Jazz Concert: Lynn Randall and Friends

Lynn Randall will be performing songs from the Great American Songbook at Mount Laurel Library on Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 2 p.m.   Joining her will be pianist Tom Adams, legendary cornetist Warren Vache', drummer Grant MavAvoy and upright bassist Don Moyer.   This concert is free and open to the public.  No registration is needed.  

Lynn Randall began performing professionally as a child, appearing on the Tony Grant Show on Steel Pier at age 12.  Since then she has worked as a full-time vocalist with top-40 and show bands, and performed at Atlantic City casino hotels like Caesar’s, Resorts International, and the Trump Hotels. Now she has turned her focus to the Great American Songbook doing the great classics of Mercer, Porter, Gershwin etc.

This concert is part of the Second Sunday Concert series offered at the Mount Laurel Library thanks to a generous gift from Wegmans.  Concerts are held every second Sunday of the month from 2-3 p.m.  All are welcome to attend.

Getting the Job You Want series

Kim Richmond will present a series of free programs outlining effective techniques for getting the job you want at the Mount Laurel Library on Tuesday evenings, September 10, 24, October 1 and 8  from 6:30-8:00 p.m.   Richmond is a Senior Marketing Executive and Adjunct Professor at the School of Business at Rutgers University in Camden.  No registration is needed.

Developing Your Personal Brand – September 10

* Why it is important to think about yourself as a brand

* The power of personal branding in your job search

* How to build your brand and translate it into a cover letter and resume

10 Places to Look for Your Next Job – September 24

* 10 resources to find job opportunities

* How to uncover the "hidden" job market with tips that will make your networking more effective

* How to truly leverage (not just use) LinkedIn in your job search

10 Steps to Successful Job Interviews – October 1

* How to handle the salary question

* How to set yourself apart with your career portfolio

* Which interview questions you should ask

* How to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job

How to Negotiate and Accept the Right Job Offer  - October 8

* Evaluate the elements of a job offer

* Identify which elements are negotiable

* Prepare for the negotiation

* Review an offer letter

Zydeco Dance Lessons

Learn to dance to the upbeat N'awlins sounds of Zydeco Music on Wednesdays, July 31, August 7 and 14 at 7 p.m.  Experienced dance instructors Larry and Ava Muzyka will make it easy.
No experience or registration needed.

Ballroom Dancing for Beginners - Thursdays 7PM

Beloved dance instructor Diane Alcavage is back for another summer of ballroom dancing lessons for beginners.

Here is a list of the dance lessons. Come to all of them or just the ones you want to try.

July 11: Cha Cha
July 18: Waltz
Aug 1: Hustle
Aug 8: Foxtrot
Aug 15: Swing

No partner, experience, registration or coordination needed!
Come enjoy the fun!!

Summer Concert: Zydeco-A-Go-Go

Join us for an outdoor concert with Zydeco-A-Go-Go on Friday, July 12 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Laurel Acres Park – 1045 S. Church Street. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and a picnic dinner. No registration necessary.

Come enjoy the irresistible sounds of zydeco music - Cajun, New Orleans rhythm & blues and vintage Louisiana rock & roll with this 5-piece dance band. Drums, bass, guitar, sax, accordion and rubboard create a pulsating energy of pure Louisiana dance music. No matter where they play, you know it’s gonna be a wild and swingin’ pitch-a-wang-dang-doodle ZYDECO DANCE PARTY!

In the event of rain, check www.mtlaurel.lib.nj.us for updates.

Summer concerts are provided by the Mount Laurel Township in partnership with the Mount Laurel Library. Thank you to our sponsors Mount Laurel Home for Funerals, NFL Films and Wegmans.

Jersey Sound Chorus - A Capella concert this Friday

Join us for an outdoor concert at Laurel Acres Park – 1045 S. Church Street on Friday 6-7:30PM. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and a picnic dinner. No registration necessary.

The Jersey Sound Chorus is made up of women from all over the tri-state area singing four part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style. The concert will include old time classics as well as pop, jazz, patriotic, and Broadway tunes. A member chapter of Sweet Adelines International, Jersey Sound is known for a high level of performance and consistently wins awards at Sweet Adelines regional competitions.

In the event of rain, check www.mtlaurel.lib.nj.us or www.mountlaurel.com for updates.

Summer concerts are provided by the Mount Laurel Township in partnership with the Mount Laurel Library. Thank you to our sponsors Mount Laurel Home for Funerals, NFL Films and Wegmans.

Jackie Grabinski: Oil Paintings Exhibit

Mount Laurel Library will be hosting an oil painting exhibit by local artist Jackie Grabinski from Monday, July 1, 2013 – Friday, August 30, 2013.

The artist's love of the beach and flowers has inspired most of her paintings.  She studied at the Philadelphia College of Art, The School of Visual Arts in NY City, as well as, under the direction of many fine artists during the past 25 years.

The artwork is for sale. Interested parties can reach the artist at jackieg44@yahoo.com  or  856-802-0425.  No registration is required to visit the exhibit.

Free Passes to Local Museums and Attractions

Looking to explore some culture and find something new to do this summer? Is there a museum you want to visit?   Adult library card holders can check out a museum pass at the Mount Laurel Library.

The library partners with 12 different institutions that sell a pass to the Mount Laurel Library that the library can then lend to their card holders. Partners include museums like the Academy of Natural Sciences, attractions like the Battleship New Jersey and gardens like the Grounds for Sculpture.  These passes can be checked out by adult card holders in good standing at the Check Out Desk.

This is not a routine offering for libraries, but Manager, Special Projects Joan Serpico said, “We were inspired by another library’s success with a museum pass program and wanted to offer this to our customers in Mount Laurel. Customers tell us they have had great experiences with the passes.  We are thrilled with program.”

Christine Lenko of Mount Laurel added, “We particularly enjoyed using the passes last summer. I have a six-year-old daughter who is not in summer camp, and it can be a challenge to keep her entertained without spending a lot of money over the summer. We have memberships to a couple of local places, but after a while we get tired of visiting the same places. The pass program has allowed us to explore some local attractions we might not otherwise have visited.”

The program is of no extra cost to taxpayers and is fully funded by the generous support of the Friends of the Mount Laurel Library. Serpico also said, ”Many passes get checked out every 4-5 days. The program is just what we had hoped for.  We are happy to have added two new partners in time for the summer: Penn Museum and Guggenheim Museum.”

For more information on the museum passes program, visit www.mtlaurel.lib.nj.us or call 856-234-7319x333.

Sonic Escape to Perform Classical Music on Sunday, June 9 at 2PM

Sonic Escape will be performing a blend of classical and world music at the Mount Laurel Library on Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 2 p.m.   This concert is FREE and open to the public.  No registration is needed.  

Juilliard-trained flutist Shawn Wyckoff and violinist Maria Millar from Sonic Escape will transport listeners across borders, worlds and time with music from Germany, Ireland, Japan, China, the Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Uruguay, Canada and the United States. 

For more information about the duo, visit 

http://www.fluteandviolin.com/home.html

This concert is part of the Second Sunday Concert series offered at the Mount Laurel Library thanks to a generous gift from Wegmans.  All are welcome to attend. 

Photography Exhibit by Kim Tisa May 1-June 30

Mount Laurel Library will be hosting a photography exhibit by Kim Tisa from Wednesday, May 1 – Sunday, June 30. A “Meet the Artist” reception will be held on Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 3 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided.

Kim Tisa is an urban landscape photographer born in Philadelphia who currently resides in Mount Laurel. She studied painting and drawing before pursuing a career in photography.

Tisa emphasizes strong horizontal and vertical lines along with natural sunlight in her compositions. Her photographs have been featured at the Philly Photo Arts Center and Croft Farm Arts Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

All items are for sale in post cards and prints. Please contact the artist at ktisa89870@aol.com or (609) 506-8593 for more information.

Acapella Concert with Jersey Transit

Come enjoy a FREE acapella concert with Jersey Transit on Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Mount Laurel Library. This concert is open to the public. No registration needed.

Performing almost completely without instruments (occasionally one performer tries to sneak in a French horn), Jersey Transit sings a repertoire of songs taken from jazz standards to reggae to R&B to today’s pop. Come see why they have been around for over 20 years!

This concert is part of the Second Sunday Concert series offered at the Mount Laurel Library thanks to a generous gift from Wegmans. (This concert is held on the third Sunday to avoid conflicting with Mother’s day.) All are welcome to attend.

Understanding Islam

On Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m., Christopher Taylor, Professor of Religion and Director Middle Eastern Studies at Drew University will be at Mount Laurel Library to present an overview of the Muslim religion.  Come join us for this provocative lecture and discussion.  Light refreshments will be served.  No registration is needed.

With over 1.25 billion followers worldwide, Islam is today the world’s second largest and fastest growing religion. Estimates of the number of American Muslims now range between 2.3 and over 6 million, making Islam an increasingly important presence on the landscape of American religious life. Nevertheless, many Americans still feel that they know very little, and understand even less, about Islam. This broad introduction will outline the major tenets of Islamic faith, discuss the ritual practices of Islam, explore aspects of Islamic spirituality, and explain the rich diversity defining this great religious tradition.

This program is free and open to the public.  It is funded by the Horizon Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Bargain Book & Media Sale

The Friends of the Mount Laurel Library Bargain Book & Media Sale will take place at the Mount Laurel Library from Wednesday, April 24 through Saturday, April 27.   

Members of the Friends are invited to the Preview night on Wednesday evening from 6:00-8:30 p.m.  New members are welcome to join then. 

The sale will be open to the public on Thursday from 12:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Bag Sale will be held all day on Saturday; the Friends provide the bags. Fill a bag with books for $5.00.  All proceeds benefit the Mount Laurel Library.

Mount Laurel Library Presents Taylor as Alice Paul

Actress Taylor Williams from the American Historical Theatre will portray Alice Paul on Saturday, March 23, 2012 at 2 p.m. at Mount Laurel Library. Williams will tell the inspiring story of how Paul courageously fought for the women’s right to vote. The public is invited to this admission-free event. No registration is required.

Taylor Williams from the American History Theatre tells the story of Alice Paul in this first-person living history presentation. Blunt-speaking, no-nonsense Alice Paul was born into a Quaker family in New Jersey. Inspired by Britain’s Christabel Pankhurst to speak out for women’s right to vote, Paul joined the fight for suffrage in Great Britain, returned home to work with the National American Woman Suffrage Association, founded the National Woman’s Party, campaigned against President Wilson’s refusal to support woman suffrage, went on hunger strikes and was jailed in order to secure the 19th Amendment. When that passed, in 1920, Alice Paul wrote and worked for the Equal Rights Amendment, introducing the bill in 1923. The ERA has been introduced to Congress every session since 1982, but has never gotten out of committee. (This description is from American Historical Theatre site.) 

Taylor Williams has performed in venues that include the University of Iowa, University of Pennsylvania’s Law School, a tour of colleges in the southern states, and the Frazier Museum. She is especially proud of recreating Alice Paul’s speech introducing the ERA at Seneca Falls, with Hillary Clinton and other notable politicos present at the ERA summit.

This event is co-sponsored by the Alice Paul Institute located around the corner from the library at Paul’s family home, Paulsdale, 128 Hooten Street in Mount Laurel.