Storywalk and celebration at Beekley library

NEW HARTFORD — The Licia and Mason Beekley Community Library hosted a storywalk and celebration of local author Lee Tangarone on Saturday, July 26.

The event was the culminating activity of a month-long celebration of the life and work of Tangarone, according to storywalk co-curator Fran Stoffer. 

The annual event is in its fourth year, Stoffer said, and seeks to honor Tangarone, a long-time member of the community.

“Lee was always active and had a wonderful sense of humor,” Stoffer said. “She didn’t ever just sit back and wait for others to do a job.”

“She always loved her family, always,” granddaughter Corrin Tangarone said. 

Each year, Stoffer and Corrin Tangarone choose a children’s book that they believe reflects the spirit and personality of Lee Tangarone. 

Corrin Tangarone designs and sets up posters around the library and in the downtown New Hartford area that tell a story and invites people to walk and read through the story.

The story selected this year was “Explorations of Commander Josh In Space,” written by Donna LeBlanc, who was in attendance Saturday to help run the day’s activities. Previous years have featured “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn and “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed the Sea” by Pam Adams, both of which were selected as representative of Tangarone’s humor, Stoffer said.

Stoffer said she got the idea for the storywalk while visiting the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which was hosting its own walk at the time, and it seemed like “a perfect match” to honor Tangarone. 

Some 15 children were in attendance for the day’s celebration, which included a readalong of “Commander Josh.” 

 A laundry basket and other materials were provided so that children could simulate Josh’s imaginary adventure from the story.

The day was all about “just having a lot of fun,” Stoffer told the event’s attendees.

Afterward came a raucous singalong session where LeBlanc played the piano and attendees sang the chorus of a new “Commander Josh” song. She then took a victory lap around the room to give out high-fives.

“This is big, this is huge, kids,” LeBlanc said, “We could go to Broadway, I’m just saying.”