Oneida Public Library will be busy with unusual evening programs for a range of audiences Jan. 24 through 26: “Following the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilder” on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. for all lovers of “The Little House” books, no matter what age; a special Family Story Hour dubbed “Humphrey the Hamster Goes to the Library” on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 6:30 p.m.; and a book talk for adults by Madis Senner on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m.
On Jan. 24, Patricia Albaugh and Ann Smith, both of whom have retired from teaching at the Oneida Castle School, will provide a show and tell about their recent 12-day pilgrimage to all the sites in the Midwest connected to author Laura Ingalls Wilder.
According to Albaugh, the two devotees visited every historical site, homestead and landscape associated with Wilder’s life and writings, “from the Big Woods to the prairie, from the banks of Plum Creek to the shores of Silver Lake.”
On a lighter but equally literary note, the OPL is helping to kick off the One District One Book community event sponsored by the Oneida City School District with a party on Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. for Humphrey the Hamster, the hero of Betty Birney’s award-winning chapter book “The World according to Humphrey,” the book selected for the district-wide read.
Humphrey’s stand-in at the party will be the OPL’s own resident hamster. Preschoolers and young elementary-school students, along with their parents and guardians, will enjoy readings from Birney’s book, choosing a name for the library hamster, making toys suitable for hamster recreation and eating refreshments that even a hamster would love.
For the book talk on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7:00 p.m., Madis Senner will present his recent book entitled “Sacred Sites in North Star Country,” which tells how the land and sights of Upstate New York affected the dramatic social, political and religious movements that have marked the state’s history.
“Upstate New York has been a wellspring of initiatives and causes that shaped the world,” Senner has noted. “It is the birthplace of the Women’s Movement, American democracy and religions like Mormonism and Spiritualism. It has been called the Burned-over District, America’s Psychic Highway.”
Senner, a former money manager turned spiritual seeker, will retell the highlights of this rich history and illustrate how “sacred sites” that present-day travelers can still visit helped shape that history. Copies of “Sacred Sites in North Star Country” will be available at the book talk for purchase and signing by the author.
All the evening programs described here are free and open to the public. For more information, stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call (315) 363-3050.