Paul Szmal: Let's talk about something a little bit brighter. There's a ton of activities as always happening at the Geneva Public Library and here to break some of those down is Frank Sykes. Good morning Frank, how are you sir?
Guest: Good morning, I'm good, how are you?
Paul Szmal: Good because I'm inside like you are, nice and dry.
Guest: Yeah, I was gonna say nasty, it looks nasty.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, there are several descriptive words, some of which I can't even use on the radio that I'm sure people would say referring to the turn in the weather, but let's look on the bright side. We've got some fun activities coming up at the Geneva Public Library including the Ronald Press Memorial Collection. What's that all about?
Guest: Yeah, so Ron Press is a longtime volunteer here at the Geneva Public Library and sadly he passed away recently and shout out to the White Springs Book Group here in Geneva who wanted to support a collection in his honor and so we have a dedicated shelf that has books that you could check out on some of Ron's interests which were wood carving, fishing, wildlife, outdoor skills, but then we also have with that collection fishing poles. So people can come and check out a fishing pole and take it down to the lake and use it and then bring it back and they borrow it just like a book.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, I was gonna say checking out a fishing pole just like a book, that's a neat idea.
Guest: It is, yep, so partnership there with the New York State DEC for the poles and but really this is a testament to like I said the White Springs Book Group for honoring Ron and all he's done here you know at the library over the years. We truly miss him.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, just one tip, if you land a big one don't let go of the pole.
Guest: Right, don't do that.
Paul Szmal: The third annual seed exchange is also coming up. I know this is one of the popular programs that the library does here.
Guest: It is, it's well attended so this is Tuesday May 12th at 5 30 and again it will have a patron man from fruition seeds come and talk about different types of seeds and growing seeds. There'll also be a seed exchange they'll be able to take some homes some seeds home but you'll also be able to take little little plants home, little starter plants that they'll have there as well. So you'll be able to learn a lot about growing your own garden and be able to take some things home with you.
Paul Szmal: I'm intrigued by one of the other events that's on the list here which is called the Vietnam Mailbag. Voices from the war from 1968 through 1972. A pretty detailed historical perspective on presentation here.
Guest: It is, so author and former journalist Nancy Lynch compiled a book drawn from over a thousand letters and photos from the military throughout the Vietnam era and has this amazing book and she'll be here at the library on Wednesday May 20th at 5 p.m. to talk about that book and I've met her before and it's really moving so I highly recommend attending this event and obviously this event is free. Everything we mentioned here today is free here at the library.
Paul Szmal: We're talking with Frank Sykes from the Geneva Public Library about some of the events they have coming up. I want to touch base on a couple of recurring events that happen on a regular basis. One is the musical moment series. What's on tap for this month?
Guest: Yep, so May 15th at 7 30 we welcome back flutist Paul Slifler and pianist Joe Pepper. They've been great. They've performed quite a few times here at the library and this concert will include works by Mozart, Brahms and some others so looking forward to that one.
Paul Szmal: Yeah that's the sort of live performance that you're not going to get anywhere else except the library.
Guest: The sci-fi movie night I know is a pretty popular one as well and man you're showing a classic coming up at the end of the month on a Friday.
Paul Szmal: Yes, Friday May 29th at 5 30 we'll be showing Journey to the Center of the Earth and the original one so that'll be great. You know it's the original movie based on the original classic by Jules Verne and then there'll be some discussion so that'll be really exciting. We have a giant screen downstairs here in our community room.
Guest: Yeah it's a chance for you to check out a sci-fi movie and you know it's very much of its era. It's pre-cgi, it's pre-you know it's pre-ai. It gives you a completely different idea of how these types of books were interpreted because that comes from you know one of the golden eras if you will not only of film but also science fiction film to be specific.
Paul Szmal: Yeah yeah obviously Jules Verne has a lot of classic works in the sci-fi era so yeah May 29th at 5 30.
Guest: Now let's talk about a few of the other recurring classes and activities that happen including the Let's Learn Spanish Together language classes.
Paul Szmal: Yeah so this is a family focused group where you can come and learn some conversational Spanish and that's on Wednesdays at 5 30. The next one we have coming up is tonight at May 6 and then the next one is the 20th. So you discover the basics of Spanish in a fun and engaging class.
Guest: Yeah and again that's open to anybody all ages.
Paul Szmal: Yeah and the neat thing about this is you can either get your kids a head start before they take a foreign language in school or if they're already taking Spanish in school this is either good a reinforcement or be a little bit of expansion on what they're learning on.
Guest: Exactly some supplemental learning for sure. Girls Who Code. This is a workshop that happens from time to time at the Geneva Public Library. Coding is one of those new school kind of skills.
Paul Szmal: Yeah so we've been holding this for a little while and Girls Who Code is on Thursdays at 5 30. This program is really geared for grades three through eight. Obviously that's not strict. We do let in you know other ages but you know it's a lot of fun. They learn different coding programs like Scratch and I think they touch upon Python and some other things. So it's a great introductory class that again it's every Thursday so it builds and they learn some great skills and see if there's an interest in coding.
Guest: Yeah could lead to a potential career down the road you never know.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. Also you offer some what I call trade-based classes. One of them is a beginner sewing class that the library holds on a regular basis.
Guest: Yeah so on Mondays at 5 30 the beginner sewing. Expand your mending and alteration skills in this hand on sewing class. Really geared for you know beginners and sort of a support group to help each other learn and that's Mondays at 5 30. The next one is May 18th.
Paul Szmal: Yeah and think of it this way. How many times have you had clothes that have ripped or you lost a button or something like that and you're like oh I gotta just you know I can't wear this anymore. Well listen you go take a couple of these classes here and figure it out and all of a sudden you're able to you know repair some of this stuff and make it last longer.
Guest: Absolutely or if you're working on something at home and you're kind of stuck and you need a little help bring it in. And if you have a teenager in the house cooking is one of those skills that I think is sorely undervalued. We do have that you know that that generation of teens and 20s I'm calling the door dash generation now because they you know they rely so much on on you know delivery and ordering online. So it's really valuable for them to be able to learn some basic cooking skills and again library is the place you can go to find those.
Paul Szmal: Yeah yeah so we do the the teen twin cooking class. The next one's Thursday May 21st at 3 p.m or 3 30 p.m. That's good for ages 12 to 18. And again yeah it's about simple things. Cooking pasta, making pizza, cooking these different types of basic starches and proteins and putting them together talking about seasonings and how the different flavors of food go together to make a meal that tastes great. And these are skills like you said that you'll carry on the rest of your life.
Guest: It's one of those things where you get the basics under your belt and then you start playing with spices and flavorings and seasonings and stuff like that. And before you know it you're into it and you've learned a valuable skill that will carry with you the rest of your years.
Paul Szmal: 100 percent. All right these all by the way are free events and or classes and you can find out the details about everything that we've talked about at the Geneva Public Library website gplny.org gplny.org regular hours for the library all the information that you would want is there on the website. Frank thanks for filling us in as always this morning we'll check in with the library gang next month.
Guest: Sounds good thank you so much you take care.
