With summer rapidly drawing to a close, consider joining the Evening Books Discussion Group led by Edna Ritzenberg! The next meeting of this lively group of readers is scheduled for September 10 at 7:30 pm. The book slated for discussion is Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind. A thrilling read with references to (and including characters from) The Great Gatsby , The Double Bind tells the haunting tale of one young woman's obssession with uncovering a dark secret! Bohjahlian's well-crafted work is sure to inspire a spirited discussion, and become one of your fall favorites!

Celebrate Independence Day by attending a Musical Excursion based on the music and history of our National Anthem! Do you know who composed our anthem? Did you know the anthem has more than one verse? Join our resident expert as he helps us explore this national musical treasure. The program meets Tuesday, July 1 at 1 pm as we honor the red, white, and blue with this musical tribute.

Our Sunday Afternoon Concert Series concludes for the season on May 18 at 2 pm with chamber music provided by the East Bay Chamber Players featuring Paul Baer on piano, Hiroko Nakahura on the violin and Amy Camus on the cello. This extra-ordinarily talented trio will play works by Brahms and Beethoven. Make arrangements to attend this not-to-be-missed event.

Last week at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Carle Place, the winners of the 4th Annual Essay contest, sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Nassau County Library Association, attended a reception honoring this year's winners. Once again, the Rockville Centre Library was well represented with 2 of the 6 winning essays written by RVC residents. Congratulations to Margaret (Meg) Schneider (13 to 17 age category) and Virginia Thorp (18+ category).

The winners each received a Barnes & Noble gift card for their essays answering the following question: "How has the Computer impacted your Freedom to Read?" The essays were read aloud by their authors before a very appreciative audience.

Way to go ladies!

Kitchen University's Chef Dan Zeller will be on hand Thursday, April 17 @ 7 pm to share his tips for preparing the ever popular take out treat at home (and with a healthful twist) as he presents his program Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Check out Chef Dan on the Kitchen University website www.kitchenuniversity@verizon.net and be further inspired to new culinary delights!

February 14th is St. Valentine's Day! Why not establish a romantic mood by joining our favorite opera expert Bernie Mann as you discover the beauty of The Elixir of Love? The music begins at one o'clock, join us and be inspired!

Now is the time to circle the date and make plans to attend the Annual Luncheon of the Friends of the Library on Saturday, February 2 @ 12:30 at the Coral House. This year's guest lecturer, Jane K. Cleland, writes a delighful mystery series entitled The Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries. Ms. Cleland promises an inside look at the antiques appraisal process and explains how she uses her insider info to craft her mysteries!

Tickets are available through Lynn Wright at 678-2469 or through the Friends link on the Library website.

I know I'll be out to lunch on February 2nd! How about you?

Night and Day...I Get a Kick Out of You...Every Time You Say Goodbye...The music of jazz great Cole Porter will be featured as the the Library proudly presents Cole Porter JAZZ! with The Paul Joseph Quartet on Sunday, January 27 at 2 pm. Mark the date and join us for an afternoon of inspiring jazz by Mr. Joseph on piano, guitarist Frank Barbera, Bassist Arthur Sommerville, and drummer Mike Corn.

The holidays are past and a Long Island winter looms! Come out and enjoy the program schedule at the Library and beat the wintertime blahs! Next week's schedule includes a new lunch time knitting group called Knit 1, Purl 2 with instructor Paul Picow. Paula will help you begin a new project or provide advice on a current one if you prefer. beginners are welcome; just bring along a pair of #13 needles and some "chunky" yarn. Paula will be available from 12-1 on January 14th & 28th and again on February 11th & 25th. Feel free to bring a bag lunch!

On Tuesday, January 15th at 7pm, Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin will be available to answer questions regarding property taxes in Nassau County. If you would like to grieve your assessment this informative session will prove a valuable tool.

We round out the wek on Thursday, January 17th with a presentation by Merilee Kaufman and Jerome Coopersmith entitled Great Women in History(or should it be herstory?). Come and join this dynamic duo for an engaging afternoon. The show begins at 1pm in the Large Community Room.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Neil Simon is unquestionably one of the finest modern playwrights! What better way to take time out from hectic holiday preparations than to join us as AK Readers' Theatre presents Simply Simon featuring the acting skills of Long Island performers Joe Dobkins and Richard Solow. Excerpts from two of Simon's "funniest ever" plays, The Sunshine Boys and God's Favorite will be highlighted. Don't miss the return to the Library of these popular performers!

Join us on Sunday, December 2 at 2 o'clock and be thoroughly entertained by the fellows of A.K. Readers' Theatre as they present excerpts from Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys and God's Favorite. Joe Dobkins and Richard Solow are popular Long Island theatre veterans, and what better way to greet December than by sharing a laugh or two with friends!

Another reminder, as the cold days of winter keep us indoors and searching for things to do...the Library provides access to the finest New York City museums, (and some on Long Island, too!) through its Museum Pass Program. Take advantage! Stop by the Reference Desk for details!

Please join us on Sunday, October 21 @ 2 pm for an afternoon of musical entertainment and listening pleasure provided by The Counterclockwise Ensemble. This dynamic, contemporary septet features guitarist Rich Stein. Also featured will be the Village String Quartet with Boris and Fran Jourawleff on violins I and II, and Dr. Andrew and Rebecca Perea on viola and cello. Matt Arvotti is the group's bassist and Simon Miller its percussionist extraordianrire. Selections will include pieces from Stein's cds "Unspoken" and "Counterclockwise".

Admission is free and open to all!

If you remember where you were when the ball rolled through Bill Buckner's legs; if the word "Yankees" is not part of your vocabulary; and if "Ya gotta believe!" qualifies as your mantra, make a point to join author Dana Brand as he presents excerpts from his book Mets Fan on Monday evening September 10 @ 7:30 pm! A Mets fan of thirty years, this Hofstra professor of English will share all that is special in Mets Fandom, as he chronicles the joy and agony of cheering on those Amazing Mets!

You'll want to mark your calendar for Sunday, June 10 at 2:00 pm when students from the prestigious Music Institute of Long Island (MILI) will perform at the Library. The program will include a broad-ranging repertoire, certain to appeal to music lovers of all ages, and will feature some of MILI's outstanding soloists and chamber ensembles.

MILI was established in 1990 as a classical music school. Students have performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cami Recital Hall and Steinwal Hall in New York City, Old Westbury Gardens, the Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington, and the Festival of Trees at SUNY College at Old Westbury.

On Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm, enter the wonderful world of Frank Sinatra with Dr. Stanislao G. Pugliese when he presents his popular lecture Longing, Loss and Nostalgia: Frank Sinatra and Italian American Culture.

There are almost as many Sinatras as our imaginations may will into existence: the wise-guy kid from the streets of Hoboken; the vulnerable crooner who made the bobby soxers swoon at the Paramount; the self-destructive moth to the flame of Ava Gardner; the eternal Maggio and the Comeback Kid; the head Rat with rock glass in hand; the original "gangsta" epitomizing cool and a certain way with women; the the ferociously proud Italian American; the Chairman of the Board; Ol' Blue Eyes; civil rights spokesperson. In short, Sinatra was the platform upon which much of American culture was written in the second half of the twentieth century.

Dr. Pugliese is professor of history at Hofstra University and the author, editor or translator of a dozen books on Italian American History. He is a former fellow at Columbia University, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University.

Whether or not you believe in the magic of unicorns, you can appreciate the Unicorn Tapestries as amazing feats of creativity and craftwork. On Thursday, May 10 at 1 pm, artist Thomas Germano returns to the Library as part of the ongoing David Raab Memorial Art Lecture series, for which we gratefully thank Alma Raab. One of our area's most highly regarded art lecturers and an Associate Professor of Art and Art History at Farmingdale State Unviersity, he will present a slide lecture exploring exceptional late gothic tapestries, including the famous "Lady and The Unicorn."

You can learn more about the Unicorn
Tapestries at www.metmuseum.org/explore/Unicorn/unicorn_inside.htm

Last night at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Carle Place, the winners of the 3rd Annual Essay contest sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Nassau County Library Association attended a reception, co-sponsored by Barnes & Noble, honoring this year's contest winners.

Congratulations to:

Pawan Mirchandani - Floral Park Library
Justine Matzen - Massapequa Library - Central Avenue Branch
Paula Spinelli - Franklin Square Library
Jessice Bender - Farmingdale Library
Alene Scoblete - Malverne Library (and RVC Librarian!)
Eleanor Lustig - Rockville Centre Library

The winners each received a Barnes and Noble gift card for their essays answering the following question: "Which book have you enjoyed that makes you appreciate the freedom to read?" The essays were read aloud by their authors before a very appreciative audience gathered on the 2nd floor of Barnes & Noble.

A book sale and signing hosted by Chapter One Books of Oceanside took place following the author's lecture.

Comedienne/playwright Amy Sedaris spoke to a packed audience at South Side High School last week at the Library's 2007 Endowment Fund Lecture. Known to be "a bit peculiar," according to her colleague David Letterman, Amy charmed the audience with advice and anecdotes from her best seller I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.

This event was an opportunity for the Rockville Centre Public Library to present an up-to-the minute icon of popular culture. The evening demonstrated that in the 21st centruy, public libraries embrace all kinds of culture, including culture that exists just to entertain.

Coming soon...the Rockville Centre School Channel Broadcast of this event. Check listings at http://www.rvcschools.org/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=19