Special Events Will Celebrate 75th Anniversary Of The C.H. Booth Library

Beginning in February, the Cyrenius H. Booth Library will begin a string of celebrations in honor of the library’s 75th anniversary, said director Janet Woycik, Tuesday, January 9. Ms Woycik and staff members have brainstormed several activities for the upcoming anniversary year. “We think that there will be something for everyone, and a lot of fun things,” said Ms Woycik.

The Main Street library, funded by a bequest from the late Mary E. Hawley and named in honor of her maternal grandfather, opened to the public on December 12, 1932. The library stands on the site of the Dick’s Hotel, later known as the Newtown Inn, and just up the street from the Hawley homestead, now the Inn at Newtown.

In the early 1990s, an addition was built onto the library to accommodate the growing needs of the townspeople and new technology. The library continues to strive to meet the demands of the residents, all the while maintaining its stately demeanor and timeless architectural beauty. Today the library serves not only as a book lender, but as a gathering spot, a place to find new technology, a source of reference, and as a museum.

The kickoff event will be Saturday, February 17, with an all-day, five-round Scrabble Tournament. Two levels of competition, one of players rated by the National Scrabble Association, will play from 9 am to 3 pm in the meeting room of the library. Registration forms can be acquired at the main circulation desk on the second floor of the library, or by calling 426-4533. A fee of $20 includes lunch and prizes. The tournament is limited to 80 people.

The tournament is a fitting choice, said reference librarian Andrea Zimmermann, as Scrabble was developed in Newtown by inventor James Brunot. “The game boards were printed up, with sheets of rules and all were arranged in chipboard boxes with the name of the game printed on the top and the logo, Production and Marketing Co., Newtown, on its side. The pieces were then assembled in the Brunot kitchen… Scrabble was now available for the player,” writes historian Dan Cruson in his book, A Mosaic of Newtown History.

Now produced by Milton Bradley Games, tournament players are requested to provide their own deluxe Scrabble boards and a timer, if possible, for the February tournament.

On March 1, a special celebration featuring a keynote speaker and including a representative from each of the book club groups in town will take place. The evening will wrap up with the announcement of the book title for the Newtown Reads event, which begins March 2.

Newtown Reads is a town wide program in which residents receive free copies of a book selected by a delegation from the library to be read and discussed, either on one’s own or at one of the organized book discussions. The 2,500 free books will be distributed at various locations in town on March 2, along with strategically placed barrels to accommodate returning or passing on the novel. Book discussions, a movie, and other activities related to the novel will take place throughout March and April, culminating in a theater production based on that book and a reception at the end of April.

A special young adult book discussion on the Chris Crowe novel, Mississippi Trial, 1955, will be held Wednesday, March 14.

In May, Newtown residents can take part in a Main Street scavenger hunt, with an in-library scavenger hunt for young adults.

Newtown authors will be feted in June with a reception for local, published authors. Presently the Newtown author’s collection is located on the third floor of the library. It was started 25 years ago by library curator Caroline Stokes, and reference librarian Andrea Zimmermann hopes that in this anniversary year, authors may be willing to donate one copy of the favorite book they have written, in order to expand the collection.

The July 4th weekend, of course, is the annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library book sale. Thousands of books attracting thousands of bibliophiles will be offered for sale at the Reed Intermediate School on Trade Lane. While the book sale is not as old as the library itself, it has become one of the most popular events of the year in Newtown.

In August, the library will sponsor a townwide bring-your-own picnic. But save room for dessert, as C.H. Booth Library plans to provide a gigantic birthday cake for everyone to share. A raffle of wall-size quilts created by children’s librarian Lana Meloni and Newtown children, with the cooperation of local authors, will take place at the picnic, as well.

As summer drifts into fall, the anniversary celebration will continue with a dinner dance/fundraiser to be held September 29 at Rock Ridge Country Club.

For lovers of the Bard, September will also feature the start of an eight-month-long program, a Shakespeare Festival, said library programs director Kim Weber. Copies of five of the major Shakespearean tragedies will be made available for reading and Yale Professor of English Mark Scherer will lead a lecture on each of the tales. Film adaptations of some of the plays will be featured, and discussions of the plays led by local experts will take place.

“We hope to read a biography of Shakespeare, too,” said Ms Weber, “and a liver performance of one of the plays will take place as part of the festival. I’m very excited about this. I think it is what a library should be all about, presenting challenging material and making it fun.” Activities geared toward younger fans of Shakespeare are also planned during the course of the festival, she said.

Finally, said celebration planners, they hope to hold an anniversary recognition ceremony at the library in December.