Business owners invited to Chamber event at the Library

Stratford Chamber of Commerce
invites Stratford business owners and entrepreneurs to
Business After Hours @ Stratford Library

Thursday, 10/7/2010
5:00 PM TO 7:00 PM
Cost: $10 Members, $20 Future members

Join the Stratford Chamber of Commerce, an affiliate of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, for their "Business after hours" event at the Stratford Library (Lovell Room). Enjoy a selection of UNO Chicago Grill appetizers while Stratford Library staff highlight how library services can assist your business.

Call 203-335-3800 to preregister. Walk-ins are welcome, space permitting.

The Stratford Library + Your Business = A Great Partnership!

Tax forms -- the library won't let you down

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that it will no longer mail out instructions and paper forms for annual income tax returns next year, saving the agency about $10 million annually as more Americans are filing online.

But that doesn't mean that the paper forms aren't available! The Stratford Library will continue to make the most common forms available in our lobby during March and April. If you need a tax form that we don't carry, you can ask the librarians to print it for you off the IRS website.

There is nothing pleasant about filing tax forms, but you may get some satisfaction in knowing that at least some of your tax dollars are paying for helpful, personalized service at your public library.

Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Event

A Celebration of Latin Culture - Una Celebración de la Cultura Latina

The Hispanic Heritage of Stratford committee invites you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a festive kick-off event at the Stratford library, on Saturday, September 25th (noon - 4 pm).

The kick-off event will feature art work from Stratford schools students on themes of Hispanic artists, poetry and instruments used in Latin music. All families are welcome to admire the artwork of Stratford's students. The library will also have on display books, CDs and DVDs infused with Hispanic Heritage-- all available to take home.

A wonderful online resource to delve into during Hispanic Heritage Month is www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/, a joint project of the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art and many other of our most important cultural institutions. Here are just a few of the opportunities this website makes available:

• Listen to best-selling author Isabel Allende discussing her writing.
• Watch a video on the royal armour of Spain.
• Share your family's story with StoryCorpsHistorias, an initiative to record the diverse stories and life experiences of Latinos in the United States.

Truly a Great Festival -- the Great Stratford Bird Festival

You may not think of yourself as a "birder," but who wouldn't want to spend the last golden days of summer enjoying the natural beauty of Stratford and our neighboring towns?

The 3rd Annual Great Stratford Bird Festival will offer a truly amazing array of activities not just for those who love birds for anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

The Festival takes place over the weekend of Sept. 24-26.

Over 35 different activities -- many free or low-cost -- include boat trips, marsh paddles, urban bird walks, demonstrations of decoy carving, kite-flying, story-telling, and art exhibits.

This year’s festival features many opportunities to see birds in their natural habitats. Sign up for one of the many field trip opportunities to see birds of prey in flight, swallows in migration, or come to a bird of prey presentations.

Even if you're not much of an outdoors type, you might want to sign up for the New-England-style fundraising dinner with the event's honorary chairperson, Phil Donahue.

Mr. Donahue was an avid of the Bald Eagle Festival which was, until recently, held in Essex, Connecticut. Mr. Donahue is an interested birder in his own right and maintains his personal home and yard to maximize his birding opportunities.

The full schedule can be seen at the site for the Great Stratford Bird Festival.

When the festival is over, why not pick up some books or CDs at the library to further your "bird-u-cation"?

	Birding by Ear You will be amazed the first time you step outside after listening to these CDs, by how the orchestra of bird song begins to sort itself out into individual instruments. As an added benefit, this CD will bewitch any resident cats.
	What should you do if you find a baby bird on the sidewalk? Is throwing rice at a wedding actually bad for birds? The Bird Watching Answer Book answers perplexing questions about birds in an entertaining, clear format.
	On Sept. 25, the Stratford Library's Children's Room will offer a "Bird Storytime" from 10:30 am to 11:15 am for preschoolers and up. Please register at 203.385.4165. And don't forget to watch the skies for birds!