Altamont Library Notes for Thursday, November 29, 2018

One of the wonderful things we get to do at the Altamont Free Library from time to time is to show off the homegrown talent we have here in Altamont. For the next few weeks, we’ll have the pleasure of hosting a special exhibit of one of our many talented friends, Altamont-based artist Nancy Murphy.

“Whimsical: Watercolors by Nancy Murphy,” a collection of nine paintings by Nancy, will be on display in our community room through the end of the year. Come take a look! Thanks for brightening up the library, Nancy!

Library Lights

Feel that nip in the air? That’s a pretty good sign that the holidays are creeping up on us. We’re less than one month away from the Altamont Victorian Holiday Celebration, so it’s time to start thinking about lighting up the Orsini Park Gazebo.

This holiday season, honor the memory of a friend, loved one, or pet with a light on the Altamont Village Gazebo in Orsini Park. The lights cost $3 each and all proceeds benefit the Altamont Free Library.

The honorees names will be read during the annual lighting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., and be published on the library’s website. Forms are available at the library’s circulation desk and in next week’s edition of The Altamont Enterprise. Please join us on at the gazebo on Dec. 7 for what is always a lovely and moving ceremony.

Gingerbread houses

It's almost time for one of our favorite annual traditions: Making gingerbread houses!

Please bring your young folks and join us at the Altamont Masonic Lodge on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m. to make your very own gingerbread house to display at the Victorian Holiday Celebration and Winter Market the next day.

Sign up at the library, or by calling us at 518-861-7239. We’ve got only 25 houses, so sign up today!

Quilt raffle

Speaking of the Victorian Holiday Celebration, it’s coming up on Sunday, Dec. 9, so you have until then to purchase tickets for our quilt raffle. The library is still selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a beautiful 65-by-65-inch hand stitched quilt lovingly crafted by Linda Chaffee of Altamont’s own Train Station Quilters.

Proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets will benefit Altamont Free Library. This phenomenal bit of handiwork could be yours for just a dollar for a ticket (six tickets for $5), so you have little to lose, and warm night of sleep beneath a work of art to gain.

Victorian Holiday Celebration

Whether or not you enter the raffle, we hope that you’ll be in Altamont on Sunday, Dec. 9, for the annual Victorian Holiday Celebration, taking place all over the village. And while you’re in Altamont for the Victorian Holiday Celebration, don’t forget to stop by the library.

We’ll be open from noon until 5 p.m. and we’ll be hosting storyteller Nancy Payne whose books would make phenomenal presents. We’ll also have drop-in ornament-making for kiddos.

And don’t forget to be here at 5 p.m. for a very special train arrival with a very special passenger! (I don’t think anyone told Santa that the library isn’t a train station anymore! Let’s keep that a village secret, shall we?)

Amazon Smile

Here’s a great, easy, cost-free way to support the library: If you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon, please consider going to Smile.Amazon.com (instead of just regular old Amazon.com).

Everything on the website will be exactly the same as usual, but you’ll have the opportunity to choose Altamont Free Library as your charity of choice and a portion of your purchase will go to support the Altamont Free Library, even though your gifts won’t cost you a penny more than they normally would! (You can do that all year round, if you like, but we just thought we’d mention it now.)

Expedition extended

Maybe you’ve heard about the Upper Hudson Library Library Expedition. Maybe you’ve even started it yourself. Maybe you’ve visited a few libraries but then run out of time or run out of steam. Or maybe you’ve meant to get started but never quite got off the ground.

I’ve got great news for you! Due to the continued interest we’ve seen in the expedition, and the great feedback we’ve gotten about it, we’ve decided to extend the challenge until the end of the year. Now you’ll have a whole extra month to get to all 36 libraries in Albany and Rensselaer counties.

Each library is unique, as are the communities they serve. Some lend out drones and have high-tech maker spaces. Some have life-sized mastodons, or paintings by Grandma Moses. Some even are former train stations!

Don’t pass up this opportunity to visit them all. Stop into your local  library for more information and to grab a passport!