The enablers for the vote: Katherine Rothschild, Margo Ferrauti, District Clerk Theresa Markley and her assistant, Laura West, at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday night, after a long day at the polls
May 20, 2009

Shortly after noon today, District Clerk Theresa Markley released final numbers today for last night’s election.  Leo Sheer won the library board seat.

Here are the final election results for last night:

Leo Sheer 236
Khusro Elley 105
David Shields 233
Werner Renberg 200

Final votes cast for the school budget were 859 Yes and 198 No; for library budget, 841 Yes and 205 No.  School board candidate Alyson Gardener Kiesel received 854 votes.

Everyone should take a moment to explore our wonderful newly redesigned website.  Some of the areas are still under construction and new content is added each week.  This new format allows us to offer more information, streaming video of library programs, rss feeds, book lists, interactive services and more!  Let us know what you think! http://www.chappaqualibrary.org/#

See photos of Saturday’s program and a YouTube of Low’s methods in “Read more”
March 5, 2010, updated Monday, March 8
by Miriam Lang Budin

Editor’s Note: Although Low depicted himself as more comfortable expressing himself through his paintings than with words, he treated his audience last Saturday to a great story, his own story. A child of Chinese immigrants who observed the bustling life of the Bronx as an outsider, through the window of his parents’ hand laundry shop in the Bronx, he began drawing and painting at the age of five, and made it his life’s work.  Kids and adults had a chance to watch Low compose and refine a drawing on the spot, and to try out his Wacom tablet themselves. See inside for photos.

March 5, 2010
by Z

This is a national initiative aimed at teens, librarians, educators, parents, and other concerned adults to encourage teens to take advantage of libraries’ non-print resources.

Also this month:
• “Yikes! The History of Movie Stunts”
•  College Prep and Search Programs
•  Mother-Daughter Book Discussions

March 5, 2010
by Susie Pender

The fourth installment of StoryWalk, presented by the New Castle Recreation and Parks in partnership with the Chappaqua Library, begins today in downtown Chappaqua. The walk features the popular children’s book, “Granite,” a story about an Alaska sled dog written by Susan Butcher, a four-time winner of the 1000-mile Iditarod dog sled race, and her husband, David Monson, and illustrated by Sarah Douglas.

February 19, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Over 50 and beginning to think about your options for the future? How about some help from a tour guide? A free eight-week seminar on planning for life beyond 50 in these turbulent times will be presented at the Chappaqua Library on Tuesday mornings, 10:00 a.m to 12:00 noon, beginning March 9.  Pre-register now for the 18-member class—a few spaces remain—in order to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory on February 23. 

February is Black History Month

February 12, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Teen librarian and cineaste Zahra Baird has put together a list of great books for Black History Month, along with brief descriptions of each.  She has also included details of the Chappaqua Library’s “College Test Prep Program”—take a test stress-free, have it analyzed—plus, events for teens over the February Staycation, some dreamed up by the library, others by the New Castle rec department.  See “Read more…” 

January 22, 2010
by Cheryl Jacobs Ehrlich

Last year’s 29th Annual Young Writers Contest sponsored by the Friends of the Chappaqua Library generated nearly 300 entries in the high school and middle school categories of Poetry, Fiction and Non-Fiction.

January 22, 2010
by Cheryl Jacobs Ehrlich

Get out your ballpoints, your quills and your word-processors. The Friends of the Chappaqua Library is again sponsoring the Annual Young Writers Contest in 2010. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the contest. 

Have you considered a meadow for your garden?

October 30, 2009
by Shobha Vanchiswar

On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., the renowned gardener and author Page Dickey will be speaking at the Chappaqua Library. This is part of the Rocky Hills Lecture Series that is held twice a year. Page will be speaking about “Bringing meadows into the garden.”

Planning meeting in Thornton’s office
September 25, 2009
by Christine Yeres

When the Chappaqua Library’s pitch to the National Endowment for the Arts for funds for a “community read” met with rejection, the staff reacted in a most upbeat fashion.  Undeterred, they decided to make it happen anyway, all through October. Their chosen author, Edgar Allen Poe, fits the bill in a number of ways. Adults remember Poe from their own school days, kids seek out his stories and poems to scare themselves, and Halloween is approaching. In addition, recalled library director Pam Thornton, having experienced Poe in high school through The Tell-Tale Heart, “He was the first dead author that really grabbed me!”

Flick and food tonight, Friday
September 11, 2009
by Carol Durst

A rat? A cartoon? Yes, it is great adult entertainment, especially if you are clued in to all the “foodie” references and are interested in the power of the food critics.

1950s Adjuntas Plaza, Plaza de Adjuntas, PR, by Marie Lou Ortiz, acrylic on canvass (45” x 30”)
August 21, 2009
by Michall Jeffers  

The current Wall Exhibit at the Chappaqua library, “Art In Cantonese And Spanish,” presents examples of the rich ethnic diversity of Chappaqua artists. Residents will enjoy seeing the paintings of two local artists on the walls of the library, and will appreciate how each artist has been influenced in her work by her ethnic background. Shown in juxtaposition, the paintings emphasize and complement the contrasting styles of the artists. 

Inside, see photos of beginning, middle and end of the sale.
June 12, 2009
by Shobha Vanchiswar

What a sale it was! In a year of economic uncertainty and diminishing membership support, the Friends of the Chappaqua Library had no idea what to expect from our annual book sale. About the only thing we were sure of was the dependable volunteer spirit that is alive and well in our town. That spirit goes a long way. In fact, it works miracles.

May 22, 2009
by Christine Yeres

In the final count, Leo Sheer beat David Shields by only three votes, 236 to 233, on Tuesday night to win a seat on the Chappaqua Library Board of Trustees. The other candidates, Khusro Elley and Werner Renberg received 105 votes and 200 votes, respectively.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
by Christine Yeres

In a rather low turnout, both the school budget and library budget passed by a bit more than 800 Yes votes to around 200 No votes, and Alyson Gardner Kiesel, the single school board candidate for one seat won with 838 votes.  But the election among four candidates for the library board seat was too close to call, with the top two candidates so close in numbers of votes that results were not given last night. 

This morning, District Clerk Theresa Markley will count 16 absentee ballots and confirm the authenticity of five votes cast by affadavit on election day by residents who arrived to vote but whose particulars were not listed in the rolls.  The five filled out special affadavits attesting that they were themselves and were registered to vote.  Markley will release the results later this morning.  She would not comment on which two of the four candidates were top vote getters.  An update will follow later this morning, when Markely makes the information available.

Library Director Pam Thornton with (left to right) David Shields, Werner Renberg and Leo Sheer
UPDATE: May 18, 2009
by Christine Yeres

The League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night last Thursday brought about 20 people to the Chappaqua Library theatre to hear one school board candidate and three library board candidates make statements, answer questions, and make closing statements. One current town board member, Robin Stout, and two library board members, Evelyn Bloom and Barbara Lowenthal, were present.

The three library board candidates who appeared Thursday night are Leo Sheer, Werner Renberg and David Shields. [A fourth library board candidate, Khusro Elley, was unable to attend the evening forum; his name will appear on the ballot; all four candidates’ statements appear in the League of Women Voters’ 2009 Voters Guide.]

For NCCTV’s schedule of replays—as well as a link to the “video on demand”—of Candidates’ Night, click here.