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A Purple Pig Tales Party to Celebrate the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

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Air-Brushed Tattoos, Balloon-Twisting, Purple Hair Extension “Pigtails,” Book Reading by Jean Van Leeuwen, and the Unveiling of Purple Pig Tales Ice Cream

August 31, 2 – 4pm
hall of scoops cone

Hall of Scoops, 14 South Greeley Avenue, in Chappaqua and the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF) are hosting an afternoon of kids’ activities to launch a new custom-crafted ice cream flavor, Purple Pig Tales, to celebrate and raise awareness of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.

Free activities will include air-brushed tattoos by Kiwi Country Day Camp, balloon-twisting, purple “pigtail” extensions by Cathy’s Hair Room, and a book reading by award-winning children’s book author Jean Van Leeuwen at 3pm. Hall of Scoops will unveil its newest ice cream flavor, Purple Pig Tales – purple and white-swirled cotton-candy ice cream with rainbow confetti – which was created with the permission of and guidance from Oliver and Amanda Pig author Jean Van Leeuwen. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Purple Pig Tales ice cream will benefit CCBF’s literacy partner, JCY-Westchester Community Partners.

All activities are free. Ice cream is available for purchase.

Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival
The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is one of the largest children’s book festivals in the metropolitan region. From princesses to pups, to angst-filled tweens, and every crazy character in between, you’ll find them all at the third annual CCBF, on October 3, 2015. More than 85 popular authors, who bring your favorite characters to life, are expected to participate. Most will be signing their books and reading excerpts. It is a family event with tons of fun, food, kid-friendly activities, entertainment and, of course, books! For more information, visit www.ccbfestival.org or follow the CCBF at www.facebook.com/chappaquachildrensbookfestival.

Hall of Scoops
Frozen yogurt and ice cream shop with everything you could dream of and more – the new innovative way of enjoying your favorite scoops and sweets. With four sections, including a wall of every candy you can imagine, 12 flavors of self-serve frozen yogurts, 16 delicious flavors of Longford’s ice cream and an amazing gift department for kids of all ages!

Welcome to the Chappaqua Library!

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ellen smithberg
Ellen Smithberg
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Pamela Thornton

Our mission is to provide information, programming and access to resources and materials for your educational and recreational needs. Your library card gives you access to our physical collection located in our 26,000 square foot facility and our downloadable resources from the comfort of your own home.

The library is open seven days a week during the school year: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m-5 p.m. Our catalog, online resources and downloadable e-books and e-audio titles are available to patrons 24 hours a day either through our website, chappaqualibrary.org, or our mobile app.

INSIDE The library:

friday hangout at the library

  • A wide assortment of bestseller, popular and classic DVDs, and music
  • Extensive adult, teen and children’s programming, book discussions, lectures, concerts, storytimes, movies, and more
  • Wireless access to the Internet including wireless printing capability from your home computers, tablets, or smartphones
  • Art exhibits in our gallery
  • Museum passes
  • Public access computers
  • Online research databases
  • E-books
  • Full text digital magazines
  • Downloadable and streaming music
  • Audio books you can borrow or download

We offer friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you with all your research needs.The Chappaqua Library is part of a consortium of 38 public libraries in Westchester County with a shared online catalog and daily delivery service. Your library card gives you borrowing privileges at each, plus the ability to reserve an item and have it delivered locally for your convenience.

We look forward to serving you.

Regards,

Pamela Thornton

Director

Ellen Smithberg

Library Board President

Photo by Matt Smith
Photo by Matt Smith

Chappaqua Library Logo

Our local Chappaqua Library hosts a slew of exciting and engaging programs throughout the year. Here’s a taste of their annual offerings. For more information on dates, attendance and/or registration for any of these wonderful events, please visit chappaqualibrary.org

Annual KenKen Tournament

Founder of KenKen Puzzle Co. and local resident Robert Fuhrer invites KenKen enthusiasts of all ages and abilities to come together to match wits and challenge each other for accuracy and speed. Founded in 2010, the Chappaqua Library KenKen tournament is held annually every December (exact date will vary year to year). This event is free of charge, and open to the public.

Annual Used Book Sale

IMG_4043Held every June (exact dates will vary year to year), this event is sponsored by Friends of the Chappaqua Library as a way to promote and share reading throughout the community. Town members can donate books in good condition on designated donation days. Please sort by category before bringing items to the sale. No textbooks, encyclopedias, condensed books, magazines, computer software, cassettes, LPs, or videotapes.

AARP Free Tax-Aide

Specially trained AARP members are on hand at the library annually from February-April 15 (exact start date will vary year to year), to assist patrons in filling out their tax forms. Though anyone is welcome, this service is primarily for low and moderate income taxpayers, with special attention to those aged 60 and older.

Big Truck Day

Held annually every Spring (exact date will vary year to year), Big Truck Day is exactly what it sounds like. Come see an exciting display of various “big trucks”–including, but not limited to, Chappaqua and Millwood firetrucks, Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps van, Chappaqua Transportation school buses, motorcycles, and assorted construction vehicles–right outside, in the Chappaqua Library parking lot! The event is free of charge and open to the public, and town members of all ages are welcome!

Community Reads

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Community Reads event for Gertrude Stein and the Stein Salon event. (L-R): Marge Perlin, Loretta Jo Lunetta, Gerri Carpino, Donna Pesce and Pamela Thornton

This community-wide literary event began in 2008 after the library applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host such an event. The entire community is encouraged to read and share a single literary work by a specific author. Also, anyone may participate in various programs sponsored by the library relating to that author. Past authors have included Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain and Gertrude Stein. Held every other year in October (exact date will vary).

Foreign Policy Discussion Group

Meets at the library once a week every other week, for 16 sessions. Topics by a wide variety of guest speakers vary session to session and year to year. Meetings are free of charge and open to the public.

Friday Hangout

Held every Friday during the school year (September through June, except for school vacation days), the library hosts a different drop-in program each week for students in grades 7-12. Past offerings have included author visits, book discussions, poetry readings, arts-and-crafts projects, and a communal game of Magic:The Gathering.

Friends of the Chappaqua Library

A non-profit organization promoting financial support for the Chappaqua Library through various fundraising, donations, and membership fees. Meetings to discuss programs and funding are held monthly at the Chappaqua Library, and the public is invited to attend. Membership is open to any individual 18 years or older, and the fee is $30. Members are entitled to a special preview of books the evening before the annual June used book sale.

Mini-Anime Festival

Chappaqua Library hosts an afternoon-long event, featuring origami and other Japanese crafts, anime drawing, a Japanese dinner, and a screening of an anime film. Held annually on a Friday in February (exact date will vary year to year). Open to students in grades 7-12.

Museums at the Library

Held every Spring (exact date will vary year to year). An open house-style event wherein various local museums set up booths and participants can learn about each museum and take part in creative, fun hands-on activities. Booths in art, nature, history, music and more! The event is free of charge and open to the public; all ages are welcome! Town members aged 18 years or older can obtain special passes to these museums (and more throughout NYC) if they hold a library card and have no outstanding fines.

Rising Stars Concert

Held annually in April or May (exact date will vary year to year). A music festival featuring young Asian-American student performers. Classical and contemporary works from West to East, followed by light refreshments. Co-sponsored by Organization of Chinese Americans of Westchester and Hudson Valley.

Teen Study Hours

Held during exam weeks in January, May & June (exact dates will vary year to year). The library extends its hours until 10 p.m. for high school students to stay. The theater is also open for study groups and meals at this time.

Young Musicians’ Festival

Gathering of local music students sharing solo, chamber, or small ensemble pieces, followed by a selection of light refreshments. Held annually on a Saturday in May (exact date will vary year to year). Open to teens in grades 7-12.

Other Events

The Chappaqua Library also hosts a variety of other exciting events, including film screenings, poetry readings, book signings, writing workshops, discussion groups, and more!

Photo by Grace Bennett
Photo by Grace Bennett

The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

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Popular children’s book authors arrive from all over the country.
mural artist replacement
CCBF Mural by Chappaqua artist Sophie Mendelson

Cherished author and former New Castle native Jean Craighead George once said, “Be you writer or reader, it is very pleasant to run away in a book.” Children and adults of all ages must agree with this statement, as they all flock to Chappaqua each fall, when the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival comes to life. The six-hour event brings over 80 authors (the number grows every year) from all over Westchester County, and a few from New York City and Connecticut, into town to discuss their writing, read excerpts from their books, and sign copies for eager children. Attendees may also participate in arts and crafts activities, and enjoy food provided by a local caterer. Additionally, the Great Chappaqua Bake Sale serves up sweet treats for a donation to their cause.

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Dawn and her team of Book Festival Volunteers

Held in the parking lot at the Robert E. Bell Middle School, the festival enjoys a year-to-year turnout of about 4,000 people from Westchester & Rockland Counties, New York City, and Connecticut; the high response is good news to fans of the physical book, who may have thought it to be at the beginning of a gradual “phasing out” with the increase in popularity of digital media. But Greenberg, for one, isn’t giving in to the technology hype. “I fully believe books are here to stay,” she says. “They’re not going anywhere.”

The inspiration for the festival came after Washington Irving’s Sunnyside in Tarrytown announced that it was discontinuing its annual Children’s Book Day. “When I found [that] out, a lightbulb went off,” explains Dawn Greenberg, 2015 Chamber of Commerce President and the event’s Executive Director. “I thought, why not here? We have a community passionate about education and reading, and a beautiful downtown to show off to the County.”

“The work behind the festival has really been based on an ‘it takes a village’ mentality,” she continues, praising the town for its “enormous support” of the event since the very first day, “It’s truly amazing to see how much we have gotten done in such a short period of time,” states Greenberg, of the work put in every year. “We hope the Festival is something the entire community of Chappaqua can be proud of.”

book fest logo

Children’s Book Author Peter Sis
Children’s Book Author Peter Sis

For more info, go to: ccbfestival.org or search for Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival on Facebook.

Letting Stories SPRING Forth

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IC-Cover-shotOverheard somewhere recently: “Books are TV for smart people.” Now, before some of you start patting yourselves on the back, while others of you get your backs up and come looking for me, please remember I wrote that I overheard this somewhere recently. I’m neither espousing nor taking issue with it. It’s glib. It makes a great sound bite. But, is it true? Is it fair? Which books? And what TV? Certainly, there are books that TV could never and should never touch, but, then again–and especially in recent years– there are also some terrific TV shows out there that are light-years away from the formulaic and proverbial “idiot box” offerings.

A former college French major, I’ve read some big and, classically considered important, works (Hugo, Montaigne, Racine, Stendhal, Flaubert, Balzac to name a few). I’ve read them in the original language and, sometimes and simultaneously, I’ve read them in translation as well. The stories –events, characters, themes–carry through in both languages. To be sure, one finds little slips here and there; a funny word, a missed turn of phrase, a soupçon of slightly altered attitude. As a language student, I appreciate the differences and enjoy noting them. But, for many people, such nuances are unremarkable. The significant thing–the overall message–comes through loud and clear.

By extension, can we not say the same about any and all storytelling, language and media? The story comes first! The medium matters, but it’s secondary. And ever fluid. We’re thrilled to continue to put out print publications, and very much appreciate all the positive feedback for our efforts. Realizing that some stories play better in social media format, we’ve ramped up our online presence as well. However delivered, we truly believe in putting the story first–communication is a beautiful thing!

For the purposes of this–our Spring Awakenings print issue–I’d like to suggest a comfy space and place that need include neither desk nor lap. No cords or batteries required either. Breathe deeply. You can almost smell the ink. Enjoy the feel of the lovely paper stock, the sound of flipping pages. There’s something special about a hard copy magazine, no doubt about it. Not saying it’s better. Just saying it’s something considerable. We’re proud to bring you a fresh look at the everyday world around us through stories shared page by printed page…

For example, please consider our article on Habitat for Humanity. Before you turn to page six, what are your expectations? A feel-good story about volunteering? Sure, we’ve got that covered. But we also suggest that things could be better, and more could and should be done by all of us right here at home. Let’s do as Voltaire famously penned in 

Candide–il faut cultiver notre jardin–and take care of our own.

I do mean that, and sans the usually-ascribed sarcasm. Perhaps it’s the optimistic “hope springs eternal” season upon us. But why not choose to cultivate our immediate garden; our literal and figurative backyards? Why not make things the best they can be right here at home?

Certainly, that’s what some young men in Armonk and Chappaqua did when they came together for the love of sport and sportsmanship. When you read “Armonk Warriors Welcome Chappaqua Players for a Dream Season,” it’s impossible not to feel optimistically inspired! Bravo to the players, parents and coaches who made a significant difference and saw some dreams come true in the process.

Speaking of parents who make a difference, I want to give a shout out to local mom and practicing psychologist Benna Strober who shares both her professional expertise and a personal story with us in “When it’s Time to Let Go.” Helicopter parenting is neither new nor, especially in communities like ours, newsworthy, but this self-described and real-life application of control may help others make the decision to roll out their own landing gear.

When it comes to applause, let’s also give it up for the many talented local folk who act, sing, dance, direct, costume, create sets, design lights and sound–in other words, cheers for our community theatre groups! We discuss how they came to be, the creative energies that continue inform the companies and the best way to see or become involved with productions in “The Show Must Go On.”

And the art of narrative must go on too. Start a conversation with your friends, open a discussion with your family. Tell us what you think! We love your emails, notes and online posts, so please keep the lines of communication open and flowing.

Happy Spring, everyone –

Chappaqua Library Annual Used Book Sale – 2014

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chapp-libraryDonations accepted only on:

Mon. June 2 & Tue. June 3, 10:00am – 8:00pm

We need your donations. Please sort by category before bringing items to the sale. No textbooks, condensed books, magazines, business books, computer software, cassettes or video tapes.

Sale Days June 4-8

Wed., June 4 – 6:30 – 9:00pm – Preview sale for Friends of the Library only. Become a member at the door.
Thur. June 5 – 10:00am – 8:00pm
Fri. June 6 10:00am – 8:00pm
Sat. June 7 10:00am – 5:00pm – All remaining items are half-price
Sun. June 8 1:00 – 3:00pm – All remaining items are free