Jingle Bell Rock Band!

Brief announcement: we will be having a Rock Band 2 video game tournament on December 7. We're calling it "Jingle Bell Rock" because that name is just a tiny bit funny.



Sign ups will start soon, but you'll need to have a full "band" (4 people) to compete. This will be an all ages contest, so you'll be competing against little kids, college students, mom and dad, Grampa Frankie, the whole crew. It's also a costume contest, and there will be prizes for the best "rock star" or holiday themed outfits too (Best Dressed Band and Best Individual Costume).

We'll be giving away gift cards to Gamestop and Lou's Records to the winners, and there will also be free pizza. Should be lots of goofy fun.

Teen Events for November

Pizzamania Book Club
Thursday, November 12
3:30pm
Eat some pizza and chat about great books! Sign up and check out a copy of the current book at the reference desk.

Nerdfighters Gathering
Sunday, November 15
6-8pm
Hank Green is a singer, videoblogger, half of Brotherhood 2.0, and co-founder of the Nerdfighters. What are "Nerdfighters"? I found a good quote about it over at their website:

"Nerdfighters are about raising money and awareness for important causes. Nerdfighters are about building a supportive community of friends. Nerdfighters are about stupid beautiful projects and making each other laugh and think with t-shirts and pocket protectors and rants about the situation in Pakistan which sucks right now. In the contemporary world where things fall apart and the center can not hold you have to imagine a community where there is no center... A lot of life is about doing things that don’t suck with people who don’t suck."

Anyhow, it should end up being an event with lots of folks looking to save the world and have a good time together. Hank will give a talk, perform some songs, and then all the current and future Nerdfighters will have a chance to meet and laugh and scheme. Come on down, should be a fun evening.

Other Events You Might Like

Movie Screening: "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Tuesday, November 3
5:45pm
Screening of a new, award-winning romantic comedy by local filmmaker Pam e Ross.

Encinitas Concerts at the Library: Veronica May and the To-Do List
Wednesday, November 4
5:30pm
A "scratch-and-slap" acoustic guitar virtuoso with heartfelt songs and a killer voice. Part of a new monthly acoustic concert series at the library.

Hutchins Consort Family Concert Series: Jazz in the Mornin'
Saturday, November 14
10am
Eight violinists will spend the morning playing jazz classics from Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Lily Coffee and Fred Charlton.

Edible Book Festival
Saturday, November 21
2pm
Contest of edible art, on the theme of books. Make Harry Potter out of marshmallows, make a witty sculpture of The Grapes of Wrath, whip up some Green Eggs and Ham, or make up your own idea that isn't as dumb as these ones I made up. Prizes awarded by age group: 6 and under, 7-12, teen, and adult.

Next Month

JINGLE BELL ROCK: ALL AGES ROCK BAND VIDEO GAME TOURNAMENT

Teen Events for October

Game On
Monday, October 5
3:45-5pm
Free video games, snacks, and prizes. Rock Band 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart, Wii Sports, and more.

Pizzamania Book Club
Thursday, October 8
3:30pm
Eat some pizza and talk about some great books. This month's book is A Samurai Never Fears Death by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. Pick up a copy at the reference desk.

Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skull Workshop
Wednesday, October 21
3:30pm
Sugar skulls are a traditional and favored offering for Day of the Dead. Design and decorate your own sugar skull. You must register in advance for this program, call or visit the reference desk to sign up.

Other Programs You Might Like

Adrienne Nims & Sheldon Rosenbaum
Sunday, October 4
2pm
Free concert of jazz, latin and classical music on piano and flute. More info here, and hear some music samples here.

Encinitas Concerts at the Library: Mary Grasso
Wednesday, October 7
5:30-8pm
First event of a new monthly concert series at the library. Local folk-rock singer and guitarist Mary Grasso performs a set. Free. More info and music at MySpace.com/marygrasso.

Hutchins Consort Family Concert Series
Saturday, October 10
10am
Free classical concert by this string octet. More info and music samples at MySpace.com/hutchinsconsort

Page One Book Festival
October 16-18
Three day book festival featuring accomplished authors discussing their work, interesting panel discussions about styles and genres, and book signings. There will be Page One events at four different SDCL branches across San Diego. Encinitas will host many of these events, including humorist Richard Lederer, mystery author Jesse Kellerman and more. Visit the library's Page One website for details.

The Silverwoods
Wednesday, October 21
6:30pm
In 2003, the Silverwood family bought a boat and tried to sail around the world. But disaster struck when their ship hit a reef in the South Pacific. The Silverwoods will be here and tell about their exciting, true-life adventures at sea.

Also

We're still looking for volunteers at the library. If you need community service hours for school, come on in, and ask for Jake or Irene to get more information.

Looking for volunteers

The Encinitas Library is looking for volunteers in grades 6-12 to participate in our Homework Help program. The program has a team of teens helping elementary school kids with their homework assignments. We will have Homework Help sessions Wednesday afternoons, and Monday evenings. It's a great way to work with children, help the community, and build your college resume.

If you're interested in participating, please come to the library (or call us, 760-753-7376) and ask for Jake or Irene.

Teen Events for September

In case you have any free time once school starts again...

Pizzamania Book Club
Thursday, September 10
3:30pm
Eat pizza and chat about books. This month's book is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Check out a copy from the front desk.

And... that's it for September.

Other Library Events You Might Like

Peter Rutman Jazz & Blues
Sunday, September 6
2pm
Free concert, featuring jazz, blues, and latin tunes by the Peter Rutman band.

Reducing Stress
Tuesday, September 15
6pm
A look at healthy ways to deal with your stressful life.

Exploring Antarctica
Thursday, September 17
6:30pm
Vanessa Puniak shares stories & photos from her trip to the South Pole.

Spanish Conversation
Every Friday
3pm
Practice your Spanish with other Spanish speakers of various skill levels.

Game Over... for now

Bad news, folks. For the past months, we've been having our video game events (we've been calling it "Game On". Not a great name, I know) twice a month, and they've been pretty popular. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and the generally scary economy, we're having to cut back on this a lot.

I know for sure that we'll be having an all-ages Rock Band 2 tournament in December. And we'll probably do some sort of game event in October. But that might be it for the rest of this year.

Don't forget, though, that we have free video games that you can check out for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. The only downside is that you have to get on a waiting list for each title, and it can take a few weeks. But hey! FREE!!!

Teen Events for August 2009

Game On!
Monday, August 10
Monday, August 21
3:45-5pm
Free video games on the big movie screen, on our Nintendo Wiis and Xbox 360. Rock Band 2, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart, Wii Sports, and more. I just bought Street Fighter IV, I'll bring that in next time to see if anyone wants to play.

Pizzamania Book Club
Thursday, August 13
3:30pm
New book club for grades 6 and up, which will include... pizza. This month's book is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

Other Library Events You Might Like

Concert: Chris Montgomery
Sunday, August 2
2pm
Guitarist Chris Montgomery and his quartet will play a variety of classical, jazz, and rock songs. Free, but seating is limited.

Tuesday Movies
Tuesdays, August 4, 11, 18, 25
1pm
Free movies every Tuesday, on the big screen. I'm not allowed to list the titles here, but maybe I can link to websites...

August 4
August 11
August 18
August 25

Family Fun Films
Every Wednesday and Thursday in August, except August 12
10am
Have a younger brother or sister? Bring them down to our Family Fun movies through the month of August. Wednesday films will be collections of animated shorts based on popular kids books, and Thursday films will be a series of classic Disney movies.

Gentle Yoga
Thursday, August 13
Thursday, August 27
2pm
Free hour of Hatha Yoga with instructor Danielle Osicki. For both beginners and continuing students.

So Cal Moviemakers
Thursday, August 13
6:30-9pm
Local filmmakers show off their work, mingle, and share their knowledge about the craft. This month's theme is "Keeping It Real: The Art of the Documentary." If you're interested in making your own movies, this is a great way to start. More info at SoCalMovieMakers.com