Berne Library Notes for Wednesday, February 17, 2021
“So, Fox, how did you get involved with Boy Scouts?”
“I saw a flyer on the bulletin board at school about joining a Cub Scout group and I thought it looked cool.”
Fox Rifenberg-Stempel asked his parents if he could check it out and they were all for it. That was nine years ago. Fox completed his Eagle Scout project in 2019 with a park improvement venture and is currently Junior Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 1701 in Latham.
Now in his senior year in high school, Fox is working on forming a new Scout group that has historical vibes; it will be Troop 1789, once it is official. He chose the number 1789 because it was the year Troy, New York was founded. Scouting has been a positive force in Fox’s life.
I asked Fox, “What other activities are you involved in? What kind of books do you like to read?”
“I like reading biographies and history. I’ve been playing the trombone for nine years and I’m in the school marching band. I’m in student government, business club, and I’m senior class treasurer. I also like to prank my sister once in a while. Like when I entered her in the Albany Tulip Queen Contest last year without her knowing it. And she won!”
While Fox didn’t grow up in the Helderbergs, he has family here virtue of his father, Avery Stempel. Trips to the Hill to visit Grandma and Grandpa Stempel as well as his Stempel great-grandparents included lots of outdoor activities: camping at Thompson’s Lake Campground, hiking in Thacher Park, visiting the Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center, bike rides, and zombie walks.
On occasion, there was the hill climb on what Great-Grandma Sheila called “Her Majesty’s Mountain.” Fox is an avid camper and organizes several camping excursions each year with his Grandma Stempel.
Fox shares “The Rewards of Scouting” at the TEDx-BernePublicLibrary — “Life on the Hill” on Feb. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Call 518-872-1246 or email director@bernepubliclibrary.org to express your interest in signing up for viewing this first-ever live virtual event on Feb. 27.
Reading party
After you enjoy the TEDx experience, maybe you’d enjoy jumping into a less virtual encounter of the bookish kind. Like signing up for the “Midway to Spring Reading Party.” Call in your registration at 518-872-1246 or drop by curbside and fill in the guest sign-in sheet.
With the Reading Party Missions checklist in hand, get ready to flex your reading muscles. Do a little reading; watch a movie or two; draw, color and explore celebrations around the world. It’s a party and you’re invited.
Photo contest
When you want to take a reading break, hop on the library’s website to vote in the Friends Photography Exhibit contest. Click the GO VOTE sign to view the virtual exhibit entries and choose your favorites. After you vote, order up a few more books to explore and settle in for a cozy weekend.