Summer Concert and Family Film Series Continues with Valparaiso University/Community Band and Family Friendly Movie
Westchester Public Library’s free concert and family film series will continue Friday, June 13, at 7 pm with the Valparaiso Community/University Band, directed by Jeffrey Doebler, Director of Music Education and Bands at Valparaiso University. The concert will be followed by a family friendly film at dusk, about 8 pm. Those who attend both the concert and film are invited to bring lawn chairs and picnics to the bandstand in Thomas Park at the corner of Broadway and Calumet and enjoy the fun. To complete the enjoyment of the evening, members of the Rotary will be selling popcorn and soda. In the case of rain, both events will be offered in the Library Service Cente, 100 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton.
Approximately 50 members of the Valparaiso Community/University Band will perform a variety of traditional band music. This band was founded in 1993 and is open to all interested musicians.
The first film in the summer series will be Frozen. The fearless optimist Ann teams up with mountain man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven in an epic journey. Along the way they encounter Everest-like conditions and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in the race to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, who has put the entire kingdom under an icy spell.
Frozen is rated PG and has a running time of 108 minutes.
The Valparaiso Community/University Band will also perform at the Hawthorne Park Gazebo in Porter, on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 pm. There will not be a movie following the performance in Hawthorne Park, but again, concert goers are invited to bring lawn chairs and picnics and enjoy the band music.
This free series of concerts and films is partially funded through generous donations from the Chesterton-Porter Rotary Club.
The summer concert and film series will continue on Friday, June 20, with band music performed by the IN National Guard 38th Infantry Division at 7 p.m., followed by a family friendly movie. The complete list of concerts and films can be obtained at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Ave., Chesterton, Hageman Library, 100 Francis St., Porter, or the Westchester Township History Museum at 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton. For more information, call the library at 926-7696.
Mad About Mysteries presents the Maisie Dobbs Series
Join Westchester Township History Museum volunteer Nancy Hokanson as she presents the Maisie Dobbs series at Mad About Mysteries. Mad About Mysteries will take place at the museum, 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton, on Wednesday, June 11, with a repeat presentation on Saturday, June 14. Both sessions will take place at 2 pm. Refreshments will be served. Jacqueline Winspear is the New York Times best-selling author of the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series. Set in post-WWI London, this series follows Maisie Dobbs, a former servant who now runs a business as a psychologist and investigator. Maisie Dobbs won an Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel of 2003. The museum is a free cultural and educational service of Westchester Public Library and is open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 1-5 pm or by appointment. For more information please call the museum at 983-9715.
Civil War History Camp
The Westchester Township History Museum will host its seventh annual summer camp, Civil War History Camp, July 15-18, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The camp is free of charge. It is open to students entering the fourth and fifth grades and living in the Duneland School district.
Campers will spend the week learning about the Civil War. They will see a presentation about Civil War medicine, make and learn to play their own drum, make crafts, and play a lot of games. On the last day, campers will display their crafts and perform a short drum drill.
The camp is limited to 16 boys and girls. Registration will begin June 11 and continue until July 9. Parents or guardians interested in registering their children for summer camp can stop by the Westchester Township History Museum at 700 West Porter Avenue, in Chesterton, Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Westchester Township History Museum, an educational and cultural service of the Westchester Public Library, is open to the public free of charge Wednesday – Sunday and by appointment. For more information, please call the museum at 983-9715.
Drawing and Sketching Secrets for Adults at Thomas Library
Adults who are interested in learning the basics of drawing are invited to Introduction to Drawing and Sketching Secrets for Adults, based on the Readers Digest book: Drawing and Sketching Secrets, taught by the author and artist Donna Krizek, at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, in the Bertha Wood meeting room. The class will have six sessions from 11 am-1:30 p.m. on June 18, 19, 25 & 26, and July 2 &3. Registration is required and is now underway. Visit or call the Reference desk to register. Materials will be provided by the library, but attendees are welcome to bring pencils, sketchbooks, clipboards, and copy paper.
Start from the beginning of the book and learn the basics and fundamentals of realistic, three-dimensional drawing in Drawing and Sketching Secrets for Adults. Attendees will learn many things, including how to choose drawing tools, how to organize and hold the tools correctly, what to consider when choosing what to draw, line drawing techniques of gesture and contour, and drawing in mass and chiaroscuro (illumination and shadow).
Krizek, a scholarship graduate of the American Academy of Art, Chicago, has been drawing and painting for over 38 years. Her artwork can also be seen in the North Light Books series, Strokes of Genius, volumes: The Best of Drawing, Light and Shadow, and Fresh Perspectives. Krizek's artwork is included in the collections of the United States Department of the Interior, National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame, and the AKC Museum of the Dog.
For more information or to register, please call the Reference Department at 926-7696.
Drawing Classes for Young Adults at Thomas Library
Young adults who are interested in learning the basics of drawing are invited to Drawing and Sketching Secrets for Young Adults, based on the Readers Digest book: Drawing and Sketching Secrets, taught by the author and artist Donna Krizek, at Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton, in the Bertha Wood meeting room. The class will have six sessions from 2-4:30 p.m. on June 18, 19, 25 & 26, and July 2 &3. Registration is required and is now underway. Visit or call the Reference desk to register. Materials will be provided by the library, but attendees are welcome to bring pencils, sketchbooks, clipboards, and copy paper.
Start from the beginning of the book and learn the basics and fundamentals of realistic, three-dimensional drawing in Drawing and Sketching Secrets for Young Adults. Attendees will learn many things, including how to choose drawing tools, how to organize and hold the tools correctly, what to consider when choosing what to draw, line drawing techniques of gesture and contour, and drawing in mass and chiaroscuro (illumination and shadow).
Krizek, a scholarship graduate of the American Academy of Art, Chicago, has been drawing and painting for over 38 years. Her artwork can also be seen throughout her book Drawing and Sketching Secrets, as well as in in the North Light Books series, Strokes of Genius, volumes: The Best of Drawing, Light and Shadow, and Fresh Perspectives. Krizek's artwork is included in the collections of the United States Department of the Interior, National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame, and the AKC Museum of the Dog.
For more information or to register, please call the Reference Department at 926-7696.
History Discussion Group at the Museum
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, June 14, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. The group will meet in the parlor at the Westchester Township History Museum, 700 W. Porter Avenue, Chesterton. Registration is not necessary.
Seventy years ago, some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region in what began the Battle of Normandy. Codenamed Operation Overlord, June 6, 1944 also became known as D-Day. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning.
Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated. By the following spring, the Allies had defeated Germany in France. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.
The group is open to anyone interested in history and conversations about history. Feel free to participate or sit back and listen.
For more information, please call or Leea at (219) 926-7696 or Serena at (219) 983-9715.
Gabe’s World for Young Adults at Thomas Library
Young Adults are invited to enter Gabe’s World of unusual creature crafts at Westchester Public Library. Gabe’s World will take place in the Bertha Wood meeting room on the second floor of Thomas Library, 200 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton on Tuesday, June 24, from 1-2:30 pm. Registration is necessary as space is limited.
Gabe Underwood is back with more bead on wire crafts. Join him and let your creative juices flow. Learn how to make bead on wire rings. Materials will be provided by the library.
Future crafts will include Making Polymer Clay Beads on Thursday, July 10, and creating Parachute Cord Bracelets on Wednesday, July 16. Registration is required for each program.
For more information or to register, please call the Reference Department at 926-7696.