Libraries lure teens with pizza, movies
Among other tasks, Carey Conkey of the Watertown Free Public Library hosts craft events, game tournaments, and movie screenings and sometimes orders pizza. It's all in a day's work for this teen services supervisor whose mission is to draw teenagers into the book-filled halls of the library. Hers is an increasingly urgent task.
Last year the National Endowment for the Arts reported that not only had the number of Americans reading books of any kind been steadily dropping over the last two decades, but the trend was accelerating. During the period tracked from 1982 to 2002, recreational reading of literature took the sharpest fall and declined most dramatically among young readers (ages 18 to 24), of whom just 43 percent in 2002 said they had read a novel for fun in the past year, compared with 60 percent in 1982.
To reverse the trend, libraries across the nation have been increasingly reaching out to teens.
''It started in the 1970s, when libraries had a lot more money. Then we had this dip in funding and teen services were cut back, and then in the mid-'90s it started to take hold again. But for 20 years, potentially, we've missed this whole group of people," said Tricia Suellentrop, a Kansas librarian and coauthor of ''Connecting Young Adults and Libraries" (Neil-Schuman, 2004).
One initiative born of this movement is Teen Read Week, founded by the American Library Association in 1998. To celebrate the national event, area young-adult librarians are offering a host of free activities just for teens and preteens.
Marlborough Public Library launches its new monthly Creature Feature series Sunday with ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Sunday 1:30-4 p.m.) and then the 1931 ''Frankenstein" (Tuesday 6:15-8 p.m.); both are films derived from books. Popcorn is included, and the library hopes to recruit members for a teen book club and a game night.
Shrewsbury Public Library is presenting 10 a.m. film screenings every Saturday this month and some clever side activities as well. Students in grades 5 to 12 are invited not only to view ''Sahara" (Saturday), ''The Bourne Identity" (Oct. 22), and ''Mean Girls" (Oct. 29), they can also offer their picks for books that would make good movies. Their suggestions will be presented to Walden Media, a Los Angeles and Boston-based film company whose credits include ''Holes" and the upcoming ''Chronicles of Narnia." Borders Books in Shrewsbury will also display a shelf featuring the teens' book choices and their reviews of them.
Conkey has a full week planned for youths at Watertown Free Public Library. ''Coach Carter" screens Sunday (2-4 p.m.), the young adult book group discusses ''The First Part Last" by Angela Johnson on Monday (4-5 p.m.), journal covers will be crafted Tuesday and Oct. 20 (2:30-5:30), the weekly Pizza and Pages book group will feature what Conkey calls ''mini-commercials" for good reads Wednesday (5-6 p.m.), Oct. 21 brings a screening of ''Mean Girls" (2:30-5 p.m.), and the week concludes with a Monopoly tournament (Oct. 22 2-4 p.m.)
Framingham Public Library will hold a discussion of ''Birdland" by Tracy Mack (Saturday 3-4 p.m.) and a pizza-fueled meeting of the Teen Advisory Group, where members can suggest which books, music, games, and films the library should stock, and how the young adult area should be decorated (Saturday 1:30-2:30 p.m.).
Teen readers can also stop by Holliston Public Library today and tomorrow to fill out raffle tickets with their book and music requests. All week, tickets will be drawn for prizes like T-shirts, backpacks, and writing-themed gifts.
Many other libraries such as the Morse Institute Library in Natick, which posts young adult events on its Teen Blog (www.milteen.blog-city.com), have extensive young-adult programs as well.
Suellentrop said parents would do well to check on library offerings and make time to take advantage of them. ''The big thing that is surprising to people is that teens pretty consistently say they are interested in reading. They do want to read, but say they have a hard time finding time," she said.
Teen Read Week activities may be taking place at other libraries too, so call to check. For the events above, contact Marlborough Public Library, 35 West Main St., 508-460-3796, astrock@cwmars.org; Shrewsbury Public Library, 609 Main St., 508-842-0081, ssogigia@cwmars.org; Watertown Free Public Library, 30 Common St., 617-972-6431, www.watertownlib.org; Framingham Public Library, 49 Lexington St., 508-879-3570, www.framinghamlibrary.org; and the Holliston Public Library, 752 Washington St., 508-429-0617, www.hollistonlibrary.org.
HIGH-TECH HARVEST FEST -- In 1975, when Newton held its first Harvest Fair, it celebrated with a sampling of crafts and a little entertainment. Thirty years later, the annual fair has grown to 130 crafters, five hours of free music, 500 pumpkins ready for children to paint, carnival rides, and, in a modern twist, high-tech tents featuring 3D computer gaming and other fun digital stuff.
''This time we can truly say there's something at this festival for the whole family," said Judy Anderson of Newton's Arts in the Parks program.
The crafts, which range from glass and pottery to furniture and bamboo trees, come courtesy of New England artisans. The high-tech zone is presented by
Newton is one of about 20 communities in Massachusetts (including Medway and Marlborough) with FiOS service, and Verizon's marketing efforts mean the town gets some bits and bytes alongside the usual quilts and jams.
Game world rock stars Team 3D will be in the FiOS tents to play the latest 3D releases with the public. Meanwhile, plenty of Verizon schwag can be won from the game wheel, and children can get airbrush tattoos and pose for a surfing photo on a giant inflatable wave.
Or slow down and do a few kid's crafts like sand art or take in the festival shows. Concerts feature the Sounds of Concord, a 40-member barbershop quartet; The Liberty Belles chorus; the Showtime Singers; The Fabrizi Jazz Band; and The Suzuki School of Music.
The Harvest Fair takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at Newton Centre Green (rain date Oct. 23). Admission is free. Carnival rides run 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds to benefit the Newton Pride Committee. Call 617-796-1540.
CHAMBER MUSIC IN FRANKLIN -- Paula Barthel is doing her part to put Franklin on the classical map. As coordinator of the LiveArts music series, she is now in her third year of bringing impressive talents to town for intimate chamber concerts.
''For a bunch of amateurs trying to be semipros and put on a serious concert series, we pull off some really remarkable musical experiences," said Barthel of the 10-member all-volunteer committee behind LiveArts. ''The intimacy of our hall, the great bank of windows facing the woods, watching the light fade in the trees as the musicians play 20 feet away -- it's an amazing experience. At our shows, you can hear a pin drop because everyone is so enrapt."
This season opens with The Madison Trio of New York performing Beethoven's ''Ghost" trio, Shostakovich (Op. 67), and Paul Shoenfield's ''Cafe Music."
''They're brand new, but very talented," said Barthel. ''This is part of their first tour, and it concludes at Carnegie Hall."
Also coming up for the season are concerts featuring pianist Elenor Perrone (November), baritone Edwin Milham with pianist Deborah Nemko (March), and Boston Symphony cellist Mihail Jojatu, who will perform three of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites.
''He's so facile, so fluent, so expressive," said Barthel of Jojatu. ''He's just such a glorious cellist that we asked him to play all six cello suites. The first three will conclude '06 and the second three will open the '07 season."
So where did Barthel get such a good ear? ''I went to a quite a remarkable college for women in the Midwest, Stephens College, which was the first music conservatory west of the Mississippi," she said.
''I heard Vladimir Horowitz on the college's stage, I heard Isaac Stern on the college's stage when he was a very young violinist, and we went on field trips. . . . We went to the Metropolitan Opera. I was just saturated in the arts when I was at that college, and have cultivated this interest ever since."
The Madison Trio performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the First Universalist Society Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St. in Franklin. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students and seniors, $25 per couple or family. Season tickets available. Call 508-278-5220 or visit www.fusf.org/livearts.
Send news of arts-related events to westarts@globe.com. 
