgewoodlibrary.org, or call 201-670-5600, ext. 137. *Bring the replacement band; small donation for batteries.

National Voter Registration Day (onsite), Sept. 20, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Stop by the auditorium or tech training center.

Decluttering in a Nutshell (onsite), Sept. 20, 7 p.m. Jean Marie Herron, certified professional organizer, provides strategies and resources to edit one’s material possessions. All are welcome. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

"A Bend in the Road," next episode available on Sept. 21.

Plot synopsis: Before Curtis Duffy was a world-renowned chef and restaurant owner, he was a troubled youth who experienced tragedies that left him on his own as a teenager. His "bend in the road" came in the form of a mandatory middle school home economics class.

Curtis spoke on his new Chicago-based restaurant Ever about his early years, rise from dishwasher to head chef and owner, and his passion for motorcycles, tattoos and martial arts.

Note the upcoming special event: On Nov. 2, at 7 p.m., the library will show the 2016 documentary "For Grace," which tells the story of Duffy’s turbulent past. Live Q&A with directors Mark Helenowski and Kevin Pang to follow. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Reel Voices: Hello, Bookstore (2022; US; NR; 1 hour, 26 minutes) (onsite), Sept. 21, 7 p.m. In the shadow of the pandemic, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts. An intimate portrait of "The Bookstore," owner Matt Tannenbaum and the community are trying to save this landmark. All are welcome. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Stories Shared, Read stories from neighbors about living in real-time history at ridgewoodlibrary.org/covid19-storiesshared. And submit recollections at ridgewoodlibrary.org/stories-from-covid-19 or to heritagecenter@ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Visit Storytellers @RPL on the website. The library has 33 stories ready for listening and more on the way. With funding from a 2016 grant through the Bergen County Historical & Cultural Affairs Department, the library launched an oral history project. Its mission is to capture Ridgewood stories to preserve the village history for future generations. The library is recording people’s stories, making them available on the website and maintaining them in the local archive. Interested in being interviewed or becoming an interviewer? Please contact HeritageCenter@ridgewoodlibrary.org or call 201-670-5600, ext. 135.

Local History and Genealogy

The Why, Where, When, What and How of Lineage & Hereditary Societies (virtual), Sept. 12, at 2 p.m. For anyone who's ever considered joining a lineage or hereditary society. Speaker: Christine Cohen. Register at njgsbc.org.

Internet Genealogy class (onsite), Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. Use the internet to find records, family information and known and unknown relatives. Speaker: Steven Gabai, Genealogical Society of Bergen County. Registration is required: ridgewoodlibrary.org. $5/RW and GSBC members; $10/visitors.

Discovering Your UK/Irish Roots Online: Websites and Resources for English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish Ancestry (onsite and virtual, with virtual speaker), Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. Learn about the three big United Kingdom and Irish databases: FindMyPast, ScotlandsPeople and RootsIreland. Speaker: Debra Dudek (virtual). Monthly meeting of Genealogical Society of Bergen County. All are welcome. Registration is required for virtual attendance: njgsbc.org. No registration is required for onsite.

Genealogy consultant appointments: Genealogical Society of Bergen County volunteers are available for one-to-one assistance via Zoom. Some volunteers available onsite (by appointment only). For appointment, email gsbc.queries@gmail.com.

Newspaper Archives are now accessible from home. To access, email first and last name and a Ridgewood Public Library card number to ask@ridgewoodlibrary.org, and a reference librarian will send login information.

Send us your stories, your pictures. For those who live or work in Ridgewood — one day, this pandemic will be history. With that in mind, the Bolger Heritage Center of the Ridgewood Library would like to collect the moments of experience now in real time. If you have anything to share, please send to heritagecenter@ridgewoodlibrary.org.

ESL for Adults

Registration for ESL 2022-23 program now OPEN.

20-minute virtual appointments, available during following times:

— Sept. 13, 5:50 to 8 p.m.

— Sept. 14, 10:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

— Sept. 16, noon to 2:30 p.m.

Interview is required to be placed in program. Register for appointment at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

ESL Walk & Talk (onsite), Sept. 16, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Exercise conversation skills while walking the track, weather permitting. All levels are welcome. Please contact vschnure@ridgewoodlibrary.org with questions.

September Conversation Group (onsite), Sept. 22, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Talk about timely topics. All levels are welcome.

ESL “Coffee Break”-Out (onsite), Sept. 23, 1 to 2 p.m. Engage with small groups for casual conversation. All levels are welcome.

Book Groups

Copies available for pickup.

Reader’s Choice (onsite): Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Friday, Sept. 16, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Book Circle (virtual): Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, Sept. 21, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Tech Classes

Tech Express (onsite), Sept. 13 and 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sept. 16 and 23, 1 to 3 p.m. The library's team of tech whisperers helps with questions about phones, tablets or laptops. Questions are limited to those that can be answered in under 20 minutes. For more intensive one-on-one help, email ask@ridgewoodlibrary.org or call 201-670-5600, ext. 130 to schedule. Free/RW; $5/visitors. Note: Please contact beforehand to set up a time during drop-ins.

Excel Basics (hybrid), Sept. 21, 11:30 — to 1 p.m. To make sure you are placed in the correct class, please take the Northstar Microsoft Excel Assessment Module (link available at registration). Free/RW; $5/visitors. Register at ridgewoodlibrary.org. Please contact erosner@ridgewoodlibrary.org, or 201-670-5600, ext. 130, with questions.

Teen Programs

Teen Tech Club (grades 6-12), Sept. 14 and 21, 4 to 5 p.m. A tech guru presents weekly STEM classes to expand the mind. Registration is required: ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Teen Volunteer Orientations (grades 10-12), Sept. 19, 7 to 8 p.m. Learn how to become a collection specialist and duties associated with other volunteer positions, including being a Homework Center helper or high school mentor. There is a mandatory orientation for new volunteers. Returning volunteers shall email the teen department at teens@ridgewoodlibrary.org. Applications and forms are available after orientations. Registration required: ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Banned Books Week Challenge, week of Sept. 18 through 24.

Stop by Teen Room, and guess the title of the challenged book based on the emojis. Submit answers into a raffle to win Banned Book Gift Basket. Winner will be contacted on Monday, September 26.

Hobbit Day, Sept. 22, 4 to 5 p.m. Celebrate Hobbit Day and make your own Hobbit door wreath. Registration is required at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Children’s Events Highlights

Registration for Fall story times now open. Fall session: Sept. 19 through Oct. 21. Visit ridgewoodlibrary.org, and click “Programs and Registration” button to see a calendar view of events. Child must be the appropriate age for the registered story time on first session date.

Yoga with Simmy (ages 2 through 5, with adult, onsite), Sept. 15, 10:30 a.m. Bend, breathe and stretch together with certified yoga instructor, Simmy. Registration is required at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Morning Stories (infancy through age 4, onsite), Sept. 17, 22 and 24, at 10:30 a.m. Registration is required: ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Available for Lobby or Children’s Center Pickup:

— Monthly Craft-in-a-Bag available for Ridgewood Public Library cardholders.

— Librarian’s Choice Kits (infancy through grade 5), email childrensdept@ridgewoodlibrary.org for three age-appropriate books, a coloring sheet and sticker.

-Storytime to Go (prekindergarten through grade 3), stop by and pick up a kit with books and a themed craft.

Read to a Dog/Pet (pre-readers through grade 5), Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5 p.m., virtual and onsite sessions; please check registration at ridgewoodlibrary.org for details. Register for a 15-minute appointment.