The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en Volume 13, Number 39
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Library celebrates big milestones By Olivia L. Lawrence Associate Editor
File photo
Berlin Fair patrons look forward to whirling rides, like the one pictured here, and many other attractions at the Berlin Fairgrounds.
Lions bring the ‘Funk’ to the Fair By Olivia L. Lawrence Associate Editor (The legendary Grand Funk Railroad takes the big stage at the 61st Annual Berlin Fair Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.) Don Brewer, vocals and drums, has been the face of Grand Funk Railroad since its earliest days. He and bassist Mel Schacher, another original member, come to the Berlin venue as one of the last stops on the band’s “40 Years of Funk” 2009 tour. Can Grand Funk Railroad get Berlin rocking? “We won’t let them sit there,” Brewer promised in a recent interview with The Citizen. “We’re looking forward to coming out there.” The band will be coming in from Bakersfield, Calif. “We’ve been going pretty heavy over the summer,” Brewer said talking about recent gigs in Tulsa, Denver and Pittsburg. The band has
been on tour the past couple of years and typically performs 35 to 40 concerts annually during the festival and fair months, flying to weekend gigs. For the past decade, GFRR has consisted of Brewer and
Countdown to the Fair
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Schacher along with singer Max Carl (previously with 38 Special), lead guitarist Bruce Kulick (a 12 year KISS veteran), and keyboardist Tim Cashion who’s played with Bob Seger, the Silver Bullet Band and Robert Palmer. The band has reached the heights of stardom with mega-hits such as We’re An American Band, I’m Your Captain, Locomotion, and Some Kind of Wonderful — songs still in play on classic rock radio stations. Tours around the world have included sold-out concerts in the U.S. Canada, Europe, Japan and South American. A 1971 performance at New York’s Shea Stadium sold out faster than the Beatles. Over its career Grand Funk has had 19 chart singles with eight Top 40 hits and two No. 1 singles. The group has 13 gold and 10 platinum See Fair, page 5
Berlin-Peck Memorial Library is celebrating not one, but two anniversaries, and the public is welcome join to staff, supporters and friends for a party Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. To register call (860) 828-7125. “That’s the family fun night,” said Cathy Nelson, assistant director, about the 20th birthday party celebrating the opening of the facility at 234 Kensington Road. The event is one of the many events and activities the Friends of the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library are sponsoring this fall. In addition to the excitement of 20 years of library services at the “new” facility, the library is also celebrating 180 years of serving the community. The official 20th mark is Oct. 2 and the 180th is in November. It made sense to combine the two milestones for one big cele-
bration. Nelson is more or less the informal keeper of library history — “I’ve been here the longest.” She talked about the library’s longtime presence in the community and how it has grown and changed with Berlin’s needs over the years. She described the essence of a library. “The library is a center for the community and it has grown. When you think of a small town, the library is the core of what is good for a community. And now, we have a computer center and access to the Internet — and it’s a whole new role. “People will come in on a quiet day to see who else is out and about. I remember being shocked one year when (one of our patrons) brought out of town relatives to see the library. She was so proud of it. I hadn’t understood
See Library, page 6
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
The sign outside Berlin-Peck Memorial Library touts the 20th anniversary celebration.