Library's Independent Film Screenings Continue at ArtSpace in Berea

On Wednesday, September 12th, at 6:30 pm, Madison County Public Library will sponsor a screening of Be With Me at ArtSpace on the College Square in Berea. Since we are in a temporary building, we can't show films here, so the Berea Arts Council has generously allowed us to hold film screenings in their building at 116 Main Street on the second Wednesday of every month!

This month's film is a tapestry of three seemingly separate stories. Although the main characters come from different backgrounds and lead different lives, they are bound by one common desire—to be with their loved one. Unbeknownst to them, the characters in each of the three stories will share the same stage in a play, written by Fate, which revolves around the themes of love, tragedy, and redemption. The characters in the movie are all fictitious except for Theresa Chan. Deaf and blind since she was 14, Theresa – who is now 61 – is a remarkable woman who has triumphed over her disabilities to live an amazing life. She is the film's beacon, a symbol of strength and hope. “I fell for Be With Me…I didn’t have any idea what was going on for the first half hour, but was in tears by the end, which is fairly rare,” says Manohla Dargis at The New York Times. “Be With Me will hypnotize and fill you with constant emotions and pure sensations,” writes Premiere Magazine. The film runs 93 minutes, and is in English, Cantonese, Hokkien, and Mandarin with English subtitles. Be With Me won Best Director at the Toronto Film Festival and was chosen by Singapore as its best film of the year. It also won Best Film at the Stockholm Film Festival, and Best of East Asia at the Indianapolis International Film Festival. This month’s 11 minute short film, from New Zealand, is Two Cars, One Night.

Note: This screening is free and open to anyone age 17 and above. The film is not rated, but it portrays adult situations and language. No one under 17 will be admitted without a parent or legal guardian.

New building brings Bereans back home

I drove by the building site today as I often do. As I went in to take pictures, I recognized the man in the backhoe as a long time Berean who had moved to Rockcastle County about five years ago. As I began reminiscing with him about events long past, I looked over to the electrical crew and realized that I had found another former Berean.

Mr. Brownrobie, a Berean and a Berea College alumus, has been in Lexington for more than a decade. The electrical team that he works for has the contract for our building and is currently running feeds from the street to the breaker panels inside the building. With luck this will extend his homecoming by several months.

Not forgetting why I stopped, I examined the site for new improvements. A new wall has been erected with the promise of more to come.

The multitude of remesh across the subfloor collaborates Harrison's comment that a rather large concrete pour will occur in the coming days. Our library is taking shape, with more and more continuing to reveal itself every few days for the next several months.

More progress, More heat; Now, finally . . . WALLS

I continue to be impressed by the work that has been done with our new building. These workers have continued to press forward in temperatures that have hovered near the 100 degree mark. Now that the basement floor has had time to cure, they have beeb able to build up the basement walls.

Keep in mind that each of the blocks weighs about 35 pounds covering only an 8x18 inch span of wall. It takes a great many of these blocks to cover even the smallest basements. Did I mention that it was near 100 degrees outside when they were doing this?

Today, another floor was poured. The temperature outside was considerably more tolerable, but concrete work is seldom easy. It is good to see another piece of the puzzle being completed.



Speaking of puzzle pieces, this week marks another milestone. Wall framing has begun and there are stacks upon stacks of galvanized steel beams waiting to be put into place.

Finally the building will display its third dimension. We will quickly be able to see where windows will be and exactly how this new location will enhance the profile of Berea's downtown area.

Expect more to come very quickly now. These galvanized studs can be assembled much faster than building materials of block or concrete. The building is slated for completion in February, but this is the time to watch lots of things happening quickly.

Our heat index today is over 100 degrees

The news agencies have all been cautioning us today about how hot it is outside. As I took pictures today I began to realize just how difficult it must be to work outside in this weather. The picture below can only begin to express how much the sun was beating down on the corrugated metal subfloor.

The basement floor has recently been poured. Burlap has been pulled across the entire surface and water added periodically over the weekend to keep it from drying too quickly.

Crews came in and compacted soil in the area where our enclosed greenspace will be. A layer of gravel was then added. This will keep our walkway areas from sinking and cracking while providing good drainage for the plants that will soon find homes in this space.

Crews laid down the grids late last week that will reinforce the concrete. Support beam have also shot up in various places within the building.

The first slab on the main floor was poured today. This includes the area where the public bathrooms, entrance and community rooms will be. By noon, the workers were well on their way to applying the finish on this concrete application. As the heat approached 97 degrees, they continued diligently with the task at hand.

As hot as it is, this guy is still in good enough spirits to wave hello to those of us reading this blog. If he won't let this heat get him down, maybe we shouldn't either.

It's 90 Degrees outside and they're welding!!!

Harrison Hoskins is the man with the plan (Blueprints that is). As Alliance Corporation's site manager, he keeps a close eye on deliveries, progress, safety, and deadlines.
Today he is overseeing the installation of the steel floor supports and is making certain that the final preparations are being made for the pouring of the basement floor, which will take place in the coming days. This will be quickly followed by the pouring of the floors on the main level.

In spite of this agressive summer heat, the workers are out there welding steel beams in sweaty plastic hard hats and full safety harnesses. These additions to dress code are absolutely necessary, but definitely add to the temperature. Thanks to them progress continues to be made.