ADULT PROGRAMS

2013 Adult Programs Update, April thru July 

Special Programs Overview

Prepared by Allie Turrell, Adult Programs Librarian  

Friday, April 19^th - In Celebration of National Library Week, Donald Thompson as Andrew Carnegie visited the SouthShore Regional Library. Dressed in period costuming, he gave a first person presentation on the life and times of Andrew Carnegie. From humble roots in Scotland, to being declared the “riches man in the world”, to giving away 90% of his wealth, Andrew Carnegie led a fascinating life. Special focus was placed on Carnegie’s philanthropic devotion to the construction of libraries. Andrew Carnegie viewed libraries as “a never failing spring in the desert.” 36 library patrons enjoyed this National Library Week program! Thank you to the Friends of the SouthShore Regional Library for funding this event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, April 20^th - Local Sun City Center poet, John Foster visited the library in honor of National Poetry Month honored every year in April.  Mr. Foster read his original poetry to a crowd of 17 poetry enthusiasts. His program was called “From Limericks to Sonnets: Exploring the Breadth of Poetry” and he truly did cover a variety of different poetry formats.  

 

Thursday, April 25^th - To celebrate National Garden Month, Joan Lawhead, who is a state accredited instructor, came to the library to teach 20 excited library customers the ins and outs of flower arranging. Joan lectured on the different types of floral arrangements and then showed the group step by step how to make a vertical floral arrangement. Each participant made a beautiful arrangement of roses that they got to take home. Flowers and containers were provided by the instructor. This class was so popular, it will be offered again in August! 

 

Monday, May 21^st- Local cookbook author, Suzanne Devlin, did a cooking demonstration designed to instill confidence in the aspiring chef. She made tarragon chicken with lemon pasta for 20 library patrons. At the end of the program there was a drawing and one lucky winner took home a signed copy of her book. 

 

Friday, May 24^th- The library celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by showing the movie Princess Ka'iulani. Inspired by true events, this movie depicts the life of Hawaii’s last princess, Ka'iulani, as she tries to maintain the independence of Hawaii and the rights of her people against the threat of American colonization. 24 movie goers came to the library to enjoy the movie on the library’s big screen. 

 

 June - The Summer Reading Programs started in June. This year’s theme was “Groundbreaking Reads”. 

 

Saturday, June 8^th- Retired director of MOSI’s planetarium, Craig MacDougal, joined us for an insightful discussion on “How to Get Started in Astronomy”. A small audience of 8 eager astronomers-to-be, listened to Craig as he discussed varies types of telescopes, the uses for each, and how to choose the best telescope for your individual needs. 

 

Friday, June 21^st – Local naturalist, Diana Kyle presented an entertaining and educational program on how and when to grow vegetables at home. Diana discussed the months specific plants grow best in Florida and explained how to make a raised bed garden. 26 library patrons left the program enthusiastic to try her suggestions and test their own green thumbs. 

 

Saturday, July 20^th- Tom and Sandy Doyle performed a Les Paul and Mary Ford Tribute on guitars, flute, and vocals. In addition to playing their greatest hits, Tom gave a captivating talk tracing the 40-year musical history and guitar innovations of Les Paul, the father of the electric guitar, and his legacy in modern music. Even with a Christmas in July event happening the same time and day at the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce, 47 people came to the library to hear the concert. 

 

Summer Reading will continue with more special programs until the end of August.  

2012:

On Saturday September 8th and 15th the SouthShore Regional Library held self-defense classes for female adults and teens. Instructor Ryan Garner is a First Degree Black Belt in USA Goju, a martial arts style which focuses on self-defense. Topics Ryan covered included awareness, prevention, and risk reduction strategies. The classes concluded with hands-on self-defense risk avoidance. Several participants filled out comment cards saying how much they enjoyed the class and the practical information it provided!

 

Our first Paper Crafting for Adults class was held Wednesday September 5. Karen Johansen, an independent demonstrator from Stampin Up!, donated her time, expertise and Stampin Up! products as she instructed 16 participants on how to make dazzling greeting cards. Everyone used stamps, rhinestones, cut outs, and other embellishments to create 2 cards to take home. At October’s Paper Crafting Class 15 participants made a fun Halloween card and a small 3 Dimensional container, the perfect size to hold Halloween treats.

 

On November 13^th, 118 lads and lasses came to the SouthShore Regional Library to listen to traditional Irish and Scottish music performed by Matthew Gurnsey.  His unique talents with traditional Celtic instruments such as the concertina, bodhran, bones and mandolin, added an air of authenticity to each piece and his stirringly rich bass voice provided the foundation for the hauntingly beautiful melodies. 

 

Diana Kyle, a park ranger at Lettuce Lake Park, visited our library on November 16th to teach library patrons about venomous snakes in Florida. Diana explained how to identify venomous snakes from non-venomous ones, where their natural habitats are in Florida, and what to do if you find a venomous snake.

Review of Summer 2012 Adult Programs

June - 36 people attended the "Create a Legacy, Not a Mess" program. Michelle Passoff, author of Lighten Up! Free Yourself From Clutter, works with her clients to address piles of papers, bulging closets and jammed garages, and guides them to make space in their lives for accomplishment and satisfaction.

Our summer Film Noir Series kicked off in June. Patrons came to watch "The Big Sleep" ,  "Let’s Go Mediterranean", "Double Indemnity" and  "The Third Man" and more importantly sampled the delicious cooking of Rowena Sjovall. In the August 17th cooking class called "A Taste of Thai”,  Instructor Rowena Sjovall demonstrated how to make a grilled beef and cucumber salad using exotic Thai flavors.

Lynn Kessel was among those who attended the full class. Lynn is the author of “Table Scraps”, a weekly food column published by The Tampa Tribune in the South Shore News & Tribune and tbo.com. Lynn wrote a complimentary review of the class for the newspaper and blogged about the class on her food blog.

Pastel class with Phyllis Alexandroff.

Phyllis gave an overview of pastel techniques and students practiced the different techniques.  Students also visited the Crawford Gallery. There they saw Marcie Hanson's pastels that are on exhibit during the months of September and October. Flower Arrangement Class

Instructor Joan Lawhead taught the basic elements of floral design, which are line form, color, texture, pattern, size, space, and light. To achieve harmony and beauty in an arrangement, smaller blooms and lighter colors should be placed higher in the design while larger and more intense color blooms should be placed at the bottom. Joan provided hand outs and step-by-step instructions on how to create a basic design. Each participant was given a container, flowers, and greenery to create their own beautiful arrangement to take home.