Altamont Library Notes for Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Altamont Free Library’s connection with barbecued chicken is unbreakable, nearly metaphysical – like Squanto’s to the first Thanksgiving.

So many purposes are met: it raises money, brings people together, provides a memorable meal, it’s a party, it celebrates the arrival of summer.

This year’s feast is taking place on Friday evening, June 14. There will be two servings, the first at 5 p.m., the second at 6 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance, at the library, are $9. Those who wait till the day of the event will pay $10. The meal includes a half chicken dinner with potato, roll, coleslaw, brownie and beverage. No quarter size orders this year.

So please come on in. Pick up your tics for chicks. Do it soon. A dollar is a terrible thing to waste.

South African visitor

Buyelwa Cecilia Xayiya is a South African. She will be in Altamont on Thursday, June 13, hoping to talk about her native land with interested listeners. Last week’s announcement urged readers to come with our “questions and vuvuzelas.” A vuvuzela is a long, horn with a squawky sort of sound. They are popular in South Africa. Come meet Ms. Xayiya at 7 p.m.

New art

The east wall of the library’s meeting room is intended to display the work of local visual artists. This month Altamont photographer, Connie Rue is featured. Rue’s photos focus on nearby sights and subjects. They are clear and precise: they don’t need “figuring out;” they are instantly pleasurable.

She has been a serious picture taker for two years, and photography is her first artistic passion. The discipline allows her to be alone, she explains, without being lonely; and she enjoys sharing her visions with others.

Got change for an eggplant

It’s a perfect Saturday morning event, a seedling exchange. Come to the library on Saturday, June 8, between 10 a.m. and noon. Bring your leftover seedlings and trade with another gardener for something new. It’s a new Altamont idea. We’re doing all we can to make it work.

Lava lamps

They’re a symbol of long ago – a simpler time. There was no texting back then. Come to the library on Wednesday, June 26, at 3 p.m., and make a beautiful lava lamp of your very own. Watch the shifting shapes rise and fall seemingly with thoughts and dreams all their own, blow your mind, kiss the sky.