Maplewood Ideas Festival returns this March

MAP-ideas fest-WMAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood Library celebrates the talent and creativity of the local community with the third annual Ideas Festival. An eclectic lineup is scheduled for adults, teens and children, and everything is free and open to the public.More information can be found at www.maplewoodlibrary.org.

 

Belle and books

Meet cast members of Columbia High School’s production of “Beauty and The Beast” as they read stories and perform musical numbers from the play on Tuesday, March 15, at 4 p.m. at the Main Library. Watch as a makeup artist transforms a cast member into the Beast. There will be a question-and-answer session afterward.

 

NJ Makers Day

There will be maker projects for children, teens and adults on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Branch. Activities include cardboard construction, marble roller coaster, building block fractals, paper weight challenge, 3D CAD mini workshop, sound off at the Create Space, Play-Doh engineering, circuitry test kitchen, 3D scanner demos and lots more.

 

Norbert Leo Butz

Tony-award-winning Broadway, film and television actor and singer Norbert Leo Butz recently starred in “Bloodlines” and “Mercy Street” and will be at the Main Library on Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m.

 

Secrets skeletons tell

Discover how scientists and detectives gather evidence and clues to figure out what happened in the past on Tuesday, March 29, at 4 p.m. at the Main Library. This event, for ages 5 and older, will be facilitated by author Marc Aronson, with New York Times science writer Jon Gertner, science teacher John Mead and Det. Edward Raith of the Maplewood Police Department. For ages 5 and up.

 

‘Journalists in Conversation’

Rebecca Blumenstein, deputy editor in chief of the the Wall Street Journal, and Ilena Silverman, features editor at the New York Times Magazine, will present “Journalists In Conversation” on Saturday, March 26, at 2 p.m. at the Main Library. The conversation will be moderated by Brooke Lefferts, the U.S. entertainment video editor for The Associated Press.

 

Art and music reception

An after-hours wine and cheese reception for Ideas Festival artist Bisa Butler, a quilt artist and Columbia High School art teacher, will be Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at the Main Library.

 

Squyres at the library

Oscar-nominated movie, music video and television editor Tim Squyres has edited 23 feature films, including 13 for director Ang Lee. He will be at the Main Library on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m.

 

Maplewood Literary Award

New York Times reporter, Dan Barry. NYTCREDIT: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

The 2016 Maplewood Literary Award recipient is Dan Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and reporter for The New York Times and the author of four books, including the forthcoming “The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland,” set to be released in May 2016. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event on Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m. at the Main Library.

 

Fiddling at the Woodland

Tony Award-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick currently has two shows on Broadway, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “She Love Me,” but he will be at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road in Maplewood, on Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m. Joining Harnick will be Adam Dannheisser, who currently stars in “Fiddler” as as Lazar Wolfe, and Mitch Greenberg who plays Nachem and Yussel.

 

Celebrating our home fencer

A community celebration for Ibtihaj Muhammad, a member of the 2016 United States Olympic Fencing Team competing in Rio de Janeiro this summer, will be held at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road in Maplewood, on Wednesday, April 6, at 7 p.m.