City of Smyrna Recognizes 15 Years of Service!

Congratulations to Nedra Kish for 15 years of wonderful service to the Smyrna Public Library. 

Thank you, Nedra!   

Smyrna Reads Program Ends with “Bark in the Park” Finale!

The Smyrna Public Library’s first community read, Smyrna Reads, wrapped a month of community events today with a fun and festive finale event named “Bark in the Park”.

The event was held at Tolleson Park and featured numerous pet contests: Toss & Catch, Best Trick (adult leading dog), Best Trick (child leading dog), Best Costume, Cutest Puppy, Loudest Bark, Best Human Bark, Smallest Dog and Largest Dog.

Food trucks from FLAVOURS Curbside Café and King of Pops offered tasty treats for the hungry crowd - both two and four legged.  

Today's finale event was rounded out with great support from The Cobb County Public Library system, The Smyrna Fire Department and the Humane Society of Cobb County.

Thank you to everyone who made the Smyrna Reads event such a resounding success throughout the month of September!

Author Luis Carlos Montalván Presents at Smyrna Community Center

Author, Luis Carlos Montalván, and Tuesday, his therapy dog made a guest appearance at the Smyrna Community center tonight. 

Montalván is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him. The book details Montalván's experiences with PTSD and how his therapy dog, Tuesday, helped him to heal. 

Montalván's new book is a children's book, Tuesday Tucks Me In, which shows children the work of therapy dogs. 

This was the keynote event of the "Smyrna Reads" program which featured his books.  The crowd thoroughly enjoyed meeting both Captain Montalván and Tuesday and learning their story. 

FOSL Fall 2014 Reading List & Featured Book

Featured Book: 

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Other Recommended Reading Selections

A Country Christmas by Debbie Macomber

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Archangel's Shadows by Nalini Singh

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 

Blood Magick by Nora Roberts

Burn by James Patterson

Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews

Command Authority by Tom Clancy

Cross My Heart by James Patterson

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Deadline by John Sandford

Food by Jim Gaffigan

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

Havana Storm by Clive Cussler

Jeter Unfiltered by Derek Jeter 

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Mirage by Clive Cussler

Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham

Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Pegasus by Danielle Steel. 

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice

Smiley by Laurann Dohner

Snow Angel Cove by Raeanne Thayne

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Tall, Dark And Deadly Books by Lisa Renee Jones

The Best Of Me by Nicholas Sparks

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

The Gods Of Guilt by Michael Connelly

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

The Slow Regard Of Silent Things

by Patrick Rothfuss

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Winners by Danielle Steel

Wyoming Strong by Diana Palmer

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Yours For Christmas by Susan Mallery

Compiled by FOSL Volunteer

Fundraiser Note Cards Are Now On Sale

Our local architect, Thomas K. Smith of Smith-Boland Architects, volunteered his talent to help the library with its fundraising.  He created four sketches representing Smyrna - the Smyrna Library, the Brawner House, the Covered Bridge and the Smyrna Duck Pond. 

The Friends of Smyrna Library then created note cards from these drawings along with one representing our FOSL group and packaged them in packs of ten.  Each pack may be purchased at the library circulation desk for $10.00. 

Mr. Smith also donated the original of each sketch - several will be hung in the library in honor of his effort. Thank you Mr. Smith for your generous donation and your support of the Smyrna Public Library!

"Dinner with Destiny: Meet Mr Lincoln" Signature 2014 Fundraiser & Dinner Sponsored by FOSL; $40 Tickets Now on Sale

What if you had the chance to have dinner with America’s 16th President? What would you ask him?

Now’s your chance! Join the Friends of Smyrna Library on Saturday, November 1, at 6:30 p.m. for the first annual “Dinner with Destiny” fundraiser where we will “Meet Mr. Lincoln.”

Professional Abraham Lincoln presenter, Dennis Boggs presents an enlightening and informative look at the life of Lincoln, as it might have been told by Honest Abe himself. The audience will travel from Lincoln's birth in the wilderness of Kentucky to his early years in Indiana and Illinois... from storekeeper to self-taught lawyer and politician... through his years as President during the Civil War and to his death at the hands of an assassin in Ford's Theater.

Dennis Boggs is a fulltime Lincoln presenter from Nashville, Tennessee. His credits include two documentaries for the History Channel, “Being Lincoln” and “Looking for Lincoln.”

Mr. Boggs finds that the most rewarding part of his program is through the question and answer session which immediately follows his presentation.  During this time, President Lincoln is able to address questions about his life, presidency and legacy. 

“Dinner with Destiny” is a fundraiser sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library (FOSL) to benefit the children’s print collection at Smyrna Public Library. FOSL’s goal for this fundraiser is to generate $3200 in funds to support the educational pursuits of Smyrna’s youth.

Individual tickets for the dinner and presentation are $40 each. Event sponsorships are also available.

The sesquicentennial observation of the Civil War has brought new interest to this time of American History. Join us for a special evening with the “Great Emancipator” and support the young minds of Smyrna!

TICKET INFORMATION

$40 each – includes dinner, dessert, presentation, and door prizes

Tickets to “Dinner with Destiny: Meet Mr. Lincoln” are available for purchase at the Smyrna Public Library, 100 Village Green Circle, in downtown Smyrna. Cash or check only please. Make checks payable to the “Friends of Smyrna Library.”

You may also mail checks to the following address. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return tickets.

Friends of Smyrna Library
100 Village Green Circle
Smyrna GA  30080

First Sunday Lecture - Jeffrey Wagner Speaks on the Life of Great American Composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk

Jeffrey Wagner was today’s guest speaker for the September First Sunday Lecture.  Mr. Wagner discussed the extraordinary life and work of American composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, America’s first native born piano virtuoso.  The presentation at the Smyrna Community Center was in honor of Classical Music Month. 

A crowd of 50 enjoyed the narrative on Gottscalk’s life, which included recordings of some of his most famous works.  The lecture was followed at 4:30 pm with a brief piano performance by Mr. Wagner at the Tara Simon Studios at 1306 Concord Rd., corner of Dunn Street, Smyrna.

Thank you Mr. Wagner for a wonderful presentation and mini concert.

About Louis Moreau Gottschalk:

Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 - 1869) represents, in his work and life as a performer and composer, a remarkable American creative artist. A Southerner by birth (New Orleans was the city of his birth), Gottschalk showed himself to be an unusually great musical talent at an early age. His father was a Jewish Englishman and his mother of Creole origin who raised him as a Catholic. His prodigious feats as a youngster were recognized by prominent New Orleans citizens, and with their support he traveled with his father to Europe for several years of study and performance. There, his talents were applauded by no less an artist than Frederic Chopin, a notoriously critical listener and appraiser of musical gifts.

Upon returning to the U.S. Gottschalk toured as a performing pianist extensively. His tours took him to the Caribbean nations, as well as Central and South America. After a scandalous liaison with a young lady seminary student in California, he fled the US and spent the last four years of his life in South America. He died after contracting malaria while concertizing in Brazil,

Gottschalks's music, which will be excerpted and played, consists of much American folk material. In one popular work, he cleverly imitates the sounds of country banjo music on the piano, and in another the infectiously rhythmic sounds of Puerto Rican-African chant. As did many European composers of his generation, Gattschalk sought to bring fresh and authentic folk material into his music (as Chopin did, for example, with the music of his native Poland, or Dvorak with that of his native Bohemia).Gottschalk's life and work stands as a distinctively American voice dating from and era when America was spreading its wings artistically and culturally, thereby distinguishing itself from its strong Euro-American roots.

About Jeffrey Wagner:

Jeffrey Wagner holds a BA in Music from Northwestern University, an MM in Piano Performance from Indiana University, and has pursued doctoral studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University. His teachers in piano have included Walter Robert, Hans Graf, Vitya Vronsky, Paul Schenly, and Louise Szkodzinski. For the past 25 years he has contributed regularly to Clavier Magazine, for whom he is currently a Consulting Editor. During this time he has traveled around the USA and Canada to interview over 40 well-known pianists and teachers. He has twice won the "EdPress" award for excellence in educational journalism. Having pursued a career in software analysis and design, he continues his avocation of interviewing, writing, and performing primarily in the Chicago area, where he lives. He has served as pre-concert lecturer for the Northwest Choral Society in suburban Chicago, and also presented lectures for the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association.

The "First Sunday" lecture series is held in the Smyrna Public Library Meeting Room unless otherwise specified and is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

"Smyrna Reads" September Reading Program Starts - Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalván is featured book!

What if everyone in Smyrna read the same book? 

"Smyrna Reads," a "One Book" project, poses this question. We hope the answer is spontaneous outbreaks of discussion, community-building, and fun! Throughout the month of September, 2014, Smyrna Library will promote Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalván. 

"Smyrna Reads" includes events for adults, families and children. Montalván's newest title is a children's book, Tuesday Tucks Me In. For families who want to extend the discussion to their young children, Tuesday Tucks Me In, is a perfect way to introduce the concept of therapy dogs. 

SMYRNA READS 2014 brochure

EVENTS: 

BOOK DISCUSSIONS Thursday, September 4, 12:00 noon 
Tuesday, September 9, 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 11, 6:00 p.m.

FAMILY PROGRAMS "Meet a Helper Dog"
Tuesday, September 16, 4:00 p.m. 

"Meet Tuesday on Tuesday"
AUTHOR APPEARANCE 
Tuesday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. 


SERVICE PROJECT 
MAKER MONDAY: "Homemade Cards for Soldiers" Monday, September 15, 12:00 noon - 8:00 p.m. 

SOLDIER CARE PACKAGES: "Packaged with Care" Friday, September 19, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 


CLOSING EVENT 
"Bark in the Park" Saturday, September 27, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

Skyscapes vs. Landscapes Exhibit by Sophie Guoer Opens in Art Gallery

Skyscapes vs. Landscapes is a painting exhibition by Sophie Guoer. "The clouds, they seem so far away yet are closer than we know. I previously depicted clouds in a pond mirroring the sky's image. When I worked on this series of paintings, the striking images baffled me. I wished I could understand such images. My perception has since altered how I view the sky mirrors how we live on Our Earth".

Sophie attended the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa for her graduate studies. She majored in Studio Art in Painting and has her studio in Duluth, Georgia.

She recently has had shows at the Fayetteville Public Library, the Lawrenceville Public Library, the Collins Hill Public Library and will shortly be exhibiting at the Cherry Hill Public Library in New Jersey.

On display until November 1, 2014. 

Local Smyrna Artists Exhibit Opens in Display Gallery

Nest Home and Garden of Smyrna provided us with an array of gift and garden items, jewelry and original artwork from local artists to display in our cases for the September/October show.

Located in Dickson Shopping Center, Nest is a supporter of our local artists by providing space for consignment sales.

The featured local artists are Dee Rogers, Barbara Kincaid, Paula Landry, Deb Cook and Suzi Lawrence.  On display until November 1, 2014.