skate

If you’re looking to wind down after a day of maddening bargain hunting, or if you need to wake up after a day of sleeping off that turkey/tofurky, why not grab your Hawaiian shirt & grass skirt and head over to Buhr Park Outdoor Ice Rink this Friday. Huh? The Ann Arbor Parks Department presents “Luau Skate” for all ages from 7:15-8:45pm, where you can open skate to Hawaiian music. Prizes awarded for best Hawaiian costume. Before you head out, brush up on your skills with Ice Skating Basics or have a laugh with some old friends in She's a good skate, Charlie Brown.
Other upcoming Funky Frosty Fridays (on the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month) are: Celebrity Skate, Ugly Sweater Holiday Skate, Disco Skate, Disney Night, Valentine’s Skate, Rock the 80s Skate, St. Patrick’s Day Skate.

Buhr Park Outdoor Ice Rink | 2751 Packard | Adults $6/$5, Youth under 17 & Seniors 60+ $5/$3.75 | Skate Rental $3

The Circle K Homework Help session for Wednesday, November 26th is cancelled due to the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

In the mood for a spontaneous jamming session? Bring your acoustic folk instruments-guitar, banjo, tambourine, and don't forget your voice and join the fun at the Mallets Creek Branch this Sunday, November 23 for the Community Sing Along at 1:00 pm.

iyalogo

You may already know the theme for the 2009 Reads, "The Universe: Yours to Discover," aligns with UM's 2009 winter theme semester, but did you know UM chose it to align with the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observation through a telescope? UM is planning a galaxy of events, exhibits--even new classes!--and there will be many additional Reads programs.

In the meantime, read the book and brush up on your backyard stargazing with the latest edition of The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, or by attending one of the University Lowbrow Astronomer's open houses at Peach Mountain for a look through their 24-inch McMath telescope. Look for Mercury and Jupiter to align on December 31, just in time for the kick off.<--break!-->

Are you still looking for that perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner table? Bring the kids to the Pittsfield Branch on Wednesday, November 26 any time between 2 - 4 p.m. We will be making beautiful turkey centerpieces as well as napkin rings or placemats. Supplies (toilet paper rolls, construction paper, etc.) will be provided. For preschoolers through 3rd grade.

Cup Stacking

Maybe you’ve been practicing at school or you are a cup stacking fanatic at home. Either way, come to the library to practice your cup stacking skills and work on besting your greatest time at the 3-6-3 stack.

Meet at the Traverwood Branch on November 28 at 2 PM. We will start with some drills and move on to the tournament, ending by 3 PM. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fastest stackers in the light and heavy brackets. This tournament is for grades Kindergarten through 8th grade.

AADL-GT old logo: AADL-GT: Videogame tournaments from the Ann Arbor District Library

The weekend after Thanksgiving we have three straight days of video game heaven. Friday - Revolution Hero, Saturday - AADL-GT, and Sunday PL2. Who would believe your library could be this much fun?

Friday Night | 11/28 | 6PM-8:30PM - REVOLUTION HERO - Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution
-Two all ages tournaments with prizes for the top three in each
-High Powered Sound systems, Cobalt Flux pads
Saturday | 11/29 | 12PM-5PM - AADL-GT - Gaming Tournament series (middle & high school students only)
-Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Double Dash
-Four tournaments with prizes and pizza for lunch.
Sunday Afternoon | 11/30 | 1PM-4PM - PL2 - Public Library Pokemon League
-Battle Revolution and Union Room Tournaments with prizes for the overall top three
-Bring your Nintendo DS and copy of Pokémon Diamond or Pearl and get ready to battle
-Open Play too!

traces of the trade

This powerful film was an official selection of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Traces of the Trade was filmed by Katrina Browne, a first-time filmmaker who discovers after looking into her family history that her New England ancestors were the largest slave trading family in U.S. history. View clips here.

Thursday, November 20 | 6:30-8:30 PM | Downtown, 4th floor | Grade 9 - Adult

children

The Washtenaw Area Council for Children is presenting a series of monthly lectures by local professionals titled, "Tough Times: Helping Children, Families, and Those Who Serve Them Through Economic Hard Times." The Council's mission is to provide educational services to those serving youth to prevent child abuse. On Thursday, November 20, local physician Bethany Mohr will speak on "Neglect: When Do You Intervene?" Lunch is also provided. The series is held at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Bldg., 1819 S. Wagner Rd. $15 (students, $10) per lecture or $50 (students, $35) for the series. Reservations requested. 434-4215.

The Library has a number of books that may be helpful with this topic. One that's been published recently is Stolen Beauty: Healing the Scars of Child Abuse:One Woman's Story by Amy Madden, an ultimately hopeful story of her recovery from years of abuse by her stepfather.

AADL-GT Pad Logo

This Saturday is the first-ever American Library Association's National Gaming Day @ Your Library. We'll be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, plus DDR and maybe a little Rock Band. AADL's tournament management software, gtsystem is the center of this event, and we'll be coordinating simultaneous events at over 100 libraries, including a 40+ library national brawl bracket, where the best players from around the country will square off online! Don't miss it, this Saturday 11/15 from 1 - 5 PM at our Malletts Creek Branch. Hope to see you there! A2 FTW.