MAY 2008 PROGRAMS AT BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Programs to be Featured at the Library in May

If, as the old saying goes, April showers bring May flowers, the Blount County area should be set for a continuation of this beautiful spring. As a special treat for the community, Jack Carman, acclaimed author of Wildflowers of Tennessee, will speak and show slides of wildflower photographs from his book on Monday evening, May 12.
Another local author, Sharon K. Mitchell, will discuss her children’s book, What Great Thing Can Patches Do?, on Saturday afternoon, May 17. And the Carpenters Middle School Singers will perform a concert on Monday evening, May 5.
As you are out and about enjoying the lovely flora of this region, you’ll definitely want to drop by the library for programs, books or videos to assist with gardening, lawn care, or other self-help projects…or maybe you’d just like to check out a book or DVD for sitting back and relaxing from all the end-of-school happenings and duties. In any case, the library staff look forward to seeing you and assisting if you need help. And—you’ll want to be sure to add more special events to your calendar for the summer months when the library will, for the first time ever, be sponsoring three summer reading programs: for adults (NEW this year!), teens and children. Be sure to stay tuned for more news of these exciting events.

MUSIC/CONCERTS:
Monday, May 5, 6:30 p.m., “Carpenters Middle School Singers Concert,” directed by Tammy Marks, Music Specialist, in the Reading Rotunda.
Saturday, June 7, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m., “Blast from the Past Music Extravaganza” by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day musical group, for the Children’s Summer Reading Blast-Off, in the Reading Rotunda.

EVENTS – Lectures, Speakers, Workshops:
Monday, May 12, 7:00 p.m., “Wildflowers of Tennessee,” by author, Jack Carman, in the Dorothy Herron Rooms A & B.
Saturday, May 17, 2:00 p.m., “What Great Thing Can Patches Do?” by local author, Sharon K. Mitchell, will talk about her children’s book (for grades 2-6) and the dog, Patches, adopted from an animal shelter who discovers that he has the greatest thing of all to offer others as he tries to find his place in the world. The author will have books available to sell and sign in the Sharon Lawson Room.
Tuesday, May 20, 6:00 p.m., “Blount County Public Library Board of Trustees,” meet in the Board Room.
? Monday, May 26, LIBRARY CLOSED, in honor of Memorial Day.
Monday, June 2, 7:00 p.m., “Books to Movies,” by actors, David Dwyer and Bruce McKinnon and Charles Wright, attorney for A&E (Arts & Entertainment) TV, in the Sharon Lawson Room. This program will be the kick-off for the first Adult Summer Reading Program at the library, “READ! …the rest of the story.”
Tuesday, June 3, 6:30 p.m., “October Sky Movie Night” with movie based on the book, The Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr. Popcorn will be served. Bring your own drink. Movie to be shown in the Shaorn Lawson Room.

TEEN EVENTS:
Saturday, May 31, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., “Teen Summer Reading Program Sign-ups Begin: Find What’s Out There @ the Library”. Teens read books from May 31 through July 27 and win prizes in weekly drawings for smaller prizes ($10 gift cards, movie passes, etc.) and the finale grand prize of a $70 Visa gift card.
Saturdays, June 14, 21 & 28, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., “Art, Media & Styles” Art Classes for Teens, led by Lyda Plemons, Artist, in Dorothy Herron Room A. Pre-registration required with art supply fee of $10. Pre-register & pay fee at the Reference Desk of the Library. The first 12 to register can take the classes.
Saturday, June 14, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., “How We Use Art,” by Lyda Plemons, Artist, in Dorothy Herron Room A.
Saturday, June 21, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., “The Joy of Learning to Draw,” by Lyda Plemons, Artist.
Saturday, June 28, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., “Watercolor and Nature,” by Lyda Plemons, Artist.

EXHIBITS:
May 1-31 Exhibits:
“Blount County Elementary & Middle School Student Art 3-D Exhibits” coordinated by art teachers, Marsha Krout and Norma Stache in 3 cubes and 2 vertical cases in the Entry Rotunda.
“Blount County Middle Schools Student 2-D Art Exhibit” coordinated by Marsha Krout, art teacher, on Art panels at the Reading Rotunda of the Main Gallery.
“Blount County Elementary Schools Student 2-D Art Exhibit” coordinated by Norma Stache, art teacher, on the walls of the Sunshine Room in the Children’s Library.
“Smoky Scenes,” watercolors by Randy White on the Art Wall at the Bookmark Café.
“Smoky Mountain Pottery Festival” exhibit by Jeanie Hilten & Marian Schlauch, in two display cases in the Main Gallery and in Genealogy display case at Reference.
“Blount County Arts & Crafts Guild Member Artwork” Exhibit on two easels in sitting areas of the Main Gallery.
Display by Circulation Department on Circulation Desk Cabinets and New Books Shelves in the Main Gallery.

COMPUTER CLASSES: FREE two-hour classes. First six persons to arrive can attend class. Call or come by the Reference Desk at 273-1436 for schedule of classes or if there are questions.
“Intro to PC: Meet the Mouse,” in the Board Room:
o Thursday, May 8, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
o Saturday, May 24, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
o Thursday, May 29, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
? “E-Mail,” in the Board Room:
o Thursday, May 15, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
o Thursday, June 5, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
“Internet: Use of the Internet & Internet Searching,” in the Board Room:
o Thursday, May 1, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
o Thursday, May 22, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP:
May Book: “Presidential Courage” by Michael Beschloss
Place: Library Board Room
Date: May 14 (2nd Wednesday of each month)
Time: 10:30 a.m.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS: May 2008 Phone: 273-1414
(Unless otherwise indicated, all children’s programs are in the Children’s Library)

Join the library’s year-long celebration to “Discover the Joy of Reading”

The library will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day.

Saturday, May 17, 2:00 p.m. “What Great thing Can Patches Do?” Author, Sharon K. Mitchell, will read a storyboard presentation of her book to children. A book signing session will follow the program. The program will be presented in Sharon Lawson Meeting Room.
Saturday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., “Children’s Summer Reading Program Blast-Off: Starship Adventure @ Your Library,” in the Children’s Library and Main Gallery.
o 10:30 a.m., “Storytime with Jasper the Rooster (Mascot of the Tennessee Valley Fair). Stories and fun in the Sharon Lawson Room.
o 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., “Cosmic Costume Party.” Wear your best space-themed costume—for example: aliens, astronauts, moon men, stars, robots, etc., in the Children’s Library.
o 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., “Cosmic Crafts and Spacey Games,” in the Children’s Library.
o 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., “Face Painting” with Faces Gone Wild, in the Main Gallery.
o 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m., “Milky Way Café” will provide out-of-this-world Tasty Treats, in the Main Gallery and Reading Rotunda.
o 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m., “Blast from the Past Music Extravaganza” by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day musical group, in the Reading Rotunda.

Monthly Surprise Display will be showcased in the children’s library office window. The monthly topic will not be publicized, but children can guess the theme by reading clues on the library’s website, www.blountlibrary.org. Visit the children’s library to see if you guessed the correct display topic.

Foreign Language Story Hours: Community volunteers will present bilingual stories and crafts for all interested children. Please call the library to verify that story hour will be held as scheduled:

Wednesday, May 7, 5:00 p.m., Japanese Story Hour.
Saturday, May 3, 2:00 p.m., Mes Amis French Story Hour.
Saturday, May 31, 3:00 p.m., Italian Story Hour.

Elementary Age Activities:

Fiction Favorites – Kids’ Reviews. Read Juvenile Fiction books, write and share reviews. Find book review forms and logs in Children’s Reference area.
Sundays, Family Game Day. Families with children of all ages can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon of board games, puzzles, hopscotch, toddler bowling, play huts, and more.
Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m., Serendipity Activities, Grades K-6, in Children’s Library. Sign up in Children’s Library to participate with new crafts.
May 6 Grades 3-6 Bird feeder
13 Grades K-2 Create-a-bear
20 Grades 3-6 Sand art
27 Grades K-2 Space diorama
Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m., Library Skills Workshops are offered quarterly to teach proper use of the Dewey Decimal System, Reference, Online Computer Research, and book location. Grades 3-4 will meet on May 7th. Grades 5-6 will meet on May 14th.
Thursday, May 8, 2-5 p.m., Serendipity Activities with surplus crafts, Grades K-6, in Children’s Library.
Thursday, May 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m., NEW Kids’ Studio Art Class, offered by YEStudio (Youthful Expressions Studio) as a FREE community service project. This monthly art class will usually be offered on the last Thursday of each month. Children ages 7-12 may sign-up at the Children’s Check-out Desk for the class (Limit of 12 people per class/different students each month). Classes will include colored pencil drawing, watercolors, and pastels.
Colorful Thursdays offer fun and education for kids who love to color. Coloring pages with crayons, markers, and colored pencils are available at the children’s activity tables all day and evening (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) each Thursday.
Thursdays, 4:00 p.m., Treasure Hunts are themed book searches and games where children follow the clues to the treasure box. Gr. 5 & 6 meet the first Thursday, May 1; Gr. 3 & 4 meet the third Thursday, May 15. Please sign-up at the Children’s Check-out Desk. The May Theme is “Book a Trip Around the World: Australia.”

Pre-School Story Hours & Crafts in Children’s Library Reading Pond

May Story Hour Theme: “Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace, READ!”
Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m., Story Bears #1, Ages 3-5 years
Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., Pillows and PJs, Bedtime Pre-K
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m., Pooh Pals, Ages 2 and under
Fridays, 10:00 a.m., Story Bears #2, Ages 3-5 years

Musical Story Hour is offered by a professional presenter with stories, fun movement, and exploration of musical instruments for children ages birth to 5 years old. The program will be presented on the first Sunday of each month at 4:00 PM.

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.