Ulysses Philomathic Library brings fun and games to winter market

As winter weather conditions make their presence felt throughout Tompkins County, the Ulysses Philomathic Library is hoping to bring indoor fun and learning opportunities to the county’s youth. The library will have a presence at the Trumansburg Farmers Winter Market, providing programming to further literacy and entertainment to the local community through the availability of books and crafts for children.

The market, which started last week, will run through April 10, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday at American Legion Post 770 at 4431 E. Seneca Rd. 

Meredith DeCotiis, Ulysses Philomathic Library community outreach coordinator, said that she envisions bringing fun, engaging and relaxing activities for children. This past week, she noted, she brought watercolor painting.

“I always have supplies for them to do collages, but we’ll have a few structured activities,” DeCotiis added. 

The library’s programming at the winter market also provides opportunities for children to explore their autonomy. 

“The idea is [that the program] it allows parents to stay at the market a little bit longer than they normally would. And then it would give the kids some autonomy. We’ve had a lot of good feedback from parents, parents who said it’s a chance for their kids to ‘be alone,’” DeCotiis said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

These activities are part of the library’s larger push to be a pillar of the community, DeCotiis said. The library also has activities planned for the summer farmers market.

“The library is really a community center,” DeCotiis said. “My job is to make sure that we reach kids that are outside of that. Kids who maybe can’t make it to the library.”

DeCotiis highlighted a backpack program, in which the library sends two books to children at home each month, as an example of outreach efforts, noting that the library tries to meet residents where they are. 

“We’re really trying to send the message that we’re here for you,” she added. “I ask the kids, when we’re at the farmers market, what they like to do and what kinds of books they like to bring. That way, they feel like their library is responsive.”

One of the main missions of the library, DeCotiis said, is to foster a sense in children of citizenship and belonging to their community.

“We’re a public organization that is funded by tax dollars and private donations, and we’re there to serve the community — and that’s the message that we want children to get,” she added. “We are there to support them. When they come to the library, we are just one more set of adults who think they are really important.”

The library serves anywhere from 10 to 25 children every afternoon, DeCotiis said. In the last year working as outreach coordinator, DeCotiis has lived through a fulfilling professional experience, alongside moving moments with children who partake in the library’s programming.

“It has been a pretty remarkable experience for me to see those kids that I serve,” she said. “They show me what they are reading, and then sometimes they apologize to me when they can’t come because they have other activities. It is really sweet.”

In brief: 

The Ulysses Philomathic Library is starting a new community-based theater project titled “Play of Delights,” which features original content inspired by “The Book of Delights”: a collection of essays by award-winning author Ross Gay. The project, cosponsored by Civic Ensemble and Story House Ithaca, will develop over the course of the spring, with an introductory session set for April 9. 

The goal of the project is to develop original works inspired by “The Book of Delights,” which deals with the subject of becoming aware of and celebrating unexpected delight in life. It also confronts hardship, trauma and oppression experienced by people of color in America.

Organizers say that this improvised work could be developed in the form of monologues, scenes, poems and songs. Signup is open to adults who can commit to a rehearsal process, but no theater or performance experience is required.

An information session will be held on Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. For further information on this session, interested parties may contact Laura Mielenhausen at director@trumansburglibrary.org or 607-387-5623; or Sarah Plotkin at sarahbplotkin@gmail.com or 607-342-3639.

Sign up for the project in person at the library or using this Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjfsUtzVpKSmrv-7Ndom2gBokoFq5_hZNxceWM1Ybw1VZ2bw/viewform?usp=sf_link.

There are 15 open seats, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

More information on the project can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WuWSqhXXWS2NsEF9yO60L5NwzhtLIQKz9Q9DCqyrV5k/edit.