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Category Archives: Celebrations & holidays
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and other new Christmas books!
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party – Christmas Crafts, Recipes, Activties by Brandy and Matt Shay
A Very Vintage Christmas – Holiday collecting, decorating and celebrating by Bob Richter
One Hundred Little Christmas Gifts to Make 
Check with us for more suggestions!
Filed under Books, Celebrations & holidays, New Books, Non-fiction
Labor Day 1915
Caption reads: “A Typical American Working Man’s Family going to a Labor Day Picnic” in 1915
According to the Tacoma Times one hundred years ago, there were active celebrations of Labor Day even amidst the WWI news.
For the complete article, click the image from: “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers from the Library of Congress”
But The Journal (of Burlington) in 1915 reported bank stockholder meetings and County fair activities but had no references to Labor Day as a holiday or event.
For more background on labor history here are few books
The fight in the fields : Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers movement by Susan Ferriss and Ricardo Sandoval
The working poor : invisible in America by David K. Shipler.
Sweat and blood : a history of U.S. labor unions by Gloria Skurzynski.
Company towns of the Pacific Northwest by Linda Carlson.
Harvest Wobblies : the Industrial Workers of the World and agricultural laborers in the American West, 1905-1930 by Greg Hall.
For more info on your homework and history research, contact us.
–Karen
Filed under Books, Celebrations & holidays, History, Research & Homework
History of Father’s Day
Library of Congress Collections of photographs and history about Father’s Day
The History of Father’s Day from Library of Congress collections includes photographs, posters and other historical memories to remind us to honor our fathers.
Historical Photographs remind us of our childhood – share the reverie with your fathers!
And last but not least – books about Fathers :
Daddy makes the best spaghetti by Anna Grossnickle Hines. (Kids)
The impossible knife of memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Teen)
To kill a mockingbird by Lee, Harper.
The bartender’s tale by Ivan Doig. (Adult)
Owen’s daughter : a novel by Jo-Ann Mapson. (Adult)
The Great Santini by Conroy, Pat.
Ask us for more!
Filed under Celebrations & holidays, History
Memorial Day from the history books
Memorial Day 2015 – Green Hills Memorial Cemetery, Burlington WA
Beginning as Decoration Day soon after the Civil War, Memorial Day is in May because of the abundance of flowers in bloom for decorating graves of soldiers. It became a federal holiday to be observed the last Monday in May in 1971. This year’s amazing sunshine bringing us an abundance of healthy fresh bouquets to once again take time to remember those who gave their lives. For some additional history including references to the first news accounts of such observances, see the article in one of our online reference books.
Filed under Celebrations & holidays
Music Fit for a Valentine
Valentine’s Day is just two days away – are you still in need of the perfect soundtrack? Look no further than today’s post on the Library of Congress blog, Now See Hear!, for one of the sweetest and most popular love songs ever written.
Filed under Celebrations & holidays, Music
Open your eyes this women’s history month
Every time I read a biography of a doctor, missionary, or political activist I admire, I am reminded of how much we take for granted in our privileged culture here in the United States. “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban in October 2012, was a terrifying and eye-opening story. In this book, Malala details her life, the surrounding politics, and developing activism for women’s educational rights.
Our library carries her autobiography in print and audio CD, as well as a new ebook biography by Rebecca Rowell.
Malala Yousafzai is not the only woman who has fought for women’s rights worldwide. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, why don’t you check out one of these books about women whose activism has made a difference in the world?
| Diebel, Linda. Betrayed: The Assassination of Digna Ochoa. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 2006. 92 OCHOA Diebel |  |
| Hawa Abdi, and Sarah J. Robbins. Keeping Hope Alive: One Woman: 90,000 Lives Changed. New York, NY: Grand Central Pub, 2013. 323.092 HAWA 2013 |  |
| Kallen, Stuart A. Rigoberta Menchú, Indian Rights Activist. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books, 2007. J 92 MENCHU Kallen |  |
| Lloyd, Rachel. Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011. TEEN 362.88 LLOYD 2012 |  |
| Maathai, Wangari. Unbowed: A Memoir. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. 92 MAATHAI |  |
~Karen
Filed under Books, Celebrations & holidays, History
The holidays are close at hand
The end of 2013 is coming up (can you believe it?), so the library will be closed for a few upcoming holidays:
- Tuesday, December 24
- Wednesday, December 25
- Wednesday, January 1
We’re also closing early on New Year’s Eve; the library will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31.
Before the year ends, make sure to get a chance to cuddle up with your favorite book beside the library’s fireplace. It has to be one of the coziest things to do in Burlington during these cold winter days!
-Jane
Filed under Celebrations & holidays
Celebrating Labor Day across the state
Labor Day is coming up (next Monday!), so I thought I’d search the historical photographs in Washington Rural Heritage for some Labor Day celebrations. I found some interesting photos — all from Labor Day celebrations on the other side of the Cascades — and thought all you blog followers might want to take a look too.
Here’s a picture of “future miners for coal power” in Roslyn (near Cle Elum), on a Labor Day parade float in the 1950s:
And a picture from the Ellensburg Labor Day rodeo in the 1920s:
There are many more fascinating photographs on the Washington Rural Heritage site, including almost 700 from Skagit County.
So, blog followers, what are you doing to celebrate Labor Day? Let us know! We will be closed on Labor Day itself, but will be open again on Tuesday, September 3rd, and would love to hear what you did with your long weekend.
-Jane
Filed under Celebrations & holidays, History
Declaration of Independence books at the library
The library will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd, and we will be closed for Independence Day on Thursday, July 4th. Before we close up, though, how about stopping by the library to stock up on books about the history of this holiday?
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Fradin, D. B. (2002). The signers : the fifty-six stories behind the Declaration of Independence. M. McCurdy (Ill.). New York, NY: Walker.This is a really neat book — equally informative and engaging for children and adults. It provides a profile for each man who signed the Declaration of Independence, giving the reader background on their life and politics. Each profile is short and easy to read, and each is also accompanied by one of Michael McCurdy’s fabulous woodcuts. The book also gives information about the colonies represented by the 56 signers, and the full text of the Declaration. We also have The Founders, written and illustrated by the same team, which profiles the men who signed the Constitution. |
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Carey, C. W. (Ed.). (2005). The American Revolution. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press.What arguments were made for No Taxation without Representation? What arguments were made against it? Was the Revolutionary War inevitable, or could it have been prevented? What was it like being a Patriot during the Revolutionary War? What was it like to be a Loyalist? A civilian? This book from the Opposing Viewpoints series mixes together primary documents from the 18th century and modern-day opinions to show the reader every imaginable point of view about the American Revolution. |
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Sheinkin, S. (2008). King George : what was his problem? : everything your schoolbooks didn’t tell you about the American Revolution. T. Robinson (Ill.). New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.A fun take on the American Revolution, with tons of little-known facts. According to Booklist, “vivid storytelling makes this an unusually readable history book.” The Library of Congress has a short selection from this book on their Web site. |
Want to take a look at the Declaration of Independence itself? The National Archives has an original copy of the Declaration of Independence online, and the Library of Congress has one of Thomas Jefferson’s drafts of the Declaration on their Web site.
-Jane
Filed under Books, Celebrations & holidays, History