In the mood for a cozy, crazy family storytime this holiday season? Join us on Wednesday, December 27 at 10:00 am in the Downtown Youth Story Corner for silly stories for all ages. Sing along in an old favorite from the Appalachian Mountains and a dancing folktale from Panama that has lots of opportunities for audience participation.

nintendo ds

Bored during school vacation? Come to the first every DS Fest at the Downtown Library Multipurpose room on December 26, 27, and 28 from 5-8 PM. Bring your Nintendo DS and any game you want to play like Star Fox Command, Advance Wars DS, New Super Mario Bros, or Big Brain Academy for an impromptu tournament among friends. Eight gaming stations and DDR will also be set up for drop-in open play.

Looking for something to do when you are out of school? Bring your Game Boy Advance and your copy of Pokemon FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald, and battle it out among your friends.

Join us in the Downtown Library Multipurpose room for four days of Poke-mayhem starting Tuesday, December 26 to Friday, December 29 from 1-4 PM. Come at 1 PM to register for the tournament. Prizes will be given out daily. Program is for age 6 and up.

snowflake

Discover the science of cold at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum December 26 through December 31. Make ice cream, try on blubber gloves and watch liquid nitrogen demonstrations (12, 2, and 4 PM), as well as enjoy other games and activities. All activities are free with museum admission.

Also check out these special days:
Dec. 27 Artic Artifacts (1 and 3 PM)
Experience Artic culture while viewing artifacts from the Toledo Zoo

Dec. 28 Cold Blooded Encounters (1-3 PM)
See live reptiles you can touch with Brian Cressman

Dec. 31 IceScapes (1-3 PM)
Free ice cream treats from IceScapes

Stop in to see the small collection of wonderful Nutcrackers in the youth department glass display at the downtown library. A friendly elf was kind enough to share these colorful characters for the holiday season. There is a bohemian artist, a pirate and other surprises!

Mountains Beyond Mountains is the book we’ll all be reading and talking about this winter for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads. If you would like to learn how to moderate a book discussion, attend a training session at AADL, Ypsilanti District Library, or the Ann Arbor Senior Center and get some great tips on how to lead a successful discussion at your book group. You’ll also want to mark your calendar for the special appearance of author Tracy Kidder at Washtenaw Community College on Thursday, January 25, 7:30 – 8:30 pm. Mr. Kidder will discuss his book and its subject, Dr. Paul Farmer. A booksigning will follow.

Early birds (har har!) gear up: the Washtenaw Audubon Society is conducting their 60th annual Christmas Bird Count this Saturday, beginning at 6am. Experts and novices alike are welcome, so grab one of our bird watching books, and join the holiday fun!

Those Tibetan prayer flags on your porch looking worn and faded? For something truly off the beaten path, hit up the Himalayan Bazaar in my Garage, also this Saturday, hosted by Of Global Interest’s Heather O’Neil, who stocks the bazaar with brightly colored items from her travels. Happy trekking!

AADL-GT Pad Logo

This weekend, we'll have three videogame tournaments at the Downtown Library, with something for everyone, including food and prizes. First, we'll have an All-Ages Super Monkey Ball Tournament, Friday Night, 12/15, from 6-8:30 PM. Come play Super Monkey Ball, Monkey Target, Monkey Bowling, Monkey Dogfight, and even try your hand at Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz on the one and only Nintendo Wii! Read on for full details about the Monkey Ball event.

Then, on Saturday, 12/16, it's the biggest gaming event in town; the 2006 AADL-GT Super Smash Double Dash Grand Championships! The event starts at noon, with the Clan Cup for the top 8 clans from the regular season. Then we'll have the Wildcard Tournament for players in grades 6-12 who are new or didn't finish the season in the top 64. 8 wildcards will join the top players in the Grand Championship itself, with First Prize: a Nintendo Wii, Second Prize: a 2gb iPod Nano, and Third Prize: A Nintendo DS! It all comes down to this, have you got what it takes? This event will be broadcast live on CTN Channel 18, so a signed release form is required. Preregister before you come, and you can use self checkin and skip the line!

Finally, we'll wrap up the weekend with an All-Ages Dance Dance Revolution Tournament, Sunday, 12/17, from 1-4 PM. Prizes for the two best standard/heavy players, and for the best adult/child team! All events in the Multipurpose Room at the Downtown Library. Plus, stay tuned for Pokémon and DS Fest events during Winter Break!

It's All Write!
Short Story Writing Contest
First Place $250
Second Place $150
Third Place $100
First, Second and Third Place prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-10, and Grades 11-12

Submissions accepted Monday, January 22, 2007 through Monday, March 19, 2007

So, now's the time to finish up that story you've been working on. If you need some inspiration, I'd start with any short story collection edited by Don Gallo. Destination Unexpected includes a story by Ron Koertge who is the speaker at this year's Awards Program.
Click here for the complete guidelines.
Good Luck!

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Grace Shackman, well-known Ann Arbor historian and author, will discuss her latest book Ann Arbor Observed at the library's 'Sunday Edition' program on Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the Pittsfield Branch. Ms. Shackman's book consists of a selection of articles she has contributed over the years to the 'Ann Arbor Observer's' 'Then and Now' feature. She will read from the book, speak about her research methods and local history sources and resources. The book, which makes a fine holiday gift, will be for sale at the event and a book signing will follow. It's a great opportunity to meet a delightful local author and learn about some intriguing chapters in Ann Arbor's history.