We are forming a new needlework group at the library. Quilters, decorative sewers (embroidery, needle point, etc.), and knitters, can join us in the library’s Raytheon Room on the second Thursday of each month from 10-11:30am to socialize, work on hand projects (no machines), share ideas, and explore resources. The group will be run by Wayland resident Ann Moses and is planned as an informal stimulating get-together for adults (novice to expert) with similar interests. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, February 10 at 10am. Hope to see you their with your needlework project.  [Times corrected on 1/24/11]

In January, Doug Anderson presents photographs in an exhibit entitled “Sardinia: Island Frontiers.” Artist Angela Ackerman is exhibiting artwork in the Raytheon Room this month. 

 

The January exhibit in the Wayland Cultural Council Gallery in Town Building is hung by the “Wayland Reads” Committee to promote the book, Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers. The exhibit will highlight the Wayland-to-Waveland connection, information on “Wayland Reads” community events and book discussions, and artwork inspired by Hurricane Katrina. Join us for a kick-off reception for “Wayland Reads” on Thursday, January 20, from 7-8 p.m. in the gallery at the Town Building. The exhibit is sponsored by the Wayland Cultural Council.

 

Our “Wayland Reads” selection, Zeitoun, takes place in the flooded aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As we know too well at the library, Wayland is subject to its own flooding problems, and on Sunday, February 13, at 2 p.m. the Wayland Historical Society will present a program entitled “A River Runs Though It: The Flooding of Wayland Past, Present, and Future” in the Raytheon Room. Flooding has been routine in this area for the last 10,000 years or so, and was fundamental to Wayland’s formation and growth over the last two centuries. Join engineer and environmentalist Tom Sciacca and long-time Pelham Island resident and former Conservation Commissioner Sally Newbury for scientific, historical, and personal perspectives on one of Wayland's most distinctive characteristics.

 

On Wednesday, January 26, at 7 p.m., Peruvian archaeologist and Wayland Middle School teacher, Daniel Fernandez-Davila, will give a talk about his work in the Northeast Andes of Peru where he has studied the pre-Inca civilization of the Chachapoya people. The Chachapoya mummified their dead in tombs, many of which lie undisturbed today but at the mercy of looters and inclement weather. Following his talk, learn about Hatun Runa, a Wayland-based nonprofit inspired by Daniel's work and now supporting medical and educational development in the region. Both Daniel and Hatun Runa bring high school students and parents to this distant region to experience the fascinating culture and help build schools and health posts deep in the mountains. Come and learn about Daniel's archaeological work and hear Wayland students speak about their plans to build a school in a small village this summer.

 

Ann Tevepaugh Mitchell will be featured as February’s “Great Presenter” on Tuesday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m. Ann is a classically trained artist who discovered beadwork by chance. Her prize-winning bead sculptures and jewelry have been exhibited in museums and galleries nationwide and featured in numerous books and magazines.

 

Wayland resident and realtor Brian Cichella will present a program on “Avoiding the Pitfalls of Selling Your Home in this Perilous Market.” He will discuss how to understand the relationship between the assessed value of your home vs. its current fair market value, how to price a home to realize the greatest return, things that you can do to prepare your home for sale at the highest amount possible, and how to understand how your home is marketed for sale today by the large real estate brokerage firms in the Internet age. The program will be on Wednesday, February 2, and will start at 7 p.m.

 

Join Wayland author Juliette Fay on Sunday, February 6, at 3 p.m. in the library’s Raytheon Room as she talks about her newly published novel, Deep Down True, an exploration of the fictional life of newly divorced Dana Stellgarten. As she enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn't end in middle school. Shelter Me, Juliette’s first published novel, was designated as one of the ten best works of fiction in 2009 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

 

On Wednesday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m., NOVA’s Science Editor and Wayland resident, Evan Hadingham, talks about his research on the mystery of the crash of Air France Flight 447 on June 1, 2009. Evan will show a preview from the upcoming NOVA program on this subject, which airs on PBS on February 16. NOVA’s unique forensic approach to the mystery leads to chilling new insights on the challenges that the pilots faced on that stormy June night, and raises troubling questions about the increasing role of automation in today’s state-of-the-art airliners.

 

Continuing the theme of air disasters, join Wayland resident and author Michael Kalafatas on Wednesday, February 16, at 7:30 p.m. when he talks about the subject of his new book, Bird Strike: The Crash of the Boston Electra. This is a story of bird and man in conflict. It is an intriguing and thoughtful investigation of New England’s first major air disaster, caused by a massive bird strike, a half-century ago. Mr. Kalafatas says that Bird Strike is a rare instance where an author can simultaneously write about a fascinating historical event and a clear and present danger. The threat of bird strikes on airliners is never greater than right now as birds and aircraft fight for airspace in increasingly crowded skyways.