It’s time for the annual Ann Arbor Art Walk! AADL is participating for the first time—Downtown we’ll be showcasing photographs from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: The Original as well as children’s books from the UM Special Collections Library. Malletts Creek is currently displaying photographs from France by Sandy Schopbach.

Art Walk runs Friday, October 19 from 5-9pm (5-10 at most locations; the Library closes at 9pm on weekdays), and Saturday, October 20 from 12-5pm. Stop by the Downtown Library or any participating location to pick up the yearlong guide to local art with a special insert for this weekend’s event and a map to follow while you pound the pavement!

With the cost of living going up, finding affordable housing is a real challenge. If you are looking for someone to share your home with in order to cut down on expenses, multi-generational living might be the right answer for you. Check out Together Again: A Creative Guide to Successful Multigenerational Living to get some pointers on making this approach work.

Are you are interested in contributing to the decision making process of affordable housing standards in Ann Arbor? Then consider giving input at one of the public meetings being held this month about the Affordable Housing Needs Assessment in Washtenaw County by the Office of Community Development.

Spend your afternoon at the PokemonCon enjoying all aspects of the Pokemon craze. Watch Pokemon anime, play the trading card game, and make Pokemon to hang on your wall. Use your creative culinary skills to invent tasty candy sushi. Bring your trading cards if you have them.

Program is for 4th and 5th graders on Tuesday, October 16 at the Pittsfield Branch from 4:30-6 PM.

Hey! Want to learn more about comics? Working on a webcomic or graphic novel? Need some help developing your characters and making them more expressive?

Comics artist Jerzy Drozd will be at the Pittsfield Branch at 6:30pm today to teach you how. The focus of the workshop will be exploring, developing, and expressing the inner lives of comics characters in humorous stories.

The Thursday evening Pittsfield storytime will feature How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges as well as the old favorite, Monkey Face, and the very silly, noisy Mortimer. Get ready for a roudy last storytime of the session!

AXIS and AADLGTbackTshirt

Fridays are open mic nights for teens at the AXIS Coffeehouse! Teens are welcome to perform their own work as well as poems/essays/monologues by others. Try reading a favorite poem or essay. Recruit some of your friends, and perform a scene from your favorite book. Or just hang out, sip on a hot drink, and enjoy the company. All teen performers will receive a $5 fine forgiveness coupon. For grades 6-12.

Shrinky Dunk Jewelry

Create unique and totally custom jewelry using the retro wonderful Shrinky Dinks material! Start big, color, shrink in the oven and you're done! See you at the Malletts Creek Branch on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 7:00-8:30 PM.

barn

This fun event is happening every Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 6pm at Wiard's Orchards in Ypsilanti. The Country Fair is a fun, fall "carnival atmosphere" filled with events for the whole family. Go for a pony ride or hay ride, visit the petting farm, hear live music and get lost in the corn maze, just to name a few. And when you're tired of having fun- relax and enjoy doughnuts, caramel apples and fresh cider! And don't forget to pick out apples and pumpkins to take home!
Wiard's Orchards, 5565 Merrit Road, Ypsilanti, Admission $10.50, $8 after 4:30, Under 2 get in free.

Attention all 4th and 5th graders! Do you have what it takes to lead your team to victory in a marshmallow relay race? Can you build the ultimate obstacle course? Join us Tuesday, October 9th (4:30-6:00), to show off your athletic skills at the Malletts Creek Branch.

Calling all gumshoes! Join us Tuesday afternoon (4:30-6:00 pm) at the Malletts Creek branch to practice your detective skills. Look for clues to solve a mystery, test your observational skills, and hang out with other kids. If you've loved mystery/detective books like The Westing Game, Harriet the Spy, and Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, you won't want to miss this! For 4th and 5th graders.