Pianist Michael Brown Coming to Russell Library Thursday February 4th

Works by Faure, Mendelssohn, Brown, and Bernstein will be featured in a performance by Pianist and Composer Michael Brown on February 4^th at 7:00 pm at the Russell Library.

Pianist Michael Brown

Winner of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Michael Brown has been described by The New York Times as a 'young piano visionary” and 'one of the leading figures in the current renaissance of performer-composers.” Mr. Brown is equally committed as a pianist and composer; his unique artistry is reflected in a creative approach to programming that often interweaves the classics with contemporary works and his own compositions. 

A native New Yorker, Mr. Brown earned dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano and Composition from The Juilliard School. In 2015, Mr. Brown joined The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two program, through which he will perform with the Society both in Alice tully Hall and on tour, including visits to Chicago and Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The New York Times has called Mr. Brown “a confident young composer with a talent for precision” and described his work as “darkly alluring.”

He spent three summers at Marlboro Music and has made appearances at the Ravinia, Caramoor, Moab, Manchester, Mostly Mozart, Music@Menlo, Music Mountain, Chamber Music Sedona, Rheingau Musik, Beijing International, and Kyoto International festivals. His awards include First Prize in the 2010 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition; Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Award; and prizes in the Honens and New York International Piano competitions. He was recently appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor of Piano at Brooklyn College. Mr. Brown is a Steinway Artist. 

This program is being sponsored with funds from The Friends of the Russell Library.

Starbucks Proposes Drive-Thru On Washington

On the agenda for Zoning Board of Appeals Thursday meeting.

PUBLIC HEARING
1. Proposed variance to Section 44.08.12A (1) with regard to length of drive-thru from the required 200’ to 160’ for a new restaurant (Starbucks) located at 871 Washington Street. Applicant/agent Middletown Washington LLC/Richard Carella ZBA2016-1.

The site is the location of a defunct Computer Tune and Lube, in front of the Home Depot.

The zoning code requires a 200' approach to a drive-in, to allow a certain number of vehicles to "stack" before reaching the window. A similar variance was granted to Taco Bell, located on the same lot.

The ZBA meeting is Thursday, 5:30PM, in Council Chambers, the application is the subject of a public hearing.

If the variance for Starbucks is granted, the applicant would then need to apply for a special exception permit, to allow a drive-thru. This application would be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

CAT TALES ~ CATS IN THE CASTLE ~ 4/9/16 ~ A fundraising event benefiting homeless cats & kittens

Cat Tales Annual CATS IN THE CASTLE 2016

New TV Commercial:  https://youtu.be/5MTXoewjl_4

Event info here:   http://cattalesct.org/CITC/

Order here:  http://www.cattalesct.org/cats-in-the-castle/

See below for details!!

Cat Tales ~ Kitten of the Week ~ GIADA

Cat Tales ~ Kitten of the Week !

*GIADA*

Gender: Female

Breed: Domestic Med Hair

Color: Grey

Age: 1 year old

I am a very sweet girl who is just a little shy when I meet people. Once I feel comfortable with you, I love to be petted. I purr up a storm and will even flip over for a belly rub. I am a quiet girl, so I think dogs and very young children would scare me. I would be happiest in a home with another mellow cat or as the only cat. I am fully vetted and ready to go home! Won’t you come meet me?

No Dogs/ No Children

Web: http://www.CatTalesCT.org/cats/GIADA/

Phone: (860) 344-9043

Email: ​​info@CatTalesCT.org

Events at The Buttonwood Tree

This Week at The Buttonwood Tree
February 3-10
The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center
605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457
www.buttonwood.org / 860.347.4957  

Say "Hello!" to February with The Buttonwood Tree.  We've got new art on the walls and great performances on the calendar.  Come hang out with us in "Middletown's Living Room!"

Weekend Highlights 
Friday, February 5 @ 8 pm $10

Uri Shaham and Mark Kaplan Quartet

Tickets Here
The Uri Shaham – Mark Kaplan Quartet is a premier jazz ensemble that interprets The Great American Songbook and jazz classics in a uniquely expansive way.  Fronted by stellar jazzmen Uri Shaham on piano, and Mark Kaplan on tenor saxophone, the rhythm section is rounded out by all stars David Stoltz on bass, and Ralph Rosen on drums.

Saturday, February 6 @ 7 pm $5

Free at Last Players present
The Players of Oz

The Free At Last Players will be presenting ‘The Players of Oz’: The story of Dorothy – who suffers from mental illness.  Join Dorothy as she walks down the purple-brick road away from the stigma of mental illness. Along the way, she meets a color cast of characters with whom she shares her journey.  The one act play consists of songs adapted from the original which address the concerns of the mentally ill.
The Free At Last Players are a performance troupe dedicated to combating the stigma of mental illness.  Founded in 1990, the group has performed all over Connecticut and the United States with shows consisting of songs, poems and skits created by the group’s members. 
Join the Free At Last Players in their effort to educate society with regard to the true nature of mental illness. Audiences have been wowed by the performances and have laughed along with the cast of performers – so come and join us!

February Art Show:
Growing Outward 
by Rachel Hunt Keating
 
The energy in nature has always been a magnetic force for Rachael Hunt Keating. RHK, as she is playfully called by her friends, can vividly remember that first woodland experience at a very young age that awakened her senses. Her lifelong love of photography has been steadily growing, and is now a daily practice. Rachael's children, Skyler and Daniel, are the reason she continues to strive and are the driving force behind Skydancing Photos, Rachael's photography endeavor. As a 20+ year resident of the CT shoreline, her passions for nature and photography have colorfully intertwined. The path has lead to the beaches~ where early morning sunrises are met with open-eyed wonder and a deep appreciation. These views are shared by means of the camera due to an inner motivation to stir the souls of the sleeping, and by doing so assist in the "Growing Outward" vision to inspire others into nature. 

 
 Weekly Events
Acoustic Open Mic with Bob Gotta
 Thursday, February 4 @ 7:00 pm $5
Every First Thursday of every month, Bob Gotta hosts this acoustic open mic which is the LONGEST CONTINUALLY RUNNING Open Mic in the STATE! Sign-up starts at 6:30. Bring your own instrument or play our piano or congas. Come play and be heard!

Aligned with Source: Forgiving and Forgiving Again with Annaita Gandhy
Saturday, February 6 @ 10:30 am $5
Annaita is experienced in applying varied healing modalities to a wide range of situations. In these inter-active workshops, Annaita seeks to empower, sharing her deep understanding of life, holism and spirituality, enabling you to rise above life's challenges, live a healthy, fulfilled & confident life.

Anything Goes Open Mic
Monday, February 8 @ 7:00 pm $5
Hosted by Nora Canby, John Way, Ashley Hamel or Karen Stein. Sign up starts at 6:30pm.
$3-5 donation suggested

The Grays: Electric Gypsy Tribal Jazz
Wednesday, February 10 @ 7:00 pm $5
The Grays will be performing on the second and fourth Wednesdays this spring starting January 13th sharing original works-in-progress and jams. Featuring special guest artists and dancers in a high-energy but chilled out vibe, in a cabaret style jazz lounge for Get-over-the-Hump Midweek Date Nights All ages welcome.  

Legislators, Elected Officials Visit MxCC for Update on the MxCC Student Experience

Dr. Anna Wasescha, president of Middlesex Community College, with state Rep. Matt Lesser.

Elected officials, business leaders, advisory board members, students, faculty, and other supporters came together for the annual Legislative Breakfast at Middlesex Community College, held Monday, February 1.  The general theme of this year’s event was the MxCC student experience.

At the breakfast, Trenton Wright, coordinator of institutional advancement, and Dr. Anna Wasescha, president of MxCC, welcomed attendees who included state Rep. Catherine Abercrombie (D-83^rd District), state Sen. Danté Bartolomeo (D-13^th District), state Rep. Devin Carney (R-23^rd District), Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, state Rep. Noreen Kokoruda (R-101^st District), state Rep. Matt Lesser (D-100^th District), state Rep. Jesse MacLachlan (R-35^th District), state Rep. Joe Serra (D-33^rd District), and East Haddam First Selectman Mark Walter. Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, also gave welcome remarks.

During the event, MxCC students held a panel discussion discussing their experiences and challenges as students. Students involved in the panel discussion were Brittany Anne Doran of Deep River, James Fahey of Middletown, Daniel Ortiz of Meriden, Ben Palazzo of Meriden, and Meghan Schneider of Ivoryton.

State Sen. Danté Bartolomeo

One recurring theme from the student panel was the issue of accessible and timely public transportation to and from the College that lines up with class schedules and make regular attendance at classes more certain.

“I’ve been commuting to the Middletown campus and it gets inconvenient to be a student really fast,” said Daniel Ortiz, a liberal arts and science major who relies on public transportation from Meriden to the Middletown campus. He pointed out that a bus trip from Meriden to the Middletown campus could take over an hour or more and can get expensive when it takes place on a regular basis.

Although the College has been helping students get from the Meriden Center to the Middletown campus by offering free bus passes through the generosity of the CUNO Foundation, such a program does not exist for Middletown residents. In his remarks, President Ojakian spoke about his focus on working with MxCC and all of the community colleges to come up with a coordinated plan for transportation that can support Connecticut students going forward, since this is also an issue for students coming from other areas as well.

Another challenge presented by the student panel is juggling school and work. Students on the panel described their experiences working multiple jobs while taking on full course loads.

Left to right: Daniel Ortiz of Meriden, Meghan Schneider of Ivoryton, James Fahey of Middletown, Brittany Anne Doran of Deep River, and Ben Palazzo of Meriden.

Brittany Anne Doran, a human services major from Deep River, is a full-time student who works three jobs. She also commutes to Hartford to do a legislative internship. “After working an eight-hour day at my internship, I go to work for 5 or 6 hours and that’s enough to pay for my gas for the week,” she explained.

A

t Middlesex Community College 80% of students work while they attend school. Though 68% of MxCC students receive financial aid, many students often work multiple jobs and are raising a family while they pursue a degree. This sometimes leads to a struggle to pay for food, while also paying for out-of -pocket expenses for their education such as textbooks.

One way that MxCC will be meeting the needs of students who struggle with food insufficiency is through the grant-funded Magic Food Bus project. Similar to a mobile food pantry, the Magic Food Bus will be located on the MxCC campus and will be stocked with food donations and staffed by student and community volunteers. The Magic Food Bus is expected to begin operations this spring.

Despite the challenges these students face, each student expressed a commitment to finishing their degree. They are also hopeful that legislators and community college advocates will keep these issues in mind as they wrestle with the State budget challenges ahead.

Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (www.mxcc.edu) is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. In all it does, Middlesex Community College strives to be the college of its community. By providing high quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, the college enhances the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. MxCC, recently named a "Great College to Work For" by The Chronicle of Higher Education, offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs at the main 38-acre campus in Middletown, the downtown Meriden Center, and online. 

History of Russell Library, Part III

Part 1 of this history covered the period from the establishment of Russell Library in 1876 to the resignation of its second Director, Willis K. Stetson, in 1887.  Part II covered the Library from 1887 to 1926, under the leadership of Laura F. Philbrook and Edna H. Wilder. Part III covers the administrations of Nathaly E. Newton and William Van Beynum, extending over 50 years from 1926 to 1978.

Nathaly E. Newton, 1926 – 1963

Nathaly Newton at the Reference Desk, 1926

Nathaly Newton holds the distinction of being Russell Library’s longest-serving Director.  In her 38 years as head of Russell Library, Director Newton recreated Library spaces and collaborated with other local organizations to meet community needs.  In 1930 the City helped fund the addition of the Hubbard wing, and in the 1940s the Middletown Garden Club undertook the care of the grounds.  As is usual in hard economic times, the Depression led to a great increase in the popularity of Russell Library.  The Library reached out to the community in a variety of ways.  Russell lent books to the five CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camps around the City, and during the 1936 and 1938 floods the Library provided books to people who were driven out of their homes and temporarily housed in the Armory. 

The Library continued to struggle to meet its obligations, and explored a new ways to fund operations.  One experiment was a rental service for new fiction, started in the early 1940s.  By 1948, shortly before the program was discontinued, most new fiction was only available for a rental fee—which was not popular with the public or the Russell Library Company Board of Trustees.  Despite this short-lived program, Russell’s collections grew from approximately 30,000 in 1930 to 80,000 in the early 1960s. The Library began offering phonograph records and films in the 1940s, with a screen and projector available to view films.  This led to regular film showings that continue to this day. In 1957 a project began to microfilm Middletown’s newspapers, and as a result Russell acquired its first microfilm reader. 

In 1963 Nathaly Newton retired, and William Van Beynum became Librarian.

William Van Beynum, 1963 - 1978

William Van Beynum (center)

Shortly after William Van Beynum became Librarian, Russell purchased its first Docustat photocopier.  In 1967 the Board approved funds for a bookmobile, so that the South Farms and Westfield branches could be closed while the Library continued to provide services to the entire City.  The Bookmobile began operation in 1969, stocked with books from the recently-closed South Farms branch.

In 1972 the new Children’s Library was created in the former First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Meriden, next door to the Library. In 1975 Russell Library celebrated its 100th anniversary, and as part of the celebration the building was designated an historic landmark by the Greater Middletown Preservation Trust.

The staff was changing as well.  In 1971 the Board proposed to the staff a 4-day, 40-hour work week, which the staff rejected.  In 1976 non-administrative staff began discussing the creation of a bargaining unit, and in March of 1977 the Board voted to recognize the Russell Library Staff Association as the bargaining unit for Library employees. 

In 1978, after a period of ill-health, William Van Beynum retired, and Arlene Bielefield was named Director.

--End of Part III--