UNC Clef Hangers to usher in Asheboro library’s 75th anniversary

The UNC Clef Hangers a cappella ensemble will perform as the Asheboro Public Library celebrates its 75th anniversary at 7 p.m. Saturday, January 8, at the Sunset Theatre.

Vocalist/accompanist duo Lane Ragsdale and Tom Liles will open for the 15-member Tar Heel student singing group.

The concert, sponsored by the Asheboro Public Library Foundation, is free and the public is invited. The theatre is located at 234 Sunset Ave.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Founded in 1977, the Clef Hangers first performed in the Pit in April, 1978. Since then, “the Clefs” have released 23 professionally-produced studio albums and have toured worldwide. During a tour in New York, the group performed for the nation on Good Morning America.

In 2004, the Clef Hangers won a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for best soloist. Alumni include American Idol finalist Anoop Desai.

The concert kicks off the Asheboro Public Library’s 75th anniversary year. The library opened its doors on February 10, 1936, in two rooms above the Standard Drug Store in downtown Asheboro.

The idea for the library originated with a local bridge club in 1935. The group organized itself as the Randolph Library Club, and since has become the Asheboro Public Library Foundation.

The Foundation manages donations and bequests for improvement of the Asheboro library. As recipient of a bequest from Louise Swaim, longtime local music teacher, the Foundation over many years has provided music-related material and performances for the community through the library.

December newsletter...

...posted!

"Deck the Halls with Lane and Friends", Thursday December 16

A group of talented performers will join vocalist Lane Ragsdale as he brings his very popular Christmas cabaret back to the Asheboro Public Library at 7 p.m. Thursday, December16.

“Deck the Halls with Lane and Friends: A Christmas Cabaret” is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. It is free and the public is invited.

Joining Ragsdale will be accompanist/arranger Tom Liles and vocalists Amanda Broach, Derek Jackson, Patrick Osteen, Ben Peddycord, Alan Pugh and Ashley Wicker.

Broach is a frequent actress in Greensboro Community theatre productions. Jackson, a UNC-Charlotte student, starred in the RSVP production of OKLAHOMA.

Osteen is a senior acting major at UNC-School of the Arts. Peddycord starred in Les Miserables at Asheboro High School and has just returned from Africa.

Alan Pugh is a frequent musical star for RSVP. Wicker is a sophomore at UNC-Greensboro studying education and music.

Liles will sing as well as accompany, and Robert Dove, a UNCG student, will play saxophone.

The group will perform seasonal tunes together and individually, and as always, the show will include Lane’s unique blend of reminiscences and stories. He also promises some new twists and turns.

"Personally, I am more excited about this show than ever before," Ragsdale says.

Asheboro library breakfast program for kids to feature “Amazing Teacher” Steve Somers

Children are invited to take a ride on the Arctic Express – but have breakfast first – as Steve Somers, the Amazing Teacher, visits the Asheboro Public Library on Saturday, December 4.

After a light breakfast at 9:30 a.m. in the library meeting room,Conductor Steve will use books on his Arctic Express reading list to take kids on a magical train ride for an entertaining look at winter festivals around the world, including Diwali, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Hanukkah and, of course, Christmas.

The program is free. All children and their parents are invited.

Somers, based in High Point, is an educator and performer whose “Amazing Teacher” programs have engaged students, parents and teachers in some 3,100 performances over 30 years. Find out more about him at here.

Library wins statewide award for mural project

The Randolph County Public Library’s summer 2009 downtown Asheboro mural project has won an Outstanding Library Promotional Project award from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association (NCPLDA).

Conceived by Teen Services Librarian Amy Keith Barney as part of “Express Yourself @ your library,” the library’s teen Summer Reading Program, and created by local painter and art teacher Cori Cagle, the mural casts a dawn-to-dusk vision of downtown Asheboro landmarks and attractions on the concrete retaining wall at the intersection of Church and Academy streets.

Painted primarily by teen volunteers from the library and kids from the Central Boys and Girls Clubs, it encompasses some 900 square feet on the 220-foot-long by seven-foot-high arced wall. Some 15-20 painters worked each day for two weeks in July to complete the project, and adult volunteers chipped in on two evenings.

The project, which had the backing of the Asheboro Appearance Commission and the Asheboro City Council, was funded by Trees Asheboro (now Trees NC) through a Grassroots Arts Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council via the Randolph Arts Guild. Trees Asheboro and the City of Asheboro provided logistical support for the painters.

View photos of the project.

Ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet-to-come visit library on Movie Monday

It’s a tour de force performance for Jim Carrey as he tackles multiple roles in A Christmas Carol, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday, 2 p.m. December 6.

Carrey plays Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet-to-come in this updated, animated version of the Charles Dickens’ classic. The old miser Scrooge must face the three spirits, who bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart and remind him of the man he used to be.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6824.

November newsletter...

...posted!

Ornament workshop invites teens, ‘tweens to decorate library Christmas tree

Teens and ‘tweens ages 10-18 are invited to make Christmas ornaments for themselves and for the Asheboro Public Library Christmas tree from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, December 1, in the library meeting room.

The ornaments will be on display for the month of December on the library’s main tree. Participants will have an opportunity to handcraft a variety of ornaments from various patterns.

This year’s Christmas tree will be book-themed. Ornaments will be made from recycled books and a variety of papers.

The workshop is sponsored by the Friends of the Randolph Public Library, and is free. For further information, contact Teen Services Librarian Amy Keith Barney, akeith@randolphlibrary.org or 318-6824.

Asheboro library Movie Monday to feature "Charlie St. Cloud"

A young man who must make a choice between the past and the future is the subject of Charlie St. Cloud, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday at 2 p.m. November 22.

Zac Efron plays the title character, a young man so overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother, Sam, that he takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried. Charlie meets up with Sam’s spirit each night to play catch and talk -- until a girl comes into Charlie's life and he must choose between keeping a promise he made to his brother, or going after the girl he loves.

The film also stars Amanda Crew and Ray Liotta.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Saxophone quartet 'Saxology' to perform at Asheboro library

Saxology, a saxophone quartet, will perform American popular songs and Broadway tunes at the Asheboro Public Library, 7 p.m. Thursday, November 18.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the program is free and the public is invited.

Saxology is comprised of four veteran musicians: Lanny Cox, Dave Howard, Max Sharpe and Gary Lewis. Instrumentally, the group features soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes.

The group has a repertoire of 100 specially-written arrangements, most created by area arranging legend Keith Lydick. Lydick will emcee the concert.

Asheboro library Movie Monday to feature Robin Hood

Return to Sherwood Forest with Russell Crowe in Robin Hood, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday at 2 p.m. November 8.

In 13th Century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. Whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

The film, directed by Ridley Scott, also features Cate Blanchett as Marion.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6824.

October newsletter

posted!

Theme Parkeologists to share secrets of Disney travel

Planning a trip to Disney World?

Let brothers, Disney enthusiasts and Theme Parkeologists George and Andrew Taylor give you the highlights and lowdown on visiting the massive theme park in a Friends of the Library program at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 14 at the Asheboro library.

It’s free and the public is invited.George is manager of the Archdale Public Library, and Andrew is an investment banker in Greensboro. Together, they publish Imaginerding (imaginerding.com), a blog about all things Disney that has gained an international following.

Their presentation will focus on planning your trip, getting excited about the visit, resources available for trip planning, secret details that Disney’s “Imagineers” built into the theme park and other tips to help you get the most out your adventure.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Library’s ‘American Dream’ programs get underway for English language learners

“Lenguaje y Lectura @ your library,” a series of free programs to help low literacy, Spanish-speaking English language learners build reading skills, starts next week with English as a Second Language (ESL) and computer classes at two Randolph County Public Library branches.

Every other Wednesday beginning September 29, computer classes will be offered at 7 p.m. at the John W. Clark (Franklinville) Public Library. English as a Second Language classes begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 28 at the Asheboro Public Library and will continue on biweekly schedule to be determined.

Computer classes will start in Asheboro in October.

No registration is required; anyone who wants to participate can attend the classes.

ESL classes will focus on basic life skills, and participants will receive workbooks to keep. Computer classes will cover basic skills and getting started with the library’s Mango Languages online language learning resource (www.randquest.org).

The programs are funded by a $5,000 “The American Dream Starts @ your library” grant from the American Library Association, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

For further information, contact Veronica Gutierrrez at 318-6843, or vgutierrez@randolphlibrary.org.

September newsletter

posted!

Happy Birthday to... us!

September 1, 2010, marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Randolph County Public Library system. On that day in 1940, the Randolph County Commissioners appropriated funding for the first time to support the libraries in Asheboro (founded in 1935 and opened in 1936), Franklinville (1924) and Ramseur (1936).

At that time, Randolph was one of 52 counties in the state without county-wide library service. The Commissioners acted on the offer of state aid, which was made available to library systems that submitted a plan to use the funds.

The commissioners also approved a board of trustees for the system, which was composed of Charles W. McCrary, W.P. Rogers, Dr. C.D. Kistler, T.F. Bulla, G.G. Gilmore and M.E. Johnson.

The Randleman and Liberty libraries opened in 1941. The Archdale and Seagrove libraries were established in 1972, completing the county system.

In 2011, the Asheboro library will celebrate its 75th anniversary; more on that later!

Jerry Neal's one-man show to explore wireless pioneer Marconi

In the early years of the 20th Century, the Titanic got the Carpathia rushing to the rescue and Scotland Yard got its man thanks to a new invention: the wireless telegraph.

This fascinating history comes to life as RF Micro Devices co-founder Jerry Neal performs a one-man show as Guglielmo Marconi, the father of all wireless communication, in "Marconi Speaks," at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 16, at the Sunset Theatre.

The performance, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Neal promises to keep his audience on the edge of their seats as he steps back in time to delve into the invention and inventor that changed the world.

The multimedia show, which includes a full set, period costume and a demonstration of wireless technology, focuses on two key events in the histories of both Marconi and wireless: the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the “North London Cellar Murder” in 1910 — the first case in which transatlantic wireless led to the capture of a fugitive.

Neal also brings along fascinating displays, including a reproduction of Marconi’s radio transmitters and receivers and reproductions of artifacts from the Titanic.

Neal, who lives in northwestern Randolph County, is executive vice-president of strategic development for RF Micro Devices, the company he helped found.

As a young boy, Neal replicated many of Marconi’s early experiments and has done exhaustive research on Marconi from a business and personal point of view. As part of his research, he traveled to London and stood at the podium of the 200 year old Royal Institution, where Marconi demonstrated the results of his improvements and advancement in wireless communication.

Neal will be introduced by Jerry Bledsoe, co-author of with Neal of Fire in the Belly: Building a World-leading High Tech Company from Scratch in Tumultuous Times, and Built on a Rock: A Memoir of Family, Faith and Place.

Get a library card, get a Chick-fil-A coupon!

Anyone who registers for their first Randolph County Public Library card at the Asheboro Public Library during September will receive a coupon good for ice cream at Chick-fil-A. The coupons will be available while supplies last

Asheboro library staff also will spend two evenings at local Chick-fil-A restaurants to promote library card registration, and to sign up anyone who wants a card.

Librarians will be at the Center Point Plaza (Dixie Drive) location from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, September 9, and at the Randolph Mall store from 5-8 p.m. Friday, September 10. Coupons will be available to anyone who registers during these events, also.

To get a library card, adults need a valid picture ID and proof of address if the ID is not current. Parents can sign for their children to get cards.

The coupons and sign-up nights are part of the statewide “Smartest Card: Get it. Use it. @ your library” campaign that takes place each September.

Asheboro to host statewide library card campaign kickoff featuring NC poet laureate

North Carolina Poet Laureate Cathy Smith Bowers (pictured) will join local poets for a reading at the Asheboro Public Library to kick off the annual statewide “Smartest Card” library card sign-up campaign.

The reading by Bowers and an “open mike” organized by the Randolph Writers Group will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 8. It’s free and the public is invited.

The event also will include a press conference hosted by the State Library of North Carolina to promote the library card campaign, which takes place each September. During the campaign, libraries across the state spread the message that a library card is the “smartest card” and encourage state residents to visit their libraries and sign up for a card.

Along with Bowers and the other poets, the reading will feature a tribute to the campaign by Philip Shore III.

Bowers, this year’s statewide spokesperson for the Smartest Card campaign, is the state’s sixth poet laureate, a position from which she serves as an ambassador of North Carolina literature and seeks to raise the state’s consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.

The Tryon resident encourages all North Carolinians to take time from their busy lives to explore the rich literature and many wonderful resources available at their libraries.

Over five million state residents are card-carrying library users and during the last fiscal year over 37 million visited their libraries. Nine million used library Internet computers.

North Carolina’s “Smartest Card” initiative is part of The Campaign for America’s Libraries, a multi-year public awareness and advocacy effort by the American Library Association. Begun in 2004, the campaign promotes the value of public libraries nationwide.

The Asheboro library is located at 201 Worth Street.

August newsletter

...posted!

Asheboro library Movie Monday to travel The Road

The post-apocalyptic vision of author Cormac McCarthy comes to life in The Road, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday for Adults, 2 p.m. August 23.

Based on McCarthy’s best selling novel, The Road is the story of a man and his young son trying to find a new life in a burned and desolate America. With only a pistol to defend themselves, they must fight their way through the lawless bands that stalk the road.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6801.

Friends, Seagrove Potters for Peace to host Three Cups of Tea discussion

The Friends of the Library and Seagrove Potters for Peace invite the community to read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, and join a discussion that will promote education in central Asia

A community discussion will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 17, at the Sarah Smith Self Gallery of the Randolph Arts Guild. The discussion is free and all ages are invited — versions of the book for children and teens as well as for adults are available at the library.

Three Cups of Tea recounts mountaineer Mortenson’s campaign to pay back Pakistani villagers who came to his aid by building them a school. The project mushroomed into an international effort to combat extremism and terrorism through education.Today, his Central Asia Institute promotes community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In August 2009, 13 potters organized themselves as Seagrove Potters for Peace and produced 150 tea vessels to raise money for the institute. All the items sold out in the one-day sale.

This year’s sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, August 14, will include 24 potteries; for a list and more information, go here.

A selection of the vessels will be held back and made available for purchase at the community discussion, which will be led by Dr. Jeff Jones, associate professor of Russian/Soviet and world history at UNC-Greensboro.

Copies of the book also will be for sale, and attendees can drop small change into a “Pennies for Peace” jar. Raffle tickets also will be on sale for $1 for the giveaway of two sets of two tickets to an appearance by Mortenson at Wake Forest University in November.

Library to offer weatherization workshop

Weatherization to reduce energy bills by making houses more energy efficient will be the topic of a presentation at 3 p.m. Wednesday, August 18, at the Asheboro library.

The workshop is free and the public is invited.

Joleen Hartis, weatherization program assistant at Regional Consolidated Services, will talk about how to take advantage of the federal program, which offers the elderly, persons with disabilities and low-income families weatherization services at no cost.

Typical work may include caulking, insulating, sealing air leaks, installing vapor barriers, installing smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and replacing light bulbs with CFL bulbs.

Eligibility for weatherization is based on combined household income.

Library to host Wii Wednesdays for teens, tweens on August 4

The Asheboro library will host a Wii Wednesday for teens and tweens ages 10 to 18 at 3 p.m. August 4.

The free gaming event is last Wii Wednesday of the summer, but the popular series may continue as the school year gets underway.

Games will include Wii Sports, Wii Resort Sports, Band Hero, and Super Mario Brothers. Board games will also be available.

Registration is required; please visit the Asheboro Reference Desk to sign-up or call 318-6803. The Wii, games and other equipment are provided by the Friends of the Library.

Go "Where the Wild Things Are" on library’s Teen Movie Monday, August 2

Find out what happens then you’re sent to bed without your supper in Where the Wild Things Are, the Asheboro Public Library’s Teen Movie Monday at 2 p.m. August 2.

Director Spike Jonze’s vision of the classic children’s story by Maurice Sendak follows disobedient Max as he creates an imaginary forest world populated by the wild things, exotic monsters and ferocious creatures who embrace Max as their ruler.

The movie is free and anyone ages 12-18 is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6824.

Asheboro library Movie Monday to feature "When in Rome"

An amorous group of suitors pursues a surprised American woman in When in Rome, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday for Adults, 2 p.m. July 26.

Beth Harper (Kristen Bell) is a young, successful real estate agent in New York who’s completely unlucky in love. When she travels to Rome to see her newlywed sister, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love.

She then finds herself sought after by a band of wannabe lovers in this romantic comedy.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6801.

Go "Up" at the Asheboro library's Family Movie Friday

A 78-year-old man, his balloon-powered house, and an eight-year-old stow-away take a hilarious, adventurous journey in Up, the Asheboro Public Library’s Family Movie Friday, 7 p.m. July 23.

In Pixar’s modern animated classic, Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner) has spent a lifetime dreaming of exploring the globe, and launches his house into the sky via thousands of balloons. After liftoff he discovers he has a stowaway in the form of an over-optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell

The movie is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Family Movie Fridays are part of “Make A Splash: Read!”, The Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. Visit here for the full schedule of summer movies, and here for all the Summer Reading Program events.

Return to Wonderland at Asheboro library’s Teen Movie Monday, July 19

Return to Wonderland with a grown-up Alice in director Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the Asheboro Public Library’s Teen Movie Monday at 2 p.m. July 19.

In Burton’s unique take on the classic Lewis Carroll story, 19-year-old Alice falls back into the fantasy realm populated by talking playing cards, the raging Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and a stark raving Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).

The movie is free and anyone ages 12-18 is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Magical storyteller Mark Daniel returns to Randolph libraries

Magical Storyteller Mark Daniel will return to Randolph County’s public libraries this summer with his unique blend of magic, puppetry and stories.

He will appear at all seven libraries, beginning in Liberty at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 20, and at the other libraries as follows:

Archdale, 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27;

Asheboro, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 28 (at the Sunset Theatre);

Franklinville, 2 p.m. Thursday, July 29;

Ramseur, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 29;

Randleman, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 22;

Seagrove, 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 27.

Daniel’s performances, part of “Make a Splash: Read!”, the Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, are free and the public is invited.

Daniel has been a mainstay of summer reading programs for more than 20 years. His programs have inspired over three million children in thousands of schools and libraries, celebrating the joy of reading and great books.

For more information about Daniel, go here. For a complete schedule of summer events at the libraries, go here.

Asheboro to host another Wii Wednesday, July 21

The Asheboro library will host a Wii Wednesday for teens and tweens ages 10 to 18 at 3 p.m. July 21.

The free gaming event is next in a series of Wii Wednesdays, with another one scheduled for August 4.

Games will include Wii Sports, Wii Resort Sports, Band Hero, and Super Mario Brothers. Board games will also be available.

Registration is required; please visit the Asheboro Reference Desk to sign-up or call 318-6803. The Wii, games and other equipment are provided by the Friends of the Library.

Movie Monday, July 12, to feature Dear John

Sparks fly between a soldier home on leave and a conservative college woman in Dear John, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday for Adults, 2 p.m. July 12.

Channing Tatum play the soldier, who reenlists after the September 11 attacks instead of returning home to his new girlfriend, played by Amanda Seyfried. Time and distance begin to take a toll on the young lovers.

The romantic drama is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find out more here, or call 318-6801.

Grant to help library promote literacy for English language learners

The Randolph County Public Library will expand services for low-literacy English language learners with a $5,000 grant from the American Library Association funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The library was one of 70 in the nation and seven in North Carolina to receive an American Dream Starts @ your library grant. The funding will support an initiative focusing on Spanish speaking adults who have a low literacy level in their native language, and seek to help them learn English while increasing literacy in both languages.

The effort, called Lenguaje y Lectura @ your library, gets underway this summer. The aim is to provide a sustained, hands-on, verbal and visual learning experience for participants.

Participants will practice English using the ESL/Spanish module of the library’s Mango Languages online resource, and in doing so build computer literacy skills along with language and reading skills.

In addition to online learning, participants will join with volunteers and each other in conversation and learning games, and will be provided workbooks and picture dictionaries to keep.

Activities for children also will be provided so that families can participate without worrying about child care, and some activities will include the whole family. One emphasis of the program will be assisting parents to help their children succeed in school.

Community partners assisting with advice, volunteers and material selection include the Latino Coalition of Randolph County, Asheboro Parents as Teachers, Franklinville-Ramseur Parents as Teachers, Randolph Community College Basic Skills/ESL, Asheboro City Schools ELL Department and the Randolph County Schools ESL Parent Advocate.

For further information about the program, or to join or volunteer, contact Veronica Gutierrez, vgutierrez@randolphlibrary.org or 318-6843.

“Set Sail” with Amazing Teacher Steve Somers at Randleman library

Ahoy, mates! “Set Sail” for high seas adventure with Captain Steve Somers and his friends as they take kids on an amazing voyage in search of good character at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 1, at the Randleman Public Library.

The adventure is free, and all children and their parents are invited.

Somers, a.k.a. Amazing Teacher, will help kids discover the importance of making wise choices while learning about values such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Participants enjoy magic tricks, drama, puppets, stories, and music while connecting with good character traits.

By the end of the programs, kids discover one "real" benefit to positive character development:friendship.

Based in High Point, Somers’ Amazing Teacher project creates and delivers educationally significant assembly and library programs that motivate children to read.

His appearance at the Randleman library is part of “Make a Splash: Read!”, the Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. For more information, call the library at 498-3141.

The library also will show the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at 4 p.m. the same day. The movie is free and the public is invited.

Find about more about Somers at here.

July newsletter

Posted! Summer Reading schedule for July and information about upcoming community reading of Three Cups of Tea.

It's "Lego Mania!" for teens, tweens at Asheboro library

“Lego Mania!” returns to the Asheboro Public Library at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, as teens and tweens ages 10-18 are invited to compete in a Lego building contest.

The competition is free and the Legos will be provided. Prizes will be awarded in multiple categories, such as tallest and most creative, and for younger and older age groups.

Refreshments also will be provided. Registration is required; call 318-6803 or visit the library to sign up.

The event is part of the library’s Teen Summer Reading Program “Make Waves at your library,” and is supported by the Friends of the Library.

For all the Summer Reading program events, go here.

Asheboro library’s Family Movie Friday features princess, frog

A modern twist on The Princess and the Frog highlights Family Movie Friday, 7 p.m. June 25, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Set in New Orleans’ French Quarter, Disney’s hand-drawn animated version of the classic tale involves a beautiful girl named Tina who finds a frog prince desperately wanting to be human again, and with a fateful kiss, leads them on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.

The movie is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Family Movie Fridays are part of “Make A Splash: Read!”, The Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. Go here for the full schedule of summer movies, and here for all the Summer Reading Program events.

Things get complicated on Asheboro library’s Movie Monday

A romantic triangle is at the heart of the star-studded It’s Complicated, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday for Adults, 2 p.m. June 28.

The comedy stars Meryl Streep as a woman who rekindles her relationship with her now-remarried ex-husband (Alec Baldwin), becoming the “other woman.” When another man (Steve Martin) also falls for her, things get very complicated indeed.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6801.

Asheboro library to host Wii Wednesdays for teens, tweens

Tweens and teens ages 10 to 18 are invited to play Wii games and compete against their peers for a fun afternoon of video gaming on Wii Wednesday, 3 p.m. June 23 at the Asheboro Public Library.

The free gaming event is first in a series of Wii Wednesdays, also scheduled for July 21 and August 4.

Games will include: Wii Sports, Wii Resort Sports, Band Hero and Super Mario Brothers. Board games will also be available.

Registration is required; please visit the Asheboro Reference Desk to sign-up or call 318-6803. The Wii, games and other equipment are provided by the Friends of the Library.

Libraries screen feature films as summer gets underway

Four libraries will screen movies as “Make A Splash: Read!”, the Randolph County Public Library Summer Reading Program, gets underway.

The movies are free and the public is invited; refreshments are served.

The Archdale Public Library will show Flipper, the classic tale of a boy who befriends a dolphin, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10.

It’s raining food as the Asheboro Public Library’s Family Movie Friday features Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 7 p.m. June 11.

Sherlock Holmes investigates during the Asheboro library’s Teen Movie Monday at 2 p.m. June 14. Robert Downey Jr. plays the famous sleuth and Jude Law his sidekick, Dr. Watson.

Free Willy: Escape to Pirate’s Cove comes to two libraries, with showings at Seagrove at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, and Randleman at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 17.

Go here for the full schedule of summer movies, and here for all the Summer Reading Program events.

Blackbeard the Pirate to kick off library Summer Reading Program, “Make a Splash: Read!”

Avast! Heave to as Blackbeard the Pirate – a.k.a. performer Ben Cherry – kicks off “Make a Splash: Read!”, the Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, with visits to all seven libraries during the week of June 14.

The performances are free and the public is invited.

Veteran actor Cherry gives a well researched, spellbinding rendition of the infamous pirate’s life featuring costumes and authentic props. His able First Mate Dee Gee shares information about famous female pirates.

They have brought Blackbeard to life for over 400 schools, museums and youth groups and have become mainstays at nautical festivals such as Seafair in Seattle, Harborfest in Norfolk and Pirate Week in Grand Cayman.

Blackbeard will appear at the libraries as follows:

Asheboro: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 15.
Archdale: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 16.
Franklinville: 2 p.m. Thursday, June 17.
Liberty: 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 15.
Ramseur: 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 17 (at the Ramseur Municipal Building).
Randleman: 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 16.
Seagrove: 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 15.

Blackbeard’s appearances are the first of some 130 summer events at the libraries including storytimes, performances, movies, hands-on activities and more. All are designed to inspire kids to keep reading over the summer.

There are programs and opportunities for teens and adults, too. For complete Summer Reading schedules and details, go here or visit any of the libraries.

For more information, call 318-6804.

The Summer Reading Program is made possible by the Friends of the Library and by a North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Grant via the Randolph Arts Guild.

Library invites children, teens and adults to “Make A Splash: Read!” this summer

The seven branches of the Randolph County Public Library will offer almost 130 storytimes, performances, movies, hands-on projects and other special events June 14 through August 7 for children, teens and adults as part of “Make a Splash: Read!”, the 2010 Summer Reading Program.

And all for free.

Originally intended to keep children reading while out of school (studies show that kids who read over the summer do better in school the next year), the Summer Reading Program has expanded to include teens, who can “Makes Waves at Your Library,” and adults, who are invited to “Water Your Mind.” Children who sign up to participate at any library will receive reading rewards based on the number of books, hours or pages they read.

“Make a Splash” kicks off during the week of June 14 with appearances at each library by Blackbeard the Pirate, a.k.a. performer Ben Cherry. In July, magical storyteller Mark Daniel, a crowd-pleaser every year, returns.

The summer culminates with a pool party on July 30.

Each library will host one or more weekly programs. The Asheboro library will hold four weekly storytimes – for school age children, families, toddlers and all ages – along with Wednesday morning and afternoon programs for school age children, and a film time for children on Tuesdays.

The Archdale, Asheboro, Randleman and Seagrove libraries will screen popular movies for families, and the Archdale and Asheboro libraries also will show movies for teens.

Special visitors will include Ronald McDonald at Asheboro, Asheboro, Liberty, Randleman and Seagrove; martial artists at Asheboro, Randleman and Seagrove; mad scientist Dr. K Boom at Archdale, Asheboro Copperheads at Liberty and storytellers everywhere.

Other programs will include Deep River Pipes and Drums at Archdale, “Ocean Adventures” at Ramseur, “Discover the Mystery of the Coral Reef” in Randleman, and “Dive into a Story” in Liberty. Also on tap: hands-on activities such as outdoor safe cooking, “stained glass” and “octopus” crafts, and water conservation sessions.

While kids are making a splash, teens can make waves at the Asheboro library during Wii Wednesdays, Lego Mania, Bottle Cap Art and Teen Movie Mondays. At the Archdale library, they can take babysitting and self defense courses, learn jewelry craft, and register to be eligible in drawings for two Walmart gift certificates.

Randleman teens can enter checkout receipts showing books they have read into two drawings for Books-A-Million gift certificates.

Adults can enter drawings of their own in Randleman. In Asheboro, they can turn in a form for each book they read or audiobook to which they listen, and stand a chance in drawings for prizes, and also submit brief reviews that might make it into the library’s newspaper column.

The library also offers three reading and discussion groups that will continue to meet over the summer: Asheboro Reads (afternoon), the Luna Book Club (evening), and the Liberty Book Club.

For complete Summer Reading schedules and details, go here, or visit any of the libraries. For more information, call 318-6804.

The Summer Reading Program is made possible by the Friends of the Library and by a North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts Grant via the Randolph Arts Guild.

May-June (Summer Reading) newsletter...

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Asheboro library Movie Monday goes Up in the Air

Up in the Air, an acclaimed take on modern life, is the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday feature, 2 p.m. June 7.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles. Leading an empty life lived out of a suitcase he thinks he may have finally met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams in this quirky comedy.

The film was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, best actor and best actress. Vera Farmiga and Jason Bateman also star.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6824.

Movie Monday to feature The Blind Side

Sandra Bullock’s Academy Award-winning performance distinguishes The Blind Side, the Asheboro Public Library’s Movie Monday at 2 p.m., May 10.

The film is the remarkable true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by wealthy white family who helped him fulfill his potential as a person and as an athlete. He worked hard on the field and in the classroom and became an All-American in college and was picked in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, changing his life and the lives of the loving family who were there to watch him succeed.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6801.

Ragsdale, Liles put new spin on library cabaret shows

In a twist on his popular cabaret shows for the Friends of the Library, Lane Ragsdale will honor the Friends with a brand new show called “Hits and Misters: An Evening With Lane Ragsdale and Tom Liles” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 6, at the Asheboro library.

The program is free and the public is invited.

The two-man show will focus on stories from Lane’s travels to New York; Asheboro in 2010; and his love for jazz, of which Tom is a master. With these stories woven among songs like “St. Louis Blues, “ “Summertime, “ “Laura” and “After You’ve Gone,” the show is a departure from past shows that have included multiple cast members and varied genres of music.

“We are in tough economic times and this show offers a threefold opportunity,” says Ragsdale. “It will be a vivid and relaxing escape into the world of jazz and blues with some funny and poignant stories for the audience. For me, it will be an opportunity to honor the Friends of the Library, Arlene Smith and Ross Holt for their loving support over the past five years, and an opportunity to work with the brilliant Tom Liles on the style of music he has mastered, not merely at UNC-Greensboro but in travels and performances all over the world. I’m excited!”

Auction of Owen/Owens pottery to benefit library Friends

The Randolph County Public Library’s second annual Marjorie W. Memory Pottery Auction will take place during a Friends of the Library program featuring Holly George-Warren at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Sara Smith Self Gallery of the Randolph Arts Guild, 123 Sunset Ave., Asheboro.

The program is free and the public is invited.

The silent auction will feature nine Owen/Owens family pottery pieces dating from the 1920s to the 2000s. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Library.

Pieces available include a dishpan (1920s), a pie dish in tobacco spit glaze (1950s) and two Chinese white rice bowls (1960s) by Ben Wade Owen; a pitcher from M.L. Owens (1990s); a Vernon Owens blue vase (1998); a Pam Owens teapot (2003); and a bowl and vase from Ben Owen III (1999).

Anyone who wants to bid but cannot attend the silent auction can submit a bid in advance. Bids received in advance will be entered as the first bids in the silent auction.

For information about how to bid, go here or call the Asheboro library at 318-6801. The pottery can be viewed at the library.

Memory was a longtime librarian at UNC-Greensboro and author of A History of the Randolph Public Library, 1935-1967. Following her death, colleague and good friend Stanley Hicks, now of Enid, OK, established the auction by donating two pieces of Jugtown pottery.

This year, Stanley arranged for Earl Senger and his wife Frances Freeman Senger (formerly of Asheboro) to donate the pottery to be auctioned. The Sengers are premier pottery collectors in the Southeast.

Love Happens at Asheboro library Movie Monday

Love Happens at 2 p.m. April 26 at the Asheboro library – the cinematic kind, anyway, on Movie Monday.

The film stars Aaron Eckhart as author Burke Ryan, whose book about coping with loss becomes a best-seller and turns him into a self-help guru. While headlining a grief seminar in Seattle during his national tour, he encounters a charming hotel florist, Eloise, played by Jennifer Anniston, and learns some unexpected lessons about rediscovering love and happiness.

Martin Sheen also stars.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Music journalist Holly George-Warren returns for Friends of the Library event

Asheboro native Holly George-Warren, one of the nation’s preeminent music journalists, returns home for a talk entitled “From Gene Autry to Woodstock to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: A Writer’s Musical Journey,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at the Sara Smith Self Gallery of the Randolph Arts Guild, 123 Sunset Ave., Asheboro.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the program is free and the public is invited.

George-Warren will discuss her journey as a writer, which has led her to a variety of music-related topics. She penned Public Cowboy No. 1, the authoritative biography of singing cowboy star Gene Autry, and recently co-authored the best-selling The Road to Woodstock, an insider account of the1969 festival with its producer Michael Lang.

She served as editor of the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction program and a subsequent book commemorating the hall's silver anniversary. She has edited books with the founders of Farm Aid and Martin Scorsese and other filmmakers; curated 2,000 photographs for the new Grammy Museum in Los Angeles; and written a book on the history of cowgirls, The Cowgirl Way, due out this summer.

Other titles from George-Warren’s prolific pen include Honky Tonk Heroes and Hillbilly Angels: The Pioneers of Country Music; Cowboy: How Hollywood Invented the West; How the West Was Worn, the definitive book of western wear; and two recent photography books, The Grateful Dead 365 and Punk 365.

She was also a 2001 Grammy Award nominee as co-producer of the Rhino Records five-CD boxed set R-E-S-P-E-C-T: A Century of Women in Music.

A resident of New York for the past 31 years, she's spent most of the past decade in the small Catskills village of Phoenicia with her husband musician/writer Robert Burke Warren and their son Jack

April newsletter

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Tazewell shares world’s beauty

Illustrator, author and educator Barbara Tazewell strives to present the world in a way that encourages others to see in new and exciting ways.

Tazewell will share her vision in a Friends of the Library program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 at the Asheboro library. The program is free and the public is invited.

An Akron, OH, native and 20-year Asheboro resident, Tazewell taught French and English at Akron University, the Akron public schools, St. Augustine College, Bennett College and Randolph Community College.

She’s author and illustrator of the children’s flip book Ola, the Water Bearer, and illustrator of the Jamaican-themed Jelly Bread and Water Juice, written by her daughter-in-law Lora Tazewell. Many of her illustrations use origami paper or fabric printed on paper to form pictures.

Asheboro library’s Movie Monday to feature Brothers

A free-spirited young man must take on family responsibility when his Marine brother goes missing in Afghanistan in Brothers, the Asheboro library’s Movie Monday, 2 p.m. April 12.

Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhall) are polar opposites. On his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, Grace (Natalie Portman).

Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. Shot down in Afghanistan, Sam is presumed dead and Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility.

Brothers is an emotional drama that contains some adult situations and language.
The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more at here, or call 318-6824.

Asheboro library’s Movie Monday features The Time Traveler’s Wife

How would you carry on a romance if you were routinely transported into another era? The Time Traveler’s Wife finds out in the Asheboro library’s Movie Monday, 2 p.m. March 22.

Eric Bana plays a Chicago librarian who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time whenever he is under extreme duress. Nonetheless, he attempts to build a future with a beautiful young heiress played by Rachel McAdams.

Ron Livingston costars in the romantic comedy, which shows that love knows no boundaries and transcends time and death.

The movie is free and the public is invited; refreshments will be served. Find our more here, or call 318-6824.

March newsletter

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Larry Davis and the Wire Choir to perform at Liberty library

The Liberty Public Library Concert and Open House will feature Larry G. Davis and the Wire Choir performing old time music and jazz, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 21.

The concert is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be provided.

Versatile guitarist Davis will be joined by bassist Lawrence Prevette and banjo player Stan Brown for the old time segment of the show.

The event is sponsored by the Liberty library and the Liberty library Board of Trustees with funding from the Friends of the Randolph Public Library. The library is located at 239 S. Fayetteville St. in Liberty; call 622-4605 for further information.

Asheboro library to offer container gardening program

Master Gardener volunteers from Randolph County Cooperative Extension will talk about container gardening at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, at the Asheboro library. The free program is aimed at seniors, but is open to the public.

Container gardening provides a way for people with limited outdoor access, strength or mobility to continue to enjoy cultivating plants. For further information about the program, call 318-6827.

Novelist, Bennett prof Linda Beatrice Brown to speak at Asheboro library

Writer, educator, historian and now author of a Civil War novel for teens, Linda Beatrice Brown will speak at a Friends of the Library program, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The program is free and all ages are welcome.

Brown, who holds the Willa B. Player Chair in the Humanities at Bennett College for Women, released Black Angels in September.

The novel, about the impact of the Civil War on three children, is being compared to the Revolutionary War youth classic Johnny Tremain, and the central character, Luke, to Huckleberry Finn. It was named one of the Chicago Public Library’s Best Books of 2009.

Brown is author of two novels for adults, a chapbook of poetry for adults and children, and a history of Bennett College. A longtime professor of African American literature, she says her experience teaching inspired her to write about the Civil War period in a novel for young people.

Brown, who lives in Greensboro, has two adult children and six grandchildren. She is the sister of Asheboro resident Barbara Tazewell.

Warner Williams arrowhead show returns to library on Saturday, March 6

Warner B. Williams’s extraordinary Indian arrowhead show will return to the Asheboro Public Library, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 6.

The show is free and the public is invited. The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Williams, an Asheboro resident, amassed the collection over 62 years. It is comprised of arrowheads and similar artifacts found mostly in the Randolph County area.

The Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Identification and Price Guide uses as exemplars 182 arrowheads from the collection, which is considered to be one of the best on the east coast.

Williams, a member of Who’s Who in America in Indian Relics, estimates that more than 8,500 people have attended his library show over the past 13 years. Williams will be on hand to answer questions and talk with attendees for the entirety of the show.

For further information, contact the library at 318-6801.