​We are so happy to announce the Roger Clark Memorial Library Gingerbread House tradition continues!  Sign up now to reserve a kit chock-full of holiday goodies - everything you need to decorate your very own gingerbread house at home. RSVP by 12/10 via phone/email at 746-4067 and pittsfieldvtlibrary@gmail.com to make arrangements to pick up your supplies at the library between 12/15-19.  Kits are prepared with love by Dana Decker.  Thank you, Dana!

​Have you been homeschooling? How's it going? Join our remote discussion group where we'll talk about your successes schooling at home, as well as those things that maybe didn't work so well. This is the first meeting of a new library group for sharing ideas and finding support, for homeschooling families with children of any age. Monday, 11/23, 10 am. We hope you'll join us! RSVP for information on how to join. 746-4067 or pittsfieldvtlibrary@gmail.com.

​On November 19 at 6 PM, Roger Clark Library in Pittsfield will host a remote talk by Rebecca Rupp, who will  speak  through Google Meet on Soup to Nuts: An Eccentric History of Food. The history of what and how we eat encompasses everything from the prehistoric mammoth luau to the medieval banquet to the modern three squares a day. Presented by writer Rebecca Rupp, this talk will let attendees find out about the rocky evolution of table manners, the not-so-welcome invention of the fork, the awful advent of portable soup, and the surprising benefits of family dinners – plus some catchy info on seasonal foods. What’s the story of chocolate? Why do the Irish eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day? Who invented lemonade? Why are turkeys called turkeys? And what are sugarplums anyway?
Rebecca Rupp has a Ph.D. in cell biology and biochemistry from George Washington University and now works as a professional writer.  She is the author of some 200 articles for national magazines, on topics ranging from the natural history of squirrels to the archaeology of privies, and nearly 20 books for both children and adults. She blogs on food science and history for National Geographic.  Becky has just finished an adult book on the history of food (Twelve Courses: The History of a Feast ).
This talk is free, open to the public, and accessible to those with disabilities. For more information, contact Maya  at (802) 746-4067 or pittsfieldvtlibrary@gmail.com.
Soup to Nuts: An Eccentric History of Food is a Vermont Humanities program hosted by Roger Clark Memorial Library. (Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
program do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or Vermont Humanities.)

News about the Book Club from Micheline:
The RCML book club welcomed five new members in person (Renee, Caroline, Beth, Sharon and Kim ) on 10/21 at The Clear River Tavern. In less than two months, a group of five members has grown to 12 members.  We are excited and thank everyone for joining and meeting in person. Everyone had a mask on and the venue allowed us to social distance as required.
The book we discussed in October was Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. The author's book club questions generated a lot of great discussion. One member shared her experiences living in the south thus relating to the characters, environment and social times of the 1940s.  Another member went to school with Diane Chamberlain. She shared with us when she found out her friend was the author and some personal experiences they encountered during their time together.  She also shared that they still communicate via Facebook and the possibility of reading other books she has written and connecting with her via Zoom for discussion.
We are currently reading Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes.  It gives us a fictionalized account of the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians.  It is inspired by a real group of librarians who, between 1935 and 1943, delivered books to some of the most remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains. We will talk about this book on 11/18 at 6pm at The Clear Tavern.   If you are interested in this book or have read it and wish to join us, please contact:
Erica at hurdof2@gmail.com or Micheline at michelinebissell@gmail.com.
We will hand out the next book at the  11/18 meeting; it's called Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. It is a ravishing jewel of romance, hope, family, and the history of Cuba.  This novel will be talked about at our December 16, 2020 meeting.
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