Discover Lansdowne - LEDC Newsletter #22

Strong Library Week
Because of the every-other-week schedule of Discover Lansdowne, this issue comes to you in the midst of National Library Week (not to be confused with Book Week, which is in the fall). That means that you'll have to hurry to take advantage of the generous offer the Lansdowne Public Library is making this week only -- Food for Fines. Even though it's super easy to renew your books and whatnot online, it's even easier to forget to renew or return on time, and then those fines can build up quickly. Until this Sunday, April 19, for every nonperishable food item you bring to the library (like canned soup, canned meat, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, rice, pancake mix and syrup), they'll deduct $1.00 from your fines for overdue books. Even if you don't have fines, donating some food is a nice way to thank the library for all it offers and to restock the William Penn School District Food Bank.

Here's a great opportunity to get involved in a multifaceted exploration of a literary work: the Lansdowne Public Library has been awarded a grant from the NEA to participate in The Big Read, a program designed to get communities reading and discussing classic works of literature. Of 208 communities participating nationwide, Lansdowne is one of only four taking part in Pennsylvania. The chosen book is 1940's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. To celebrate this classic novel, which features a deaf character, the library is offering a variety of free programming throughout Lansdowne, including book discussions, movies, and lectures. Free copies of the book, bookmarks, reader's guides, and audio guides are available at the library, the train station, Borough Hall, and local restaurants. Although the kick-off reception is past, there's a load of events still on the calendar, culminating in a Lansdowne Sofa Cinema presentation of the well-regarded 1968 film version on May 16 at Cinema 16:9. Be a part of something big, the Big Read.

Finally, if you feel like venturing out of town to get your literary groove on this weekend, try the Free Library Festival on Saturday and Sunday, on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, featuring famous writers (Joyce Carol Oates and Joe Queenan, for example), poets, library tours, lots of stuff for kids, plus a street fair and literary marketplace where you can both grab a bite and nab a good read. Just remember: it's hard to look like a proper book snob when you're eating a corndog.

Radical Flick
While every night can now be movie night in Lansdowne (and every afternoon movie afternoon) since Cinema 16:9 opened, this Saturday, April 18, is a special night because it's a Lansdowne Sofa Cinema screening of a film with local interest, Camden 28. Camden 28 is a documentary covering a 1971 break-in at the draft board offices in the Federal Building in Camden, NJ, by eight anti-Vietnam War protestors who were destroying Selective Service records until the FBI caught them. Twenty more protestors were soon arrested (hence the "28"), and the group went on trial in what U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan called one of the greatest trials of the 20th century. After the film, Joan Reilly, one of the members of the Camden 28, will talk about her experiences.The movie's at 7:15 pm at Cinema 16:9, 35 N. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, and tickets are $5. Seating is limited to 41, so stop in early for a ticket to ensure yourself a spot.

Anticipating the Fireworks
Anyone who's been to the high school football field on the 4th of July knows that the Lansdowne Union Athletic Association throws a heck of a party: live music, food, and wow those fireworks! To help fund that major blowout and keep the requested donation amount low, the Union AA is having another party (they know what they do well) -- the Red, White and Bluesy Spring Social, next Saturday, April 25, from 7:00 to 11:00 pm at the Twentieth Century Club. The $25 ticket covers a buffet, beer, wine, and soda, plus registers you for door prizes. Entertainment will be provided by the happening jazz band The Joe Stevenson Trio and by a special guest appearance by some Mummers. Also, of course, by the friends and neighbors you meet up with there. Call 610-284-1433 or email mariecamp13@hotmail.com to RSVP (good idea) or get your tickets at the door. And bring some cash for the 50/50!

Scout Sketty
If you don't have an entire evening to devote to a buffet and jazz and Mummers, try finding in hour to enjoy what has to be one of the very best Boy Scout spaghetti dinners going, what with the homemade, cooked-for-hours sauce; the attentive (not to mention brave, clean, and reverent) servers; and the possibility of winning swell stuff like sports tickets and gift baskets in the well-appointed prize raffle. Trust us on this: we've been there and it's good. The Annual Spring Spaghetti Dinner, sponsored by Lansdowne Boy Scout Troop 63, Saturday, April 25, 4:00 to 7:00 pm; $5 up to age 12, $7 for 13 and older; First Presbyterian Church, Lansdowne and Greenwood Avenues, Lansdowne.

Pitch In
There was a time when nearly every family reunion or big picnic was accompanied by the ringing of horseshoes striking stakes, the bragging of the players, and the occasional shout of "Look out!" as a toss went errant. Horseshoes isn't as commonplace a pastime as it once was, but that doesn't mean it's not a lot of fun or a great way to spend an afternoon. Which is why it's terrific that the Lansdowne Boys and Girls Club holds a fundraiser tournament each year: it gives the folks who have always played horseshoes a chance to show off their skills, and it offers the uninitiated an opportunity to try their hand (make that arm and shoulder too -- it's a 40-foot toss) at a game that's easy to learn but not so easy to master (though beginners have been known to pull off occasional wins over masters, which is grounds for some serious bragging). The 4th Annual Horseshoe Tournament Fundraiser is next Sunday, April 26, noon to sunset (rain date is May 3), at the Ardmore Field, Essex and Ardmore Avenues, Lansdowne. Call 610-623-0803 to preregister ($20) or just show up at the field and pay $25. (Has anyone else noticed that horseshow in the advertising for the 2009 Lansdowne Arts Festival and wondered what that's about? We'll try to find out and let you know.)

Grand Finale
Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra will be ending their season on Sunday, April 26, with a concert featuring the Dvorak Cello Concerto No. 2 in B minor (with Clancy Newman as cello soloist) and Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. The performance is at 3:00 pm at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, Upper Darby High School, and tickets at the door are $5 to $17 (save $2 with a valid WHYY member card).

Tales of Them
Most everyone who's been in Lansdowne more than a week or two knows Al Them on at least a "Hey, Al" basis. Among other things, he's involved with the Lansdowne Boys and Girls Club, Celebration Theater, and the Arts Festival, and if there were an All-Round Nice Guy Club, Al'd likely be the president. What Al might be best known for, however, is his love of writing -- poems, plays, funny stories, scary stories, and even funny scary stories. It's our good fortune that he's gathered some of his best work for the slightly creepily titled book The Man in the Basement, a collection of original writing that will amuse, entertain, and cause more than a few goosebumps.