Bethlehem Library Notes for Thursday, April 4, 2019
— Photo by Jody Squadere
The all-female Celtic trio Triskele brought down the house at the Bethlehem Public Library on Wednesday, March 27, with a two-hour performance featuring traditional, original, and some modern Irish music.
Wait out the April showers with us as we mark the return of our perennially popular Friday afternoon adult lecture series, Coffee and Conversation.
Coming up first on Friday, April 5, Delmar resident Jim Ketcham will embody Mark Twain’s acerbic wit as he takes on the author’s persona to describe “the whole damned human race.” Ketcham has been performing as Twain since 1979 in a number of venues across the country.
Ketcham notes that, although Twain died more than 100 years ago, his take on hypocrisy in politics and religion, race relations, militarism, lying, and more is still relevant. Following the performance, the audience will be given a chance to ask questions about Twain’s life and death, as well as his possible takes on current events.
The following Friday, April 12, Shannon Fromma, the Times Union’s “Shopportunist” columnist and deal-finder extraordinaire, will share tips for planning a budget-friendly summer vacation.
The series takes a break for a week and then returns with “Win, Place or Show” on April 26, where a representative from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will discuss the history of thoroughbred racing as the Kentucky Derby approaches.
Coffee and Conversation continues through May and June with even more great programs to be featured in the upcoming May/June Footnotes newsletter.
The Coffee and Conversation series is co-sponsored by Bethlehem Senior Projects Inc., and programs are free and open to everyone. They begin at 1 p.m. and last about 60 minutes with a coffee and social hour following.
Call 518-439-9314 or visit www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org for more information.
Learn about the places in “Pride and Prejudice”
Jane Austen fans may feel transported to another time and place when reading her books, but what do we really know about some of the places that influenced these classic novels? Come to the library to find out!
On Saturday, April 6, at 2 p.m., David M. Shepard, author of “The Annotated Pride and Prejudice,” will share pictures and anecdotes about some of the locations in Jane Austen’s novel and how they related to her own life. Places in “Pride and Prejudice” is presented by the Capital Region Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America.
Uncovering Albany’s history, street by street
On Sunday, April 7, we’ll be looking at the history of some places a little closer to home. Author Erik Schlimmer will present “Albany History Uncovered” from 2 to 4 p.m., where he will take the audience on a virtual tour of the history of Albany’s street names as described in his book “Cradle of the Union: Albany History Uncovered.” A Q&A and book signing will follow.
Open lines of communication
The bipartisan Better Angels Capital Region New York State Alliance will hold a skills workshop Monday, April 8, at 6 p.m. to give participants a communication toolkit to help them better navigate the polarized political discussions that are all too common today.
The series will continue in May. Visit www.better-angels.org for more information about the Better Angels Alliance.