Javanese Gamelan Program

Javanese Gamelan

Adults & Teens Monday, May 23, 6–7 pm Zoom

Celebrate Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the Library and Chicago’s own Friends of the Gamelan, affectionately known as FROG. Join Artistic Director, Alex Yoffe as he explains the instruments and cultural context of Gamelan—the traditional music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia.

The evening will conclude with a pre-recorded traditional piece from the full ensemble! Come enjoy a night of music and culture with us.

Registration starts April 23. A recording of this program will be made available on YouTube. Friends of the Gamelan, affectionately known as FROG, traces its roots to the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, held in Chicago. One of the many exotic attractions on the Midway Plaisance was the Java Village, complete with a Sundanese gamelan. Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History was founded to preserve, catalog, and exhibit the many cultural treasures from the Exposition, including the gamelan. In the late 1970s, a group began to meet regularly at the Field Museum to play on those very instruments. FROG was formed in 1980 as a notfor-profit educational organization with the purpose of purchasing a Javanese gamelan for pedagogy and performance, to continue the work begun at the Field Museum.

Alex Yoffe is a Javanese gamelan musician and teacher. After completing his degree in music composition at the CCPA, he went on to the concentrated study of Central Javanese gamelan, having been awarded a scholarship—fully funded by the Indonesian government— at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Surakarta (ISI Surakarta). Yoffe has performed with and taught many gamelans across the US, including Gamelan Laras Tentrem (Boston), Gamelan Kusuma Laras (NYC), Gamelan Sari Raras Irama (Buffalo, NY), as well as at numerous universities and colleges. He has also performed with many groups and renowned musicians in Java, Indonesia.

Adult Programs

Masks may be required for in-person programs

History of American Country Music

Adults Thursday, March 24, 6–7 pm Meeting Room AB

Join us for an exploration of the history of American country music through story and song with music historian and performer Steve Justman.

Registration starts February 24.

Steve Justman has been performing Americana, folk, and popular music in the Chicago area and neighboring Midwest region for many years and has been singing since he was 2 and a musician since he was 12. Steve is a collector of songs as well as other artifacts of Americana. Entertainers of all types influenced him, the kind and variety rarely found today. Steve showcases his collection of songs in his performances, singing and interpreting a mix of traditional and popular folk, pop standards, early rock & roll, rockabilly, and classic country that people might know while focusing on connecting with his audience and pure entertainment.

Read All About It! Newspapers in Genealogical Research

Presented by Genealogy Club

Adults Tuesday, April 12, 6–7:45 pm Meeting Room B

Learn how to find and use newspapers to find information about your ancestors as well as the times they lived in. Some of the items to be found in newspapers include obituaries, marriage and engagement announcements, birth announcements, legal cases, and ship passage information. We will learn how to find newspapers online and in libraries and archives and cite your sources.

Registration starts March 12. A recording of this program will be made available on YouTube for 1 week following the program.

Caron Primas Brennan has been doing family history research since a 6th Grade school project got her started. Researching online and off for over 20 years, Caron has been speaking at libraries and genealogical societies for over a decade. More Than Money and Land: Evolution of Bounty Land, Military Pensions & Alternative Records

Presented by Genealogy Club

Adults Tuesday, May 10, 6–7:45 pm Zoom

Bounty land applications and military pensions are useful resources for anyone with a male ancestor of military service age. Learn how laws concerning compensation changed over time, how to request records to explore your family’s connection to smaller military campaigns and conflicts dating from 1820–1916.

Registration starts April 10. A recording of this program will be made available on YouTube for 4 weeks following the program.

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Ms. Dudek specializes in British genealogy, World War I research, and emerging technology topics.

An alumna of Olivet College (Olivet, Michigan) and the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland), Ms. Dudek holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, a Masters in Information and Library Studies, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies.

Education & Skills

Trivia Night at Beggars

Adults Thursday, March 10, 6–8 pm Thursday, May 12, 6–8 pm Beggars Pizza (650 Maple Street, New Lenox)

Looking for something to do on a Thursday night? Look no more! Join us for a brain-busting evening at Beggars Pizza in New Lenox. Enjoy pizza and drinks and answer questions on a multitude of topics. Form a powerhouse team or play by yourself for prizes!

program date registration starts March 10 Registration starts February 10 May 12 Registration starts April 12

“I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card.”

Adult Programs

Masks may be required for in-person programs

Navigating Divorce Pro Se

Adults Thursday, March 31, 6–7 pm Meeting Room B

Will County Courthouse Law Library presents a pro se divorce information session for self-represented litigants in divorce cases. You will learn what you need to file a divorce pro se and how the process works.

Additionally, learn about their free Early Resolution Program for Pro Se Divorces. Highlights include what the program is, how it compares and contrasts from the traditional divorce process, and how to participate in the program if interested and eligible. The session will conclude with a brief Q&A. Materials will be available following the program. No registration required.

First Time Home Buying

Adults Tuesday, May 3, 4:30–5:30 pm

Thinking about buying a home? Mark Lenard is here to help you learn the basics, including the difference between renting and owning, applying for a mortgage, and the stages of the mortgage and underwriting process. Registration starts April 3, and is encouraged but not required.

Mark Lenard has been a New Lenox resident for 28 years. He is a Senior Mortgage Professional at Fifth Third Bank with almost 30 years of experience in finance.

Community Connection

New Life for Old Bags

Community-Led Group

Adults & Teens Monday, March 28, 6–7:30 pm Monday, April 25, 6–7:30 pm Monday, May 23, 6–7:30 pm Meeting Room AB

Make mats for the homeless by reusing plastic grocery bags. A great opportunity for teens needing community service hours! No court-ordered community service accepted. If you are interested in bringing a group, it is required you contact the community group leader. Plarn and crochet hooks may be available through the group or the Digital Media Lab. Time and Information Management: Organizing in a Digital World

Adults Wednesday, May 4, 6–7pm Zoom

“I don’t have time!” We hear this and say this so often in this fast-paced digital world we live in! Can we change this? Yes! While we can’t create more hours, we can be more efficient with the hours we do have. We’ll look at how we receive and manage our time and information, and highlight the “why bother” behind learning to use the tools available to us in this digital age. Then, we’ll look at the top apps/ programs for managing everything from our schedule and tasks to our projects and teams.

Registration starts April 4. A recording of this program will be made available on YouTube for 2 weeks following the program.

Jennifer Barnes is an Organizer, CEO and founder of JB Organizing, and Mom of 5 kids in 5 years including a set of twins. Jennifer offers Real Organizing for Real People Doing Real Life. She helps people bring order to their home, life, office and future by presenting to groups and organizations and by working one on one with clients to organize a given space or process and manage time and tasks efficiently.

Jennifer began her career as a Professional Organizer and Speaker over 20 years ago. Since that time she has spoken across the country on topics related to organizing, parenting, relationships, and small business/ personal development and has worked with individual clients from Milwaukee to Chicago and beyond.

Friends of the Library

Adults Wednesday, March 23, 6–7 pm Wednesday, April 27, 6–7 pm Wednesday, May 25, 6–7 pm Meeting Room A

The Friends of the Library fundraise to help add new materials, equipment and services to the Library. They meet the 4th Wednesday of each month. Learn more about Friends projects, membership at newlenoxlibrary.org/about/friends.