On Tuesday, July 14, residents of Hamburg and surrounding areas gathered at the Strand Theatre, 6 South Seventh Street, for a special library program entitled World Famous Hero Animals.
The free evening program was sponsored by the Hamburg Public Library and presented by Rochelle Christopher of Victorian Vanities. As guests found seats in the darkened theatre, they were amused by an on-screen YouTube video of Nora the piano-playing cat.
Library Director Dan LaRue began the program by welcoming the group. The Animal Hero theme fit into the overall summer reading theme, “Every Hero has a Story.” However, LaRue Said, most summer programs are geared toward children and many are held during daytime hours, when parents may be tied up with work. This nighttime program was of interest to both adults and children and was planned to accommodate traditional working hours.
LaRue then introduced Rochelle Christopher, an independent historian from Victorian Vanities. Christopher noted that the bond between animals and humans is strong, and that such relationships can benefit humans by reducing stress, blood pressure and levels of anxiety and depression.
“In the last 100 years, a large number of animals have made their mark in history,” she said, then spent the next hour telling stories about some of these animals. Christopher mentioned some with long lives, such as a tortoise who lived 205 years and a cat named Creampuff who reached the ripe age of 38. She then told the story of Heidi the Cross-Eyed Opossum, who became a you-tube sensation and even predicted on Jimmy Kimmel’s show the winners of three Oscars.
Of course, the program also included discussion of true animal heroes. The audience learned of a group of dolphins who herded and surrounded a group of swimmers to protect them from shark attacks for more than 40 minutes. Fido the Faithful dog was rescued during World War II by an Italian brickworker; he faithfully walked his owner to the bus station each morning and was waiting on the man’s return. Even when his human died, Fido continued to meet the train daily until the dog’s own death 14 years later.
Other animals discussed included Togo, a sled dog that delivered crucial medicine through blizzards and cold; Unsinkable Sam, a cat that survived multiple shipwrecks in World War 2; and Cuddles, a miniature seeing-eye horse. Christopher also discussed the first pets of the nation, Portugese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny.
David Graybeard, a chimpanzee in Tanzania, played a crucial role in the research of Jane Goodall. He was the first chimp to interact with the researcher. This led to significant breaks in animal research and understanding. Echo the Elephant was also a key figure in separate animal research.
During these and other talks about animals, Christopher flashed up pictures and showed short film clips. Many of these visual aids solicited chuckles and smiles from the audience. At one point, a young boy took up Christopher’s invitation to talk to the group, sharing a story about his family cat and his sister’s claim the animal had been hit by a car (it wasn’t true, he assured the audience).
The Hamburg Public Library has other special programs planned in the weeks ahead. On the schedule are “The Heroes Read the Storybooks (Wednesday, July 29, 1:30 pm at the Strand) presented by Giggle Magic and “Supernatural Lore of PA,” a Halloween-themed event covering ghosts, monsters and miracles and also presented by Victorian Vanities (Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. at the library).
For more information on these programs or to learn more about what the Hamburg Public Library offers it patrons, readers may visit the library (35 North Third Street, Hamburg) or call 610-562-2843. More information on Victorian Vanities is available online at victorianvanities.org.
