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How Dark Is It? with UCLA Students

Defined as the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting, light pollution pervades 80% of global skies in the form of skyglow, or artificial brightening of the night sky. Its deleterious effects extend beyond astronomy — impacting the health of natural ecosystems, the behavior of energy consumption, and human circadian rhythms. So, what can we do about it? In cooperation with the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, UCLA student researchers will share information about the impacts of light pollution in Idaho, the different ways to measure light pollution, the results of their monitoring studies throughout the Reserve since 2021, and ways you may be able to get involved in tackling light pollution!

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Summer sounds are back in The Pasture!

Long days, cool nights, and live music under the mountain sky—it’s the season to kick back and tune in. On select nights, our Summer Music Series brings the vibes with eclectic beats and crave-worthy bites and drinks that hit the spot from our neighbors, Ramen Cowboy. Music runs from 5:30–7pm—check out the lineup below and let the good times roll! June 19 – Jimmy Mitchell June 20 – Kevin Ware June 26 – Dan Costello June 27 – Adam Williams July 3 – Mark Mueller July 10 – James “Taco” Tautkus July 11 – Kevin Ware July 17 – Sophia Vandenberg July 18 – Jimmy Mitchell July 24 – Adam Williams July 25 – Dan Costello July 31 – Adam Williams August 1 – Charlie “Moonshine” Schubert August 7 – Jimmy Mitchell August 8 – Travis McDaniel August 14 – Mark Mueller August 15 – Luc McCann August 21 – James “Taco” Tautkus August 22 – Travis McDaniel

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“The Paris Novel”

A Community Speaker Series event, in partnership with the Sun Valley Writers Conference. Registration required. Ruth Reichl, one of our best-known and most well-loved food writers, is the author of five memoirs, including Tender at the Bone and Save Me the Plums. She is also a captivating novelist, and, as you might imagine, her fiction is full of many sensory pleasures. In her delightful new book, The Paris Novel, the protagonist Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has confined her to the strict routines of her comfort zone. Reichl will talk to The Community Library’s executive director, Jenny Emery Davidson, about this novel that celebrates the city she adores and the many reasons for living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home. Photo credit: Shannon Greer.

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“Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman’s Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue”

A Community Speaker Series event, in partnership with the Sun Valley Writers Conference. Registration is required to attend. When Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, she was often written off as a courtesan and social climber known for her glamorous life and many erotic adventures. But in her delicious and comprehensive new biography, prize-winning author Sonia Purnell helps set the record straight in the captivating story of a woman who was at the center of power over five decades and two continents. In conversation with The Community Library’s director of programs and education, Martha Williams, Purnell will share the details of Harriman’s glittery and strategic life: how at age 20, as Churchill’s beloved daughter-in-law, she became a “secret weapon” during World War II, and how, later in the United States, she hand-picked Bill Clinton and helped propel him to the presidency.

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Hemingway Distinguished Lecture: PERCIVAL EVERETT

The annual Hemingway Distinguished Lecture is presented each July, honoring the month of Ernest Hemingway’s birth and death. The event celebrates the power of words and the creative spirit in a landscape that Hemingway loved. This year, The Community Library welcomes PERCIVAL EVERETT, a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. His latest novel, JAMES, was published in March of 2024 to critical acclaim. His other titles include Dr. No (finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction and winner of the PEN/ Jean Stein Book Award), The Trees (finalist for the Booker Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction), Telephone (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), So Much Blue, Erasure, and I Am Not Sidney Poitier. He has received the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award and The Windham Campbell Prize from Yale University. American Fiction, the feature film based on his novel Erasure, was released in 2023 and was awarded the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The lecture will be presented outdoors on the Library’s Donaldson Robb Family Lawn. Chairs will be set up for this event, so attendees do not need to bring their own. A book signing will follow. This program will be livestreamed, …

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Get the Scoop! Free Swimming and Ice Cream at the BCRD Aquatic Center

Please join us to “Get the Scoop” at the Aquatic Center on Thursday, June 26 at 6:00 pm. There will be free swimming and ice cream courtesy of BCRD. This will also be an opportunity to share your ideas and learn more about our proposed levy. We look forward to hearing from all of our recreational users, so please stop by and be part of this important conversation!

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Wine Women & Wealth

Looking for more than just another networking event? Imagine an evening where you can sip, connect, and learn all while building your confidence around money and creating lasting friendships. Wine, Women & Wealth isn’t your average get-together. It’s a monthly meetup for women who are ready to grow financially, professionally, and personally. Here’s what to expect: 🍷 A warm, welcoming atmosphere 💬 Real conversations (not just small talk) 💡 Practical, easy-to-understand money tips 🤝 Networking with fellow entrepreneurial and purpose-driven women 🌟 A spotlight on one of our amazing local, women-owned businesses Whether you’re a seasoned business owner, just starting out, or simply curious about how to take control of your financial future – this space is for you. You don’t need a financial background or a business card to join us, just bring your curiosity, and maybe a friend! Because when women support each other and share knowledge, we all rise. Your seat’s waiting, we’d love to have you join us this month! #WineWomenAndWealth #WomenInFinance #MoneyMatters #NetworkingWithPurpose #FinancialConfidence #CommunityOverCompetition #SipAndLearn

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Wine Women & Wealth

Are you looking to develop meaningful relationships with other professional and entrepreneurial-minded women? Do you ever feel uncertain about your finances or wish you knew more about how money really works? Wine, Women & Wealth is a fun and welcoming monthly gathering that blends socializing, networking, and financial education—all in one uplifting evening! ✨ Enjoy a casual, relaxed atmosphere where you can: • Connect with like-minded women in your community • Sip wine (or your favorite beverage) • Learn valuable tips on building wealth • Hear from a local, women-owned Spotlight Business • Grow personally, professionally, and financially Each month features a different financial topic, refreshments, meaningful conversations, and the chance to promote your own business if you’d like. (No business? No problem! Come for the connection and the education.) We’re building a community of women who are ready to take charge of their financial futures, expand their money mindset, and support one another along the way. Because when women gather, learn, and lift each other up—amazing things happen (especially over a glass of wine)! Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow your wealth—there’s a seat for you.

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Robots, Telemetry, & the Sex Lives of Sage Grous

Animals use a dizzying array of sounds, smells, colors, dances, electrical fields and seismic vibrations to convince each other to mate. These elaborate courtship signals were a mystery until Darwin’s time—after proposing his theory of natural selection, Darwin was left with the question of how the flamboyant peacock could be shaped by the same process that makes the peahen so perfectly camouflaged. There is now strong support for Darwin’s answer to this question, the process he termed sexual selection, proposing that the courting sex must be elaborate because the courted sex demands it. But how can we study the conversations males and females in non-human animals have about mating? One way to do this is to participate, controlling one side of the conversation with a robot. Gail Patricelli, a professor of evolution and ecology from the University of California Davis, will talk about using robotic females and other technology to study courtship behaviors in the greater sage-grouse, and how such research informs conservation of this iconic North American bird and its habitat. Registration recommended to join us in person, and registration required to receive the Vimeo link to watch online.

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The U.S. Constitution in Today’s Political Climate

Dr. David Adler, president of The Alturas Institute, renowned constitutional scholar and former Professor in the University of Idaho College of Law, will deliver a talk that explores – within a historical context – current tensions in American constitutional law prompted by recent executive orders and interpretations of the Constitution. Adler will review the implications for the rule of law from the current administration’s assertions of executive power, which raise threats to the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the enumeration of powers. Adler will also address the import of the defiance of judicial orders within the context of the duty of the judiciary, as declared by Chief Justice John Marshall, “to say what the law is.” Q & A to follow. This program will be livestreamed and available to watch later on the Library’s Event Archive. Registration recommended to join us in person, and registration required to receive the Vimeo link to watch online.