Friday Night Film Series

The Friends of the Thomaston Public Library present:


Trip to Bountiful
Friday, May 21st
6:30 PM
Room 208, Thomaston Academy Building

A "richly textured" tale of an elderly woman's journey home, "Trip to Bountiful" stars Geraldine Page in "the Performance of a lifetime" that won her an Academy Award. Carrie Watts (Page) is an elderly woman with a weak heart - but strong determination. Trapped in a tiny apartment under the care of her cowardly son and his srewish wife, Carrie is determined to escape and return to her girlhood home to make peace with her past.

Doors and bookstore open at 6. Light refreshments will be served. Donations gratefully accepted. For more information call the library at 354-2453.

Thomaston Family Story Hour

Thomaston Family Story Hour

Saturday, May 15th

1:30 PM

Children's Library

Guest Reader: Val Blastow

Thomaston Town Manager Valmore Blastow, Jr., will be our guest reader at this month's Thomaston Family Story Hour. Val will be reading stories about art and artists to the children and families of Thomaston from 1:30 to 2:30 PM in the children's room.

The Thomaston Family Story Hour brings representatives of the town of Thomaston to the children's room each month for an hour of stories and activities. Our next reader (in September, after the summer break) will be Jamie Doubleday, vice chair of the RSU 13 Board of Directors.

Open House Friday, May 14th

The Thomaston Public Library will be hosting its second annual Open House Membership Drive on May 14th from 2 to 7 PM, featuring a concert from the Midcoast Community Band, hot dogs on the grill, games for the kids and FREE library cards for non-Thomaston residents. Bring the kids to see our new children's library. We hope to see you there!

Due to the Open House, the Friday Night Film Series will not be showing a film on Friday, May 14th. The film series will return on Friday, May 21st.

Edward O'Brien display unveiled

A display centering around Edward O'Brien, shipbuilder and one of Thomaston's foremost historic residents, was unveiled at the library last week. A portrait of O'Brien, an oil painting of one of the three ships that bore his name (The Edward O'Brien 2nd, called "Little Edward") and a water pitcher from the ship were installed on the south facing wall of the library.

O'Brien, local shipbuilder, politician, philanthropist and businessman, was one of the nation's first millionaires. He built his first shipyard in Thomaston in 1854 and by the time of his death was one of the oldest shipbuilders still engaged in actually building ships. This portrait of O'Brien, by an unknown artist, was donated to the library by Margaret Demmons.

The Edward O'Brien 2nd was launched in 1863. She was 200 feet long, 40.3 feet beam, and 28 feet deep, with a weight of 1,803 tons. She was converted into a coal barge after 31 years under sail. This oil painting of the Little Edward by J. Hughes was donated to the library, along with the water pitcher used on the ship, by Walter O. Berg.

Friday Night Film Series

The Friends of the Thomaston Public Library present:

San Francisco
Friday, May 7th
6:30 PM

Romantic drama combines humor and starpower with the lavish spectacle of the 1906 earthquake. This Academy Award-winning extravaganza remains "one of the greatest action sequences in the history of the cinema, rivalling the chariot race in both Ben-Hurs". Clark Gable plays rakish Barbary Coast kingpin Blackie Norton. Jeanette MacDonald portrays a singer torn by her love for Blackie and her need to succeed in opera. Earning the first of nine career Oscar nominations, Spencer Tracy is a priest who supplements spiritual advice with a mean right hook.

Doors and bookstore open at 6:00. Light refreshments will be served and donations are gratefully accepted. The Thomaston Academy Building is handicapped accessible by the parking lot entrance. For more information, contact the library at 354-2453.