HARDWICK – I wrote last month of Parker Ladd, a Hardwick native who bequeathed almost half a million dollars to our Jeudevine Memorial Library. In honor of his memory, the trustees have chosen to name the large meeting space in the new addition the Parker Ladd Community Room. It has been a very busy place since it opened, hosting numerous local groups and library events. A small kitchen is immediately adjacent to the room so refreshments can be included as part of any gathering there. You can find the link to “Meeting Rooms” on a tab at the top of the library website: jeudevinememoriallibrary.org. The link includes a calendar so you can identify available time slots. The application form to hold a meeting is also there. Please be sure to review the “Meeting Rooms Policy”. There is no cost to use the room for a free public event. A smaller meeting room is also available for up to 12 people.
Last Saturday, Oct. 25, The Friends of the Jeudevine Library held an event that perfectly suited the season: Warm Up the Library. A variety of delicious soups were served, in addition to cornbread and Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper cheese.
Local potters donated bowls for the occasion. Everyone selected a bowl to bring home, but tested it out first with their choice of soup. It was an overcast, chilly day with temperatures in the 30s. What better way to warm and brighten one’s day?
Additionally, visitors could bid on a wide variety of donated goods and services from local merchants through a silent auction. Winners were announced at the evening’s end. Proceeds from the event will go to the Friends of the Jeudevine. Their focus is on supporting programming for the library.
The event was a great success, so I am confident those who missed out will have a second chance in the future.
A popular occasion in recent years has been Pages in the Pub(lic) Library. It will be held this year on Sunday, Nov. 9, at the library, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event, co-sponsored by the Galaxy Bookshop, features local book-lovers sharing their thoughts about books they have read.
In my experience, this occasion is, no kidding, scintillating. The depth and breadth of subject matter presented will amaze you. You might hear a synopsis of a page-turning mystery, learn about herbal medicine, discover an historical figure you did not know, find a great new book for your toddler or your teen, marvel at a death-defying journey: the possibilities are endless because books transport us anywhere and everywhere. I promise: if you attend, you will go home knowing the title of a book you cannot wait to read.
The Galaxy will have many of those titles available for purchase at the library so you can immediately scratch that itch if you must.
In addition to whetting your literary appetite for a great read, the Village Restaurant will hone in on your gustatory appetite with an array of its wonderful desserts.
Corrections: I need to correct two factual errors I have included in recent columns. In fact, I have repeated one of these mistakes more than once. The wood floors of the original Jeudevine Library, recently freed from their linoleum shroud and then beautifully refinished, are birch, not red oak. For months, in print and in conversation, I have commented on the lovely red oak flooring. However, a couple of weeks ago I uttered those words in the presence of a local carpenter, who politely (without any shaming) noted that they are birch. He even walked into the space to make absolutely sure, a kind gesture to me. I have no doubt he was certain of his facts beforehand and had no need to check.
In my story about Parker Ladd, I clicked on the uncorrected document when I submitted it to the Gazette. I mistakenly reported Lisa Sammet beginning as librarian in 1993. The correct version reports her tenure as the Jeudevine librarian lasted from May 2000 through the end of 2022.
