Free Film Screening: Follow the Drinking Gourd, October 28, 2024

Please join us for the first film of the 2024-25 season of The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series! We will be showing Follow the Drinking Gourd in collaboration with Cultivating Justice on Monday, October 28, 2024 at 7pm. The film is a feature documentary about the black food justice movement, connecting food, climate and racial justice, and links the legacy of slavery, land loss, and climate change to our fight for food security. You can watch the film trailer here. A discussion will follow the film.

The screening will be held at the Wesleyan Goldsmith Family Cinema, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, CT.  As always, the film is open to the public and free of charge. Directions and parking information can be found here.

Please preregister at http://rockfallfoundation.org/event/follow-the-drinking-gourd/

 

We hope to see you there!

The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series was begun in 2015. The 2024-2025 series is co-sponsored by the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Middletown Garden Club, Russell Library, The Rockfall Foundation, and Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts, College of the Environment, and College of Film and the Moving Image. 

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, October 26, 2024

 

image source:  Library of Congress

Host:  Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

Time:  1:30 p.m.

On Saturday, October 26, Pam Vestal will present Part II of "Deciphering Old Handwriting."

We've received rave reviews on Pam's Part I of Deciphering Difficult Handwriting last month.  Now join us for Part II of her presentation/workshop on deciphering early handwritten documents. 

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, October 25.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America. Foreword by Quincy Jones.

Martin Luther King, Andrew Young, & their work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) 
by Andrew Young, Foreword by Quincy Jones 

     Andrew Young is one of the most important figures of the U.S. civil rights movement and one of America's best-known African American leaders. Working closely with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he endured beatings and arrests while participating in seminal civil rights campaigns. 

     In 1964, Rev. Young became Executive Director of the SCLC, serving with Dr. King during a time of great accomplishment and turmoil. In describing his life through his election to Congress in 1972, this memoir provides revelatory, riveting reading. 

     Young's analysis of the connection between racism, poverty, and a militarized economy will resonate with particular relevance 

for readers today.

Amazon link:  An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement &
the Transformation of America

Wondering what to do on your Monday holiday?

 

    is  Almost too good to be true!___________

The targeted exercises described below can bring almost immediate relief for some hip and leg pain. The exercises are tested & designed to work -- and they do! 

The source of these exercises is Silver Sneakers, a widely known, fitness program for seniors that's included with many Medicare Advantage insurance plans and includes FREE membership to countless gyms & fitness centers across the country.   

  Dozens of SilverSneakers targeted exercise routines, like those presented below, are available FREE on YouTube with no login. Give them a try!

Do you have Pain & Stiffness
from Sitting Too Much?

Try these targeted exercises to
Revitalize your Legs & Hips

It only takes a few minutes a day to feel better. 

  Here are FIVE FREE Silver Sneakers exercise routines in one link, video demos are included, no login required. You may have seen these when they were shown on The Middletown Eye in 2021. 

https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/pain-from-sitting-too-much-here's-how-to-fix-it/ 

  SilverSneakers.com online has hundreds of on-demand video demos. Many are targeted so that you can easily identify the type of routine you need. Many Silver Sneakers routines are available on youtube, no login required. It only takes a few minutes a day to feel better. 

"SilverSneakers programs are helping millions of people on Medicare defy the odds, shatter stereotypes and answer every challenge with, 'I can do this!'”  [That attitude is contagious and the exercises are very effective!]

  "SilverSneakers includes access to every participating gyms and fitness centers in the network. [That’s means a possible free membership at more than 15,000 locations.] We also offer fitness classes for all abilities led by our SilverSneakers trained instructors at gyms and other locations." 

Check to see if SilverSneakers membership is free with your Medicare Advantage plan. If it is, you plan will likely include (free) access to every participating gym and fitness center in the SilverSneakers' network. 

Imagine Connecticut with Fewer Cars and More Public Transport

From today's New York Times, "The Hunt," a weekly feature telling short-story versions of people looking for new homes.

Selene Plastiras, an in-house lawyer for an engineering firm, arrived in New York from California in April 2022 to fill in for a colleague on maternity leave. Her company put her up in corporate housing in TriBeCa for a few months. Within a week, she knew she wanted to stay.

“New York was such a good fit,” she said. “It was the energy I was missing. The people are really friendly because a lot of people are transplants and no one is sitting in their cars.”

It was easy enough for Ms. Plastiras, a Bay Area native, to transfer to the city permanently. After the TriBeCa place, she rented a one-bedroom in a fifth-floor walk-up on the Upper West Side for herself and her dog, Hula, paying just under $4,000 a month. ...

Read more at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/03/realestate/brooklyn-apartment-search.html

_____________
What's not to like?

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, September 28, 2024

 

Image Source:  Library of Congress

HOST:  Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

TOPIC:  Deciphering Old Handwriting 

SPEAKER:  Pam Vestal

DATE:  Saturday, September 28, 2024

TIME:  1:30 PM (Eastern Time)

On Saturday, September 28, Pam Vestal will present Part I of Deciphering Old Handwriting.

Pam did a great presentation for the Godfrey's Genealogy Club back in March and April on researching Eastern European ancestors. This month and next month, we welcome her with her two-part presentation/workshop on deciphering early handwritten documents. We hope you will find it to be a huge help!

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, September 27.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

Vets Park River Cleanup on Sept. 28!

We hope you can join us at Veterans Park in Middletown and be part of this watershed-wide river cleanup!

To register, go to https://sourcetoseacleanup.org/event/coginchaug-river-vets-park-crew/

Questions? Phone 860-346-3282

 

A Bank for the Ages--the New Ages.

Be the Change. Lead with Love.

Systemic shifts like the ones
we hope to inspire start locally,
with individual relationships 

and communities.

    

https://www.waldenmutual.com

We use your dollars to fund loans to:

Maine Country Farms

New Hampshire candle makers

Connecticut solar farms

New Hampshire

dog treat upcyclers

Rhode Island egg farms 

& Help folks grow greener 

all over New England & Beyond.

Grow OUR Change

Earn interest on your dollars, while driving impact in New England, New York, and beyond.

Brews for Boats on Sept. 22

Support your local rowing community at Brews for Boats on September 22nd, from 4 to 7 pm, at Stubborn Beauty Brewery at 180 Johnson Street.

Live Music! Great Food & Conversation! Ciders & Beer!

More info at CentralCTRowing.com/events

 

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, July 27, 2024

 

Image Source:  Lineage Society of America

Host:  Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT

Topic:  "Lineage Societies: How to Apply"

Presenter:  Al Fiacre, Chair of the Godfrey Board of Directors

Time:  1:30 pm (ET)

Al Fiacre will give a presentation all about lineage societies. Over the years, we have helped many people with their applications to organizations such as the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution), the GSMD (General Society of Mayflower Descendants or Mayflower Society), The Society of the Cincinnati, and The Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, to name a few. Sometimes we just give a few hints and words of advice, but in many cases, folks hire us to carry out some more research and to complete the application for them. Al will share advice on how to go about putting together a strong application. Even if you're not planning on applying soon, you'll undoubtedly learn something to help you in your research.

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET) on July 27.  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, July 26.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.
 
Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org
 
If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

"r0ng" - a unique circus performance at Oddfellows Playhouse July 6!

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater in Middletown will be presenting a special guest performer Janoah Bailin and zer one-man show “rOng” taking place July 6th.

On July 6 Janoah and musician Kafari will perform “rOng”, a radically-interactive community circus show which explores rings in all their forms, presented in the round and modeling the circle process used in restorative justice. “rOng” will be performed in the theater at Oddfellows Playhouse and will be followed by an audience talk back with Restorative Justice Trainer and Middletown Youth Services Director Justin Carbonella. 

The performance, which is open to the public, will take place on Saturday, July 6th at 2pm in the theater at Oddfellows Playhouse. 

Janoah is excited for the community to engage with zer upcoming performance, ze states, “This show is applicable for all age groups. It’s great for kids but there is so much material for adults as well. It is radically interactive which means you can be a part of the inner circle that is incredibly involved. However, you can also step back and be less engaged in the production. The circle shape itself has many meanings, hence the name ‘rOng’. It represents a way of building community, and in conversation form it allows people to listen as well as become more understanding of each other.”

Tickets for “rOng” are $8 for adults, $5 for kids, and $15 for Big-Hearted Oddfellow, and may be purchased at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/oddfellowsplayhouse/janoah-bailin-presents-rong

“rOng” is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies. Additional support is provided by the City of Middletown and the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest theater for young people. The Playhouse is located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown. For information about this production and other Playhouse programs, call (860) 347-6143, email info@oddfellows.org, or go to www.oddfellows.org. 

Teens Come up with Powerful Solution for Heating & Cooling with Heat Pump in Oakland, CA, School System.

Middle school students in Oakland, CA,* one of the most diverse cities in the USA, found a way to lower emissions with cheaper heating & cooling at their school. The students did all the work: research, interviews, countless presentations, and consultations with an architecture-design firm.
Their solution -- use of a heat pump.

Article from The Guardian, by: Sonja Singh
Monday, 10 June 2024. 10 o'clock EDT

" Adults doubted us. We found a way to shrink emissions at our middle school anyway."

____________

* Oakland, CA, a city where people look forward to riding public transit,
   including busses.