In addition to the construction at the Fayette County Public Library (the expansion is due to be completed by August), the county library is packed with action this summer. With Vacation Reading Programs for children and teens, a film series and the annual Fayette On The Page program, there is, quite literally, something to do at the library nearly every single day. If by chance there isn’t an activity, you can always find a book and escape into reading.
The Vacation Reading Program runs from Monday, June 6 to Saturday, July 30. Children and family members are encouraged to fill out a reading log and set a goal for total hours of reading this summer. Once the reading log is completed, kids can bring the log to the library for a certificate and goody bag.
There are also some great programs for kids this summer. Celebrate With Stories, for grades completed K-2 at 2 p.m. and completed grades 3-5 at 3 p.m., lets kids meet for a story and discussion each Thursday, June 9- July 28. Under the Storytelling Tree features performances for children ages 3-4, Tuesdays June 7-July 26. Thursdays June 9 and 23 and July 14 and 28 at 7 p.m. will be Family Night at the Library. Programs will largely be a repeat or combination of our other programs in order that families who cannot attend our daytime programs have a chance to experience what our Vacation Reading Program has to offer.
Sing and Play Around the World, open to ages 0-5, is offered Tuesdays, June 7-July 26 at 10, 10:45 and 11:30 a.m. Art of the World, open to kids in Grades K-6, is offered on Wednesdays June 8-July 27 from 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m.
The Fayette County Public Library Vacation Reading Program is provided through the generous support of the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library.
For teens, there will be Mondays at the Movies, every Monday in June and July (except July 4) at 2:30 p.m. Teaser Tuesdays and Thrilling Thursdays where teens can be introduced to cool activities like mask making, international dance, orgiami, crafting African jewelry, money management, making Smoothies and more. Well Played Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m., allow teens to challenge their friends at board games, card games and various games on the Wii. There are also book review forms available and teens are encouraged to turn in a book review for a chance to win an iTunes gift card.
Many of the most buzzworthy and popular movies released in the past year or so have been based on books. Starting June 15 at 7 p.m., and continuing on alternating Wednesday evenings through August 24, the “Page2Screen” series presents six book-inspired films released in 2010 or 2011.
Beginning June 9 at 10 a.m. and continuing on alternate Thursday mornings through August 25, the library offers a “Classic Cinema” series with the theme “1940: A Great Movie Year.” These morning matinees feature six acclaimed Hollywood classics, all originally released in 1940. Look for unforgettable star turns by Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Laurence Olivier, James Stewart, W.C. Fields, Mae West, Charlie Chaplin and more of your favorites from the golden age of cinema.
In conjunction with this year’s “Fayette on the Page: One Book, One Community” selection, “Rocket Boys,” by Homer Hickam, the library presents monthly screenings of films thematically related to Hickam’s inspiring boyhood memoir of dreaming big and looking to the stars. The “Fayette on the Page” film series begins on Tuesday, June 21 at 7 p.m. and continues on the third Tuesday of each month through October.
Now in its fourth year, “Fayette on the Page” is an annual countywide reading and discussion program encouraging all Fayette County residents to read the same book, and then participate in related cultural, educational and recreational activities.
“Rocket Boys,” which was published in 1998 and adapted the following year as the popular movie “October Sky,” tells the true story of the author’s boyhood in the West Virginia coal-mining town of Coalwood, and how his life was changed forever on October 5, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first manmade satellite, into space. Homer “Sonny” Hickam was 14 years old on that fateful day, and soon he and five of his friends were teaching themselves how to build rockets and launching them from a nearby hilltop. Rejecting the prevailing view in Coalwood that the only things that mattered were coal mining and high school football, Sonny and the other Rocket Boys dared to dream big and aim for the stars. With the support of an extraordinary teacher who never stopped believing in them, the Rocket Boys blasted their way to a successful future.
“A powerful story, whether it’s true or fictional, can help us understand the things we’re dealing with in our own lives. When everyone gets together and reads one book, conversations get started and connections are made,” said Sarah Trowbridge, one of the public services librarians at the Fayette County Public Library. “With ‘Fayette on the Page,’ we help people engage with what they read and with one another. Let’s all be like the Rocket Boys: dream big and aim for the stars!”
Licensing restrictions prohibit publication of the titles of the films to be shown; contact the Fayette County Public Library at 770-461-8841 and ask for film titles. Printed schedules for all four film series, including film titles and descriptions, are available for pickup at the library. All screenings are free and open to the public, thanks to generous support from the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library.
The Fayette County Public Library is located behind the Fayette County administration complex in downtown Fayetteville, at the southwest corner of Highways 85 and 54. For additional information about “Fayette on the Page: One Book, One Community,” please contact the library at 770-461-8841 or visit online at http://www.fayettecountyga.gov/public_library.
