We had a book tower dream, and EGPL Board member Joe Spirko made it happen. He even built the custom coffee table to anchor the installation. Come down to the library and check it out!

Join us Monday, April 1st at 6:30 pm!

The Ovation Guitar, built in New Hartford, Connecticut, played a significant role in the singer/songwriter explosion of the late 60's and throughout the 70's. The advancements in live sound systems led to ever-increasing concert sizes requiring an acoustic guitar that was yet to be produced. The Ovation Guitar Company stepped up to fill that void and propelled the singer/songwriter to the forefront of the music scene in that era.

In this presentation, Jim will not only explore the history of the Ovation guitar, but the role it played during this period. Through pictures, stories, and live music from artists such as Glen Campbell, Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel, Bread, John Denver, and more, you will see how these artists used the Ovation guitar to push their songs and careers to the top of the charts.

Tuesday, April 2nd at 2 pm

Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us.

American Table is a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat.

Johnson, curator and project director of the American Food History Project, will discuss several stories featured in the volume, with an emphasis on those that intersect most directly with the Smithsonian’s research, collecting, and programming around food history.



During this event, Johnson will engage viewers in discovering the connections between food and American history:

• How immigration and migration has shaped (and continues to shape) American tables,
• How food companies have influenced home cooks through advertising, from Jell-O salads to Crock-pots.
• How individuals from Brownie Wise to James Beard and Julia Child inspired generations of cooks and eaters across the United States.
• And show viewers how uniting in the kitchen can change the shape of our collective futures, specifically highlighting growers and chefs who are reclaiming and reinventing regional and cultural traditions, including Indigenous ingredients and cooking techniques.
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After this enlightening, enriching, and entertaining webinar, you can cook your way through the recipes that are featured in the volume that reflect American history and culture.  Hungry for more? Register now!

About the Author: Paula Johnson is a Curator in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and is responsible for strengthening and maintaining the food history and marine resources collections. She is also the Project Director for the Smithsonian's multi-faceted American Food History Project and director and co-curator for the exhibition, FOOD: Transforming the American Table, which opened in 2012; a refresh of the exhibition was completed in 2019. As one of the curators who collected Julia Child’s home kitchen in 2001, she was also on the team that developed the exhibition Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian, on view from 2002 to 2012. Over more than three decades at the Smithsonian, Johnson has collected a wide range of artifacts and archives reflecting the work and experiences of diverse Americans and communities.

Johnson has published books and articles on the Chesapeake Bay, maritime communities, and material culture, and has lectured widely on these and topics related to American food and wine history, field research, oral history recording, and community-based documentation. She is an inaugural member of the editorial collective for Gastronomica: The Journal for Food History and received the 2020 Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities Award. Johnson is working on a book about Julia Child’s home kitchen for publication in Fall 2024.

DID YOU KNOW!?!

Did you know you can access the archive of past virtual author talks to watch at your leisure? YOU CAN! Click the link below to find your next author talk!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo  BY: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

We remember

Darla the Therapy Dog

on her birthday

Darla (March 26, 2011 – June 14, 2023), a registered therapy dog and champion English Cocker Spaniel, and her handler/guardian Lynn Goldfarb of West Hartford brought the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.)®  program to EGPL in early 2019. They made 52 visits to the library over 4+ years. Darla adored the children and teens who read to her in the "Fetch! Me a Story" program as well as those she befriended during special library events. She loved greeting library patrons and staff members. Darla's volunteer career spanned over 9 years and included more than 380 visits to schools, libraries, colleges and universities, graduate schools, senior living communities, summer camps, funeral and memorial services, a grief support group, and individuals, as well as virtual visits during the pandemic. She specialized in working with youth with special needs, and her programs were always inclusive. Darla's favorite food was banana; please enjoy one to celebrate her birthday!

Note: Stickers and coloring pages featuring Darla have been available in the Children's Department for the last several months to anyone who'd like a keepsake. Please visit by the end of March if you'd like to bring some home. Lynn is available at any time to answer questions regarding therapy dogs or how to become a therapy dog handler; she may be reached through the EGPL Director.

Wednesday Afternoon at the Movies

We are asking patrons to reserve a space for our Wednesday Afternoon movies.

You can register online or call the library at 860-653-3002.!

Our friends at Farmington Valley Health District have a new tool available to residents. Visit fvhd.crediblemind.com to access hundreds of FREE, CONFIDENTIAL, and ANONYMOUS resources to help you evaluate and manage your mental health.