Irondale's National Night Out

Next week Irondale will be celebrating it's 6th Annual National Night Out. Come on out and "Dance Out Crime" this Tuesday, August 4th from 6:30pm-8:30pm. The event will take place in downtown Irondale in front of the Whistlestop Cafe. Activities include a live band, face-painting, games, prizes, free food and drinks. Irondale police officers will be there to talk with the citizens of Irondale. Child ID kits will be available along with information about neighborhood watch groups.

Questions? Contact Darlene Broughton, NNO Coordinator at 956-6709 for more information.

Want to win a trip?

Do you love The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? Imagine being able to visit the sites firsthand.......

From Random House's website:

Enter for a chance to win a trip to Guernsey with your book club!

One lucky winner will travel to Guernsey with five friends from Friday October 2nd through Monday October 5th, 2009. Activities will include a joint book discussion with a UK book group, an island tour, and more!

Click on this link to enter the sweepstakes - hurry, you only have until July 31st to enter!

And if you enjoyed reading this book and want to join a great discussion about it, come visit our monthly book club here at the library. Our next meeting is Monday, August 10th at 6:30pm.

Good luck!

Movie Night in the Park in Irondale!

Come join us this Friday, July 24th for Movie Night in the Park. It will be held at Beacon Park in Irondale - click here for a map. The featured movie will be Kung Fu Panda! The movie will begin at dusk (approximately 8:15 p.m.).

Chick-fil-A will be there with specialty priced combos for sale. There will also be giveaways for the first 100 people!

For more information visit the City of Irondale's website or call 879-4450.

Bring your friends, neighbors and the whole family! See you there :)

Book Club - No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

This month's book discussion was about The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The book follows Mma Ramotswe, the only female detective in Botswana, Africa, as she opens up her own agency. The group enjoyed the story and are looking forward to reading more of the series. It has also been turned into a television series that airs on HBO. But if you have missed it on TV, don't worry, the first season comes out on DVD in September.

And if you liked this book, or just like adventurous female characters in general, one of our members suggested trying author Elizabeth Peters. She wrote a series about an archaeologist and amateur detective named Amelia Peabody. For more information check out her website, or request one of her books.

If you haven't come to one of our meetings yet, please do - new members are welcome to drop in anytime! Here is the list of our meetings for the rest of 2009:

August - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

September - Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron

October - The Divorce Party by Laura Dave

November - Bring your own holiday favorite! Fiction/non-fiction, cookbook, craft book....

See you at the next meeting!

Inexpensive Summertime Fun

Need something to do this weekend but your wallet can't take a hit? We have a list of free or cheap things to do in the Birmingham area.

Take a drive downtown and visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum. They offer free admission on Sundays (open 1pm-5pm). Or check out the Birmingham Museum of Art - there is no set admission price, they instead request a donation.

If you want to get some fresh air and enjoy the outdoors there are a few places to visit, too. Ruffner Mountain is a beautiful place to hike the trails or visit the nature center . Like the BMA they do not charge admission but donations are appreciated. Or head down 119 to Leeds' Memorial Park, which has a huge children's playground area.

Another (free!) fantastic place to go for both indoor and outdoor fun is Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where you can explore the unique gardens and outdoor sculptures. The Gardens also features the largest public horticulture library in the U.S. The Library at Birmingham Botanical Gardens has the latest in gardening and horticulture books, DVDs and 65+ magazine subscriptions - all of which can be checked out with your Jefferson County Library card!

And for the best dollar you can spend anywhere, look no further than Hamburger Heaven in Irondale! $1.03, tax and all, gets you the most delicious soft serve ice cream cone. I am partial to the chocolate one myself :) So grab a cone and stroll down 1st Ave in Irondale and watch the trains go by!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Library Snapshots

We are now on Flickr! This is just one more way to keep up with what is happening at the library!

Check out our page! You can see our recent summer reading programs, like Nathifa Dance Company's presentation, Henna Tattoos and Craft Day. We will continue to update as library events happen. So, give it a look and......say CHEESE!