Celebrate National Library Lovers Month @ the Summit Library!

February is National Library Lovers Month and the Summit Free Public Library is celebrating all month long with special events for adults, children, and teens! There’s simply no better way to show love for your library than with a visit—either to attend a musical performance, participate in a program, or check out a book or DVD. As the American Library Association says, Libraries = Strong Communities, and the Summit Free Public Library exemplifies that commitment to the community every month of the year.

Some of the special activities the library has planned in February include

Amore: Classical and Contemporary Songs of Love

The month kicks off with a performance on Sunday, February 3 at 2pm by Synergismus Duo, a violin-cello pair who will get everyone in the mood for Valentine’s Day. The concert will feature classical opera arias, tangos, and Broadway love songs. Funding for this program is made possible in part by the NJ State Council on the Arts, through a grant from the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

Chinese New Year—Let’s Celebrate the Year of the Pig!

Kids and their families can join in the festivities and celebrate the Year of the Pig! Visit the library in February and you’ll be treated to Chinese art and lantern decorations throughout the library!

The Chinese New Year Celebration week starts on Tuesday, February 5 from 7-8:30pm with A Taste of China! Attendees will learn how to make traditional food typically eaten on New Year’s Eve and enjoy some delicious food and tea. On Wednesday, February 6 from 7-8:30pm there will be a Chinese Calligraphy and Traditional Chinese Painting class. Participants will be introduced to the origin of some Chinese characters and kids will learn how to write their name in Chinese, along with traditional crafts, paper-cutting demo and more. On Thursday, February 7 from 7-8:30pm families are invited to participate in Face Painting and Movie Night. Children will learn about the famous Beijing Opera, get a chance to face paint for the opera performance, and try on the opera costumes, such as the Monkey King, prior to watching the Beijing Opera cartoon movie Havoc in Heaven. The week will wrap up with a big Chinese New Year Celebration on Sunday, February 10 from 2-4pm. Festivities will kick off with the Lion Dance. Chinese New Year activities and light snacks and tea will round out the celebration.

Teen Time!

Teens are welcome to come to the library at 6pm on Valentine’s Day for “That’s What Cheese Said” and enjoy some grilled cheese sandwiches on, what many consider, “the cheesiest of holidays.”

Author Talks & Lectures by Expert—Something for Everyone

Are you a history buff? Interested in the environment? Do you want to know more about the dark underbelly of the Putin regime? You can learn about those topics and more at the library with a diverse selection of lectures and author talks.

Join author of African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era, Jeannette Brown, on Tuesday, February 5 from 7-8:30pm for an interesting discussion that details the lives of 18 living women chemists who are doing remarkable work in the field of chemistry.

On Tuesday, February 12 from 6:30-8pm, the Great Swamp Watershed Association and the Rahway River Watershed Association are sponsoring a lecture by Marian Glenn, Summit Environmental Commissioner, on Water Quality and Management in our Area—Green Infrastructure for Managing Storm Water. Attendees will learn about elements of landscape architecture and how they can meet New Jersey’s new rules for storm water management.

The library welcomes Amy Knight, author of Orders to Kill: The Putin Regime and Political Murder on Tuesday, February 19 from 7-8:30pm. Knight, a historian and expert on the Soviet Union and Russia, has been described by the The New York Times as “the West’s foremost scholar” on the KGB. Registration for this program is requested, as seating is limited.

Come meet and listen to Joel Farkas, National Park Service docent at Washington’s Headquarters, on Thursday, February 21. From 7:30-8:30pm he will present on George Washington, New Jersey, and the Revolutionary War. Farkas will discuss Washington’s New Jersey battles as well as cover Washington’s time wintering in Morristown.

All programs and activities are FREE. Have questions about any of the library's programs or activities? Call the library at 908-273-0350. The Summit Free Public Library is located at 75 Maple St.