Smyrna Public Library to Celebrate 75th Anniversary

Smyrna, Ga. - (August 15, 2011) - On September 17, 2011, the Smyrna Public Library will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the library. The celebration will be held at Brawner Hall, located at 3180 Atlanta Road, SE, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, and is being coordinated by the Friends of Smyrna Library (FOSL).

Anniversary festivities will include music by local keyboardist and vocalist, Benny Boynton. Benny Boynton is a seasoned pianist and vocalist who has performed with Toby Keith, Travis Tritt, Lonestar, Charlie Daniels, The Marshall Tucker Band, Percy Sledge, Chubby Checker, and more.

At 3:00 PM, Feriel Feldman and B.J. Abraham of the "Southern Order of Storytellers" will tell Carmen Agra Deedy's "The Library Dragon" followed by some additional stories.

B.J. Abraham has been a storyteller and member of the National Storytelling Association and a charter member of Southern Order of Storytellers (SOS) since 1983. She tells to children and adults, specializing in various dialects and character voices. Feriel Feldman is past president of Southern Order of Storytellers. She is a director, actor, storyteller, and has worked with teenage storytelling troupes for the last 20 years.

During the event, current library director, Michael Siegler, will give a brief talk on the history and highlights of the library.

Additionally, there will be children’s games from the 1930s, videotaped interviews with library patrons reliving memories of visiting the library as children, and historic exhibits.

Refreshments and door prizes will also be provided. This FREE event promises to be fun for the entire family!

The first Smyrna Public Library opened its doors in September 1936 by the Smyrna Women's Club - with which it shared space. The initial collection consisted of 50 books on one shelf. Boy Scouts and other children went door-to-door with wagons and wheelbarrows collecting donated books to stock the shelves after it opened.

A new 4000 square foot library building was constructed during the first term of Mayor George Kreeger (1960-1961) for a cost of $54,000. Additions were made in 1969 and 1973.

The current 28,000 square foot library facility, located at 100 Village Green Circle, was dedicated in 1991 and houses a collection of over 100,000 books and audio-visual materials.

About The Friends of Smyrna Library

The Friends of Smyrna Library (FOSL) is an independent, non-profit, volunteer organization that supports the Smyrna Public Library through fundraising events and volunteer activities. FOSL is a member of the Friends of Libraries USA organization and is one of the most active Friends chapters in Georgia. Notable programs FOSL supports are the library’s Art Gallery, the “Murder Goes South” Festival of readers and writers, “The Link” newsletter and much more. Join FOSL for only $5 for an individual membership or $10 for a family membership and make a friend today. For more information, visit http://www.friendsofsmyrnalibrary.org/.

###

If you would like more information on this event, visit the FOSL website, or contact Dorothy Sibert, dsibert_30082@yahoo.com.

PRESS CONTACT: Michelle Sisco, 678/613-9852
michelle@michellesiscopr.com

  

Annual Frozen Yogurt Social & Book Sale Concludes

The Frozen Yogurt Social and Book Sale was held today at the Smyrna Public Library. The annual event was a HUGE success. Over 250 attendees enjoyed music by Peter Vogl and delicious servings of Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt, which were donated by Pinkberry at Akers Mill Square.  This year’s book sale set a new sales record.

Our next book sale will be at the Fall Jonquil Festival in October.

July-August Art Gallery Exhibits Announced by Smyrna Library

Photographs by Karen Johnson on display through August.

Karen Johnson Bio

I am a Medical Techologist and amateur hotographer. The photography bug didn't really hit me until I moved from my home, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, to Nashville, Tennessee. I explored all of the nearby parks as well as part of the Natchez Trace and took pictures to show friends and relatives the natural beauty of the area. After 5 years there, I moved to Temple, Texas and joined a Photography Club to learn more about the art. Again, I visited as many parks as I could, documenting my explorations with photographs. In 1996, I moved to Smyrna, Georgia and continued my park explorations as well the Atlanta Botanical Garden. At work, we would have craft fairs and I discovered that others liked my pictures well enough to purchase them as enlargements or as note cards. My favorite subjects are reflections in water and flowers as I enjoy the extraordinary beauty and color of nature and photography enables me to share it with others.

 

July-August Display Gallery Exhibit Announced by Smyrna Library

Handmade Books by Ruth Kramedjian on display through August.

Ruth is a graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in drawing and painting and art history. She has worked with fabric, designing and making original quilts; she has worked in metal, designing jewelry in silver and gold; her photographic work concentrated on black and white infrared as well as large color landscape prints. In recent years she has returned to abstract painting and the art of collage or mixed media.

In the current work, she has moved to a more intimate output with the art of the handmade book. She incorporates her own art forms and collage in the books that she makes. She is exploring not only book forms, but also the art of handmade paper.

In her artist’s statement, Ruth says:

Rhythmic cycles chart the course of our days. Both mundane and magnificent, they present themselves in the powerful circle of community life, the changing of the seasons, the movement from dawn to dusk and back again to light. Ethereal, concrete, and universal, they frame our lives and they give direction to my spiritual quest to find meaning in my world through art making. The grid and its counterpart, the circle, often serve as a frame for these cycles, and my emotional response to the inherent rhythms finds expression in my mark making. The short view, the long view, the universal view – from these, I examine my world.

Ruth can be contacted at 404.210.9790 or rrpk2@yahoo.com.

Friends of Smyrna Library to Host Free “Frozen Yogurt Social & Book Sale”

Smyrna, Ga. - (June 10, 2011) – Friends of Smyrna Library (FOSL) announces their free summer event, “Frozen Yogurt Social and Book Sale,” taking place Sunday, July 10, 2011 from 3-5 p.m. inside the Smyrna Library. This special event will feature free frozen yogurt from Pinkberry, family-friendly entertainment by Peter Vogl and a book sale with incredible bargains. As with any FOSL event, all proceeds from the book sale will go to the award-winning Smyrna Library for technology, books, art, reading programs, and much more.

“The Friends appreciate the donations, volunteer hours, and more that the Smyrna community has given to the library and are sponsoring this event as a thank you to the community for its support."

"This year is a special year at the Smyrna Library - our 75th anniversary. We will be celebrating all summer and fall with fun events for the whole family and a big party in September. Check our website for more information (http://www.friendsofsmyrnalibrary.org/)," says Dorothy Sibert, President of the Friends of Smyrna Library. "The Friends appreciate the donations, volunteer hours, and more that the Smyrna community has given to the library and are sponsoring this event as a thank you to the community for its support."

FOSL is really looking forward to this year's event as once again the world-famous Pinkberry is donating the frozen yogurt, which will be free to everyone who attends (or while it lasts!) . Pinkberry opened its first Atlanta-based store last June in the Akers Mill Shopping Center on Cobb Parkway. Attendees are invited to come out and taste their “swirly goodness.”

FOSL is also honored to have the talented Peter Vogl perform live at the event again this year. Vogl is a guitarist, session player, and instructor who has performed on stage with Michael Bolton, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Francine Reed and many other famous musicians. Vogl currently performs around Atlanta with several local bands including The Blue Rhythm Band and Jan Smith. Not only is the entertainment free, but we're sure you will become a new fan of Vogl's music, if you're not already!

FOSL's Board of Director member Jeff Jones will be heading up the book sale and is sure to offer prices that can't be beat. It will feature a carefully vetted selection for of New York Times bestsellers and gift quality books priced at just $1 and $3. This year's "Frozen Yogurt and Book Sale" is going to be an event you don't want to miss! Bring your family to the Smyrna Library for an afternoon of fun. The Smyrna Library is located at 100 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, Georgia 30080.

About Peter Vogl

Peter Vogl started playing guitar in second grade and quickly realized his calling. He played in many bands throughout high school and proceeded to study classical guitar at the University of Georgia under the tutelage of John Sutherland. In collaboration with the NARAS organization Peter is the band leader each year at the Heroes Award Dinner in Atlanta. Visit his website at http://www.petervogl.com/.

About Pinkberry

Pinkberry reinvented the frozen yogurt category when it launched in West Hollywood, Ca. in January 2005. Today it is the most talked about, best tasting, premium frozen yogurt, made with high-quality fresh ingredients. From store design to exceptional customer service to our irresistible flavors and toppings, Pinkberry provides a social experience that indulges the senses. Pinkberry’s distinctive flavors are expertly crafted to complement its daily fresh-cut fruit and premium toppings that offer an irresistibly tangy, incomparable refreshing taste. Pinkberry is certified by the National Yogurt Association and carries the Live & Active Cultures Seal. Get a taste of Swirly Goodness by visiting

http://www.pinkberry.com/.

About The Friends of Smyrna Library

The Friends of Smyrna Library (FOSL) is an independent, non-profit, volunteer organization that supports the Smyrna Public Library through fundraising events and volunteer activities. FOSL is a member of the Friends of Libraries USA organization and is one of the most active Friends chapters in Georgia. Notable programs FOSL supports are the library’s Art Gallery, the “Murder Goes South” Festival of readers and writers, “The Link” newsletter and much more. Join FOSL for only $5 for an individual membership or $10 for a family membership and make a friend today. For more information, visit http://www.friendsofsmyrnalibrary.org/.

###

If you would like more information on this event, please e-mail Jeff Jones at jjatlanta@gmail.com or call 770/401-3050.

 

Summer Reading List & Featured Book

Summer 2011 Featured Book

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot




Summer 2011 Reading List

A Death in the Family by James Agee
An Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Checkpoint by Nicholson Baker
Cold Vengeance by Preston & Child
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Flannery O'Connor edited by Sarah Gordon
Folly by Susan Minot
How the Water Feels by Paul Eggers
How to be Good by Nick Hornby
Middlesex byJeffrey Eugenides
Museum of the Weird by Amelia Gray
My Life in Heavy Metal by Steve Almond
Open Secrets by Alice Munro
Rumors of Rain by Andre Brink
Saul and Patsy by Charles Baxter
Sunset Park by Paul Auster
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover
The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day
The Client by John Grisham
The English Major by Jim Harrison
The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
The Final Martyrs by Shusaku Endo
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
The Shining by Stephen King
The White Album by Joan Didion
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

 

2011 Annual Spring Jonquil Festival Book Sale Concludes

The 2011 Annual Spring Jonquil Festival Book Sale concluded today. More than 40 volunteers operated the booth for 2 days over the weekend. Hundreds of books were sold and approximately $2000 was raised for the library. We wish to thank all of our shoppers and our dedicated volunteers.

Our next book sale will be at the Frozen Yogurt Social in July.