Past Manchester Reads Programs
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Manchester Reads Programs - 2004

October 2004 - Manchester Reads Local History

October is national join a book discussion month.  We hope the community will join us as we celebrate local history.  We will feature two local authors:
        for the adults, Gordon Abbott's Jeffrey's Creek
        and for children, Lenice Strohmeier's Mingo.

Jeffrey's Creek : a story of people, places and events in the town that came to be known as Manchester-by-the-Sea, written by Gordon Abbott Jr., published by the Manchester Historical Society.  Mr. Abbott will present a slide-lecture on Monday, October 25, at 7 PM at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall.  

Gordon Abbott signs a copy of his book for Joan Kelley.

by Beverly artist Lenice Strohmeier.  In Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, in 1771, seven-year-old Olivia learns about freedom from her father's slave, Mingo, who was promised that he'd be freed when the tide was low enough that he could walk to a certain spot offshore.
    Ms Strohmeier will present a slide-lecture of her artwork on Saturday, October 23, 2004, 10:30 AM in the library.  For older children and adults.

Lenice Strohmeier poses with two of her original water paintings.

Tell us your stories.

We invite you to share your stories with us during the month of October 2004.  You may drop off your true story, or sketch, of a memory of growing up in Manchester and/or Cape Ann.  You may also submit your story below.  We will then print a booklet of these oral histories for the Archives Room and publish them on this webpage. 

Click Here to Read Our Stories

Are you interested in joining a non-fiction/history book club?

The library recently started a non-fiction/history book club.  If you are interested in joining, please  call the library and ask for Dorothy or Carol (978-526-7711) or e-mail us at Homework@mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us.   
To see the schedule and list of books to be read this winter, click here.  

What Will Manchester be Reading in 2004?  

The voting results for a title for the community reading program are final:
Dark Tide : the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo is the winner.  The selected logo is an image of the statue in the Reading Room with a book.  

In addition to the adult book, there are two children's books on the subject for all ages to participate:
Joshua's Song by Joan Hiatt Harlow for Elementary School Readers
and Molasses Flood by Blair Lent for Preschool School Readers
and an adult novel of the Sacco & Vanzetti trial:
A Tattered Coat Upon a Stick by William J. Brennan

There are multiple copies of Dark Tide and Joshua's Song to borrow without putting it on your library card.  We ask you to put an X on the inside cover to help us count how many people participate, then pass the book along to a friend or neighbor.  Or you can request a copy from the library on-line catalog.  There are limited copies of Molasses Flood and A Tattered Coat upon a Stick, which can be reserved through the library on-line catalog.

Manchester Reads February-April Schedule 

for more pictures click here

The Selectmen Receive Copies of Dark Tide

Anthony Sammarco to present a slide lecture
"Boston's Immigrants in the North End"
February 23, Monday, 7 PM in the library.
  

Dark Tide Discussion Groups:

Register by e-mail - Homework@mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us

William J. Brennan to Speak March 8, Monday, at 7 PM, at the library.  
No RSVP necessary.  Free and open to all.

A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Bill Brennan graduated from Boston University with a degree in history.

Bill worked more than thirty-six years with federal agencies, including thirty-one years in Washington, D.C. He served two tours in the Executive Office of the President and retired from the U.S. Department of Energy from which he received the Distinguished Career Award. He and his wife, Barbara, retired to the lovely seaside town of Marion, MA, where he wrote two novels about the experiences of ethnic groups in New England.  

His well-received first book, A Tattered Coat Upon A Stick, ISBN: 0-7388-0785-0, published in 2000, is a study of the problems facing immigrants and their second- generation offspring in Boston during the period from 1910 to 1930. It climaxes with the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti in 1927. His second book about Franco-American and Irish workers in the cotton textile industry in Southern New England, Au Revoir, L'Acadie, ISBN: 1-4137-0835-8 was released in January 2004 by PublishAmerica.

Bill lectured extensively across Massachusetts about his first book and taught the writing of historical fiction for the South Coast Learning Network, the adult education system for the towns in Southeastern Massachusetts. He occasionally writes reviews of books and films on Amazon.com under the appellation of Wildbill944.

In 2002, the Brennans' returned to Fairfax County, Virginia where Bill is hard at work on his third novel. In keeping with his long time interest in the plight of outside underdogs, this book is about the horrific treatment of the Japanese Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during World War II.

Stephen Puleo, author of Dark Tide, to speak at the First Parish Chapel, Tuesday, March 23, 7 PM.  No RSVP.  Free and open to all.  Courtesy of the Friends of the Library
  

Cookies and a Story Teller - March 30, Tuesday, 3-4 PM @ Memorial School Cafeteria

  
  
  


Bob E. Thomas

Enter your favorite molasses cookie for an informal judging by the town's cookie experts-the children, to see who makes the Best Molasses Cookie in Manchester.  
Then Story Teller and dancer Bob E. Thomas will present Grandma, Vaudeville, and Me, a re-enactment of his grandmother's childhood experiences in 1898.  Click here to read more...
This program is sponsored by the Manchester Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Winning Cookie Recipe
by Val Armini

Molasses Crinkles

1 cup brown sugar, packed;  3/4 cup butter;  1/4 cup molasses;  1 egg;  2 1/4 cup flour;  2 tsp. baking soda;  1 tsp. cinnamon;  1 tsp. ginger;  1/2 tsp. allspice;  granulated sugar for dipping.  Mix together brown sugar, butter and egg.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll dough into balls and dip in granulated sugar.  Place on cookie sheet sugared-side up and sprinkle lightly with water just before baking.  Bake 10-12 minutes, until just set.

Second Prize - Sharon Whitson

Sugar & Spice Cookies

3/4 cup shortening;  1 cup sugar;  1 egg;  1/4 cup molasses.  Mix together.  
2 cups sifted flour;  2 tsp. baking soda;  1/4 tsp. salt;  1 tsp. cinnamon;  3/4 tsp. ginger;  3/4 tsp. cloves.  Sift together and add to sugar mixture. 
Form into balls;  roll in sugar;  place 2" apart on greased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Family Trip to Boston with Historic Trolley Tour - April 21, Wednesday, 9:15 AM-3 (or 3:30 PM) PM

Celebrating National Library Week and officially ending the Manchester Reads program, the Recreation Department, the Council on Aging, and the library are sponsoring a family trip to Boston.  Transportation to and from Manchester and a narrated 2 hour trolley tour are included.  Time for lunch, on your own, is scheduled in.  

Cost is $15 per adult;  $7 per child (grades K+);  Children under 5 are free.  Maximum $40 per family.  Registration deadline is April 2.  Meet behind town hall at 9:15 AM for a 9:30 sharp departure.  

Send cash or checks made out to Town of Manchester Recreation Dept., Town Hall, 10 Central St., Manchester, MA 01944.  For more information call 526-2019

What is Manchester Reads?  

The Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library  recently received an award of $7,500 for "On the Same Page," a community reading program, given  by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.  The grant is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through legislation that provides funds to State Library Agencies through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) of 1996.  The goal of LSTA grants is to promote access to learning and information resources to all types of libraries for individuals of all ages.  Specifically, the goal of the Community Reads program is to promote a culture of reading by providing citizens an opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussion of the same book.  

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