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An Evening with Irish Balladeer Paul Carroll Wednesday March 14th at 7pm
Join us for a timely evening of Irish music and tale with Irish Balladeer Paul Carroll. Renowned Dublin minstrel Paul Carroll will recall the lush green fields of Ireland to prepare us for Saint Patrick’s Day. Don’t miss this special performance at the Rye Public Library! Paul grew up in Dublin during the ballad boom of the sixties where the pubs were packed with folk singers and ballad groups. It is there that he found a love for the music and songs that were to be part of his life. He credits his mother for giving him the gift of song. She was a fine singer in her own right and he remembers fondly the “hooleys” in the house. Paul emigrated to Australia in the early 70’s but he never strayed very far from the music, singing in the folk clubs of Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. During his time in Melbourne he was a founding member of the Celtic band, Poteen, who were Australia’s premiere Celtic band, sharing the stage with icons like Eric Bogle, The Dubliners, The Fury’s and Boys of the Lough.
Join us on Tuesday March 13th for this timely and topical cooking demonstration.
Learn more about cooking tasty, healthy and allergy conscious recipes with regionally known chef and authority Oonagh Williams as seen on WMUR TV and the Cooks Corner. Oonagh Williams was born and brought up in London, England. She has a Culinary Arts Degree and is a qualified teacher. London and Switzerland were her training grounds and she has a reasonable fluency in French and Spanish, plus smattering of Dutch, German, Italian and Lithuanian. Having traveled extensively throughout Europe, she has an eclectic view of different cultures and cuisines that she incorporates into her catering service and classes where her students love to hear her stories. People love her down to earth, common sense attitude and approach. She has called Merrimack, NH home, with her husband and son, since September 1987. Oonagh divides her time between teaching Adult International Cooking classes as well as providing a gourmet Catering Service and regularly appearing on the local ABC TV station. The “Cooking with Oonagh” show is now in its second season on local cable TV stations. Oonagh offers Gourmet, International, Super Bowl fare and Grandma’s comfort food for her client’s delight. Everything is from scratch, made to order, with all real ingredients – not a packet mix in sight! Everyone raves about Oonagh’s food after rediscovering what food should taste like. Recipes are alive and change with available ingredients. They grow and expand.
 In the real old days, getting to Portsmouth was no mean feat. Aside from walking (1-2 hours) or by horse, Rye folks did have the stage in the 1800′s, but in August, 1899 a transportation revolution (or invasion depending on your view point) occurred when the Portsmouth Electric Railway came to town. For some real old timers who remembered the iron horse invasion of the 1840′s this must have been a deja vu nightmare and to now have it coming right through the middle of the peaceful village, well, this would not stand. But of course it did, and most people were happy to have it at the dawn of the new century when getting to town was essential.
The trolley came out from Market Square, along Sagamore Road, onto Wallis, through the center of town, down Central Road to the Farragut Hotel on Ocean Boulevard, and on to Hampton Beach. For the next 28 years Rye and the seacoast and the rest of the country had far superior public transportation than we have today. Cars were a novelty in Rye and most places until the teens and especially after the war.
(If the truth be known, the Railway was a losing financial proposition and if the B and M Railway did not own it, the trolley would have ceased to exist much sooner. Trolleys were a profitable concern in larger urban areas, but aside from the summer demand, there were never enough people in the seacoast to justify it.)
But what did the trolley do in winter? Why it donned a plow and, when necessary, the locals dug it out. The trolley must go on and the fresh memories of our recent snow storm help one to imagine what Rye winters must have been like a century ago.
~Alex Herlihy, Rye Historical Society and Town Museum
 When the town bought the Methodist Church and converted it into a town hall in 1873, one of its great selling points was, and still is, that it would be a multi-purpose building for the town. Over the years the great second floor hall has seen its share of wild and humorous town meetings; knockdown, drag-out semi-pro basketball games; memorable church fairs; theater and musical performances of all kinds; and, before it began to be converted to office space in 1986, it was used in 1985 for a country dance wedding reception and a two-day event put on by the Historical Society to celebrate the town’s bicentennial.
But the real heyday of the hall was in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s when different groups in town would stage performances at the town hall throughout the year, mostly of the humorous, light comedy or farcical variety. (One of our favorites from the turn of the century was “Freezing a Mother-in-Law”.)
The Town Museum has dozens of the play bills from that era and the names of the actors/performers are familiar to anyone who knows the old names of Rye. In the winter of 1911 with the new library under construction, the town would have been ripe to see a comedy/drama/farce on why Rye was the last town in the county to get a library, but that play has yet to be written. Some of what they did see was the comedy “Higbee of Harvard” staged by the Jenness Beach Improvement Association starring Irving Rand and Flora Seavey; a comedy in four acts staged by the Congregational Society starring, among others, long time selectman Newall Marden and soon to be librarian Miss Helen Drake; and “Just Plain Folks,” a drama in three acts put on by the Ladies Social Union of the Christian Church (the one that was moved in 1947 where the fire station is now). We have no playbill for March 1911 because, we suspect, the wild and often very funny Town Meeting was more than enough entertainment for that month. The final town hall entertainment that year was a drama called “Farm Folks,” appropriate indeed for a town whose majority occupation was still farming. The office space on the second floor and the stage is all temporary. Who knows, in the future the great hall may rise again!
~Alex Herlihy, Rye Historical Society and Town Museum
 The Rye Public Library and Rye Historical Society join forces once again to present this topical program on the fishing tradition of Rye Harbor. For centuries the vibrant North Atlantic has not only provided Rye residents with food, but also crafted hearty souls to harvest the precious seafood. Nowadays, picturesque Rye Harbor, nestled cozily into the scenic Rye shoreline is bustling with commercial activity. The fishing industry in this tiny harbor is extraordinary!
Mike Anderson and Sue Reynolds will share stories, pictures and the technology of dragging and lobster fishing.
 Wednesday October 26th 7-9pm
This is the rain date for the event originally scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 19th
Paul Winalski, one of the outstanding volunteers that comprise the New Hampshire Astronomical Society will be on hand for a Skywatch event on Wednesday October 26th at 7pm at the Rye Public Library. The program includes an indoor component in our meeting/projection room followed by hands-on participation with our telescope and others. You are invited to bring your own telescope or binoculars if you have them. The indoor slideshow component will cover “What’s up in tonight’s sky” and provide hints and tips for favorable viewing. Then we’ll proceed to the starry night outside and put our new knowledge to use. Join us for a unique and informative Rye Public Library program!
The Friends of the Rye Public Library recently sponsored the purchase of a 4.5” Orion Starblast telescope for circulation to the patrons of the Library! This sponsorship was accomplished through a unique program offered by the New Hampshire Astronomical Society assisting public libraries with acquisition and upkeep of the telescopes. Our telescope has been enjoying brisk circulation, and we now offer an educational evening with a representative from the NHAS!
 Wednesday Matinees are shown in the Community Meeting Room at 1:00 pm from September through June, and are free and open to the public. Please join us for popcorn and refreshments!
| September 7 |
Country Strong |
PG-13 |
117 min. |
| September 14 |
League of Their Own |
PG |
128 min. |
| September 21 |
Inside Job |
PG-13 |
120 min. |
| September 28 |
Up! |
PG |
96 min. |
| October 5 |
Skin |
PG-13 |
107 min. |
| October 12 |
Made in Dageham |
R |
113 min. |
| October 19 |
Rabbit Hole |
PG-13 |
91 min. |
| October 26 |
The Fighter |
R |
116 min. |
| November 2 |
Dreamgirls |
PG-13 |
130 min. |
| November 9 |
The Company Men |
R |
104 min. |
| November 16 |
Jane Eyre |
PG-13 |
120 min. |
| November 23 |
Family Stone |
PG-13 |
103 min. |
| November 30 |
Water For Elephants |
PG-13 |
120 min. |
 Please join us on Friday, September 9, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, when we celebrate
Opening Day, 1911!
In early September, 1911, the Rye Public Library first opened its doors to the public. Join us for refreshments, historic displays, our video birthday montage, and live entertainment with flutist Cynthia Chatis.
 Gov. John Langdon House Tuesday September 20th, at 7:00 pm
Sandra Rux, the curator and manager of the Portsmouth Historical Society / John Paul Jones House / Discover Portsmouth Center, will reveal the tips and tricks for identifying the architectural features that can help you place your home in its construction era. Sandra has had a life-long interest in dating old houses, and created and taught a course on the topic in Guilford, CT for several years.
Continue reading Dating Your Old House
 Through a unique program offered by the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, and the generous sponsorship of the Friends of the Rye Public Library, you can now borrow an Orion StarBlast 4.5″ Astro Reflector Telescope, just in time for the 2011 Perseid meteor shower!
Continue reading Check Out the New Telescope!
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