Local Author at the Museum: Charles Bartholomew
Join local author Charles Mike Bartholomew at the Westchester Township History Museum, 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton, at 2 pm on Wednesday, July 23, when he presents his recently published book of poetry, Up the Road from Tassinong. Refreshments will be served.
Up the Road from Tassinong features many poems about this area. “It is a book intended to amuse, to enrage, to perplex, to instruct. Above all, it is a memoir from me then to me now.” Bartholomew is a retired correspondent for the Post Tribune.
The Westchester Township History Museum is a free cultural and educational service of Westchester Public Library. The museum is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m. or by appointment. Groups may make reservations for tours by calling the museum at 983-9715.
Nature Series at Museum Presents Ron Trigg
Westchester Township History Museum’s Nature Series will continue on Sunday, July 27, at 2 pm. No registration is necessary. The museum is housed in the historic Brown Mansion at 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton. Refreshments will be served.
From the lake to the moraine, the Duneland area is home to thousands of animal and plant species. Local nature photographer Ron Trigg will present tips on the best local places to take great nature photographs. Trigg will also have some of his photographs with him for viewing.
Trigg put together the photo book celebrating Porter’s 150th anniversary. Copies of the book are available in the museum store.
The Westchester Township History Museum is a free cultural and educational service of Westchester Public Library. The museum is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m. or by appointment. Groups may make reservations for tours by calling the museum at 983-9715.
Sunday Matinee at Thomas Library to screen Heaven is for Real
Sunday Matinee will take place at the Library Service Center, 100 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, at 1:30 pm on Sunday, July 27, with a showing of Heaven is for Real. Westchester Public Library films are free of charge and open to the public.
Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, Heaven is for Real brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. The film stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy award winning actor Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life coupld whose son Colton (Connor Corum) claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience.
Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth – things he couldn’t possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this remarkable event.
Heave is for Real is rated PG and has a running time of 99 minutes.
For more information, call the Audio-Visual Department at 926-7696.
Summer Reading Finale: Family Fiesta
The entire family is invited to celebrate the end of Westchester Public Library’s summer reading program for children with a Family Fiesta. The Family Fiesta, celebrating the culture of Mexico, will take place on Saturday, July 26 at the Thomas Centennial Park on the corner of Calumet and Broadway in downtown Chesterton. The fiesta will run from 10 am – 2 pm. No registration is necessary; just drop in!
Free fun will include games, face-painting, and crafts. Don’t miss the storytelling with Miss Pat (Pat Jackson). Local authors from the Indiana Writers Consortium will read excerpts from their writings. Attendees will be able to meet the fabled mini zonkey of Tijuana, jump in the Dora the Explorer bounce house, and watch Mexican jumping-bean races! Visit the Lakeshore TV tent and have your picture taken with Curious George. Performances from the Ballet Folklorico Gloria Dei dance troupe will round out the fun.
For more information, call the Children’s Department at Thomas Library, 926-7696.
News at Noon @ Hageman Library
If you love to discuss current events, Westchester Public Library’s monthly news discussion program is for you. Interested adults are invited to News at Noon at Hageman Library, 100 Francis Street, Porter, on Thursday, July 17, from noon-1 p.m. Registration is not necessary. Attendance at the program is free of charge.
Join Major John Johnston, House District 10 candidate, who will answer questions and concerns of attendees.
Whether you get your news from the newspaper, magazines, or the Internet, join the discussion on issues and events happening in the world today and sample other viewpoints. Attendees are encouraged to bring a news clipping or an idea of something they would like to discuss.
For more information, call Hageman Library at 926-9080.
Bandstand Concert featuring Song Sisters followed by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Westchester Public Library’s free concert and family film series continues on Friday, July 25, at 7 p.m. with Song Sisters at Thomas Centennial Park, downtown Chesterton. The concert will be followed by the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 at dusk, about 8 p.m. Those who attend are invited to bring lawn chairs and picnics, blankets and bug spray. In the event of rain, both events will be offered in the Library Service Center, 100 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. Popcorn and soda will be sold in time for the movie by members of the Chesterton-Porter Rotary.
Song Sisters Patti Shaffner, Amy Dixon-Kolar, Claudia Anderson, and Sue Fink are singer/songwriter friends who discovered that their own distinctive songs and styles worked very well together, like contrasting spices that somehow blend to make one very tasty stew. They perform in-the-round, adding harmonies to each other’s songs and favorite cover songs.
In Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Flint Lockwood now works at the Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he’s forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is rated PG and has a running time of 95 minutes.
The concert and film series will continue on August 1 with Celtic harp music with Cynthia Shelhart, followed by the film Despicable Me 2, rated PG.
Program fliers are available at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Ave., Chesterton, Hageman Library, 100 Francis St., Porter and the Westchester Township History Museum, 700 W. Porter Ave., Chesterton. This series of concerts and films is partially funded through generous donations from the Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club.
For more information, please call the library at 926-7696.
Chesterton Writing Group at Thomas Library
Adult writers of all levels are invited to participate in the newly formed Chesterton Writing Group, sponsored by Westchester Public Library. The group will meet two Thursday evenings each month in the Bertha Wood meeting room at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton. July meetings will be July 24 & 31, from 6-8 pm. Participation is free and open to the public, no registration is necessary.
Published and unpublished writers alike are welcome to share their work, learn more about publishing, and find support and inspiration from fellow writers. The group is for both fiction and non-fiction writers.
Future sessions of the Chesterton Writing Group will be August 7 and 28, September 4 and 25, October 2 and 23, November 6 and 20, and December 4 and 18.
For more information, contact group moderator Stefan Barkow at Stefan.barkow@gmail.com or Thomas Library at 926-7696.