On Saturday, April 29, 2017 the library put together a wonderful
collaborative celebration to honor Carolyn Wright Reis and celebrate the 50th
anniversary of her legacy—the bequest of her farmstead and its contents to the
Town of Somers which became Reis Park. This
program plan presented our local history in an appealing, multi-generational
way.
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| Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk |
The focus of the day was the prominent local historical
figure Carolyn Wright Reis, who, upon her death, donated 84- plus acres of
farmland to the Town of Somers and is the land on which the library was built
in 1982 after being moved from another location. Her bequest was made with the stipulation
that this land be used by the Town of Somers for recreational and educational
purposes. Mrs. Wright Reis was also one
of the earliest members of the Somers Library's Board of Trustees.
Perhaps Carolyn played a hand in the weather that day as we
had sunny skies and warm breezy temperatures.
The day started with historical storytelling by master storyteller,
Jonathan Kruk and a new sign dedication at the Mt Zion Church.
After that, there were plenty of places for
people of all ages to have fun and to explore.
The library front yard had face painting, old fashioned games, storytelling
and balloon art. The Wright-Reis
Homestead was open for tours. Also at the homestead, there was a meet the Muscoot
Farm animals exhibit as well as a special exhibit inside the house. Under the park pavilion, local authors
displayed their books. There was also a concert on the park stage with
musicians Scott Urgola and Fred Gillen, Jr. As the day began to wind down, we
had, of course, a birthday cake and closing remarks by town and other local
officials.
This collaborative program with the Somers Library and the Somers Historical Society was made possible with funding from the Westchester Library System's mini-grant initiative supported by Entergy and Con Edison. Additional support is being provided by the Friends of the Somers Library, Somers Library Foundation, Somers Custom Framing Shop and Somers Historical Society. Special thanks to the Somers Parks & Rec and the Somers Police.
Two new kits have been added to our ever growing maker
collection. The first is a flower gardening kit, which contains a book, a soil
meter, and a DVD. The other kit is a vegetable gardening kit which also
contains a book, soil meter, and DVD. These two kits were donated by Physician’s
One Urgent Care.
