Past Special Events:

Some of our recent special events have included:

What's Race Got to Do with It? Medical ethics, race-based treatment and the legacy of Henrietta Lacks

Dr. Bruce White, Director of Alden March Bioethics Institute, Albany Medical College, joined Professor Oscar Williams, Department of Africana Studies, University of Albany, for a moderated discussion about some of the core, and arguably perhaps the most disturbing elements of the Lacks family story. The Friends of the Saratoga Springs Library presented what proved to be an engaging dialog as to how and why Henrietta and her family were treated the way they were. Together our panel tackled some dynamic questions about race and medical treatment of patients of that time such as: Was it evidence of the era? Were the actions intentional or simply "just what they did then"? Was it lack of oversight or lack of decency? Could it happen today?

Admission was free and no ticket was required. Hearty refreshments of Southern inspiration were served.

Sunday, March 18, 2-4 PM

H. Dutcher Community Room, Saratoga Springs Public Library

An Insider's View of Yaddo: A Conversation with Playwright Eric Lane

Playwright Eric Lane's work will be the focus of the fall literary program sponsored by the Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library on Sunday, November 20, from 2 to 4 pm in the H. Dutcher Community Room of the library. The program is entitled, "A Playwright, the Craft of Playwriting, and an Insider's View of Yaddo."

Lane has received several artists-in residency fellowships at Yaddo and has served on the Yaddo Artists Taskforce and as Special Assistant to the President of Yaddo. He is currently writing a new commission for the Adirondack Theatre Festival entitled Filming O'Keeffe, a contemporary story inspired by artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz and their time in Lake George. Adirondack Theatre Festival will produce the play in the summer of 2013, simultaneous with an exhibition at The Hyde Collection.

Mark Fleischer, artistic director of ATF, will engage Lane in conversation about the playwriting process and Lane's time at Yaddo. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required. For more information, email Friends at Friends12866@yahoo.com.

Kids Do Art - SaratogaArtsFest

Kids Do Art is a new feature of SaratogaArtsFest scheduled for Sunday afternoon, June 12. The hands-on, three-hour open house for children will feature art stations including drawing, jewelry making, clay sculpture, paper mache, crafts, and much more. Music, drama, magic, and puppet performances round out the artistic experience for children from toddler to ninth grade. Domino the Great, a comedy magician and educational entertainer , will perform two shows: 12:45-1:15 and 2:15-2:45.

Where: Universal Preservation Hall, 25 Washington Street

When: June 12, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Admission: Children accompanied by a parent with ARTSPASS or Festival Pass are free or $5 per child and the parent is free.

Sponsored by: Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library

Further information: http://www.saratogaartsfest.org and http://www.dominothegreat.com

Spring 2011 Event: “Memory: Lost and Found - A Conversation about What We Remember - or Don't”

When: Sunday March 13, 2 - 4 p.m.

Description: Come explore the mysteries of memory in a panel discussion sponsored by the Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library and inspired by the Saratoga Reads community novel, The Housekeeper and the Professor.

Our panel includes Christopher F. Chabris, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Union College and co-author of The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us, and Peter Gernert-Dott, Ph.D., neuropsychologist and health care administrator, most recently affiliated with Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital and Northeast Health. The discussion will be moderated by Marcie Fraser,YNN (Your News Now) health reporter and author. Refreshments will be served and admission is free. For more information visit friends.sspl.org or email Friends12866@yahoo.com.

Where: H. Dutcher Community Room, Saratoga Springs Public Library

Fall 2010 Event: Laugh "Close to Home" with John McPherson

Come share the gift of laughter--and take some home for free! Meet the “Close to Home” creator up close and personal.

Spring 2010 Event: Saratoga Goes to War!

Have you ever wondered how local institutions such as Yaddo, the Saratoga Race Course, or Skidmore College managed the trying period of World War II?  Or how the community supported the effort of a war being raged thousands of miles away?

The Friends of the Library sponsored a panel discussion and presentation about what life was like in Saratoga Springs during the World War II era.  Experts on local history shared researched accounts of how life in the Spa City was affected by the war.  Officials working closely with veterans shared some of their stories and photographs from this era were used to tell even more.

This event was in conjunction with this year's "Saratoga Reads" selection, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ."

Fall 2009 Event: American Baseball: Leagues of Their Own

A history and panel discussion on baseball's Negro Leagues and  women's leagues.  Speakers included Carolyn Trombe and Dan Nathan, Ph.D., who are both area residents and published authors on this sport.  Amidst the excitement of this year's Fall Classic, join the Friends for an interesting look back at aspects of baseball leagues of yesteryear.  Trombe is the author of the only biography of a professional woman baseball player published to date, while Nathan is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for his work on the Negro leagues during the 1920s.

Spring 2009 Event: The (Not So) Secret Life of Bees

Exploring the importance of the honeybee in local agriculture and the threats to honeybee survival.

Fall 2008 Literary Event: "Paws in Print"

A panel on writing about dogs. Speakers included Brother Christopher of the Monks of New Skete, Jennifer Gordon Sattler, and Maureen Winney; moderated by Mary Caroline Powers.

More information about "Paws in Print"...

Spring 2008:
"Tales from the Watering Hole: Remembering Depression Era Saratoga Springs"

The Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library presented "Tales from the Watering Hole: Remembering Depression Era Saratoga Springs" Sunday, March 9, 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the library's Community Room. Inspired by the events and themes of this year's Saratoga Reads selection, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, the program explored the history of Saratoga Springs during the Great Depression. Through oral histories, presentations, and discussion, panelists covered a range of topics, from the colorful entertainment and occasionally notorious figures of the times to the effect of the Depression on the local community.

Fall 2007: The Word on Food

Food writers and chefs talked about the many ways to write about food, and what it's like to be written about.

Spring 2007: Mexican Pot Luck Lunch and book discussion of "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros.

The lunch and discussion on Sunday, March 18th at 1:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the library. Discussion was moderated by Dr. Elaine Handley of Empire State College and Dr. Beatriz Loyola of Skidmore College. Recipes are available on our web site.

Fall 2006: The Creative Word

A panel of authors discussed the creative process of writing poetry, humor, songs, plays and more.