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April 9, 2009 The Ashland TAB, Page 3

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QUESTION & ANSWER WITH: MARIBETH MORRISSEY AND LESLIE MARCI

Women run Marathon for the Ashland Public Library Two Ashland moms are training to run the Boston Marathon to raise money for the Ashland Library. Leslie Marci and Maribeth Morrissey hope to raise $100 per mile, or $2,600, for the Friends of the Ashland Public Library to buy books. The friends and neighbors started running together last fall. Marci, a veterinarian and mother of four, ran the Marathon in 2007. This is the first race for Morrissey, a stay-at-home mother of two. She answered a few questions on their cause. Please explain why you chose the library as your cause. We chose the library because we wanted to find something that would benefit all members of our community. We both love to read and take our children there often — it is one activity that anyone young or old can use at no cost. By choosing the library, we are showing our kids how to give back to the

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community. Won’t it make them proud to go there and see the books that their parents helped them buy? What you are teaching the kids is a three-part lesson — evaluating the needs of a community, trying to help solve a problem, and then becoming active and doing something about it. How have you been training and has it been difficult? We have been following a novice training schedule we found online and using advice and support from the Hopkinton Running Club. We have been running three to four days a week and cross-training other days. Leslie has run the Marathon before and she has been able to share her experience. It has been very challenging — we have been running in snow, rain, sleet, sub-zero temperatures, you name it. Sometimes we would come back from a run with icicles on our eye-

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brows and heads. Training in Ashland on all of the hills has prepared us well for Heartbreak Hill. Having someone to train with has been a huge, great support for each other — we have laughed for probably 300 miles, and cried for about two. Typically we run between 20 and 40 miles per week. Why the Marathon instead of a different, less grueling fundraiser? I started running with Leslie this past fall. We were running four to six miles on Fridays. Leslie mentioned casually on one of our runs, “We need a goal. We should run the Boston Marathon this year.” In between breaths, I said I did not think I had it in me, and she said, “Why not?” I couldn’t answer her, so I thought about it more. If I can run this Marathon, I can do anything. I had the time to train this year and I began to get excit-

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STAFF PHOTO BY ART ILLMAN

Ashland residents Leslie Marci, left, and Maribeth Morrissey, right, go for a 12-mile training run Tuesday.

ed about the prospect of having the bragging rights. When we really thought about it, we were also teaching our kids to reach for goals that may seem impossible, but when broken down into parts became surmountable.

Our families visit the library about once a week to take out books, movies and computer games. The kids need to read books every week for their school assignments. In the past they could take books out at their school library, but How do your own those libraries were closed last families benefit from year due to budget cuts. We both belong to book clubs and love to the library?

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LIBRARY NOTES

Library friends’ Documentary Film and Discussion Series

Burning the Future: Coal in America, April 9: Ashland Friends of the Library presents the film Burning the Future: Coal in America. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Community Room, Ashland Public Library, 66 Front St., and is free and open to the public. Viewers are invited to stay for discussion. Coal burning generates 55 percent of the electricity in the U.S. Long before supplies run out, either restrictions will be imposed on burning coal or the planet will be uninhabitable. Thirty-six percent of U.S. global warming emissions come from approximately 501 coal-burning power plants. Every 11fi days, the explosive equivalent of the Hiroshima atomic bomb is unleashed upon the mountains of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky to blast off entire mountain tops. Entire mountain ecosystems, fresh water, wildlife, trees and plants are destroyed. This isn’t a remote story, unconnected to Ashland. There are three coal burning power plants in Massachusetts—Somerset, Salem, and Holyoke. Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club’s national coal campaign director, has said, “This film burns through the ‘clean coal’ rhetoric, showing the harsh truth of the coal story.” The Sustainable Table: The True Cost of Food, Tuesday, April 28: Fifty percent of our ecosystems are now unsustainable. Modern agricultural practices and animal factory farming are a major source of the problem. The Sustainable Table relates how food is produced to what we eat: a high protein diet laced with poisonous chemicals, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms. And it relates what we eat to our health. Sustainable Table also critically examines alternatives, such as organic farming. Organic, under current regulations, does not nec-

essarily mean chemical-free. Sulfur, for example, is permitted on grapes marketed as organically grown. Local food production and knowing your farmer are keys to sustainable agriculture practices. Making the transition to local food production will not be easy and may cost more. As prices skyrocket and the Oil Age draws to a close, are you willing to pay a little more for fresher, healthier food to support local, more sustainable farming? The Documentary Film & Discussion Series meets every second Thursday and fourth Tuesday of the month for an in-depth look at important topics of our day. The discussions are often lively and thought-provoking. All points of view are welcomed. For more information, visit www.friendsoftheapl.com.

Friday night films No film April 10 for Good Friday. The Visitor, April 17: Wonderful film with Richard Jenkins, one of the year’s best. Michael Clayton, April 24: Excellent thriller with George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Sydney Pollack. Ghost Town, May 1: Funny dialogue, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni, Ricky Gervais.

Early release programs Whale Tales, April 29: A Red Cross safety program, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. for grades 1-5. The American Red Cross believes one way to help reduce drownings in children ages 5-12 is to teach water safety education in elementary schools and other youth programs. The American Red Cross created Longfellow’s Whales Tales to help teach children about safe behavior in, on and around the water. This program will help give children an awareness of being safe around the water and to help promote healthful aquatic recreation. This program will introduce participants to various safety topics through lecture, discus-

Children’s programs Children’s Lap Sit for Infants and Toddlers: Every Wednesday from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. Drop in and join us for stories, songs and finger plays. Space is limited. Saturday Story Time: For ages 3fi to 6 at 11 a.m. Drop in. Parents may either sit with the child in the Program Room or wait in the Children’s Room. Family movies: On Saturdays, at 2 p.m. April 11, April 18 & April 25. School Vacation Week: Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22 at 2 p.m. Please check with the Children’s Department for titles, ratings and movie length. Children under age 10 must be accompanied by an adult. You may bring snacks.

Teen Events Young Adult Author Book Talk, Saturday, April 18: Come meet local author Alisa Libby and enjoy a book talk and reading from one of her novels, 10 a.m. to noon. Alisa Libby grew up in Natick and is the author of two young adult novels, The Blood Confession and The King’s Rose. The Blood Confession is the dark tale of a countess who will go to extreme and frightening lengths to preserve her youth and beauty. The King’s Rose tells the story of Catherine Howard, who married King Henry VIII and met a grim fate. Please register for this event in advance by calling the library or visiting the Reference Desk. Appropriate for age 13 and up.

Young Adult Wii Games Thursday April 23, at 4:30 p.m.: Young adults, ages 11 and up, are invited to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Carnival Games, or Wii Sports. Games will be selected based upon interest and number of players. If desired, participants may bring their own controllers. Snacks will be provided.

Sunday Concert Christopher Pouliot, May 10, 2-4 p.m.: Please join us for a solo piano recital given by Christopher Pouliot, which will open with three miniatures by Bela Bartok to be followed by Mozart’s Rondo in D. To round out the first half of the program, Pouliot has chosen the Three Novelettes, a charming work by Francis Poulenc. After intermission, Pouliot will end the recital with a beautiful work by Enrique Granados. This piece is a suite of pieces evoking 19th century Spain known as Six Popular Spanish Folk Songs. For more information, call 508-881-0134 or visit www.friendsoftheapl.com

Art in the Library Downstairs: Colors and Rhythm, watercolors by Carolyn Kiefer, March 30 to April 30. Longtime Framingham resident and artist Carolyn Kiefer will be exhibiting her vibrant watercolors this month. For many years, Carolyn dreamed of being an artist, but it wasn’t until she summoned up the courage to take an art class that the reality started to unfold. “The first time I put paint to the paper was thrilling,” she said. “It felt like I was experiencing creation for the first time.” Carolyn enjoys watercolor “because there is so much that happens in the process of painting that is accidental.” She has developed a technique using paints wet into wet, a hair dryer and large hake brushes, and occasionally works in pastel and colored pencil.

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sion, worksheet and hands-on activities. Early release day programs take place at the Ashland Public Library, 66 Front St., lower level. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.Friends oftheAPL.com. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Programs are free, but space is limited.

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Garden meeting packed About 50 people met in the Ashland Public Library Community Room on Sunday to take further steps toward establishing a community garden. Facilitated by Cathy Rooney and Leslie Githens, the group discussed possible sites that would allow them to get started this season. Three working groups were formed to tackle governance and management, design and layout, and site preparation and resources. Action items included site design, preparation, and development and garden management. The group also formed a coordinating committee of Cheri Valone, Laura Rund, Paul Savard, Florence Siedell and Leslie Githens. The Sunday meeting grew out of a speakers’ forum held March 14, where 70 people listened to speakers from Westborough and community gardens in Southborough and Somerville. Young and old, some with yards of their own and others who live in condos, turned out to learn how they can establish a community garden in Ashland. These meetings were co-sponsored by three local groups — We Love Ashland, the Ashland Garden Club and the Friends of the Ashland Library, who see community gardening as a way to build community, share knowledge and resources, and provide nutritious food and healthy living. For more information, contact Cynthia Whitty at [email protected].

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For Carolyn, “the painting is a journey into the unknown. The challenge is always to trust my inner voice while constantly dealing with a changing reality.” Finding this path has been “a gift” to her. Some of the paintings on exhibit will be from her “Spirit Vessel” series, which Carolyn has exhibited at the Danforth Museum’s Round Room Gallery and at 60 Nobscot Gallery in Sudbury. She works out of her Tripp Street studio in Framingham. Display case: Lil’ David Williamson, walking stick carver, March 17 to May 30. Framingham folk artist Lil’ David Williamson will be displaying his unique handcarved walking sticks in the upstairs display case. He started carving these sticks almost 20 years ago as a result of the recurrence of childhood polio: the stick was needed for him to stay mobile. Each stick is unique and follows a theme which could be dragons, firefighters, mermaids, reptiles, flowers, battleships, etc., or images based on a particular friend who the stick was carved for (such as a doctor, pilot, etc.). Each walking stick branch is selected for its uniqueness, and through a lengthy process, is carved creating relief images which are then painted with vibrant colors and sealed. These are truly very special creations that Lil’ David has agreed to share with us at the Ashland Library. In the case there will also be a more detailed description of the process that Lil’ David goes through in creating his fascinating folk art.

read. Our kids beg to go to the library, and so it was great to be able to connect two separate goals.

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