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Library Hours
Monday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Holiday Closings:
Closed Saturday, Dec. 24
Closed Monday, Dec. 26
Open regular hours (10-5) Saturday, Dec. 31
Closed Monday, Jan. 2
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Christmas in Edgartown:
Your Library Joins in
Community's Celebration
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| Village scene on display at the library through December. |
The Edgartown Board of Trade is sponsoring its 25th annual Christmas in Edgartown celebration this month, with a full calendar of events playing out across town from Dec. 8 to 11. And the Edgartown Public Library is very much a part of the fun.
The library's holiday open house is set for Saturday, Dec. 10, and we hope you'll drop in to enjoy refreshments, fellowship and craft activities for all ages.
Decorations for the holiday season have already begun here at the library, with our traditional elaborate Christmas village scene -- a favorite with kids -- set out near the main circulation desk.
We've got lots of great holiday reading here at the library, as well as seasonal music and movies for your family to enjoy. And as you can see from the listings below, the Edgartown Library's December calendar is full of festivity, right through to our party for kids on Dec. 31.
We're grateful to all our patrons as this amazing year of new beginnings winds down for the library -- and especially to the Friends of the Edgartown Library, who make so many of our programs possible. We do hope you will read their
annual appeal letter and consider them in your end-of-year giving.
Wishing you all the very best this holiday season --
Lisa Sherman,
Director
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Here's a Holiday Treat: The Nutcracker,
Not Once but Twice, on the Big Screen
Twice this month, the library is screening Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet, The Nutcracker, as choreographed by the great George Balanchine and performed by the New York City Ballet.
Our film presentations are at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and again at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23. All are welcome to these free events.
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Tough Broads, Big Lugs:
Noir and Neo-Noir Film Series
Continues Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
At 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, the library has been presenting a film series that explores the cinematic world of noir and neo-noir. The series title is Tough Broads, Big Lugs -- and these programs are for adults. Here's the December lineup:
Wednesday, Dec. 7:
The Grifters
 A darkly cynical, cleverly written, and wonderfully cast neo-noir, based on Jim Thompson's novel and directed by Stephen Frears. Annette Bening, John Cusack and Angelica Huston star. (United States, 1990)
Wednesday, Dec. 14:
The American Friend
Noir, with a nod to Hitchcock: director Wim Wender's superb adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel stars Dennis Hopper as her amiably amoral hero, Ripley. (Germany, 1977)
Wednesday, Dec. 21:
The Big Sleep
Only the fiercest concentration will keep you on top of the head-spinning plot, but this almost surrealist refinement of the noir genre enjoys a remarkable longevity. And the chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is rightly legendary. Directed by Howard Hawks. (United States, 1946)
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Classic Movie Musicals:
Library Adds Tuesday Film Series,
Beginning Dec. 6 at at 5 p.m.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday evenings this December, the library will present a series of classic musical films on our big screen in the program room. Admission is free, of course. Here's the lineup:
Tuesday, Dec. 6:
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
 We're kicking off the series with Meet Me in St Louis, starring Judy Garland and directed by Vincente Minnelli. Judy's in love with the boy next door in this nostalgia and humor-filled tale of life with the Smith family in 1903 St. Louis. Songs include The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Popcorn's on us!
Tuesday, Dec. 13:
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor star in one of the greatest and most successful musicals ever filmed -- filled with memorable songs, lavish routines and wonderful dancing. Set in Hollywood during the transition from silent film to "talkies," Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen co-directed.
Tuesday, Dec. 20:
Guys and Dolls (1955)
Based on Damon Runyon's short stories about the shady denizens of New York's Time Square, Guys and Dolls stars Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine. The great songs are by Frank Loesser.
And yes -- Brando does sing and dance. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs.
Tuesday, Dec. 27:
The Music Man (1963)
Con man Harold Hill (Robert Preston) arrives in staid River City intending to cheat the community with his standard scam to equip and train a boy's marching band, then skip town with the money. Things go awry when he falls for the local librarian (Shirley Jones) ... and there's trouble in River City! Morton DaCosta directs.
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Two for Christmas: Actors Read
Classic Seasonal Stories
at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9
Actors Bill Segalis and Susan Nest will present a free program entitled "Two for Christmas" at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Library. Their program is a dramatic reading of two favorite Christmas stories: "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas and "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote. This presentation is free, and all are welcome.
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Opera Club Presents Puccini's Classic
La Boheme at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17
Puccini's passionate, timeless, and indelible story of love among young artists in 1890s Paris is our feature Opera Club presentation for this month. Angela Gheorghiu sings Mimi to Ramon Vargas' Rodolfo. Filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera in 2008, with Franco Zeffirelli's sumptuous production and Nicola Luisotti's expressive conducting. Show time for this screening is 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17.
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Library Book Club Meets
Wednesday, Dec. 21,
at 4 p.m.
The Edgartown Library book group, facilitated by author Jean Stone, will gather at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21, to discuss
Skipping Christmas
by John Grisham.
We have copies of these books if you'd like to pick one up here. The group is open to all.
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Kids, Celebrate the New Year
at the Library With a Movie Party from 1-3 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 31
Here at the Library, we'll supply the treats, silly hats and noisemakers -- and we'll screen a favorite film, The Lion King, on the last Saturday afternoon of the year. The fun plays out from 1 to 3 p.m., and please: Children under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
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Latkes & Applesauce: a treat for Tuesday, Dec. 27.
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After School: Activities
For Kids -- Every Weekday
All this holiday month, we're planning cool activities in the Children's Room every day from 3 to 5 p.m., with Ms. Strauss. Come join the fun!
Activities planned in the Children's Room include the creation of ornaments for the town tree during the first days of December. In the week of Dec. 5 through 10, we'll have wooden tree ornaments you can decorate and take home. Projects over the next two weeks will include paper-stamping for your holiday wrapping projects, as well as paperweight crafting (these make a great gift).
On Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 3 p.m., the Children's Room will host a Latkes & Applesauce party in honor of Hanukkah. Come hear a story and enjoy an authentic treat!
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Books for Island Kids --
A New Initiative from the Library
 File this under "Holiday Spirit:" Our library's own Elyce Bonnell single-handedly dreamed up and organized a massive children's book drive this year.
More than 300 gift bags containing new and gently used donations will be distributed to Island kids in need during the holiday season. Many volunteers, including members of the Friends organization, have stopped by over the past few weeks to help with this effort. We're so proud of Elyce for sharing the gift of reading with so many.
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Homesteading Event Is Postponed
Backyard homesteading, mini-farming, weekend homesteading -- whatever you like to call it, many of us on the Island aim to live a more sustainable life. We're working on plans for a program around this topic, but the original December date announced last month has been scratched.
Watch this newsletter for announcements as our plans come into focus.
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Please Support the Library Friends,
Who Support Us
All our programs at the Edgartown Library are supported by the Friends of the Edgartown Library, who have
their own page on our website. The Friends have recently sent out their annual appeal letter, which you can read
here.
 The Friends are also continuing their drive to raise funds for the creation of a marine mural in our Children's Room by the celebrated Island artist Margot Datz. You can help make this dream a reality by
donating toward the mural, or you can visit the library and to purchase a signed copy of
Nighttide on a Vineyard Farm, written by Patty Schall and illustrated by Margot Datz. Copies are $20 each, and make the sweetest gift.
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