One Book One Community Book Available at WPL
Westchester Public Library will participate in One Book, One Community this year with the book The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro. Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, and Hageman Library, 100 Francis Street, Porter, each have multiple copies of the book. Patrons are encouraged to check out, read, and talk about The Art Forger. The library will sponsor activities pertaining to the book this summer.
Almost twenty-five years after the infamous art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—still the largest unsolved art theft in history—one of the stolen Degas paintings is delivered to the Boston studio of a young artist. Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece—the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years—may itself be a forgery. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.
For more information call Thomas Library at 926-7696.
Eating Well for Healthy Living Series at Thomas Library
Adults interested in learning more about how foods affect our bodies in different ways are invited to attend the Eating Well for Living Healthy series at Westchester Public Library. The programs will take place in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. Registered Dietetic Technician Gia DeMartinis will lead the programs. Registration is not necessary.
Fad dieting actually compromises the body's metabolism. Join DeMartinis on Thursday, February 6, from 3:30-5 pm to find how to apply tools that will help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and optimal health.
Power Immunity: Fighting Seasonal Bugs Naturally will be repeated on Thursday, February 20, from 6:30-8 pm.
The final session in the series will be Diabetes Self Care and will take place on Thursday, March 20, from 3:30-5 pm. Diabetes is a disease that touches many lives and is more dangerous than people realize and is not optimally managed with medication only. However, it is a disease that is manageable with proper diet and exercise, which can reduce the need for excessive medications and improve overall health.
DeMartinis earned her Bachelor's Degree from Trinity Christian College with a Biology major and a minor in Chemistry. She also earned an Associate's Degree in Applied Nutrition from Central Arizona College. She has worked at Kraft General Foods performing vitamin analysis of foods. She also served a Dietetic internship at Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville and Methodist Cardiac Rehab Center and Outpatient Diabetes Clinic, and worked at Methodist Hospital in Merrillville.
For more information, please call the Reference Department at 926-7696.
History Discussion Group at Thomas Library
History buffs and those who are simply interested in learning more about history are invited to Westchester Public Library's History Discussion Group on Saturday, February 8, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. Registration is not necessary.
Who was the best president of the 20th century? FDR? Ronald Reagan? Or perhaps you believe that America's worst president presided in the 1900s. Herbert hoover? Jimmy Carter? Discuss the merits (or demerits) of the best and worst presidents of the 20th century.
For more information, please call or Leea at (219) 926-7696 or Serena at (219) 983-9715.
Poetry Appreciation Group at Thomas Library
Do you enjoy reading poetry? Do you write poetry or have you always wanted to write poetry? Westchester Public Library's Poetry Appreciation Group is for you, then! The group will meet on Monday, February 10, in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, from 6-8 pm. Registration is not necessary; attendance is free.
The first meeting of the Poetry Appreciation Group was a success! Some participants brought their own works to read aloud, while others brought works by their favorite published poets to discuss with the group.
Although it is not required, those who will attend the second meeting are asked to try and write a Rondeau poem. A well-known example of the Rondeau style is the poem "In Flanders Fields." The group is warm, inviting, and encouraging so don't be shy!
Share and discuss the craft of poetry at the Poetry Appreciation Group. The group serves as a forum for learning and discussion of the various forms and techniques of writing poems. Attendees will read and listen to poetry being read aloud by individuals among the group, including published authors' work and/or original works done by local aspiring amateur poets who may want an audience or a constructive critique.
For more information about the Poetry Appreciation Group, call the library at 926-7696.
Boosting Mental Math Program at Thomas Library
Children in grades 3-6 are invited to register now for Westchester Public Library's newest series, Boosting Mental Math. This 4-session program will take place in the Bertha Wood Room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, on Wednesday, February 12, 19 & 26, and March 5, from 3:30-4:30 pm. Registration is necessary as space is limited and is now underway.
Attendees will learn techniques via games and other activities that will teach them how to more easily work with numbers in their heads. The first week will focus on the importance of the number 10 and addition. Week two will focus on subtraction, while week three will cover multiplication and division will be covered during the final session. Attendance at each session is necessary to get the full value of the techniques that will be taught.
David Rodich will lead the sessions. Rodich is a graduate of Indiana University School of Education. He is a certified/licensed teacher who has helped students both as a teacher and as a tutor.
For more information, contact the Children's Department at Thomas Library, 926-7696.
Around the World Dog at Thomas Library
Children 6-12 years old are invited to enjoy Around the World Dog at Thomas Library, Westchester Public Library's main branch at 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, on February 7, from 6:30-7:30 pm in the Children's Department. Registration is required – there's still room, so sign up today.
Attendees will enjoy an episode of Martha Speaks: Que Pasa, Martha?, read the book Who Says a Dog Goes Bow-Wow, and learn from several foreign language teachers how to say "dog" and "bark" in Spanish with Kris Livovich, Japanese with Akiko Tsugawa, German with Cary Knauff, and French with Jordan Nelson.
For more information or to register, contact the Children's Department at Thomas Library, 926-7696.
Library Film Series to show -Sunday Matinee
Sunday Matinee will screen Captain Phillips in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 9. Westchester Public Library films are free of charge and open to the public.
Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks teams with Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass and screenwriter Billy Ray to tell the true story of Richard Phillips, a U.S. cargo-ship captain who surrendered himself to Somali pirates so that his crew would be freed. Captain Phillips is the result.
Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) and his crew are carrying freight around the Horn of Africa when four Somali pirates forcefully take over their ship, the MV Maersk Alabama. While Phillips' team follow his orders to hide until they hear him give the safe word, the captain and a few essential crew members remain on the bridge as the heavily armed pirates make their way up to seize control of the ship. But the interlopers soon discover something that sends them into a furious rage: After effectively shutting down the ship, Phillips explains that the Maersk had malfunctioned when the crew pushed it too hard in an attempt to evade the attackers. In order to appease their leader, the ruthless Muse (Barkhad Abdi), Phillips offers them the $30,000 that's been locked in the ship safe.
That isn't enough, and Muse demands that Phillips help him search every corner of the ship to root out the terrified crew. When that plan fails, the pirates agree to take the cash from the safe and flee in the Maersk's lifeboat. At the last minute, however, they kidnap Phillips in the hope of supplementing their take with a sizable ransom -- a decision that leads to a tense standoff with the U.S. Navy, who would sooner see the lifeboat sunk with Phillips inside than allow it to reach Somalia.
Captain Phillips, PG-13, has a running time of 133 minutes.
For more information, call the Audio-Visual Department at 926-7696.
Family Film Series: Library to screen Despicable Me 2
Westchester Public Library's Family Films series will continue at Hageman Library, 100 Francis Street, Porter, on Saturday, February 8, at 2 p.m. with Despicable Me 2. Library films are free of charge and open to the public. Ex-supervillain Gru is adjusting to family life and attempting an honest living in the jam business when a secret Arctic laboratory is stolen. The Anti-Villain League recruits Gru in their investigation. Together with AVL agent Lucy Wilde, Gru concludes his prime suspect is the presumed dead supervillain El Macho. Gru seems to be on the wrong tack, even as his minions are being kidnapped en masse.
Despicable Me 2 is rated PG and has a running time of 98 minutes. Copies of the movie are available for checkout at Hageman Library, and Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton.
For more information, call Hageman Library at 926-9080.