![Are they banning books at Millbrook Library?](https://millertonnews.com/media-library/image.png?id=51850868&width=1200&height=1555)
Millbrook Library
MILLBROOK — A volunteer read from Billie Jean King’s “A Kids Book About Equality” during Alden Place Elementary’s fifth grade field trip to their local library on Friday, Feb. 2.
A teacher accompanying the students felt that the book, because it included the phrase “non-binary,” was inappropriate for children. (Teachers and staff have said that they were not made aware of the content before the reading.)
The teacher also noticed other books that they felt might be questionable for children of that age.
That afternoon, School Superintendent Caroline Hernandez Pidala alerted parents of the teacher’s concerns in a letter, letting them know that King’s “Book About Equality” had been read at the library. She then advised that parents talk to the teachers or the Alden Place Principal Thomas Libka if they had questions or concerns.
On Feb. 3, a petition to remove the books was put up on Change.org. It read:
“As a concerned parent and resident of Millbrook, NY, I am deeply troubled by the presence of gender ideology books and symbols in the children’s section of our local library.” It continued:
“We believe that discussions on gender ideology should be had with family and left for when they’re older and more capable of understanding these concepts fully.”
“Gender ideology” is a term used in far right circles to describe and discredit the acknowledgement of trans, non-binary and other gender non-conforming people.
The petition asked that the Millbrook Library management consider this plea:
“Please remove all gender ideology books and symbols from the children’s section in our library.”
At a board meeting held on February 20, Millbrook Library acknowledged that one of the books mentioned in the petition had been miscatalogued, and had been removed from the children's section of the library to the Young Adult section, where it belonged, before the petition had been released.
A total of 4,240 book titles were marked for restriction or removal in 2023, in schools and libraries across America. School libraries saw an increase of 11% in challenges, while public libraries reported a 92% increase of challenges to specific books.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), from 2022 to 2023, the banned books with unique titles list grew by 65%. About 47% of these books were about the LGBTQ community or people of color, or both.
The petition to move books in the Millbrook Library had been written by Kay Vanderlyn of Millbrook, who has five children, none of whom attend Alden Elementary.
Her petition stated that “while it’s crucial to teach our children about diversity and acceptance, introducing such complex topics at an early age may lead to confusion or distress.
“Our request isn’t about censorship or denying access to information. It’s about ensuring age-appropriate materials for our children.”
The letter also explained that “our community is home to many young minds that are still developing their understanding of the world. It is our responsibility as parents and guardians to guide them through this process.”
The Millbrook Library Board, and Library Board President Jodi Fernandes, responded to the petition with a letter that was made public via the library web site.
They acknowledged the incident, and noted that the teacher had also raised concerns that a new book on display about reproduction, ‘It’s So Amazing’ by Robie H. Harris, was inappropriate.
They said that one of the books cited had been miscatalogued and had already been moved to the Young Adult section, prior to the petition’s release.
The letter went on to note that the petition had asked that all material and symbols related to “gender ideology” cited books and images of rainbow-colored items on display in the Children’s and Young Adult section of the library.
The Board noted that they had been serving the Millbrook public for 125 years through its mission to empower the community to be resilient, informed and equitable through leadership and collaboration.
They also noted that by providing free information, educational programs and services, they hope to encourage each community member to feel seen, heard and valued.
They agreed that some materials should be left to the parent or guardian to discuss with the child; therefore, they say, they have put a new procedure into place meant to ensure that all field trips, when parents or guardians are not present, will have the content pre-selected by the visiting school in advance “to align with specific needs of classes and studies.”
“In terms of content selection and removal, we have an established Collection Development Policy that exists to help guide the staff in the selection of materials to support the community,” it continues.
“Should anyone in the community wish to have books within the library reconsidered for circulation, we have a policy in place to do so,” they stated, and noted that there is a link on the library website for that purpose.
The letter also made clear that families in the community had recently requested age-appropriate books on themes of gender identity and inclusivity.
“All these materials have been vetted through the Collection Development Policy. We appreciate that there are many different perspectives in a healthy and thriving community, and that is what makes a community great — the ability to share varying points of view and information through passionate discourse.”
The letter from the Library Board finishes by thanking everyone who has reached out to them, in person, over the phone, through email and in writing to share their perspectives on the library’s collections, and encouraged the public to continue to share ideas, concerns and wishes with the library staff.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that Billy Jean King's 'A Kids Book About Equality' included discussions of gender identity. An earlier version of the story also inaccurately implied that Millbrook Library removed books from the children's section of the library in response to the petition; in fact, the library did not remove any books from the children's section in response to the petition.
Maxon Mills in Wassaic hosted a majority of the events of the local Upstate Art Weekend events in the community.
WASSAIC — Art enthusiasts from all over the country flocked to the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley to participate in Upstate Art Weekend, which ran from July 18 to July 21.
The event, which “celebrates the cultural vibrancy of Upstate New York”, included 145 different locations where visitors could enjoy and interact with art.
On Saturday, July 20, The Wassaic Project hosted numerous community events. Will Hutnick, the director of artistic programming, said “We’ve been a part of it since the beginning, this is the fifth year of UPAW.”
Most of the action was based at Maxon Mills, the seven-floor grain mill located in the heart of Wassaic. On exhibit was work from 30 artists, 18 of whom were past residents of The Wassaic Project. “Artists can come and do a residency here, meaning they live and work with one another for a couple months at a time,” Hutnick stated.
The first floor held work by Petra Szilagyi, who uses dirt and linseed oil to construct images of paranormal concepts, most of which include bats. They reflected that a recent trip to a fifth sense competition in Vietnam was the influence behind the exhibit.
Across the floor was Tiffany Smith’s interactive installation which incorporated plants and wicker chairs, all of which were objects associated with her Carribean upbringing. “The room being filled with plants is symbolic of hurricane prep which often included bringing the plants from outside into the house,” Smith said.
As visitors made their way up the narrow wooden stairs, music could be heard from behind the walls. The echoing music was Daniel Shieh’s installation, entitled Mother’s Anthem, which played a recording of the American Anthem in 30 languages. The languages ranged from Spanish and Italian to Navajo and Bengali.
Each floor was filled with artwork of all mediums, including painting, fibers, collage and photography. Rachel Bussières, who switched her concentration after watching the 2017 solar eclipse, uses varying light sources to produce lumen prints. During the wildfires, she recounted that she “made a new exposure each day to capture the changing air quality”.
Luciana Abait also incorporates the natural world into her pieces, instead using maps. An environmental activist originally from Argentina, Abait’s work highlights “environmental fragility, specifically the impacts it has on immigrants.” Her installation that is currently on display at Maxon Mills, takes the form of a mountain range built solely from maps of the US and Argentina.
Throughout the day, visitors could “Arm Wrestle 4 A Popsicle”. Winners had the choice of 3 playfully flavored trout-inspired popsicles - Nightcrawler, Power Bait, and Salmon Roe. Artist Katie Peck, who spent the day in costume as a rainbow trout, encouraged guests to step up and try their hand at an arm wrestle.
Shibori Indigo dyeing, group meditation, and dance workshops were open for community members of all ages as well.
While the daytime activities fostered appreciation of fixed art, a dance party until midnight at The Lantern Inn offered guests a space for performative art.
When describing the environment of The Wassaic Project, Smith emphasized, “It’s all community, it’s all love.”
A serene scene during the Garden Tour in Amenia.
AMENIA — The much-anticipated annual Amenia Garden Tour drew a steady stream of visitors to admire five local gardens on Saturday, July 13, each one demonstrative of what a green thumb can do. An added advantage was the sense of community as neighbors and friends met along the way.
Each garden selected for the tour presented a different garden vibe. Phantom’s Rock, the garden of Wendy Goidel, offered a rocky terrain and a deep rock pool offering peaceful seclusion and anytime swims. Goidel graciously welcomed visitors and answered questions about the breathtaking setting.
Amenia Finance Director Charlie Miller welcomed visitors to his Bog Hollow Road garden in Wassaic, a manicured expansive yard with well-placed garden beds framing a far-reaching view. He said he plans carefully each winter for the next spring’s improvement.
The organic, environmentally responsible Maitri Farm was next, a lesson in coordinating agriculture with natural balance. The farm stand and a walk among the greenhouses brought visitors together.
Near the center of Amenia was the garden of Polly Pitts-Garvin, offering a chance to visit a robust vegetable garden with raised beds to be envious of and a remarkable absence of any insects or usual vegetable garden problems.
At Chez Cheese, the vast garden acreage surrounding the 1850s historic home of Joan Feeney and Bruce Phillips in Millerton, visitors could begin at refreshment stations where walking tour maps of the 15-acre property were available. There were streams and ponds with docks, and a dozen bridges arranged around the landscape. In the 19th-century, the property had been the home of the Wilson Cheese Factory, inspiring the name of the estate.
The Amenia Garden Tour was supported this year by Paley’s Garden Center in Sharon.
Gary Dodson working a tricky pool on the Schoharie Creek, hoping to lure something other than a rock bass from the depths.
PRATTSVILLE, N.Y. — The Schoharie Creek, a fabled Catskill trout stream, has suffered mightily in recent decades.
Between pressure from human development around the busy and popular Hunter Mountain ski area, serious flooding, and the fact that the stream’s east-west configuration means it gets the maximum amount of sunlight, the cool water required for trout habitat is simply not as available as in the old days.
This is not a new phenomenon. It does seem to be getting worse, though.
Gary Dodson and I convened where the creek makes its final run into the Schoharie reservoir, part of the New York City water supply system, on a semi-broiling Thursday afternoon, July 11.
The goal was simple. Catch smallmouth bass, which abound in the lower section of the river.
This was hot stuff — as in an 80-degree water temperature.
The air temperature was actually slightly less at 77.
After negotiating the intensely slippery rocks, festooned with treacherous algae, the first major pool presented several difficulties, with a back eddy competing with a main flow and several large trees draped about the whole thing.
I hit on the simplest strategy, which was to flip a weighted attractor fly called a Tequilley into the start of the eddy so it would proceed slowly but steadily into the maelstrom, sinking all the while.
This worked. A proper adult smallmouth, with bronze coloring and vertical stripes, took the thing.
The point-and-shoot camera finally died, however, and I was not going to try to fumble my phone out for a nice but routine fish photo.
Why not?
Because I guarantee the fish would have made a sudden, last-moment bolt for freedom, causing me to drop the device into the drink.
Gary moved downstream while I continued trying to annoy the residents of the pool, succeeding a couple of times with different colored Wooly Buggers.
Then we all got bored and I moved off, where Gary was catching rock bass and cussing them out for not being something else. I have to admit, they are not the most compelling critters. Something about the red eyes.
This latest trip was dominated by extremely tedious and distasteful Harry Homeowner activities, but on both Wednesday and
Thursday mornings I prowled Woodland Valley Creek. By “morning” I mean “dawn,” because that was when the water temps were down to a barely acceptable 64.
I made the acquaintance of several stocked browns and of a handful of their wild cousins. The wild fish are smaller and nimbler.
The successful ploy was an Adams wet fly, size 16, drifted behind something big, like a Parachute Adams or Stimulator.