Meriden and Wallingford Connecticut Library News

Welcome to The People's Press - Your Town, Your News, Your Views! We are the #1 Single Copy Newspaper for Wallingford and Meriden Connecticut – Library news and Events for November 2007 Meriden Public Library News LOCAL AUTHOR AND ADVENTURER CAPTAIN BILL PINKNEY TO SIGN COPIES OF HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY NOVEMBER 7 Meriden Public Library will host a special appearance by William “Bill” Pinkney, Meriden author of AS LONG AS IT TAKES, which is his autobiography on Wednesday, November 7 at 4:00 p.m. Captain Bill Pinkney will sign copies of his book, field questions about his forty plus years at sea and show a video about his solo voyage around the world. Of the five Americans who have sailed solo around the world via Cape Horn, only one is African-American and lives in Meriden, Connecticut. He is Captain William “Bill” Pinkney of Meriden. Though a Chicago native, Pinkney came to Connecticut in 1998 to be a part of the creation of the state’s Sailing Ambassador: Freedom Schooner Amistad. Upon completion of the ships, he served as Master until his retirement in 2003. Bill Pinkney then married a Meriden resident and bought a home here. The Captain travels the country speaking to schools, organizations and corporations about the lessons learned at sea. In addition Captain Bill hosts a weekly radio on WLIS-WMRD AM (Middletown/Old Saybrook) called “The Maritime Scene”. He has recently been called back into service by Amistad America, Inc. to act as spokesperson during the upcoming “Atlantic Tour” which will take the vessel to England, Portugal, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Barbados, Puerto Rico and back to the U.S. in the summer of 2008. While living in Meriden he completed his second book about his solo circumnavigation, the book has been hailed as a “an inspirational book to compare with any on the market today” by award winning writer Maya Angelou. AS LONG AS IT TAKES (Bunker Hill Publishing), the 2006 John Southam Award winner, is Pinkney’s autobiography. Spanning the years from childhood through his incredible 32,000 mile sailing adventure, the story tells of the idea that started as a dream of adventure in seventh grade, and became a floating class room for students and a benchmark for his grandchildren. The John Southam Award has been presented annually since 1993 by Sail America for excellence in marine communications. The program is free and the public is invited to attend. Free registration is requested by calling (203) 630-6349, by sending an email to: comsvc@hotmail.com or by signing up at the library online calendar at www.meridenlibrary.org DR. KANE TO DISCUSS “AGING GRACEFULLY” NOVEMBER 14 Meriden Public Library will host a special appearance by naturopathic physician Dr. Michael Kane of the Connecticut Center for Health on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. His topic will be “Aging Gracefully”. Everyone is invited to attend. As the baby boomers age they become one of the largest population groups to face the challenges of old age. Osteoporosis, heart disease, joint failures, and cognitive decline are some of the conditions that can prevent the enjoyment of retirement or the later years of life. Come and join our lecture on how to age gracefully where our local naturopathic physician Dr. Michael Kane will lecture on the “Natural” proactive measures you can take to support your body in the aging process. Graduating from Bastyr University in 1996, Dr. Kane joined the Connecticut Center for Health in Middletown. Since then he has focused his attention on the basic powerful principles of this medicine. The principles of nature cure. Support and treatment with nutrition, homeopathy and botanical medicine as well as mind-body-soul work will also be discussed. He encourages his patients to ask themselves each day “If I were to take complete care of myself, what would I do today?” and he challenges them to knock down the barriers that get in the way of doing just that. The program is free and the public is invited to attend. Since seating is limited, free registration is requested by calling (203) 630-6349, sending an email to: comsvc@hotmail.com or by signing up online at the library calendar at www.meridenlibrary.org MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES THANKSGIVING DAY CLOSINGS Meriden Public Library will observe the following Thanksgiving holiday schedule: Thursday, November 22 Library is closed. Saturday, November 24 Library is open 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The library’s regular business hours are: Monday through Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Thursday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday and Friday. Mother-Daughter Book Group Announces 2007 Fall Schedule” The Mother-Daughter Book Group invites new members to join their book discussions this fall at the Wallingford Public Library. Mothers and their middle school or high school aged daughters are welcome to read and discuss the following good books for teens. (The group is open to all adult females and teenaged girls.) On Monday, November 5th the group will meet to discuss the futuristic novel: “House of the Scorpion,” by Nancy Farmer; and on Tuesday, December 11, the season will conclude with a discussion of “Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys,” by Kate Brian. Each book discussion will take place in the Small Conference Room at the Wallingford Public Library. All discussions begin at 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Please sign up for this free program at the library’s Information Desk. For more information, call the library at 203-265-6754. MERIDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY UPCOMING EVENTS November 7 4:00 p.m. Local author and adventurer Captain Bill Pinkney to sign copies of his autobiography November 12 Library closed to observe Veterans Day November 14 6:30 p.m. Dr. Kane to discuss “Aging Gracefully” November 23 Library is closed to observe Thanksgiving December 24 Library closed December 25 Library closed to observe Christmas Day. December 31 Library closed MERIDEN-RECOGNITION OF THIS YEAR'S "CHILDREN'S CHAMPIONS' FROM CHILDREN'S FIRST On October 17th, Meriden Children First Initiative Board of Directors recognized the efforts of the Children's Department of the Meriden Public Library. The criteria for this award is that individuals go "above and beyond" to improve the lives of local children and families. This award was given to Kathie Matsil, Sandy Olson, and Sherry Breton. As stated by David Ratcliffe " As the heart and soul of the Children's Department, they embody the passion and care needed to make a positive change in children's lives.