Abington Library Hosts Drop-In Story Time

The Abington Township Public Library will host its final May Drop-In Story Time on May 23.

The Abington Township Public Library, located at 1030 Old York Road in Abington, hosts Thursday-morning Drop-In Story Times. The next story time will take place May 23, from 11 – 11:30 a.m.  The event is for all ages, and will be led by the members of the Jenkintown Kiwanis Club. Children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver, and no registration is required for this event. There will also be a pre-school story time for children ages 2-3 at the Roslyn branch of the library, located at 2412 Avondale Ave. in Rosyln. That event lasts from 11 – 11:30 a.m. For more information, visit the www.abigntonfreelibrary.org.

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Upcoming Abington Free Library Events

Abington Free Library events, starting in April include a free lecture series, Bike Expo and a 'Year with Austen.'

The Abington Free Library welcomes the spring with a calendar hopping with events for diverse community interests: Prof. Burton Klein speaks on Thursdays this April at 9:30 a.m. in the Shorday Room in this free lecture series. According to www.burtonkleinspeaks.com, Klein, of Strayer University and The College of New Jersey and a former Philadelphia schools' administrator, has a long and award-winning career as a college educator and public speaker.  [For more information and registration, see end of article]   Friends’ Flea Market, Book and Spring Plant Sidewalk Sale will be on Saturday, April 20, from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of the Abington Free Library. There will be spring flowers for planting. Used books on a …

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Taking a Closer look at the World War II Lecture Series

Tom Brennan, World War II Lecture Series Abington coordinator, shares a bit of the ongoing lecture series' mission and history.

Abington Patch corresponded with Tom Brennan, World War II Lecture Series Institute Abington coordinator, about his thoughts on the long-running lecture series. How would you describe the mission of the World War II Lecture Institute?   Could you describe the collection, and your personal interest in WWII?   Knowing that the institute started at Abington Library in 1997, what would you say is the reason for its longevity as a lecture series?   How are programs chosen for the lecture series?   Who are welcomed to the World War II Lecture Series? For more information about the WWII Lecture Institute, visit the website at www.wwiilectureinstitute.com.

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Abington Library Hosts Longstanding WWII Lecture Series

Run by the WWII Lecture Series Institute, the 16-year-old lecture series provides unique perspectives and a forum to discuss life during World War II.

Leigh Fraser was in her early teen years when the bombs started falling over Malta. She recalled how the 1940 – 1942 World War II siege of Malta started around 7 a.m., as Italian Royal Air Force sent eight raids of bombers against the unsuspecting Mediterranean archipelago. “Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go, they had not experienced anything like it,” Fraser said. “It was a taste of things to come.” Fraser, who is in her mid-80s, shared stories about the history and her personal experience with the siege of Malta, when she spoke during the Feb. 19 WWII Lecture Series at the Abington Free Library. Fraser grew up on Malta with her brothers and sisters and their British Royal Navy admiral father. While the Republic of Malta is known …

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Shade Tree Comes Through ... With Shade Tree for Library

So long, sweet gum

  The Abington Shade Tree Commission recently helped the Abington Free Library with the removal of a dangerous sweet gum tree from the library parking lot. Abington Free Library Executive Director Nancy Hammeke Marshall and building manager Rick Guyton reached out to the Abington Shade Tree Commission. The commission then partnered with Laurel Hill Gardens, a Germantown, Philadelphia-based landscaping firm -- which donated the labor for the tree’s removal, materials and another tree. Laurel Hill Gardens President and horticulturalist Joseph Ascenzi chose a Zelkova serrate, commonly known as a “green vase,” as the sweet gum’s replacement. The hardy, low-maintenance tree is aesthetically appealing and will provide shade. -- Information …

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Library is a Treasure Trove of Savings

Take full advantage of what the library has to offer.

Many Americans have learned how to stretch their dollar and make it go further—from clipping coupons to using credit card points to pay for travel. There are still many services, though, that Abington residents may not be taking advantage of to save money. For instance, many people have Netflix or pay to “OnDemand” a movie through their cable company. However, the Abington Library has an entire collection of DVDs that are available for rent for free for a week. Check out a series that has more than six DVDs, such as documentaries or TV shows, for two weeks. iTunes and other programs to pay for new music are convenient, but CDs are available for free at the Abington Township Public Library. Patrons can check them out for three weeks, which …

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Career Blueprints

Making a Splash in Art

Diana Trout's Elegant Ripples

Can life be created out of art?  Glenside resident Diana Trout thinks so. She has made her art a life’s work. As an artist, author and teacher, she has spun her imagination and woven in her varied talents designing a rewarding career as an artist. Trout not only created a satisfying means of self-expression but actually found a way to make it pay.   Trout is widely known for her vibrant and unique work in mixed media art, often combining water color layers of paper and stitching.  She has developed an innovative approach to her art and writing, forming these into a journaling process. This panoply of color, design and writing has made a decided splash and rippled into exciting opportunities for Trout and for those students who take …

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