WESTMINSTER WEST — The Westminster West Public Library will host a talk about beavers by naturalist and educator Patti Smith, a full course dinner by noted local chef Sharon Boccelli, and a concert with area musicians on Sunday, May 22, beginning at 5 p.m., at the library in Westminster West village.
This event is a fundraiser for the library, which operates on a very small budget, most of which is raised locally.
The library had its beginnings as a collection of reading material kept in people's homes in the late 1800s (the collection existed as early as 1868, according to local records); in 1936, a one-room building was constructed with funds from the Wilcox family by a Bellows Falls contractor, O.H. Riley of Riley Lumber and Supply for a cost of $1,500. The land was donated by town resident Martha Miller.
Since that time, the library has served and been supported by the community through an effort to move it from its current location (voted down), and, in 2003, the addition of running water, a bathroom, a septic system, and a second room, now used to house children's materials.
Now the library serves more than 1,000 patrons, who made almost 3,000 visits to the library last year, and circulated 1,800 items from the library's collection of about 9,000 books, videos, CDs, DVDs and other resources. There's a monthly “Family Flicks” film series, a weekly afterschool program, an adult reading group, and, of course, computer access and free wireless Internet.
To support all this, the library Board of Trustees looks for grants, sends out an annual appeal, and comes up with a variety of events (such as last year's squash festival, and previous farm and garden tours) to raise money, but also to celebrate the community spirit which keeps this operation afloat.
This year's fundraiser is about enjoying the delights of spring through learning about our wild neighbors, the beavers, partaking of a delicious meal, and listening to delightful music.
Smith has worked for the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center since its beginnings, and brings a wealth of knowledge to share. For the past three years, she has been spending many evenings (and not a few nights) with a family of beavers at a remote pond in the woods of Marlboro. In this presentation, she will share slides and talk about her adventures with beavers and some of the other wild creatures she has become acquainted with in the process. She will also talk about the ecological contributions of these industrious mammals. The talk will take place at the library at 5 p.m. This part of the event is free and open to the public.
Following the talk, Boccelli, a renowned chef who recently closed the restaurant portion of her Bellows Falls business, Boccelli's on the Canal, will cater a multi-course meal with meat and vegetarian options, as well as delicious deserts. This part of the event begins at 6 p.m. in the Westminster West Church. The concert with area musicians will follow.
The price for the dinner and concert is $35 ($75 maximum per family.) For information, call the library at 802-387-4682, or call Alison Taylor at 802-387-2781.