By John Maruskin

Clark County Public Library

Two special programs and a rare book sale are on tap at the library this week. Here are the details.

Thursday at 6:15 p.m., the Local History Potluck Dinner Program features “Bluegrass Murder and Mayhem,” with reference mystery mavens Angela Turner and Jennifer Mattern.

The ninth installment of “Murder and Mayhem in the Bluegrass” will be more thrilling and chilling than ever before. Bring smelling salts and a hard hat. Jennifer and Angela, have been treating local history buffs to deliciously twisted tales of Bluegrass thuggery and skullduggery since October 2013, and you know practice makes weird. Prepare to be amazed and appalled.

Bring a dish and join us for this frightfully fascinating program; it is free and open to the public. You may arrive at 6:50 p.m. if you prefer not to partake of the potluck, but make a reservation to ensure you have a seat. Call 744-5661 or register by using Evanced accessed on our web site, www.clarkbooks.org.

This coming Saturday, October 28, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., the library’s Reference and Local History Department will present “Using DNA in Genealogy: Unearthing Family Secrets.”

Have you been curious about using DNA in genealogy searches? Have you been looking for relatives to enlarge your family circle or about whom you know nothing? Join Debra Renard for a two-hour workshop. The first session offers a thorough introduction to using DNA in genealogical research. During the second hour, Renard will discuss how to use Y DNA to solve some family riddles.

Renard is an accomplished genetic genealogist and an engrossing speaker. She is a genealogical researcher and lecturer, and the founder of Eureka!Genealogy. She is a co-leader of the Louisville Genetic Genealogy Special Interest Group and is a current board member of the Kentucky and the Louisville Genealogical Societies She is also the treasurer of the Kentucky Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a staff genealogist for the National Society Sons of the American Revolution.

This program will be held in the Rose Mary Codell Brooks Community Room. Here’s the schedule:

— 2 p.m., “The ABCs of DNA – An Introduction to Genetic Genealogy.” An overview of the most accurate tool available to build your family history. Using DNA to solve genealogical challenges has become a “must-have” skill.

— 3 p.m., Break for snacks and beverages.

— 3:30 p.m., “Tackling Tough Cases Using Y-DNA.” Did a Y-DNA test suddenly call your surname into question? Is a family member’s paternity uncertain? Learn approaches to solving these mysteries using Y-DNA.

This workshop is free and open to the public, but attendees are required to reserve a seat. To make a reservation, call the library at 744-5661. Or, register by using Evanced the Library’s online registration system at www.clarkbooks.org.

N.B. Book Collectors: Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the library will have a rare book sale in the Alice P. Tucker Board Room. There are collector editions by well-known and obscure but notable authors. All books will sell for $5. There are some wonderful old editions in remarkably good shape. For more information about the sale, call the library at 744-5661 and ask for Lynn Wills or Caleb Diederich.

And don’t forget our regular weekly programs:

— Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., Meeting of Minds, the Library’s discussion group, gets together to chew a conundrum or two.

— Wednesday at 2 p.m., Kentucky Picture Show presents a marvelous 1944 ghost story starring Ray Miland and Ruth Hussey. A composer and his sister buy a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion with an unsavory past.

— Friday at 10 a.m., Write Local. It’s almost Halloween. Got a good ghost story you’d like to read?

If you have your DNA tested and find out you’re not who you think you are, please update your surname at the circulation desk.

John Maruskin is director of adult services at the Clark County Public Library. He can be reached at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.