Decatur Library Gets a New Roof

Decatur, GA: The Decatur Library gets a much needed new roof.

Meet Author of "The House That Ruth Built" at The Decatur Library Monday Night 7:15 pm

Decatur Library
215 Sycamore St.
Decatur, GA.
404-370-3070

Decatur High football reunion recalls different time

Photo shows Decatur High School Football field( circa 1940's or 50's) from Ga State Library collection.
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by Bill Banks

For the AJC

Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, a dozen or so members of Decatur High’s remarkable 1949 and 1950 football teams, along with a team manager and a couple of cheerleaders, will gather at their old stomping grounds, possibly for the last time.

Now in their late 70s, once again they will shake loose the cobwebs of distant, and for some, rapidly dimming memories of those back-to-back state championships. More than that however, as they line the field before Decatur’s game against Lovett, they will offer a tangible link to an era that has almost vanished.

“We played in leather helmets, no face mask,” said Bob Reed, a starting guard on the 1950 team. “My senior year we got black plastic helmets, and we were uptown. But they still slid all over your head. After a game, you knew you didn’t do a good job without having scrapes all over your cheekbones.”

It was a time of obsessive segregation, where not only Decatur and all opponents were white, but Decatur High itself had separate buildings for boys and girls. Back then the city closed shop on Friday nights, except for a clothier named Ted Levy, who gave the star of the game a free sweater.

“I had mine for years,” Reed said. “Made of wool, but it wore like iron.”

Decatur went 25-0 in 1949-50, but that was merely the golden harvest of an extremely fertile period. From 1943-53 the Bulldogs went 103-11-6 and never lost more than three games in a season. No one can explain what was in the city’s water back then to reap such a luxurious crop.

ajc full story

The Fonz (Henry Winkler) and Lin Oliver Coming The Decatur Library March 16

 From: http://dekalblibrary.org
In coordination with Little Shop of Stories, the Georgia Center for the Book welcomes award-winning author, actor and director Henry Winkler and his writing partner Lin Oliver. They will discuss Here's Hank: You Can't Drink Meatballs Through a Straw, the seventh book in their Here's Hank series. Mr. Winkler will not sign any memorobilia; and due to the expected large crowd size, the number of books you may have signed may be limited.
Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2016, 7:00 PM—9:00 PM
Location: Decatur Library
Event Type: Author Talks
Series: Georgia Center for the Book's Festival of Writers
Age Group: Family (All Ages)

The Very Popular Pete the Cat Returns

--
James Dean

From : http://www.crossroadsnews.com
Pete the Cat is back, and his creators – author Eric Litwin and artist James Dean – will be talking up his latest adventure on June 18 at the Decatur Library.

Their new book, “Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes,” will be on bookshelves in July. It comes on the heels of their first tome, “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes,” which was published last year to rave reviews and made it to the New York Times Best Sellers List.

They will be in the Decatur Library Auditorium at 10 a.m.

Read more: CrossRoadsNews - Popular Pete the Cat returns

Decatur Library Oct. Events

From Decatur Patch

October Festival of Writers

 Friday, October 5
Jasper Fforde. International bestselling author Jasper Fforde makes his first visit to the Center for the Book with a literary thriller that just might be his best book yet: The Woman Who Died a Lot: A Thursday Next Novel. Fforde’s Thursday Next books, in the author’s words, “are a series based upon the notion that what we read in books is just a small part of a larger Book World that exists behind the page.” His books skillfully and playfully combine doses of reality with plenty of fantasy and sci-fi, and they have sold millions of copies all around the world. His event is free; no reservations required. The doors to the church will open at 6:00 p.m. for early seating. 7:00 p.m. First Baptist Church Decatur, 308 Clairemont Avenue Decatur, GA 30030.
read more to see other events

Glennwood School in Decatur, GA. circa 1930's

These are remarkable pictures of Glennwood School in Decatur, GA. in the 1930's . These are right out of my Moms scrapbook, also are her class pictures, arrow marks her.
Looking at these pictures you can see how the kids dressed for that time.
Look at that ivy growing on the school.

Glennwood is the oldest school in the City of Decatur and one of the four oldest in DeKalb County still in operation today. It opened in 1913 on property the city acquired from the heirs of Thomas Glenn. The site was on the outskirts of town, bordering an area known as "Glenn's Woods" (now Glennwood Estates). In the school's first years, older boys were given a choice of attending study hall or helping to clear brush as men felled trees on what was to become the playfield. From 1913 to 1915 the building served as Decatur's high school. In 1915 Glennwood, with an enrollment of 250 students, became Decatur's only elementary school, serving grades one through seven. The Glennwood PTA was founded that same year.

During Glennwood's first decades, students and teachers either walked or rode the trolley, which turned around at the end of its line across the street from the school. As times changed and parents began driving their children to school in the 1950s, a semicircular driveway was installed to ease traffic along Ponce De Leon Avenue. The school's library was established in the mid-1940s. In 1949 a new wing, housing more classrooms and an auditorium, was added on the west end of the building. The school got its first intercom system in 1951 - a novelty that thrilled students and teachers alike. In 1961, after raising money through suppers at the school, the PTA funded the addition of a playground blacktop.

Books, Bags, Bollywood, Baubles, Bangles ... @ Mingei World Arts

New Reading Figures from La Union!

La Union Library project featured in AJC article!

Yes-- we have new reading figures, but they are going fast!

The Atlanta Journal Constitution featured the story of our reading figures and La Union on Monday, August 31, and the reposnse has been tremendous.

Read the article here. These carvings of animals, mermaids and angels with books that benefit the library we helped open last summer in one of our favorite artisan villages are leaving almost as quickly as we can unpack them-- but never fear! Ellen and Ann are headed back to Mexico on September 18 for more. And remember-- you can order readers especially for you. Want to give Uncle Whit a donkey reading a detective novel? Does your sister need a cat reading Jane Austen? We can do that. Please let us know your deepest desires and we'll see what we can do for you. Or-- watch your email to learn when the newest figures are available.
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Decatur Banner Bags are here!

In early August, the Decatur City Commission voted to donate their used festival banners to another Mingei project-- banner bags! These eco-friendly totes are made from banners that have flown over Decatur during the Olympics, the Millenium celebrations and more. Maria Cristina Giraldo Echeverria (pictured with the bags above), a refugee from Colombia resettled by the International Rescue Committee with a great talent for sewing and design, works her magic to transform the banners. She just brought in a stack of these one-of-a-kind totes. Come on in and see! $35 each

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Remember
Night Life of Trees?

The most popular book we have ever carried, the fabulous hand-made Night Life of Trees
featuring Gond tribal artists from India,
looks to be on its way back to us by October! We have a list of people waiting for copies, and if you'd like to be added to the list, please let us know so we can order accordingly!
In the meantime, we have two other wonderful titles by Tara Books in India, I Like Cats and The Flight of the Mermaid. They are certainly worth a look while you are waiting !
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Bollywood posters are back

Orginal, vintage posters from Bollywood are back at Mingei.
We have a great collection from our spring buying trip to India.

$40 each

Come see us soon--
and remember to let us know any special requests for Mexico!
Mingei will be open while we are shopping in Mexico, September 18- 29.

Ellen and Ann
Mingei World Arts
427 Church Street
Decatur, Georgia 30030

Decatur High School's Original Design from 1964

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- After reading reports of a new front design plan for Decatur High School over at decatur metro.

I found the original design of  Decatur High School from  circa 1964. top photo(click to enlarge).
The round library looks a little different in the original design it looks lower to the ground.
Maybe they could still design some sort of around building like in this original design.
Bottom photo is a favorite of mine,
showing the design of today.

The Teen Advisory Board presents Zombie Night

From: dekalblibrary.org --

		The Teen Advisory Board presents Zombie Night at The Decatur Library
Date: Friday, June 22 2012, 6:00 pm—9:00 pm Location: Decatur Event Type: Fun Activities Series: Own the Night Age Group: Teen (Ages 13—17 years) Dress up as the "Walking Dead" and join us for a night of games, movies, and terror.

Earth Day Festival Sunday April 17th at Oakhurst Garden

Photo is one of many on display at The Decatur Library
This one is by 6 grader Nealie Glasser
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From beactivedecatur.wordpress.com

Join us for the 41st anniversary of Earth Day and a great chance for members of the community to come together and participate at the city’s OFFICIAL Earth Day Party!

The event is absolutely FREE!

Location: Oakhurst Garden, 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030
Time: 1-4 p.m.

Parade: Come as you are. Dress up your bike. No cars please. Or watch from the sides. Line up starts at noon in downtown Oakhurst. If you are walking in the parade, join the group from noon-12:30 p.m. to claim your spot. Parade begins at 12:30 p.m. in Harmony Park (East Lake Drive/Oakview Road) and walks down Oakview Road to the Oakhurst Community Garden Project.

Kids Crafts: More than 15 crafts will be offered to the kids.

Vendors and Raptors!: More than 25 businesses and non-profits will be on hand. Learn about a new organization or purchase a plant!

Music on the Mainstage:
2-2:45pm Hill Roberts
3-3:34pm Nancy Kaye

Food Vendors: Popsicles, coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, and more yummy food.

“East of Eden,” Screening at Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library April 13

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From : http://www.crossroadsnews.com
“East of Eden,” the romantic drama starring James Dean, will be screened April 13 at the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library in Decatur.

The 2-hour, 35-minute film, which was released in 1955, is being screened as part of the DeKalb Library’s mix of new releases and old favorites series.

The film is about a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Able.

The screening begins at 1:30 p.m.

Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library is at 1282 McConnell Drive.

For more information, call 404-679-4404.

Bluegrass Event to help DeKalb Libraries

 From: AJC

By April Hunt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The DeKalb Library Foundation will host an evening of bluegrass music and books later this year as a fundraiser for the county’s 22 branches.
The event runs from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. March 9 at the Decatur library and features mystery authors Joshilyn Jackson and Karen White in a reception, book signing and silent auction. The bluegrass band Dappled Grays will headline the event.
Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door. All proceeds benefit the county’s libraries.
More information: 404-370-8450 x. 2238 or www.dekalblibrary.org/foundation.

Toco Hill library’s green remodeling series March 23rd

The last seminar in the Toco Hill library’s green remodeling series

Creating a Healthy Home: Tuesday, March 23rd @ 6:30PM @ the Toco Hill Avis Williams library in Decatur. Learn how to improve the indoor air quality of your home and protect your family from indoor pollutants like gases, chemicals, radon, and carbon monoxide. Presented by Joe Thomas and Steve Herzlieb, Home Performance Consultants. More info can be found at http://renewalsystemsolutions.com/whatsnew.php.

Have a good one,

Kelly Cheek

Marketing Manager
Renewal Design-Build

t. 404-378-6962
f. 404-378-6963

124 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur, GA 30030

Kelly@RenewalDesignBuild.com

http://www.RenewalDesignBuild.com

2014 Fall Book Preview at The Decatur Library Wed. Aug 27

From: www.dekalblibrary.org
2014 Fall Book Preview
Date:     Wednesday, August 27 2014, 7:15 pm—9:00 pm
 Back by popular demand is one of our most exciting programs for the end of summer. Representatives from America’s biggest publishers will return to the library to talk about exciting new books that will be published this fall. It’s your unique opportunity to get an advance look at notable upcoming book titles in the fields of biography, fiction, history, young adult, mystery, fantasy and more! Meet and chat with the representatives, and find out what books you’ll need to watch for during the busiest time of the year for new book releases. Doors for the special program will open at 6:30, and of course, it’s free!

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin Encourages Young Adults to Engage in Politics

DECATUR,GA. May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Noting the similarities between 1968, the year Shirley Franklin graduated from college and today, Atlanta's first woman mayor called on Agnes Scott College graduates to get involved in the political process to effect social change.

Franklin earned her degree in sociology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1968. In that year and now, wars raged in distant places, presidential candidates of markedly different political and demographic stripes were vying for nomination, and young people seemed key to the nation's political and social future, she said.

The mayor quoted anthropologist Margaret Mead to sharpen the focus of her message to the graduating class of this liberal arts college for women observing its 119th commencement: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

"If there was ever a time in American history that epitomizes young people leading our nation it was the 1960s," Franklin said. "History confirms that students, young people, men and women, stood up and spoke up for women, for African-Americans, for peace for freedom of speech."

She noted that this year a similar phenomenon is occurring. "More than 5.7 million voters younger than 30 have participated in the political primary so far this season -- a 109 percent increase from the 2004 presidential campaign," Franklin said.

Franklin was one of two women recognized by Agnes Scott today for their public service and activism. Agnes Scott College President Elizabeth Kiss awarded honorary doctorate of law degrees to Franklin, and to Elizabeth Wilson, who 25 years ago became the first African-American elected to the Decatur, Ga. city commission. And 10 years later she became the city's first African American mayor.

By simply walking into the Decatur branch of the DeKalb County Public Library in 1960s and asking for a public library card, Wilson initiated the movement that would ultimately desegregate most public institutions in that county. As the first woman mayor of Atlanta, Franklin has built a record of achievement in her two terms unrivaled by the men who preceded her, Kiss said.

"Mayor Franklin talked about how every generation faces the challenge of leadership. Each of these women, both representing two different generations of leadership, stood up for the challenge," Kiss said.

Agnes Scott College

As Seen at The Decatur Library

Angela Easterling Free Show at The Decatur Library

click on image for more info. on Angela Easterling

The Last Staycation Sunday in 2009!

Last Staycation Sunday on Church.
First chance to see many new things!


Sunday, August 9
1-4pm
The last Staycation Sunday in 2009!

Come on over to Church Street this next Sunday to Get Local. Each of the seven participating businesses on the block will be featuring local suppliers, offering samples and special sales, and door prizes at the end of the day!

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Detail of an old Indian trunk.
And, yes, if you haven't seen the new arrivals from India-- get on in here!

What's happening on the street?

Leon's Full Service: instant portraits drawn for $40
Taste: demo and samples of loose leaf organic teas
Hoopla: shoe trunk show with Pedipeds
Seen Gallery: a variety of visiting artists
Javamonkey: refreshing granita and yummy cookie samples

And a special treat! Welcome The Yogurt Tap! Right next door to Mingei, the Yogurt Tap opens this weekend, offering organic, local yogurt with a variety of toppings for 39 cents an ounce! FREE SAMPLES on Sunday!

Who will Mingei be featuring?

sara beads yellowsara beads

Sararabrazil
Sara Brandon, anthropology prof, jewelry designer and importer will be showing off her gorgeous, earthy Brazilian designs. And she's clearing out old stock and putting it on sale! Sara's work has quite a following at our store. Here's a chance to come and meet her!

denise wood

Denise DiSharoon
Denise's jewelry is inspired by organic forms found throughout the natural world and by the most basic, elemental shapes. The pieces pictured above are made from recycled sterling silver and walnut from a naturally felled tree in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood. She'll also be showing her lotus designs, which were a big hit at Mingei last November.
Treasures from the Sea

Daryn KaganThere can be no more unique gift. We have just received these antique celadon rice bowls, recovered last year from the wreckage of a Chinese junk that went down in 1850 off the coast of Vietnam. These bowls, used as ballast in the ship, were recovered just last year. They are not food safe, but they sure are gorgeous!

Bags to carry the end of summer with you
rivierabagdetail
These beautiful cotton bags, made by a woman's co-op in South India, are woven in an assortment of colored stripes and made into a variety of sizes, from totes to coin purses. These are the perfect bags to tote to the pool, the beach, the market, the library, or work! They are in a heap right inside our front door, so come on in and dig in!

In the News

Are you flying Airtran this month? We are mentioned in the flight magazine!

Check here online to read an article about finding global goods in metro Atlanta.

Mingei Book Club
Tuesday , August 11, 7:30pm

Unbowed

This month, we are reading Unbowed, by Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner

What's next? Books available at Mingei

September: Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner
October : Bury Me Standing, by Isabel Fonseca, the story of the Romany people, known as gypsies
November: Red Azalea, by Anchee Min, a Cultural Revolution memoir from China

And mark your calendars for the Decatur Book Festival, Labor Day weekend!
Visit their website to make your plans!

Looking forward to your visit in August!



Sincerely,

Ellen and Ann
Mingei World Arts
427 Church Street
Decatur, Georgia 30030

Be Sure to Visit Mingei World Arts at The Decatur Book Festival in Booth #527

Labor Day means....

The Decatur Book Festival! Come visit Mingei in Booth #527,  near the corner of   Ponce de Leon and Church  Street Fair Hours? Saturday, August 30, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 31, noon to 6:00 p.m.

Look for the Spiral logo below to find our booth!

We will be featuring: books, bargain books from Mingei Book Club selections,  hand-made journals, bags and baskets for toting your books, miscellaneous small treasures, and  hand-carved Mexican reading figures which help support a library in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico

Our next opening on New Street: Saturday, September 20, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday, September 21, 12- 5:00 p.m. Want to shop online? Vintage items in our Etsy Shop. Now featuring an assortment of Day of the Dead and Mexican craft on our website. Hope to see you soon!