Bethlehem Library Notes for Wednesday, May 1, 2019
— Photo submitted
Happy trails: Bethlehem Public Library, in collaboration with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, held an Earth Day Exploration story time at the Rail Trail on Thursday, April 25.Kristen Roberts
Music writer Jesse Jarnow will explore the life and times of celebrated folk musician Pete Seeger in a multimedia presentation Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. titled “Pete Seeger Centennial: Wasn’t That a Time.” The talk will feature photos, recorded music, and live performances by banjoist Richie Stearns and folk fiddler Rosie Newton.
Seeger’s music laid the groundwork for the immense popularity of folk and folk-rock in the 1960s. He was a founding member of The Weavers, a musical quartet that included Fred Hellerman, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert, and whose socialist connections and anti-authoritarian ideologies got them professionally blacklisted at the height of their fame.
A longtime social activist, Seeger was a strong voice for the environment and civil rights and an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.
Jarnow is the author of “Wasn’t That a Time: The Weavers, the Blacklist, and the Battle for the American Soul.” He is also a disc jockey on the New York City radio station WFMU, and his writing has also appeared in the pages of music journals such as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Relix, Wired, and DownBeat as well as The New York Times.
This program is an Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center’s “New York Living Legacy” project, which celebrates the work of legendary New York State performing artists and events through performances and community outreach activities. A centennial musical tribute to Pete Seeger will take place on May 23 at The Egg Performing Arts Center at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
Trustees candidate forum
On Thursday, May 2, at 6 p.m., the library will be hosting a Meet the Candidates night, where those running for the Bethlehem Public Library Board of Trustees have a chance to share a little more about themselves and why they chose to run for a seat on the board.
The forum will be taped and available to watch on our website (www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org), as well as broadcast on the public access channel BCN-TV.
Running for the one open board seat this year, in ballot order, are Michelle L. Walsh, Brian Nussbaum, Marc Gronich, Regina Bryde-Kalet and Alan Okun. A booklet featuring profiles of the candidates is available at the library, and the information is also available online.
The chief responsibilities of the board of trustees is to see that the best possible library service is provided to the community, to assure adequate financing and proper money management, to act as library advocates, and to review policy on a regular basis and develop new policy as need arises. Library board seats have a term of five years.
2019-20 library budget information
The library has a proposed budget of $4.3 million for the 2019-20 fiscal year. A detailed budget chart is available online at www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org. The library board will provide an overview at the Monday, May 13, meeting at 6 p.m. Voting takes place Tuesday, May 21, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Bethlehem Central High School.