Hear the Story of How Durham Said No to an Oil Refinery

Local author David W. Moore will be speaking at the library on Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30pm about his recent book “Small Town, Big Oil: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the Richest Man in the World – And Won” which tells the story of the attempt in 1973 by Aristotle Onassis to build the world's largest oil refinery in the town of Durham, NH.

But three women vehemently opposed the project– Nancy Sandberg, who founded Save Our Shores; Dudley Dudley, the state rep who took the fight to the legislature; and Phyllis Bennett, the publisher of a local newspaper. “Small Town, Big Oil” tells their story. 

David W. Moore is a senior fellow of the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. A former senior editor of the Gallup Poll, where he worked for thirteen years, Moore also served as professor of political science at UNH and is the founder and former director of the UNH Survey Center. He lives in Durham, New Hampshire.David will sign copies of his book, which will be on sale at this event. Join us!

Two special Christmas films at the Library Dec. 17 & 18

Join us at the Dover Public Library on Monday, December 17 at 6:30pm as we sing, shout, and snack along to an interactive showing of the uproariously funny Will Ferrell movie, “Elf”!  The movie is free, but preregistration is required as each audience member will receive a prop bag full of surprises and instructions on how to interact with the movie as it plays. Please sign up for “Elf Interactive” on our website: library.dover.nh.gov or call 603-516-6050. All ages welcome!

Then, the next night, on Tuesday, December 18, also at 6:30pm, the library will be screening the Hallmark Channel movie, “Christmas Incorporated” which is set in Dover, New Hampshire!  No preregistration is required for this film. Have you ever flown out of the “Dover Regional Airport”? It really does exist in this holiday story of Dover’s fight to save its struggling toy factory, housed in the gigantic downtown mills.

Yes, it’s fiction, but you can delight in Hollywood’s interpretation of the Garrison City at this free Dover movie premiere. “Christmas Incorporated” involves a young woman, Riley Vance, who lands a job with wealthy entrepreneur William Young. He is poised to close Dover’s toy factory just before Christmas, which would devastate the entire town. Riley must convince him otherwise! 

           Do Riley and William find love in Dover, NH? Well, duh! No spoilers, but it’s a Hallmark Christmas movie so of course everything turns out fine! It was filmed in California so there are no real Dover scenes, but it’s a lot of fun to watch this sentimental interpretation of our fair city.  Scriptwriter Brook Durham grew up in the Seacoast area and says that the old mills in downtown Dover inspired the story. 

           Two films, two nights: you must preregister for “Elf Interactive” on December 17 but no registration is required for “Christmas Incorporated on December 18. Please call the Dover Public Library for more information at 603-516-6050.

         

The Library will be closed on Friday, December 7

The Library will be closed on Friday, December 7 for our annual Staff Development & Training Day. (Open Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 1-5 as usual.)

Friends of the Library Program, Butterfly – Life of artist James McNeil Whistler Postponed

Tonight's program on James McNeil Whistler by Stephen Collins, has been postponed due to the snowstorm. It will be rescheduled to a later date. Here are the details of the program:

Butterfly”, is a one-man show about the life and times of New England native, James McNeil Whistler, the Volatile American artist who struggled for personal freedom and artistic expression mostly in Victorian England. He was a leading proponent of the credo, “art for art’s sake”. The play depicts Whistler at two phases of his life – first, as a bankrupt artist on commission in Venice in his forties, and then the established yet lonely legend in his sixties in London.

The title of the play is drawn from the artist’s signature on his paintings which was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol combined two aspects of his personality – his art which was characterized by a subtle delicacy and his public persona which was combative. Whistler blended his work with music by entitling them “arrangements”, “harmonies”, and “nocturnes”. The play ends with a pointy description of how Whistler came to paint his most famous painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, which is commonly known as Whistler’s Mother – the revered portrait of motherhood.

Thanksgiving Hours

Thanksgiving hours @ the Library:

Mon-Tue 9am to 8:30pm
Wed. 9am to 5:30pm
Thu-Fri CLOSED for Thanksgiving holiday
Saturday 9am to 5pm
Sunday CLOSED for Holiday Parade

Stephen Collins performs as artist James McNeill Whistler on Tuesday, November 20, 7pm

      The Friends of the Dover Public Library are once again pleased to host actor and stage performer Stephen Collins on Tuesday, November 20 at 7pm in the Library’s Lecture Hall. His one-man show, “Butterfly”, will focus on the life and times of New England native, James McNeil Whistler (1834—1903), the volatile American artist who struggled for personal freedom and artistic expression. Whistler was a leading proponent of the credo, “art for art’s sake”. Collins depicts Whistler at two phases of his life – first, as a bankrupt artist on commission in Venice in his forties, and then as the established, yet lonely, legend in his sixties in London.

The title of the play is drawn from the artist’s signature on his paintings, which was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol combined two aspects of his personality – his art, characterized by a subtle delicacy, and his public persona, which was combative. The portrayal ends with Whistler describing how he created his most famous painting, “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1”, commonly known as “Whistler’s Mother” – the revered portrait of motherhood.

Stephen Collins is a classically trained actor. He has performed twice earlier this year at the Dover Public Library as Walt Whitman, and, in a program on justice, as William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Hardy.

He currently performs nine one-man shows and has received rave reviews for over a decade. Mr. Collins’ performances brings poets, artists, statesmen, and playwrights to life on the stage. Join us for this free theatrical performance at the Dover Public Library! For more information, call (603) 516-6050.

Remembering Dover's Ace Pilot

Joseph McConnell, Jr. was born January 30, 1922 in Dover, NH. At 19 years old he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was a navigator in a B-24 Liberator during World War II and had an exemplary war record. After the war, he decided to make the Air Force his career. He became a pilot in the USAF in 1948.

During the Korean War he flew combat missions over Korea.  During McConnell’s very first mission in Korea, in January 1953, he shot down an enemy MIG-15. Captain McConnell was shot down April 12, 1953 over the Yellow Sea in a skirmish with several MIGs. He was able to eject safely and was rescued by a helicopter. He returned to combat the same day. He shot down three MIGs during two separate missions, making him a triple ace (fifteen kills). He shot down 16 MIGs in just four months, becoming the highest scoring ace of the war. He still ranks as the top ace in US military history.  His actions in combat earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star.   He later became a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. On August 25, 1954, during a test flight, his airplane suffered a malfunction. Captain McConnell attempted to fly the plane back to the base but was forced to eject several miles short. He had waited too long; the parachute did not have time to open. Captain Joseph McConnell died upon impact.

Hollywood memorialized Captain McConnell and his exploits in The McConnell Story, starring Alan Ladd and June Allyson. The movie had its premiere at the Strand Theatre here in Dover on August 15, 1955.

The library will be closed on Monday, November 12

The library will be closed on Monday, November 12 for the Veterans Day holiday. Open as usual Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 1-5.