- Fratello Marionettes: Carnival of the AnimalsBelle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, Menlo Park, CA
The 7th Annual Menlo Park Summer Puppetry Festival is here! In our kickoff production, beautiful marionettes enact fairy tale favorites, to a classical musical score.
Saint-Saens’ fanciful music serves as a canvas upon which three classic storybook fairy tales are interwoven: “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and “The Ugly Duckling.”
The production is performed without dialog, allowing the classical score to shine. The puppets and puppeteers perform on a raised stage, fully visible to the audience.
About Fratello Marionettes:
The Fratello Marionettes have been entertaining audiences through the art of marionettes since 1989, and has performed in locations around the world.
Founder Kevin Menegus became intrigued by puppetry after receiving a puppet as a gift at age six, and eventually went on to apprentice with some of the leading puppeteers in the country, including Tony Urbano, Bob Baker, Randal Metz and Lewis Mahlmann.
The company continues the tradition of classic marionette performances. All the puppets you see in The Fratello Marionettes’ repertoire are conceptualized and built by the puppeteers themselves, with painstaking attention to detail. Each marionette takes two to three months to create.
This free event received partial funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Sunday, June 16, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Belle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CA, 94025More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - English Conversation ClubMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Do you want to improve your English? Practice with us!
Virtual Conversation Club is an opportunity for English language learners to develop their fluency by practicing with others under the guidance of skilled volunteer tutors. From hobbies to holidays, we discuss a variety of topics to encourage cultural exchange.
Learn about:
• World cultures and traditions
• U.S. history
• English vocabulary and phrasesTakes place Tuesdays from Noon-1 at Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma Street.
More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - LGBTQ+ San Mateo County: History's MysteriesMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Learn about the ongoing questions about LGBTQ+ history of San Mateo County.
Reprising his history presentation full of stories and images from newspapers and advertisements of the day, presenter Michael Flanagan will address the questions about the county that continue to puzzle him.
Topics and questions will include:
- 1911: Dr. Alan Hart attends Stanford; he underwent one of the first female-to-male gender transitions in the United States in 1917
- 1936: Arrest of Henry Cowell in Menlo Park, on morals charges
- 1960s: Why did folk music spots draw a gay crowd in the 60s?
- 1970s: Whatever happened to the Imperial Court culture of the Peninsula and South Bay?
- 1980s: How accurate are the historical statistics on AIDS in the local community?
- 2000s: Why did gay & lesbian bars disappear from San Mateo County?
- 2012: San Mateo County Pride Celebration established
- 2017: The County’s first Pride Center opens
About the presenter:
Michael Flanagan is a Menlo Park Library reference librarian and history columnist for the Bay Area Reporter.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | 06:30 PM - 07:30 PM
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CA, 94025More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Mystery Readers: Golden State MurdersLink visible for attendees
This month, the theme for the Mystery Readers Group is whodunits set right here in California! Read any California-set mysteries you like, and recommend your favorites to the group—other participants may even give you some great titles to add to your to-read pile.
There seems to be no end to mysteries set in the Golden State, with tales cozy or pulse-pounding, covering the various regions, and various points in our history. Here’s just a handful of possibilities:
A Dangerous Business, by Jane Smiley: Monterey, 1851: a pair of brothel workers turn to sleuthing, following a trail of missing girls. Kirkus Reviews calls the book “an oddly pleasant little trot through Gold Rush–era California,” while Publishers Weekly notes that the “vivid historical details and vibrant characters bring Smiley's setting to glorious life. This seductive entertainment is not to be missed.”
City of Dragons, by Kelli Stanley: Author Kelli Stanley’s Miranda Corbie series is about “a San Francisco and a California and a 1940 America that the textbooks and movies don’t show you. A different kind of noir…” In this first book of the series, the 33-year-old P.I. stumbles upon a body at a Chinese New Year carnival.
Death Rides the Zephyr, by Janet Dawson: The original California Zephyr train operated between 1949 and 1970, on a route from Oakland to Chicago. Dawson’s California Zephyr Mystery series takes us back to that time, complete with the Zepherettes, the rail hostesses who performed duties for passengers including first aid, babysitting, and tours. In Death Rides the Zephyr, it’s 1954, and the train is stopped by an avalanche in a Colorado canyon. Zephyrette Jill McLeod must learn whether her resourcefulness is enough to stop a killer. Roberta Alexander of the Oakland Tribune wrote, “this historical mystery is really a love song to a bygone way of life… (the train) is lovingly described, from its layout to its ingenious bedrooms to its cuisine. That's worth the price of admission."
Death by Bubble Tea, by Jennifer J. Chow: Nominated for Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Awards, Death by Bubble Tea is the latest in Chow’s L.A. Night Market Mystery series. Local girl Yale Yee prefers a technology-free life, while her newly-arrived Hong Kong cousin, Celine, is a “foodstagrammer.” Before you know it, they are serving boba drinks in light bulbs—and their first customer dies. Hurry and check this out before we do.
A High Tide Murder, by Emily George: Chloe Barnes is a thoroughly modern sleuth in the fictional California community of Azalea Bay: she is the owner of a cannabis café, legally selling sweet treats and frothy beverages with a dash of CBD. In this second entry in the Cannabis Café Mystery Series, Chloe looks into the mysterious death of a pro surfer. Library Journal says, ““this fun and fact-filled thematic entry into the cozy mystery genre has it all…”
What California-set mysteries have you read? Do you have any favorites? Join us, and clue us in!
Menlo Park’s Mystery Readers Group meets online on the third Wednesday of each month. Rather than reading the same book, all share our reading of different books surrounding a particular theme (tales set in California, for example).
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | 03:00 PM - 04:15 PM
Zoom webinarMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Teen Film FridaysMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Teens, join us for a movie each week in the Teen Zone!
Teen Film Fridays feature a different movie each week—and snacks are provided! Each film is rated PG-13 or lower. Drop in and find out what the movie of the week is, and use the suggestion box in the Teen Zone to request movies you’d like to see in the future.
This free event received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Fridays at 3:30 p.m.
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CAMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - English Conversation ClubBelle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, Menlo Park, CA
Do you want to improve your English? Practice with us!
Virtual Conversation Club is an opportunity for English language learners to develop their fluency by practicing with others under the guidance of skilled volunteer tutors. From hobbies to holidays, we discuss a variety of topics to encourage cultural exchange.
Learn about:
• World cultures and traditions
• U.S. history
• English vocabulary and phrasesTakes place Saturdays from Noon-1 at Belle Haven Library, 100 Terminal Ave.
More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Zine-Making WorkshopBelle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, Menlo Park, CA
Teens and adults: express yourself! Create your own zine!
Join organizers of Bay Area Queer Zine Fest for a zine-making workshop. Zines are an exciting and highly accessible way to get your thoughts out into the world.
What's a zine, you may ask? A zine is an independently produced publication, typically consisting of one or more sheets of paper, designed, folded, and stapled with love. Zines can be about anything and are a great way to express yourself. Never made a zine before? Let us show you how. Zinesters of all levels and abilities welcome.
This event is for adults and teens.
About Bay Area Queer Zine Fest:
Since its inception in 2017, Bay Area Queer Zine Fest has striven to positively maintain, support, and contribute to the queer + creative communities it proactively represents.
This free event received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Saturday, June 22, 2024 | 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Belle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CA, 94025More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programs
Menlo Park Library on social media:@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group: Howl's Moving CastleLink visible for attendees
Join us online to discuss Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones.
When she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady.
Her only chance at breaking the spell lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on.
Along the way, Sophie discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.
About Diana Wynne Jones:
In a career spanning four decades, award-winning author Diana Wynne Jones (1934‒2011) wrote more than forty books of fantasy for young readers. Characterized by magic, multiple universes, witches and wizards—and a charismatic nine-lived enchanter—her books are filled with unlimited imagination, dazzling plots, and an effervescent sense of humor that earned her legendary status in the world of fantasy.
The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group meets online on the 4th Monday of each month.
Monday, June 24, 2024 | 06:30 PM - 07:45 PM
Zoom webinarMore free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - English Conversation ClubMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Do you want to improve your English? Practice with us!
Virtual Conversation Club is an opportunity for English language learners to develop their fluency by practicing with others under the guidance of skilled volunteer tutors. From hobbies to holidays, we discuss a variety of topics to encourage cultural exchange.
Learn about:
• World cultures and traditions
• U.S. history
• English vocabulary and phrasesTakes place Tuesdays from Noon-1 at Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma Street.
More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Film Screening: Rehearsal for a Sicilian TragedyMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Menlo Park's 7th Annual Summer Puppetry Festival continues with a special documentary.
Actor John Turturro takes us along on a trip to his grandmother’s homeland of Sicily, where before cinema, puppetry beat out sports as the main form of entertainment.
While exploring the island's vanishing traditions, Turturro is taken under the wing of one of the puppet theater's few remaining practitioners, Mimmo Cuticchio, who instructs him in the distinctively Sicilian art of puppetry.
Filmed during preparations for the Sicilian Day of the Dead, this evocative, magical-realist documentary was directed by Turturro's longtime collaborator, Roman Paska, himself a world-renowned puppeteer. Both an homage to the art of storytelling and a portrait of a Sicily little known to the outside world, Paska's film brings viewers to an otherworldly place, lost in time.
## About the Summer Puppetry Festival:
## We’re presenting our 7th Annual Summer Puppetry Festival! Menlo Park celebrates puppetry in its many forms, with a series of puppet shows and related events featuring beloved performers from throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Drop in for one event, or join us for the entire series.
Performances:
| June 16 | Fratello Marionettes | Belle Haven Library |
| --------- | -------------------- | ------------------- |
| July 11 | Puppet Art Theater | Menlo Park Library |
| July 28 | The Puppet Company | Belle Haven Library |
| August 8 | Luce Puppet Company | Menlo Park Library |Other events:
| June 25 | Documentary: Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy | Menlo Park Library |
| ------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| August 3 | Mixed media puppet craft | Belle Haven Library |This free program series received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CA, 94025More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter