A Cold Summer?

The temperatures are dropping and once again we are feeling the cold of winter.  During the deepest part of winter we can always have hope that warmer temperatures and summer are just around the corner.  This was not the case in 1816, which was called the year without a summer, the coldest summer on record.  In May, Indiana had snow or sleet on 17 days.  In June, there was snow, and livestock froze to death.  A farmer, leaving home June 17, joked that he might get lost in a snowstorm; he did, and was found with both feet frozen.  Similar weather afflicted the rest of the nation, too, with ponds and rivers freezing every month.  Hopefully this summer will not be as extreme as the summer of 1816!

- From the Grant County Historical Society

Healthy Indicators

Happy New Year! Each year millions of Americans make resolutions: lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more, spend time with family. These are admirable goals/resolutions, but they can be a difficult to stick to. INdicators is a free data resource that will inform and empower Hoosiers to take charge of their health. Indiana INdicators includes health-related gauges to help track healthy habits all across Indiana. Hoosiers can select their county or view other counties to see how their communities rate overall. This county snapshot includes information such as health indices, access to healthcare services, exercise, nutrition & weight, and other health-related issues and concerns. Information is a vital part in becoming a healthier Hoosier!

Veterans Day

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has several educational resources online to help celebrate Veterans Day, including teachers resources, photo galleries, the Veterans History Project, outreach opportunities and more.

New Book Update

Don't forget to check out the latest new books and movies at . . .

http://pinterest.com/vbpl/

Pinterest Update

Don't forget to follow us and keep up to date with our newest books and movies at . . . 

http://pinterest.com/vbpl/

It's that time of the year again - for football, cooler weather, and beautiful autumn leaves. It's fall in Indiana! Indiana's Department of Tourism's website has many resources to help you enjoy this season. Hoosiers can pick a variety of Fall Excursions, from the beautiful, historic Brown County to venturing Tombstone Trails in Kendallville. There are a wide variety of activities for varying budgets and family sizes. Summer's over, but you can still visit farmers markets, u-picks, and orchards around the state. If you need suggestions, check out Indiana's Fall Favorites. Find out who has the best Indiana pie, where to go for the best fall foliage, and top fall outdoor activities this year. Finally, if you can't get away to experience the beauty of an Indiana fall, check out the fall color blog and experience fall from your desktop.

New Arrivals Update

Be sure to check out our Pinterest page.  We have all our new stuff listed.  You will be able to get a sneak peek at the latest books with reviews, summaries, and more!

http://pinterest.com/vbpl

Columbus Day

Columbus Day is celebrated in October to commemorate Christopher Columbus's landing in the New World (at San Salvador Island in the Bahamas) on October 12. The October 12 page of American Memory’s Today in History website provides historical references to Columbus Day and its meaning:  During the morning of October 12, 1492, a sailor on board the Pinta saw land. The following day, 90 crewmembers of Columbus’s fleet surveyed what was an island in the Bahamas and named it San Salvador (now Watling Island, then called Guanahani by native Bahamians). This ended a voyage that began nearly ten weeks earlier in Palos, Spain. 

The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the United States took place on October 12, 1792.  The day was organized by the Society of St. Tammany, also known as the Columbian Order. It commemorated the 300th anniversary of the landing of Columbus and his crew. The 400th anniversary of the event inspired the first official Columbus Day holiday in the United States. President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation in 1892, “recommending to the people the observance in all their localities of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America” and describing Columbus as “the pioneer of progress and enlightenment.”

In the decades that followed, the Knights of Columbus, an international Roman Catholic fraternal benefit society, lobbied state legislatures to declare October 12 a legal holiday. Colorado was the first state to do so on April 1, 1907. New York declared Columbus Day a holiday in 1909 and on October 12, 1909, New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes led a parade that included the crews of two Italian ships, several Italian-American societies, and legions of the Knights of Columbus.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated Columbus Day (then celebrated October 12) a national holiday in 1934. Since 1971, when Columbus Day was designated the second Monday in October, the day has been celebrated as a federal holiday. In many locations across the country Americans hold parades to commemorate the day. You can find additional resources using the answers.USA.gov webpage about Columbus Day.

New to the Shelves - Pinterest

We have decided to give our patrons a little more information on our new books each week.  Please visit our Pinterest site and you will be able to find our most recent arrivals listed.  You will see the front covers of all our items with the option to read a summary and read reviews from goodreads.com.  There is also an Evergreen catalog link you can use to place the item on hold if you like!  Follow the link below . . .

http://pinterest.com/vbpl/

Disaster Preparedness

September has been proclaimed Preparedness Month by Governor Daniels. In order to keep you, your family, and loved ones safe, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security has activities to promote and support emergency preparedness. More than 3000 public and private organizations at national, regional, and local levels support emergency preparedness efforts. Indiana residents are encouraged to participate. You can join emergency preparedness efforts by doing four things:

Get a kit: Would you and your family survive after a major disaster without access to transportation or major utilities?  What will you eat or drink?  Do you have enough medicine, baby formula, and other items to last three days or more?  

Make a plan: Do you and your family members all know now to escape if your home catches fire, or where to go if a tornado threatens your area?  How will you communicate and where will your family reunite if you’re separated during an emergency?  What you will do if your child’s school or daycare facility closes? If you evacuate during a flash flood or other disaster, do you know the best routes? 

Be Informed: Is your home or office located in a flood plain or are you downstream from a major dam?  Will you know if a severe thunderstorm is headed your way in the middle of the night? 

Get Involved: Once you and your family are prepared for emergency situations, go out and teach someone about preparedness. Schools and businesses should include emergency plans into employee handbooks and standard curriculums. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s website has resources and plans for various groups, such as children, senior citizens/elderly, people with disabilities and functional needs, pets.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has a Get Prepared page that provides various plans for dangers Hoosier families face.  Remember to make a plan and make sure your family, friends, and neighbors have one as well!

New to the Shelves

We have a large list this week of new materials . . . come in and take a look!

Adult Non-Fiction:

No Easy Day (Biography of a Navy SEAL) – Mark Owen

Change Your Words Change Your Life – Joyce Meyer

Three Simple Steps (A Map to Success in Business and Life) – Trevor Blake

Grace – Max Lucado

Ripley’s Believe it or Not

Adult Fiction:

Delusion in Death – JD Robb

A Wanted Man – Lee Child

Frozen Heat – Richard Castle

Black Dhalia and White Rose – Joyce Carol Oates

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk – Ben Fountain

The Dark Rose – Erin Kelly

Fool Me Twice – Robert Parker

The Poison Tree – Erin Kelly

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers

The Light Between Oceans – M.L. Stedman

NW – Zadie Smith

Real Player One – Ernest Cline

The Vanishers – Heidi Julavits

An Apple for Creature – Charlaine Harris

Adult Christian Fiction:

Found – Shelly Shephard Gray

The Bridesmaid – Beverly Lewis

Prayers of a Stranger – Davis Bunn

Teens:

Naruto Volume 58

Carnival of Souls – Melissa Marr

Accomplice – Eireann Corrigan

Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo

Grave Mercy – Robin LaFevers

Starters – Lissa Price

The 11^th Plague – Jeff Hirsch

Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein

Kids:

Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril – Jarrett Krosczka

The Case of the Deadly Desperado – Caroline Lawrence

The Great Unexpected – Sharon Creech

The Hero’s Guide to Saving the Kingdom – Christopher Kelly

Wonder – R.J. Palocio

The One and Only Ivan – Katherine Applegate

It’s Christmas, David – David Shannon

Pluto Visits Earth – Steve Metzger

One Drowsy Dragon – Ethan Long

Tony Baloney – Pam Munoz Ryan

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site – Sherry Rinker

Knut (How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World) – Gerald Uhlich

How do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? – Jane Yolen

Science Experiments Series

Movies:

Girl in Progress

The Office Season Eight

Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13)

LOL (PG-13)

Spongebob Squarepants Ghouls Fools

The Vampire Diaries Season Three

Shrek’s Thrilling Tales