Summer Solstice June 20
The first day of summer, and longest day of the year, coincides with Father's Day this year. The word “solstice” comes from Latin solstitium—from sol (Sun) and stitium (still or stopped). June on the Monterey coast can be foggy, but Solstice daylight will last for roughly 14 hours and 45 minutes... plenty of time to get immersed in a summer book. Remember, all ages are welcome to sign up for the Library's Summer Reading Program (June 1-July 31). Call us at (831) 646-3933 to request books and movies, or log in to Overdrive to check out ebooks. And if you're planning a beach day with dad, here are tidal times for Monterey Beach. Enjoy the Solstice!
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Summer Reading Program at MPL
The Library's summer of "Reading Colors Your World" continues, celebrating the color ORANGE during Week 2. Sign up at Monterey Library's Summer Reading 2021, pick up a free Take Home Art activity, and log all your reading. Ms. Orquidea is doing color-theme storytimes, and local graphic artist Kenton Hoppas continues his video art series for teens. All ages are welcome during this "virtual summer." See below for the Adult Summer book, Caste, with community discussions planned starting June 22.
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Book to Action Community Read
As part of the Library's Adult Summer Reading Program, the community is invited to read and discuss Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, an engaging and award-winning book about racial equality in the US. The same facilitated book discussion takes place two times per week, Tuesdays from 3:00-4:00 pm and Saturdays from 11:00 am-noon. Participants will receive the discussion questions in advance, and should be ready to discuss the introduction through page 96 on June 22 and 26. We also look forward to welcoming a virtual talk by john a. powell, a professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at the University of California Berkeley (and author of Racing to Justice) on June 30 at 4:00 pm. Register at monterey.org/library/events or call (831) 646-3933.
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Juneteenth, June 19
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Liberation Day, is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the U.S. While President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it was not enforced in Texas, the most remote of the slave states, until June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in the State of Texas. After the first anniversary of “Juneteenth” was observed in 1866, awareness of the celebration didn’t surge nationally until the 1970s. Today, Juneteenth often honors the history of freedom, unity and the recognition of people of all races to contribute to our society. Locally, the Juneteenth Coalition is planning a week of events (June 16-20), including a free Juneteenth Jubilee in Seaside's Laguna Grande Park on June 19, and a charity golf event on June 20, held on a new Pebble Beach course designed by Tiger Woods. Register here for some events. Salinas is also hosting a Juneteenth Celebration at the Rodeo Grounds.
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LGBTQ Pride Month
June marks the traditional Pride Month, a time of celebration and awareness for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Monterey Peninsula Pride will host a Virtual Pride again this summer, check their page for upcoming events. The LGBTQ community has made progress in the past few years, educating others about acceptance and compassion. The Library has books for all ages who may be questioning their identity. And at any time, if you or someone you know needs help, call the Trevor Project Hotline at (866) 488-7386 for help.
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All Things Relative: Finding Family
Librarian Kathy Nielsen (co-founder of the Monterey County Genealogy Society’s special interest writing group, Off the Charts) presents a free talk today, June 10 at 4:00 pm, on using local resources, such as libraries and historical societies. Register here for this episode of her five-part series, exploring genealogy topics such as "a new life for old photos" (July 8) and "every home has a story" (September 9).
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Magical History Tour: Monterey Pop |
On June 17, historian Tim Thomas continues his history series held on Zoom. Next week's stop on our magical tour is the Monterey Pop Festival, one of the grand-daddies of modern rock festivals, held at the Monterey Fairgrounds on June 16-18, 1967 (54 years ago next week!). Our humble fairgrounds stage saw the first major American concert by The Who, the first major appearance of Janis Joplin, the first major show by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and many more, as the beginning of the "Flower Power" movement. Register here for Thomas' "trip" down rock music memory lane.
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Father's Day, June 20
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, four out of five dads live with most of their children under age 18. Studies have shown that having a supportive dad in their life increases a child's overall well-being, reduces stress on mom, and improves school performance. Monterey County Alliance on Aging is hosting the sixth annual "I Remember Papa," delivering handmade cards to local men in care homes, and the group still seeks donations. Let's say thanks to all the dads this weekend, spend time together (with a book like those linked above perhaps), and celebrate a Happy Father's Day.
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Digital Magazines from the Library
Paper magazines can be hard to find these days, limited to personal subscriptions, grocery stores, drugstores, and some public libraries. Sadly, all of MPL's paper subscriptions were canceled due to budget cuts. Thanks to funding provided by the state library, Monterey Library is able to offer a collection of digital magazines, full text and full photos, from a resource called Flipster, found on the Ebooks page. Twenty-five popular magazines, ranging from People to Kiplinger's, can be read anytime, for free, with your library card. Just go to the MPL homepage, click on "Ebooks," and scroll down to Flipster!
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Mindfulness Meditation: Every Wednesday, 12:15-12:45 pm. More info and register here.
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Monterey Public Library | (831) 646-3933 | www.monterey.org/library
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