If you had an ancestor who might have served in the War of 1812 you might wish to attend the next meeting of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County on Sunday, February 25 at 1:30 p.m. at the Education Center Auditorium, St Joseph Mercy Hospital Campus, 5305 Elliott Drive. The program, which is open to all, will feature a lecture by Xavier Allen, a local reenactor and storyteller, speaking on 'The War of 1812: A perspective from Upper Canada.' In addition Carolyn Griffin will speak on researching War of 1812 ancestors. There have been several recent good books on the war, including A.J. Langguth's Union 1812 and Walter Borneman's 1812: The War that Forged a Nation which might also be of interest. For some online genealogical research also check the library's web site for other resources.

science

For ages 6-11 accompanied by an adult.
Everyone has seen storms before - Now find out why they occur! Is it really just air that can take the roof off of your house? Create your own wind-testers, and a storm-cloud with working lightning to take home with you. Come to the Pittsfield Branch on Wednesday February, 21 at 4:00pm presented by UM Exhibit Museum of Natural History. Registration is required and begins two weeks before each workshop please call 327-4200.

Metal Sculpture

Exhibit Showing through February 27
Be sure to stop by and see the talent of the 18 AADL staff members currently on display in the lower level exhibit cases at the Downtown Library. This year's show features a wide mix of media, including cell phone photos, painted kimonos, blown glass, welded scrap metal (shown here: "Kelper no. 2", by Anne Drozd), graphic novel illustrations, mixed media assemblage and digitally manipulated photographs.

Don’t Waste Our Times Productions and the Adelia Cheever Program are sponsoring a Women’s History essay contest with cash prizes for the top essay writers in the following categories: Youth (grades 6-8); Young Adult (grades 9-12); and Adult (18 and up). Essays should be postmarked by Friday, March 9th, 2007.

Name a woman, not known to you personally (e.g. not a relative), whom you believe should be remembered for Women’s History Month. Explain your choice.

Include on the first page:
Entrant’s name
Age/Year in school
Address
Phone number or email address
Number of Pages
School affiliation (if any)

Include last name and page number on subsequent pages

Send entries via email to cheever@umich.edu or snail mail to DWOT Productions, PO Box 4315, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. DWOT & Cheever may reprint all or part of entered essays. Call (734) 763-6301 or email cheever@umich.edu with questions. Visit us at www.dwot.org

The February 12 lecture by Paul Farmer, MD, Founding Director of Partners In Health and the subject of Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, may now be viewed on the website of the University of Michigan William Davidson Institute.

Dr. Farmer is one of the world’s foremost medical anthropologists and physicians and has been working in Rwanda for nearly two years. His lecture was entitled “Building a Health Care Movement: From Haiti to Rwanda.”

The website also includes a one-on-one interview with Dr. Farmer

Learn Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, suitable for both Mac and Windows users, as you work on your own photos (bring a thumb drive or camera card with your saved images). Registration is required and limited to 12 participants. Register at any information desk or call the computer lab reservation number at 327-8367.

Thursday, March 1 1:00 – 4:00 pm Downtown Library Computer Lab

High school hijinks meet the world of the dead in Tite Kubo’s Bleach. This month we’ll be talking about the twists and turns of the Soul Society arc and making our own Hollow masks! As always, Pocky and other snacks and drinks will be provided! See you from 7:00-8:30 at the Pittsfield Library.

It’s a kid’s dream come true—sunny day, lots of snow, no school… time to curl up with some hot chocolate and a few books or run outside for some serious sledding! As the day draws to a close and you’re searching for a snowbound activity, head over to the Pittsfield Branch for Puppy Love. Bring a 4x6 photo of your favorite furry (or fishy) friend and leave with an adorable frame. The fun starts at 4 pm!

The Youth Department is hosting a teen program called Mission: Prom on April 14 at the Malletts Creek branch. The program will include a dress exchange, as well as make-up tips and DIY shoe embellishments.

We don't want to exclude anyone doesn’t have a dress to exchange or shoes to embellish, so we are looking for dresses in various sizes, as well as formal shoes. Don't worry about the dresses being outdated. Some very imaginative teens will be able to create something great and prom-worthy from our old dresses. Please help us clothe these teens for Prom! Drop off any dresses to the Youth Department at the Downtown library. Call the Youth Department at 327-8301 with questions. Thank you for your support!

Hear Julie Orringer read from her short story collection, How to Breathe Underwater, a New York Times Notable Book and the winner of the Northern California Book Award. Julie is the Helen Herzog Zell Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan.

Copies of the book will be available for sale. The Neutral Zone is located at 310 E. Washington.