Friends of the Eldredge Public Library Fall Learning Series 2024

The Learning Series is sponsored by the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library. Donations help support programs at the Library.

View 9 courses described below. Then click on Get Tickets to the right to order tickets for each course you wish to attend. Donation is $10 per course. There is an additional handling fee for processing credit cards added by Eventbrite. To avoid such fees you can register directly at the library paying with cash or check.

Classes will be held at the Eldredge Public Library except for "History of the Holy Land" which will be held at the Chatham Community Center and the screening of "Bathtubs Over Broadway" which will be held at the Orpheum Movie Theater

No refunds will be issued unless the course is cancelled. In such instances you can ask for credit for future programs or make a donation to the Friends.

Contact [email protected] with questions.

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Romania - History of a Nation at the Crossroads of Europe

TWO SESSIONS 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mondays September 23, 30

Former diplomat and journalist Lawrence J. Goodrich will review the history of Romania, “an island of Latins in a sea of Slavs.” Learn how this unique outpost of the Roman Empire absorbed conquest and the cultural influences of South Slavs, Hungarians, Turks, Austrians, and Russians, yet managed to regain its independence and preserve its linguistic ties to the West. The talk will explore Romania’s geopolitical maneuvering as it bounced from World War I ally of France and Britain, to partner of Nazi Germany under a military dictator, to ally of the West again after a 1944 coup, to Soviet Communist puppet state, to present member of the European Union and NATO. Goodrich will also include the postwar history of Moldova, a former Romanian province seized by the Soviet Union and now an independent country caught up in the maneuverings around the war in Ukraine.

Lawrence J. Goodrich is a former diplomat, journalist, and business owner. During his 11 years as a Foreign Service officer (1977-1988), Goodrich served at U.S. Embassies and Consulates General in Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Bucharest, Toronto, and on the Soviet desk in the State Department. He also spent 12 years as a senior writer and editor at the award-winning Christian Science Monitor newspaper.

Swimming with Sharks: Staying Safe on the Internet

TWO SESSIONS: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tuesdays October 8, 15

The internet is indispensable, but it can also pose significant threats to your financial well-being. Hackers worldwide use automated tools to scan internet-connected computers for vulnerabilities to exploit, then steal login credentials. Learn the fundamentals of securing your devices, home network, accounts and passwords.
Bob Ralls retired from a career at the Library of Congress in 2016. Initially working as a senior systems analyst in support of various computer technologies, he later managed a computer security program for 2,000 staff. It has long been his interest to educate home users on the risks of using the Internet, and the critical need to implement basic safeguards.

The Art of the Duet

THREE SESSIONS: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays October 8, 15, 22

John and Peter will explore the art of the duet. Writing a good duet was a challenge for the song writer. Some fine singers were never able to deliver a good duet. A few singers handled duets with skill and ease. John and Peter will use short films to illustrate the subject.

John Whelan is a retired stockbroker, writes a monthly column for the Cape Cod Chronicle, and is the author of several books, including I am of Cape Cod. Peter Gaines has been entertaining Library fans at the piano for the last three years.

History of the Holy Land: A Study of Conflicting Claims

TWO SESSIONS 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Wednesday October 16 & Thursday October 17

at Chatham Community Center

David Bisno will deliver two in-depth, illustrated, and impartial lectures exploring the history of the Holy Land from biblical times to the present. He will cover the establishment of Israel as a place of refuge for Jews escaping persecution, the claims to the land of the Indigenous Palestinians, the resulting continuous conflicts and wars and the attempts to find peaceful solutions. In his approach to this controversial subject, David states “We’re going to ask important questions. We won’t settle the problems but, hopefully, we’ll come to understand the competing claims, appreciate the history and realize why a solution is so difficult”.

This program is jointly sponsored by the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library and the Friends of Snow Library.

Dr. David Bisno, retired ophthalmologist, with degrees from Harvard University, Dartmouth College and the Washington University School of Medicine has been actively engaged in leading interactive discussion groups since 1993 across the United Sates and in South Africa and Australia

Industrial Musicals and the Screening of the Award-winning Documentary,” Bathtubs Over Broadway”

TWO SESSIONS: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday October 28 (Library)

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday October 29 (Orpheum Movie Theater)

Veteran comedy writer Steve Young (Letterman, The Simpsons) is your host for an amazing look at a vast but secret world: industrial musicals. While gathering odd vinyl records for a Letterman comedy bit, Steve Young stumbled onto scarce souvenir albums of musicals written for company conventions and sales meetings. Broadway-style shows commissioned by some of America’s biggest companies, just for their salesmen and distributors — general public keep out!

In the Monday session Steve digs into his one-of-a-kind archive to share ultra-rare, vintage film clips from GE, American-Standard, Citgo, Kellogg’s, and more, along with wild behind-the-scenes stories and a bit of live music. On Tuesday session, he screens Dava Whisenant’s award-winning documentary “Bathtubs Over Broadway”, which follows Steve on his unexpectedly heartfelt collecting journey. Don’t miss this surprising, uniquely funny, and touching deep dive into a part of American culture few people know existed!

Love at First Sight in the Ancient World

FOUR SESSIONS: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Wednesdays October 30, November 6,13 and 20

Explore the stories of four famous couples in the ancient world who found their love so irresistible, instantaneous, and impetuous that it carried them to different worlds and, sometimes, changed the course of history. Using translated selections (as well as some Latin originals) from Catullus, Ovid, and Virgil as springboards, Peggy Kelleher will examine the art, mythology, history, and literature surrounding these couples. The four couples are Orpheus and Eurydice, Paris and Helen, Aeneas and Dido, and Antony and Cleopatra.

Peggy Kelleher has a B.A in Classical languages from Chestnut Hill College, and an M.A.T in English from Manhattanville College and a professional diploma in Education Administration and Supervision from Fordham University. She received an outstanding teacher citation from the University of Chicago and served as a vice principal and principal at schools in New York and Connecticut.

American Impressionism: William Merritt Chase and The Ten

ONE SESSION: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Tuesday November 12

Unlike previous painters who found contemporary life unsuitable for art and preferred lofty scenes, both here in America, such as the members of the Hudson River School, and in Europe, such as the members of the Barbizon School, some of whom painted romantic views of peasant life, the Impressionists were devoted to exploring modern life about them. Their subject matter encompassed views of daily activity, in both the city and countryside.

As Americans began to accept Impressionism, a number of American painters adopted the new style. Ten prominent painters resigned in protest from the Society of American Artists, which adhered to traditional styles. They became known as The Ten, and their work would change the face of American Art forever.

Join Beth Stein as she examines this ‘American art rebellion’ – the lives of the painters and their incredibly beautiful works of art. Beth has been educating adult audiences on the lives and works of famous artists for the past fifteen years on Cape Cod and in New Jersey. She received her BS in education from Indiana University, MA in history from Seton Hall University and MA in administration from Montclair State University.

Great Music in Grand Spaces

FOUR SESSIONS: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays November 12, 19, December 3, 10

Who better than Joseph Marchio, director of the Chatham Chorale, to take us on a journey in time and space to explore the evolution of choral music in great churches, theaters, and even coffee houses. He will explore the relation of different architectural structures and the music that was created and performed in them. He will start with the origins of polyphonic music in the balconies of St Marks Cathedral in Venice and its enhancements by Vivaldi in the chapel of the orphanage of Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. Then on to Bach in Leipzig churches and coffee houses and other great composers in magnificent locations.

Joseph Marchio has two bachelor’s degrees from the College of Wooster in organ performance and religious studies. He earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music, and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting at the Boston Conservatory. He is also the Pastor and Director of Music at the First Congregational Church of Chatham, where the Chorale performs its concerts. In addition, he is Assistant Director of the Cape Cod Symphony.

Legends of King Arthur

THREE SESSIONS: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mondays November 18, 25, December 2.

Few stories have captivated us like the Tales of King Arthur. Adapted, readapted, and added to since their inception, these stories are at the bedrock of English storytelling tradition and, arguably, some of the earliest examples of "fan fiction." But where do they come from? What shaped them? And how have characters like Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgan Le Fay changed over the past thousand years? What forces shaped them as they, in their turn, have shaped us?

Mike McCartney who led the Chaucer program in the spring will lead this quest. He is the Circulation Supervisor at the Eldredge Public Library. He earned his undergraduate degree at Moravian University in Pennsylvania and his MA from Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English. He also spent considerable time studying at Oxford, particularly at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He was Chair of English and Fine Arts at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and was recognized as both a County Teacher of the Year and a Maine State Teacher of the Year Semifinalist.

Host or Publisher Friends of the Eldredge Public Library