Chinese Culture

Presented by the Middletown Branch of the Minghui School

February 21, 2020, 2:30 - 5:30 pm

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Participants will learn...

• how to make and eat Chinese Dumplings
• the art of Chinese paper cutting
• how to make Chinese lanterns

This event is FREE!

Registration required.

To register, please contact Theresa Zacek at 341-5483 or tzacek@rcls.org.

About the Presenters: "The Minghui School is a non-profit bilingual Chinese School, providing a healthy and lovely learning environment for children to learn the Chinese language, traditional culture, etiquette and traditional arts. It aims to enhance character and to enlighten wisdom and talents."

Local Author Kathy Morley

Thursday, April 9, 2020, 6:30 - 7:30 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall

Meet Kathy Morley, who recently published her book, The Gift: Finding the Extraordinary in Everyday Living. Kathy Morley is a certified hypnotist, Reiki Master, EFT practitioner, Silva Graduate, channel, and teaches metaphysics and meditation.

"A masterful storyteller, Kathy whisks readers into another dimension through her own experiences with psychic phenomena, hypnosis, UFOs, and channeling.

As the plot unfolds, the reader may draw parallels in their lives previously missed or attributed to coincidences, when, in truth, the cosmos was the guiding light.

The Gift chronicles a fascinating journey that highlights the capability of the higher self, transcending time and space, keeping the reader spellbound and eager to read more.

Kathy will read from her book, answer questions, and pick a few volunteers interested in experiencing the gift of unseen energy."

Copies of Kathy's book will be available for purchase + signing.

This event is free and open to the public.

Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at tzacek@rcls.org or 341-5483.

Kickbox

Balance & Sculpt

with Teri Egan, AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor

*Starting Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, 6 - 7 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall

Get fit @ Thrall with our new fitness class!

This free class incorporates kickboxing moves, balance, and body sculpting.

Be prepared to work each and every muscle in your body while improving balance and flexibility. The instructor suggests bringing light weights, a yoga mat, and water to class.

Registration is encouraged but not required.

* Additional dates (6 - 7 PM):

• Tuesday, February 11, 2020
• Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at 341-5483 or tzacek@rcls.org.

About the Instructor: "I teach various Fitness modalities including Cardio & Strength, Tabatta, Body Sculpting, Pilates, Kickboxing, Indoor Cycling, and Senior Fitness. I am a Fitness Instructor at the YMCA in Middletown and also teach privately within the community."

Tabata 2020

with Teri Egan, AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor

*Starting January 7, 2020, 6 - 7 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

Did you make a New Years resolution to get fit? Kickstart those goals here at Thrall with Tabata!

Tabata is "high-intensity interval training" consisting of 20 seconds of exercise and 10 seconds of rest per cycle.

There are 8 cycles within each round of Tabata.

Each round alternates between cardio, strength and sculpting exercises utilizing one's own body weight and/or incorporating exercise equipment.

All exercises can be modified to YOUR fitness level!

The instructor encourages participants to bring their own dumbbells and exercise mat.

*Other class dates (6 - 7 PM):

• Tuesday, January 14, 2020
• Tuesday, January 28, 2020

This class is free and open to the public!

Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at tzacek@rcls.org or 341-5483.

About the Presenter: "I teach various Fitness modalities including Cardio & Strength, Tabata, Body Sculpting, Pilates, Kickboxing, Indoor Cycling, and Senior Fitness. I am a Fitness Instructor at the YMCA in Middletown and also teach privately within the community."

Middletown Thrall Library joins with

New York Blood Center

to conduct an

Emergency Blood Drive

on January 21, 2020, 12 - 6 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall

Donors will be entered in a raffle to win a trip for two to Cancun!

Donor Requirements...

• Please bring your Donor Card or ID with photo or signature.
• For ages 16 - 75.
• 16 years old: NYBC parental consent required.
• 76+ years old: Doctor's note required.
• Minimum weight 110 lbs.
• Eat well and drink fluids before donating!
• No new tattoos for the past 12 months.

For questions regarding medical eligibility, please call 1-800-688-0900 or 1-800-933-2566.

Remarkable Reads: Jan. 2020

Our Popular & Entertaining Monthly Book Discussion

January 28, 2020, 3 PM

in our 2nd floor Community Room at Thrall

At our next talk, we will discuss The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg:

About the book (from the publisher's description): "In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. Along the way we learn why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. We visit laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. We discover how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. We go inside Procter & Gamble, Target superstores, Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, NFL locker rooms, and the nation's largest hospitals and see how implementing so-called keystone habits can earn billions and mean the difference between failure and success, life and death."

Copies of this book are available for borrowing or reservation at the library.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Questions? Please call (845) 341-5485.

Books on Tap Book Discussion

Our Traveling Book Discussion for Adults

January 26, 2020, 1 - 3 PM

We're meeting @ J's Place 39 West Main St., Middletown, NY

We took a break for the holidays but we're ready to get underway in 2020! This month's book is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

About the book: "Ghana, eighteenth century: two half-sisters are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and sold into slavery. Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. Yaa Gyasi's extraordinary novel illuminates slavery's troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed - and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation."

Registration not required, but encouraged! Copies of this book (regular, Large Print, audio) are available for check out at Circulation.
Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at 341-5483 or tzacek@rcls.org.
For more about J's Place: www.jsplaceny.com.

Birds & Wildlife

of Tanzania & Kenya

A Presentation by Lee Hunter

March 17, 2020, 6 - 7 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Thrall

Lee Hunter, an avid birder, photographer, and traveler will share beautiful photos and stories from his visit to Tanzania and Kenya, which he found to be "one of the best wildlife spots on Earth" with "fabulous bird and animals out in plain view."

Weaver birds, hornbills, ostriches, elephants, giraffes, lions, and more amazing creatures will be featured!

This event is free and open to the public!
Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at 341-5483 or tzacek@rcls.org.

This event was made possible by Orange County Audubon Society (OCAS). OCAS is a bird and wildlife conservation organization, stewarding five bird and wildlife sanctuaries in Orange County, NY. They also curate monthly programs/presentations throughout the county and several birding field trips each season.

The Homegrown String Band

Sunday, January 12, 2020, 2- 3:30 PM

in the 2nd Floor Community Room at Middletown Thrall Library

The Homegrown String Band will take you on a musical journey, from ancient ballads of the British Isles to blues and bluegrass of the twentieth century with a unique repertoire of original and traditional music inspired by the classic sounds of rural America.

This dynamic trio - husband, wife, and daughter - draws from an eclectic palette of instruments including guitar, banjo, dulcimer, mandolin, banjo ukulele, baritone ukulele, harmonica, jaw harp, and doumbek to add their own musical DNA to an American tradition!

This concert is free and open to the public!

Questions? Please contact Theresa Zacek at 341-5483 or tzacek@rcls.org.

Learn more about The Homegrown String Band at homegrownstringband.com.