Buena Park Library Celebrates National Piano Month

The Buena Park Library is offering an evening of music by local pianist, Paul Kosmala to celebrate National Piano Month. The program will be on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Downstairs Community Room at the Library. Kosmala will "tickle the ivories" of his keyboard and perform a variety of his most requested tunes. These will range from ragtime, blues, Gershwin, show tunes, classical, movie themes, etc.

Mr. Kosmala grew up in Buffalo, New York where he studied classical and popular music with several private teachers. He began performing professionally at age 16. Since moving to Southern California in 1979, he has performed with many local orchestras and bands, at many hotels, restaurants, countless private parties, and as a solo pianist on Sitmar Cruises. He is also an experienced piano teacher and has been inspiring students for over thirty years.

Mariachi 101 at the Library

The Buena Park Library will be hosting an author talk on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 6:00 pm. Gil Sperry, author of Mariachi for Gringos: Unlocking the Secrets of Mexico's Macho Music will be presenting his most entertaining talk called "Mariachi 101."

Have you ever wondered what the top 50 mariachi songs are? Or have you asked yourself last time you were at a Mexican restaurant -- do we stop eating and drinking when the mariachi arrive at our table? Sperry will entertain you with answers to these questions plus much more. He'll talk about the history of mariachi music, women and mariachi, the musicians and their instruments, and famous mariachi songs and their composers.

Gil Sperry is a modern-day renaissance man who delights in entertaining and informing audiences through both the spoken and the written word. His first book, Mariachi for Gringos, was originally released in 2006. His second book Soccer's Story & A Futbol Fable was released in 2009 and is currently being adapted into a screenplay by two veteran Hollywood screenwriters. His third book, The Hispanic Heritage of the Food We Eat, is now under construction.

Sperry lives with his wife in Baja where he enjoys the Mexican lifestyle, food, and music. He makes time to teach elementary school in Chula Vista, California and is an avid sports enthusiast, fisherman, and jazz aficionado. He is a graduate of Ohio's Kenyon College and also holds an M.A. in History from Stanford University.

This program is appropriate for the whole family and should be a very entertaining evening of all things mariachi. Refreshments will be provided and autographed copies of his book will be available for purchase.

Text Your Questions

Get answers to questions fast through a new Buena Park Library District service by texting My Info Quest at 309-222-7740, entering the code “bpl” and then your question. The service is available Monday through Thursday from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday from 6 am to 4 pm, Saturday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. A librarian will text back with an answer within 10 minutes.

The service is a new option for patrons to get information on the go. This service is ideal for questions that must be answered immediately and allows more access to library information from remote locations.

Questions are answered by librarians from across the country who take turns fielding incoming texts. Patrons can simply enter the phone number into their directory and have an immediate way to get answers.

The Buena Park Library District Says Farewell to Summer with a Seashell Display

"She sells seashells by the seashore" ... so goes the tongue twister. At the Buena Park Library District, Margaret Cooney presents an exhibit of shells collected by her late mother, Elizabeth M. Schofield, over the past 40 years. Friends, family and neighbors brought Mrs. Schofield shells from their travels. Currently on display in the library lobby, the exhibit will run through September 30, 2009.

Shells are the external skeleton of a soft-bodied animal known as a mollusk. Clams, snails, abalones are all mollusks. Mollusks live in the oceans and in fresh water, as well as on land. The shell is composed of calcium carbonate and other substances which are secreted by the mantle of the mollusk. The mantle is also responsible for the formation of pearls in oysters and mussels. Mollusks have been used as a source of food for thousands of years. Shells have been prized from ancient times. Shells have decorated Mesoamerican temples and Greek and Roman vases. They have also been used as a form of currency by Native Americans.