Children's Chess Tournament

We loved seeing all the good sportsmanship displayed at today's Chess Tournament. We hope you enjoy looking at some of the pictures we took.



And if you want to learn more about the game, check out this booklist!

A Soup Opera

Jim Gill was at the ACPL last weekend to present 4 concerts to children & their families. It was SO MUCH FUN!

At the concerts, Jim shared his new book A Soup Opera. In this photo, Jim is showing us how to sing the line "I can't eat the soup!" with feeling.

There are many more photos of the concerts, you can see them here.

Jim Gill in the Theater

It is just TOO HOT outside, so all of the Jim Gill concerts will now be held in the wonderfully air conditioned Main Library theater.

Tickets for Friday's 7pm performance will be distributed at 6pm at the Plaza (or east) entrance of the building.

Tickets will be available for Saturday's shows at 10am for the 11am performance and Noon for the 1pm performance in Children's Services.

Tickets for the Jim Gill concert

Due to the dangerously high temperatures today, the 2:00 concert with Jim Gill will be in the Theater of the Main Library. Tickets will be available beginning at 1:00 in the Children's Services department.



More family concerts with Jim Gill will be at 7:00 tonight and 11:00 am & 1:00 pm tomorrow. You won't want to miss this! Join us!

Barr Street Market

Every Saturday through September 25th, join us at Barr Street Market (at the corner of Wayne & Barr Streets) for a special craft activity between 9am and 1pm.

This week you can make a shady sun visor. There will be a new craft each week, so be sure to visit often.

Other events at the library this weekend:
Jim Gill in concert - Friday @ 2pm & 7pm, Saturday @ 11am & 1pm
Used Book Sale - Friday & Saturday 10am to 4pm
Kids' chess tournament registration is still open; click here for more information

Check this out! Jim Gill HERE Tomorrow!

Jim Gill will be at the main library, performing on the plaza for four shows:
Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

And again: Jim Gill Will Perform on the Plaza!

We cannot believe we get to host the wonderful, fun, amazing and captivating musician Jim Gill at the library! We keep pinching ourselves!! Honestly, this is a musician we dance to regularly in our story times ~ Silly Dance Contest anyone?
Click on the link above to watch Jim in action!

Jim Gill will be at the main library, performing on the plaza for four shows:

Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

Bubble-ology with Science Central!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles! Join us as we welcome the folks from Science Central who will be showing us some super-cool stuff about bubbles!

Bubble-ology in Children's Services at the Main Library:
Tuesday, July 20, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 22, 2:00 p.m.

For a complete schedule of Bubble-ology programs, click here.

We Repeat: Jim Gill Will Perform Live on the Plaza

If you haven't marked your calendar yet, do it NOW!

Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

Looking for something to do this afternoon?

Kids in grades 3 through 6 and their families are invited to join us as we explore some of the Lincoln materials found in the Allen County Public Library's Rare and Fine Book Collection. Materials in the unique collection may only be viewed by appointment. Here's your opportunity to find out more about the Lincoln materials the Library keeps behind locked doors! No registration required.

Meet us in the Children's Services department this afternoon at 2:00.

We'll see you then!

Suddenly Stories on Saturday

This Saturday, join our volunteers for songs, stories and crafts.

East Asian Folktales @ 11 a.m.
Fun with Food! @ 2 p.m.

Visit us at Barr Street Market Today

If you visit the Barr Street Market today, please make sure to stop by the Allen County Public Library's booth. We are there every week and always have a new and exciting craft for the kids to do ~ and like everything at the library, it is always free!!
The Barr Street Market is a lovely downtown event that happens every summer! There are food and non-food vendors and wonderful acoustic entertainment.
We hope to see you there!

Project WET!

Don't miss this super-fun event! Learn about WATER -- what it is, why it's important, and how to conserve it. We'll have tons of fun and we'll learn to appreciate the water that's all around us. See the complete schedule of Project WET events here -- each location will have different activities, so plan on attending as many as possible!

Project WET at Main Library:
Tuesday, July 13th, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 15th, 2:00 p.m.

Don't Miss Magic Guy Greg Today!!

Magic Guy Greg is back today at 2:00 pm at the Main Library!
Do not miss this opportunity to see magic performed by this very talented and funny magician!

Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a fun activity for the whole family. Start a letterboxing journal and collect stamps from letterboxes hidden around the world!

There is now a letterbox hidden somewhere in the downtown library. For more information check out Letterboxing North America.

Photos from Olivia's Visit to the Library

As you can see, we had a marvelous time with that one-of-a-kind pig, Olivia! To see more photos, click here.

Chalk Art!

Come on downtown tonight at 7:00 to help decorate the Library Plaza with chalk. What will your imagination lead you to draw?

Can't make it tonight? We'll be offering the Chalk Art program again this Thursday at 2:00 pm. It will also be offered at many of our branch libraries. You can find a whole list here.

And while you're at the Library, don't forget to sign up for the Summer Reading Program!

Lifetime Sports Academy

The Lifetime Sports Academy is open to boys and girls ages 8-18 and offers free group lessons in the lifetime sports of golf, tennis and swimming. The program begins June 14 in McMillen Park and operates Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Group lessons in golf, tennis and swimming will focus on skill development, training, and participation and will be taught by certified coaches and highly trained professionals and volunteers. The Lifetime Sports Academy is funded by the Fort Wayne Sports Corporation and the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department and is offered to area youth FREE of charge.

Pre-register on-line through May 31, on Opening Day, or at the McMillen Park Pavilion at any time during the program. A Lifetime Sports Academy brochure with schedules, registration form and detailed information is available on-line or by calling 427-6000. Beginning June 14, you may call the Academy at 427-6760 or stop by the pavilion in McMillen Park.

The caterpillars are here!

We are so excited to present our annual butterfly program. This is a program that begins today with the arrival of our furry friends, the caterpillars and ends with the release of butterflies on June 28th. There are changes that happen everyday in the "butterfly bungalow" located in the Children's Services department and you won't want to miss a thing. The caterpillars are busy eating and preparing for their metamorphoses! We invite everyone to stop by and spend some time watching nature at it's best.

Turtles & Snakes, Oh My!

Natalie, a naturalist from Fox Island visited the library on Saturday with her reptilian friends. The kids enjoyed meeting the turtles and trying on snakeskin. Check out more photos here.