New Developments

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 5:17pm by Sunny29

The local, primary elections may be over, but there are plenty of opportunities to have your voice be heard in the community!

Washtenaw County and the development team for the Platt Road project site, formerly the home of a juvenile center, want to hear your thoughts! Join them August 26th, 27th and 28th for three days of brainstorming, design exploration and presentations as these 13.5 acres find a new purpose.

If you're interested in other community based activities, go to the events page for the latest goings-on!

Ypsilanti Heritage Festival: "A solemn stately Camel walked majestically . . . "

Thu, 08/07/2014 - 2:55pm by annevm

The Ypsilanti Heritage Festival is coming up Aug. 15-17 in Riverside Park. At AADL we have plenty of resources about this popular festival, including articles from Ypsilanti Gleanings, official publication of the Ypsilanti Historical Society. Here is an excerpt from a Review of the 1985 Heritage Parade: . . . "The parade was again excellent with many magnificent horses. The Franzen Circus brought their Elephant which seemed pleased with the crowd and two very young Elephants didn't seem to care for the human admirers. A solemn stately Camel walked majestically, indifferent to the crowd, followed by a Llama and a long cage of 12 or more Tigers in it. Then was a King of the Beasts, a lion, but we missed him. Many beautiful floats and stirring Marching Bands. We think Lincoln High School has the handsomest uniforms. The rain held over during the hour parade but at high noon it really poured. The noise of the rain in the tent of the Kiwanis Chicken Broil was so great it drowned out the many voices." This year's parade is 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16. See you there!

Literati Reading: Roxane Gay

Thu, 07/31/2014 - 4:11pm by annevm

Author Roxane Gay will read from her essay collection Bad Feminist on Aug. 7 at 7 pm at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor. Amazon named her book a Best Book of the Month, August 2014. From Amazon: "A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation . . ."

Author Reading: Photographing the Giant Squid

Thu, 07/31/2014 - 2:39pm by annevm

At Literati bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. in downtown Ann Arbor, they're preparing to host a reading by author Matthew Gavin Frank on Aug. 4 at 7 pm. Frank will read from his book Preparing the Ghost: An essay concerning the giant squid and its first photographer. The author teaches creative writing and lives in Marquette, Michigan.

An Author and his Therapy Dog

Thu, 07/31/2014 - 2:05pm by annevm

Author Luis Montalvan is scheduled to sign books at Barnes and Noble, 3235 Washtenaw Ave in Ann Arbor, on Aug. 16 at 11:30 am. He will be joined by Tuesday, his therapy dog, and he will discuss his books including Until Tuesday : a wounded warrior and the golden retriever who saved him and Tuesday tucks me in : the loyal bond between a soldier and his service dog. Man and dog have been featured by the Late Show with David Letterman, NPR and National Geographic. Montalvan will answer questions and demonstrate Tuesday's Animal Assisted Therapy techniques.

Pixie Parties!

Thu, 07/31/2014 - 12:21pm by Sunny29

The temperature might not be as warm as we'd like for this time of year, but magic is in the air! To get ready for AADL's Make-A-Wand Workshop at the Pittsfield branch, stop by the 4th Annual Fairy Festival at the Sunday Artisan Market in Kerrytown. If you need inspiration for your making, be sure to browse our collection featuring these sometimes mischievous, magical, winged creatures.

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good

Wed, 07/30/2014 - 4:08pm by annevm

Mark your calendars: Kathleen Flinn, author of Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: Recipes of love, loss, and adventure from an American Midwest family, is scheduled to visit Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor on Aug. 20 at 7 pm. The book, according to a description in the AADL catalog, "...Presents a recipe-augmented family history that traces the origins of the author's love affair with food to her Midwestern youth and her parents' San Francisco pizza parlor . . ."

Mystery Author Linwood Barclay Coming to Ann Arbor

Wed, 07/30/2014 - 2:57pm by annevm

Popular writer Linwood Barclay, whose latest book at AADL is No Safe House, will appear at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor on Aug. 4, starting at 7 pm. Here is a description of the book from our AADL catalog: "Seven years ago, Terry Archer and his family experienced a horrific ordeal that nearly cost them their lives. Today, the echoes of that fateful night are still audible. Terry's wife, Cynthia, is living separate from her husband and daughter after her own personal demons threatened to ruin her relationship with them permanently. Their daughter, Grace, is rebelling against her parents' seemingly needless overprotection. Terry is just trying to keep his family together. And the entire town is reeling from the senseless murder of two elderly locals. But when Grace foolishly follows her delinquent boyfriend into a strange house, the Archers must do more than stay together. They must stay alive. Because now they have all been unwillingly drawn into the shadowy depths of their seemingly idyllic hometown. For there, they will be reconnected with the man who saved their lives seven years ago, but who still remains a ruthless, unrepentant criminal. They will encounter killers for hire working all sides. And they will learn that there are some things people value much more than money, and will do anything to get it. Caught in a labyrinth between family loyalty and ultimate betrayal, Terry must find a way to extricate his family from a lethal situation he still doesn't fully comprehend. All he knows is that to live, he may have to do the unthinkable..."

Washtenaw County Test and Tune Program

Wed, 07/23/2014 - 11:44am by monkk

Through the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, residents of Washtenaw County may be eligible for free energy saving measures. The services available may include a tune up of either the furnace or boiler, installation of a water saving faucet and shower aerators, installation of hot water heater pipe wrap, installation of a new energy efficient refrigerator, and the replacement of an unsafe or damaged furnace. To learn more call (734)622-9036 or visit www.ewashtenaw.org/weatherization.

Did you know that AADL has Home Tools to help you manage the efficiency and safety of your home? Check them out to monitor what's going on inside your living space!

Summer Food and Fun: Cobblestone Farm Market

Thu, 07/17/2014 - 3:20pm by annevm

If you’re looking for something fun and healthy to do this summer, check out Cobblestone Farm Market, open Tuesdays 4-7 pm. To see the events calendar, click here. The market is in Buhr Park, 2751 Packard Road, off Packard near where Packard meets Eisenhower.