Cook Memorial Library

Tamworth, NH

Free & reduced passes to local museums

Posted on | May 15, 2012 | No Comments


The Friends of Cook Memorial Library have purchased free or reduced-fee passes to two local museums for interested library patrons. The Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm pass offers one free daily admission for a family, 50% off for a family to attend special events, and 10% off in the Museum Store.
Note: The Remick Museum is free for Tamworth residents every Friday.

The Library Membership for Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is valid for two free trail admissions, plus up to four additional discounted trail admissions for $8 apiece, every day from May 1st to November 1st.
Please reserve passes in advance – only one pass can be used each day.

Category: For Kids, News
Tags: > > > >

Friends of the Library’s Perennial Sale on Sat, June 2nd

Posted on | May 8, 2012 | No Comments


On June 2nd at the library, The Carroll County Altrusa and The Friends of Cook Memorial Library are holding a perennial plant sale to help support our
organizations. If you divide your favorite perennials, why not donate some of your extras to the sale? It’s easy. Pot them, label them and drop them off at Robinson Company on Chinook Trail in Tamworth (268 Chinook Trail) or call Diane at 387-7395 or Sue at 917-836-8234 for pickup.
Your plants will go to good homes and help beautify Tamworth and of course support two good causes. Please do label the pots with whatever information you can give us (name, color, sun/shade). Popsicle sticks are good for labeling. We have some for
you at the library. And if you can pot the plants by mid May, they will have a chance to adjust to their new environment before the sale.

An don’t forget to come to the Book and Perennial Sale on Saturday, June 2nd, 9 am to 1 pm. You can replace the perennials you potted up with new and different ones from another gardener in town.
There will also be a raffle with lots of great items: a Garden Items Gift Basket by Judy Taylor, Handmade Granny Squares Throw by Barbara Kennett, American Horticultural Society Gardening Encyclopedia, a Mug & Gift Certificate – coffee for 30 days @ Tamworth Lyceum, a Hanging Basket from GrowGood Greenhouses, a $25 Gift Certificate for Perennials from Bearcamp Garden, 3 Rose Bushes from Designed Gardens, a $25 Gift Certificate from GrowGood Greenhouses, a 2-gal. Garden Sprayer from Indian Mound Hardware, and a Gift Certificate of 2 Dinners for price of 1 from the Daley Café at The Other Store.

Category: News
Tags: > > > >

Artist of the month for May & June: Susan Lirakis

Posted on | May 1, 2012 | No Comments

We are proud to present the Artist of the Month for May & June of 2012, Susan Lirakis who is a prize-winning lifelong photographer living in Center Sandwich. Of her work, Lirakis says:

Photographing has become a sacred act for me. It is a dream time, a language of image and experience. It is an exploration of the territory of symbol, myth and archetypal realities. When I photograph, I am in the place of my soul’s longing. I travel into the silence of the space between words to discover the emotional and spiritual conditions of the world and to taste the infinite.

Although all photographic work, at some level, is a mirror for who we are, I work additionally and more directly with myself in an exploration of my personal mythology. I make self-portraits using long exposures and little available light. This work has been supported in part by the NH State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

My photographic work also reflects my education in Family Services. I have long photographed mothers and daughters, senior citizens, sisters. I have a twenty-year on-going collection that is a visual census of our town. In 1991, working closely with the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Tibetan Nuns Project, I made portraits of nuns and families in an effort to foster awareness of and find support for the condition of Tibetan people and under Chinese occupation.

Selected Artist: Susan Lirakis - Lotus Her work has been published in multiple books and periodicals such as Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (NYC), The Sun (Chapel Hill, NC), For Kid’s Sake. Photographs of Today’s Youth (Photographic Resource Center & WBZ-TV). She has exhibited widely, from the Contemporary Arts Forum in Santa Barbara, CA to the Currier Museum in NH, from Haines Gallery in San Francisco to the Danforth Museum in MA, from the Society of Contemporary Photography in Kansas City to the Fremantle Arts Center in Australia. Awards and fellowships for further advancement of my work have been received through the NH State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the League of NH Craftsmen, the Clowes Foundation, and McLaughlin residency fellowship.

Category: News
Tags: > > >

Beware Lyme Disease in northern New Hampshire

Posted on | April 24, 2012 | No Comments

The ticks are out in force this year, despite the dry spell which has now ended with all this rain. Being a gardener, I’ve already been bitten four times, and taken countless walking ticks off me. Be aware that Lyme Disease is no joke; it is definitely here where we live, along with several other tick-borne diseases.
The best resource for up to date and reliable information on Lyme Disease is
ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). Here are ILADS’ ten facts about Lyme Disease.
At Cook Memorial, we have three titles about Lyme Disease: Cure unknown : Inside the Lyme epidemic by Pamela Weintraub, Lyme disease, the great imitator: How to prevent and cure it by Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein & Robert Silverstein, and The top 10 Lyme disease treatments: Defeat Lyme disease with the best of conventional and alternative medicine by Bryan Rosner ; foreword by James Schaller ; editors Julie Byers, Michael Huckleberry.
For anyone around Tamworth who has Lyme Disease or the 9 other tick-borne
diseases, there are Lyme Literate Medical Practitioners [LLMP] in the surrounding area. This information is on the ILADS website.

Category: Local Matters, News
Tags: > > >

Roads Scholar is for New Experiences

Posted on | April 15, 2012 | No Comments


As i get older, I’m interested in adventures with my husband and family that are a bit off the beaten track of group tours but are not entirely independent trips where we have to make all the plans ourselves. Letting someone else be cruise director sounds more and more appealing, and takes a good deal of the stress out of traveling. Perhaps some of you are interested in the same thing. So I have been doing a little research….
Road Scholar is the name for the programs developed and offered by Elderhostel, Inc., the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975. They’ve made connections with educators and other local “insiders” all around the world, creating learning opportunities that show you the world in a way that just can’t be done on your own or on a “tour”, and they offer 6,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries. Alongside local and renowned experts, you can experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more. We’ve had the Roads Scholar catalog coming to the library for years, and the other day, in an idle moment, I picked it up and began to peruse. It’s not a bargain; some of the trips, particularly to exotic places, are pretty pricey. but the emphasis is always on lifelong learning, so the tours are quite different from standard group tours. Their website states that Road Scholar programs all share the following attributes: exceptional opportunities for learning and exploration through special behind-the-scenes access to the world’s most fascinating treasures; the shared fellowship of learning and warm camaraderie; and comfortable accommodations and appetizing meals. Intergenerational adventures are encouraged.

Overseas Adventure Travel has been around almost as long (1978) and is a spinoff from Grand Circle Travel which my in-laws used for three extended winter stays in Spain back in the early nineties. I have a cousin in her 80s who travels alone (her husband died years ago) and swears by these Overseas Adventure Travel. To my mind, andon my limited funds, these trips seem a bit pricey, but I did notice that they offer “last minute deals” for substantial discounts.

Category: News
Tags: > >

Downton Abbey Craze

Posted on | April 5, 2012 | No Comments

It seems like everyone I know is watching Downton Abbey and eagerly awaiting the third season, which comes out next fall. We have the first two seasons and they are in hot demand. Watching them in early winter propelled me on a reading binge about early 20th century life in England when so much of the centuries-old feudal social system changed so radically. I bought “The World of Downton Abbey” by Jessica Fellowes which gives background information about the social period, the castle and the making of the film. That whetted my appetite for more, so I devoured “The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm by Juliet Nicolson. I got a free copy at the PLA conference of an audio CD of “Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle” about the real Carnarvon family, written by the 8th Countess of Carnarvon who is currently in residence at Highclere Castle. The real family is infinitely more interesting than the movie version. For instance, the Earl of Carnarvon discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun after 15 years of searching. The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is another great history of the time.
If you prefer to take your early 20th century English history in the form of fiction, try Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks or Regeneration by Pat Barker. If you’d like a mystery of the era, read the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, or No Graves as Yet by Anne Perry or An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
Other DVDs in the collection: Gosford Park, My boy Jack, Lawrence of Arabia or Upstairs Downstairs.

Category: News
Tags: > > > > >

Lianne Prentice is Artist of the Month for March and April

Posted on | March 20, 2012 | No Comments


Lianne Prentice lives in South Tamworth. She says of her work:

I have been painting with oils for about four years. This has been a very organic process of trial and error, of experimentation with a palette knife, texture and contrast. I have a small easel set up on my kitchen counter, and much of what I paint is inspired by what I see outside my windows: the Ossipee Mountains, muy chickens, our fields. I like that the palette knife lets me work quickly, and also that using oils slows me down. It’s a balancing act that both embraces and pushes against my nature. At this point in my life I am self-taught, though I am blessed to have many artists as friends who are generous with their support, and whse work is inspirational and motivating.

Category: News
Tags: > > >

DRAW ON! Two weeks of drawing-inspired activities in Tamworth

Posted on | March 14, 2012 | No Comments

Drawing
DRAW ON! Celebrate drawing with two weeks of drawing-inspired activities in Tamworth from March 24 through April 7. The Arts Council of Tamworth, in collaboration with the Cook Memorial Library, the Chocorua Public Library, The Other Store, The Remick Museum, the Tamworth Lyceum, and the Samuel Wentworth Library, invites you to celebrate drawing all around town from Saturday, March 24 through Saturday, April 7.
Draw On! is a community festival introduced by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT in 2006 to bring together people of all ages through the simple act of drawing. Innovative workshops and special events encourage participants to express themselves in new and imaginative ways. Last year Draw On! welcomed more than 11,500 people from all over the Northeast. They attended drawing-related events in local libraries, schools, museums, senior centers, art guilds, local businesses, nature centers, historical societies, and recreation centers. This year attendance is expected to reach 13,000, with participating organizations to date in over 8 states.

Ongoing drawing opportunities for all ages will be available in Tamworth during the two weeks of Draw On! Visit the Cook Library to draw Art Cards for trading (thanks to Louise Wrobleski for instructions and inspiration), the Chocorua Library to draw images from books, The Other Store to draw, doodle and design at the tables, and the Tamworth Lyceum to add to the giant communal wall drawing. Drawing materials will be available at all locations, or bring your own!
Area residents will also have a number of opportunities to work with teachers on various drawing techniques. On Saturday, March 24, from 11 AM to 3 PM, during the Remick Museum’s Maple Sugaring Day*, artist and museum educator Kathy Johnson will lead a group drawing of the Remick Farm and maple sugaring events. (*The fee for Maple Sugaring Day is $5 for non-members, with $2 off if you bundle a meal with admission.) On Tuesday, March 27, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM at the Cook Library, create individual and group drawings with artist Chris Clyne. On Saturday, March 31 from 3 to 5 PM the Tamworth Lyceum will host a class with artist Jamie Oakes on the traditional drawing technique Chiaroscuro (which means ‘light-dark’ in Italian). Famed artist such as Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio used this technique to create rich field of depth between the background and foreground. RSVP to jamie@tamworthgarden.com so that we will have sufficient supplies on hand. On Wednesday, April 4, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, artist Jay Rancourt will lead a paste paper drawing and collage greeting card workshop for all ages. And in Sandwich, on Friday, March 30, drawing materials will be available to patrons of the Wentworth Library all day. All events other than Maple Sugaring Day are free; donations to the libraries are always welcome.

For more information, please visit artstamworth.org, call 603-323-8104, or visit the Draw On! website. where you can scribble all over the webpage in many colors of “ink”. If you’re not able to attend an event, you can also send a drawing in digital form for us to post on the local arts website, Art Connects Us.
Draw On! is sponsored, in part, by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT. Please visit the website (drawon.org) for a complete list of sponsors.
Big Draw Workshop 2 @ Ginger Moo Gallery

Category: For Kids, News
Tags: > > >

Support your local library at Town Meeting

Posted on | March 7, 2012 | 3 Comments

Library patrons come in all sizes
Library patrons come in all sizes

Please click the Library Use Calculator to find out how much your library saves you, and let us know by commenting below.

Cook Memorial Library, situated at the center of Tamworth Village, is at the heart of the community. Many residents come in every day that the library is open – to meet with their friends, to read periodicals, to use a computer, to attend a program or a meeting, and to check out library materials.

With eight public access computers, and unsecured wireless access both inside during open hours, and outside (24/7/365 ) of the library, we welcome many daily computer users. We have several of our public access computers set up with Skype so that patrons, who have friends and relatives abroad for work, education, military service or travel, can communicate with their loved ones for free (and can both hear and see them on our library computers.) We lend MP3 players for downloading music and audios, 2 nooks and a kindle for reading ebooks, a DVD player for travel, a telescope, three Kill-o-Watt meters (for testing household energy consumption), and an LCD Projector (for local community organizations.) We even lend Netflix DVDs to patrons. We try hard to help patrons of all ages with their technology needs and questions. We try to be a library that does not say “no” or “I can’t help you with that.” Jenn is providing help with technology issues for free on “Tech Tuesdays” from 4-3 pm.

And we also have books. Lots of ‘em!

The following testimonial is from a teen patron, copied off the back of a usage survey form, “This library totally rocks. I feel as though we are so lucky to have a library/librarians that so totally encourage and enhance community education and well-being.”

Category: News, Services
Tags: > >

Tee Party T-shirt Redesign Workshop with Megan Nicolay

Posted on | March 7, 2012 | 1 Comment


Arts Council of Tamworth invites you to join Megan Nicolay, Sandwich native, eco-fashionista and author of the bestselling books, Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt and Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt, for a crafty Tee Party on Thursday, March 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Cook Memorial Library in Tamworth. Megan will demonstrate clothing redesign techniques and projects from her newest book, and she invites you to bring an old T-shirt or two from the back of your closet to join in the fun — scissors will be provided. Learn dozens of ways to breathe new life into that wardrobe essential: the classic T-shirt. This workshop is free. ACT welcomes donations in support of these kinds of events.
Megan will be ACT’s artist-in-residence at the K. A. Brett School from March 6 through 9. Homeschoolers in 6th through 8th grade are invited to participate; call the school at 603-323-7271 for the schedule. In preparation for the residency, ACT wants to give you the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning—of your T-shirt drawer! They are seeking T-shirts of all sizes and colors, in nearly any state of repair. T-shirts can be dropped off at the Brett School, or contact ACT at act@artstamworth.org or 603-323-8104 to make other arrangements. They are also looking for clean drop cloths to protect surfaces from nontoxic fabric paint.

Category: For Kids, News
Tags: > > >
keep looking »