view event flyer → Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next

Remarkable Reads Book Discussion

Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 3 PM

in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall

Hosted by Matt Pfisterer

About the Book

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah:

• FICTION. From the publisher's description: "Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman's only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa's tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa-like so many of her neighbors-must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family. The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it-the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation "

Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.

About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.

Masks recommended but not required.

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UPDATE: Black History Month Film Festival

Thrall Library, Community Room, 2 pm to 4 pm

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were not able to show all of the films we had planned for the Black History Month Film Festival.

As a result, we have decided to extend our film festival into March, so we can complete our planned schedule.

Thank you for understanding.

• March 14, 2023: Selma
• March 21, 2023: The Green Book

All movies are free and open to the public.

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Fabric Collage

Thursdays in March 2023, 11:30 AM - 1 PM

in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Join us each Thursday, in March, 2023, from 11:30 to 1:30 in the Community Room, as we continue our exploration into en-THRALLing crafts. This month we will explore the art of FABRIC COLLAGE.

We will use fabric to create works of art and then learn basic embroidery stitches to enhance our collage. So, bring a picture of your choosing that you can use as a guide to create your collage. We have some fabric, but feel free to bring your own fat quarters or even old clothing that you may want to use for your collage.

view event flyer → The Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc. Present

Repair Café 2023

Clothes, furniture, electrical / mechanical, toys, sharpening, etc.

Event dates:

10 AM to 1 PM in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library on:

• March 18, 2023
• June 17, 2023
• September 16 2023
• December 16, 2023

What do you do with

• A lamp that no longer lights?
• A vacuum that can't suck it up?
• A scissors that can't cut it?

Toss it away? No way!

Repair Café is

• repairing broken items together
• professional advice
• encounters and inspiration

Costs? A voluntary contribution.

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Brooklyn Baroque

April 16, 2023, 2 PM

in the 2nd floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Brooklyn Baroque returns by popular demand!

David Bakamjian and Rebecca Pechefsky will be joined by flutist Melanie Williams and violinist Theresa Salomon for a most memorable music performance of Baroque masterpieces.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Meet Frederick Douglass

Abolitionist / Author / Activist

A live performance by G. Oliver King

Rescheduled:
March 18, 2023, 2 PM

in 2nd floor Community Room

This event is free and open to the public.

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A Game of Chess

Saturdays at 1 PM with Wesley Crick

PLAY, LEARN, and ENJOY!

We will meet near our first floor Adult Reference Department and then find a quiet place to play within the library.

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ESL

A partir del 6 de Febrero, la biblioteca de Thrall ofrecerá classes de ESL, lunes de 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. en la sala comunitaria del Segundo piso. Solo para adultos (18 años y mayors). Para obtener más información, llame la sección de referencia para adultos en la biblioteca Thrall (845) 341 5461.

view event flyer → en-THRALL-ed in Crafts introduces:

The Stitch Inn

Every Friday, 2 to 4 PM

in our 2nd floor Community Room


Whatever your stitching passion, all stitchers are welcomed.

Bring your hooks and needles and learn how to crochet or knit. Or, just come and sit and stitch.

If you have a sewing machine you cannot operate, bring it in to the Stitch Inn and learn.

"All Abilities" Zumba Classes

January 17, 2023 - March 7, 2023,
Tuesdays, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

in our 2nd floor Community Room

FREE.

Come dance, sweat, meet people in your community, and have fun!

"Zumba Gold" Classes

Starting January 19, 2023 - March 2, 2023,
Thursdays, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

in our 2nd floor Community Room

Every level. FREE.

Come dance, have fun, and meet people in your community!

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Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil Rights Leader / Minister

A live performance by G. Oliver King

February 18, 2023, 2 PM

in 2nd floor Community Room

This event is free and open to the public.

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Historic Hillside Cemetery

March 1, 2023, 3 PM

in the 2nd floor Community Room

Dr. Isseks and Andy Mills will present through PowerPoint the creation and design of this cemetery which was created by renown landscape artists Downing, Vaux, and Olmstead.

Various notable persons buried in Hillside will be discussed as well, including a Civil War General, a Civil War Hero and medal of honor recipient. Various, politicians, philanthropists, artists, and writers will also be discussed.

About the Presenters: Dr. Isseks has been an English, Journalism and Media teacher at Middletown High School for 40 years. He earned his PH.D. in media Journalism. Andy Mills has a Masters Degree in Psychology and an RN and have been working at a Middletown Community mental health center as a therapist and nurse for 40 yrs. They are both on the Board of Historic Hillside Cemetery and spend every Wednesday hiking, biking, kayaking, snowshoeing, or cross country skiing the Mid-Hudson area. They both live with their wives in Middletown and have been living here most of their lives.

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Hoop Quilting

February 2, 9, 16, 23, 2023
11 am to 1 pm

Call: 845-341-5461 to register.

Have you been curious about learning how to quilt, but the idea of making an entire quilt seemed too overwhelming? Well join us as we learn basics of quilt construction in a manageable size.

We will learn English paper piecing technique of quilt construction, which does not require a sewing machine.

view event flyer → Middletown Thrall Library invites you to our next

Remarkable Reads Book Discussion

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 at 3 PM

in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall

Hosted by Matt Pfisterer

About the Book

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour:

• FICTION. From the publisher’s description: "An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother's home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC's hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor. After enduring a 'hell week' of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as "Buck," a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he's hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America's sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game. Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America's workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.."

Available copies of this book can be borrowed from or reserved at Middletown Thrall Library.

About the Presenter: Matt Pfisterer is the Director of Thrall Library. Matt earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is the moderator of the Remarkable Reads book discussion group at Thrall Library, and he has moderated numerous book discussions covering both fiction and nonfiction titles from popular authors.

Masks recommended but not required.

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African Dance & Drumming
A Live Performance + Workshop

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 10:30-11:30 AM (event)
12-1 PM (drumming workshop)

in our 2nd floor Community Room

Please join us for African dancing and drumming activities and a jembe drumming workshop in celebration of Black History Month!

Chiku Awali African Dance, Arts, and Culture will perform African dancing to live drumming!

Enjoy audience participation and an optional jembe drumming workshop for up to ten participants!

Black History Month Film Festival

Each Tuesday in the Month of February, we will show a movie about a famous Black American in the 2nd floor Community Room from 2 to 4 PM on these dates:

• February 7, 2023: Tubman
• February 14, 2023: 42
• February 28, 2023: The Green Book

Also in February:

• On February 21, 2023, we will present a Remarkable Reads book discussion on Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour.

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en-THRALL-ed in Crafts Open House

January 14, 2023

12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of fun exploring crafts which will be offered this coming year at Thrall. You will have an opportunity to see samples of crafts we have done, and what adventure lies ahead. There will be demonstrations throughout the afternoon. Join us in the community room as we continue our en-THRALL-ing exploration into crafts in 2023. You will have an opportunity to sign up early for classes.

To register, please call: 845-341-5461

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en-THRALL-ing craft

January's en-THRALL-ing craft is punch needle embroidery.

WHEN: Thursdays beginning January 12, 2023 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Community Room, Second Floor

To register, please call: 845-341-5461

2023 Open Knit & Crochet Sessions

January 9th, January 23rd,
February 6th, & February 27th

Time: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Where: Second Floor, Community Room

Participants will be able to work on their own projects, have fun and make new friends.

Please Note: This is not a learn how to knit or crochet class.

Registration is required

Questions? Please call 1-845-341-5470 or visit our Children's Department.