Grand Opening of KEENage Korner

The “KEENage Korner,” a space designed specifically for senior citizens at the Peters Township Public Library, will ceremonially open on Saturday, April 9, 2011 thanks to a $4,000 “Senior Spaces” grant provided by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Libraries. Senator John Pippy will assist with the ribbon-cutting. Along with the ceremony, bagpiper Sean O’Donnell will entertain with a short concert and Gina Snyder from Sunny Bridge Natural Foods will provide a healthy living lecture and demonstration. The festivities will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the library lobby; light refreshments will be served.

Since receiving the grant in fall of 2010, library staff along with members of the Senior Advisory Council worked to create new programs and learning opportunities for the Peters Township 50+ population. In addition to weekly “Wii Sports for Seniors” sessions, AARP tax assistance, and a variety of lectures, the council pushed for informational and instructional programming on current technology trends. To date, the library has offered a hands-on demonstration of devices such as the iPad, eReaders, iPod Touch and smartphones by a representative from the local Best Buy and a “Technology Fair” that showcased the library’s newest resources. The Senior Advisory Council is seeking new members to contribute ideas for the Senior Space and Senior programs; their next scheduled meeting is April 7, 2011 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Registration is not required for this event. Patrons of all ages are encouraged to drop by the library from 11:00-1:00 p.m. to enjoy the day’s events.

Spirit of Carnival on Sunday, April 10

Experience the excitement of carnival in the streets of Port-of-Spain, Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans with professional dancer and ethnologist Tracie Yorke at the Peters Township Public Library on Sunday, April 10 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. This program will kick-off the library’s National Library Week celebration, April 10 through 16. Register for this program online or call 724.941.9430. Light refreshments will be served.

Each year, pulsating drum rhythms, flamboyant costumes and a coterie of colorful dancers transform the streets of Trinidad, Brazil and New Orleans to create non-stop street parties and elaborate displays of political, social, cultural and national solidarity. In this library event, dressed in stunning carnival pageantry, Tracie Yorke will use carnival props, video projections and music to take participants on an interactive journey through the fascinating histories of each one of these carnivals. The presentation will close, as all carnival celebrations do, with a parade of champions, drawn from the audience.

Yorke is a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and Artistic Director of Tracie Yorke Dance. She has a ten-year national/international performance history, having performed in countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Taiwan, Guinea and Italy. She currently conducts world dance residencies as a teaching artist in schools and communities throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Consistent with Library Director Pier Lee’s objective to explore other cultures through library programs, “The Spirit of Carnival” will initiate several activities for patrons of all ages, including props for Carnival made by children and masks created by teens. The library lobby will be decorated to capture the excitement of Carnival.

This Commonwealth Speakers presentation is a program of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and its We the People initiative. The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals to enjoy and share a life of learning.