NWA Kids Guide

The Fayetteville Public Library presents a 6-week creative writing workshop series for grades 4-6 and for grades 7-12.  Through an intensive series of fun writing exercises, students learn to compose original works.

Workshops for grades 4-6 will take place on Monday afternoons at 4pm-5pm from January 30-March 5 in the Wal-Mart Storytime Room.  Workshops for grades 7-12 will take place on Tuesday afternoons at 4pm-5pm from January 31-March 6, also in the Wal-Mart Storytime Room.

Admission is free but registration is required and opens January 10. Register in person at the Children’s Desk in the Fayetteville Public Library or by calling 856.7171.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, several Northwest Arkansas museums and historical organizations are sponsoring a podcast contest for K-12 students in Benton , Boone, Carroll, Madison , Newton , and Washington counties. The contest is sanctioned by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

For the contest, students will create a short, non-fiction, audio podcast about the Civil War in the Arkansas Ozarks. Podcasts must be audio-only, no video or still images. Both individuals and groups may enter. Divisions are Elementary School—Grades K-5; Middle School—Grades 6-8; and High School—Grades 9-12. Cash prizes of $100 for first place and $50 for second place will be awarded in each category.

Contest entries may be submitted between October 15, 2011, and February 3, 2012. Winners will be announced during the Battle of Pea Ridge Sesquicentennial event at Pea Ridge National Military Park on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Cash prizes will be awarded, and winning podcasts will be posted on the Sesquicentennial Commission’s website.

Contest rules are available at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History website,http://www.shilohmuseum.org/education/podcast-contest.php, or by calling the museum at 479-750-8165 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-750-8165      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

The podcast contest is sponsored by Benton County Historical Society, Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Northwest Arkansas Civil War Roundtable, Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society, Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation, Rogers Historical Museum, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society, and the Washington County Historical Society.

Tammy Bronson will read and talk about her newest children’s book, Sea Horse, Run! on Saturday, September 24 at 10:30 am at the Fayetteville Public Library in the Walker Community Room.  This book is the 2011 winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Best Children’s Picture Book.  Tammy will also talk about writing and illustrating children’s books.  Her other books include Tiny Snail and Kalidenotes and The Mixed Up Orchestra. 

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Library’s Children’s Desk at 479.856.7170 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479.856.7170      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

WHAT:  Tammy Bronson Reads at Fayetteville Public Library

WHEN: Saturday, September 24 2011 at 10:30 am

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Community Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Lolly Greenwood at 479-856-7120 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7120      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

The Trike Theatre presents The Dramatic Book Club!  These 30-minute workshops engage preschoolers as they play in a particular story, try out new characters, find solutions to problems, explore environments, predict outcomes, build vocabulary and forge connections. Stories are told and retold through acting, movement, puppetry, prop play, visual art and music.  One book or story will be selected for each month. All of the activities are designed so that parents can continue the play activities at home.  Workshops start at 10:30am are held on Sept. 26, Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 9, Nov. 28, Dec. 13, Dec. 19. 

The Dramatic Book Club is free and open to the public.  No registration required.

WHAT: Dramatic Book Club with Trike Theatre at the Fayetteville Public Library

WHEN: Sept. 26, Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 9, Nov. 28, Dec. 13, Dec. 19 2011 at 10:30am

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Community Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Lolly Greenwood at 479-856-7120 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7120      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Summer Reading Club concludes at Fayetteville Public Library with special events to celebrate “One World, Many Stories.” Participation in the Library’s Summer Reading Club helps K-12 students combat the summer slide in reading skills and promotes literacy skills in preschoolers. The following events are geared to families.

Wednesday, August 3, 1 pm: Upstage Melodrama. Teen volunteers present “The Search for the Secret Book of Atrebor.” Best for grades K-5.  Free.

Saturday, August 6, 10:30 am: Partners in Play with Trike Theatre, an extraordinary theatre experience for families. Best for ages 3-5. Free.

Tuesday, August 9, 6:30 pm: Around the World Bedtime Storytime. Wear your PJs! For children of all ages. Free.

Thursday, August 11, 11 am to 2 pm: Daytime Lock-In for Grades K-2. Lunch and fun, book-related activities for students who have completed Kindergarten through 2nd grade. $10. Register in person at the Library’s Children’s Desk. Meets in the Walmart Storytime Room.

Friday, August 12, 8:30 pm to Saturday, August 13, 8 am: Overnight Lock-In for Grades 3-5. Get locked in the library for an overnight sleepover full of fun and games. Students must have completed third through fifth grade. $20. Register in person at the Library’s Children’s Desk.

Most events take place in the Walker Community Room.  Admission is open to the public.  For more information, call the Library at 856.7170.

To schedule an interview about these events, call Shawna Thorup at 479-856-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7100      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Fayetteville Public Library. We inspire imagination and foster learning.

Teen Summer Reading Club at Fayetteville Public Library concludes with two special events and meetings of two on-going interest groups. These free programs revolve around the theme, “You Are Here!” Participation in the Teen Summer Reading Club combats the summer slide in reading skills and provides enrichment activities.

Tuesday, August 2 from 5 to 7 pm: Silent Library FPL: Worldwide. Quietly take on international challenges and win! Meets in the Walmart Storytime Room.

Thursday, August 4 from 6 to 8 pm: Olympic Jam with DJ Beat Bachs. Get wet and play FPL Olympic Games to live DJ mixes. Summer Reading Club grand prizes will be announced at 7:30 PM.

Monday, August 8, 5 pm: Teen Anime. Snack on breakfast munchies while enjoying favorite anime series. Meets each second of the month.

Tuesday, August 30 from 4 to 6 pm: Teen Gamers’ Club. Includes video, card and board games. Meets the last Tuesday of each month.

All events take place at the Fayetteville Public Library.  Admission is free and open to the public.  For more information, call the Library at 856.7170.

WHAT: Teen Summer Reading Club final events

WHEN: August 2011, times vary

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Community Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about these events, call Shawna Thorup at 479-856-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7100      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Fayetteville Public Library. We inspire imagination and foster learning.

The Fayetteville Public Library spotlights their online resources in August with Fayetteville Public Library Plus. Abbreviated as FPL+, this online version of the Fayetteville Public Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Library members are able to download books, music and videos; learn a new language; get help with job searches from live job coaches; receive homework help from trained tutors; find business and investment information; practice for standardized tests, including civil service and academic tests; and use many authoritative and quality research resources.

“Fayetteville Public Library Plus puts the power of the library to inspire imagination and foster learning on people’s desktops and smartphones,” said Shawna Thorup, Executive Director. “An Internet connection and a library card gives 24/7 give access to authoritative information and entertainment resources.”

Free overviews highlighting FPL+ offereings will be held at 3 pm in the Library’s Ann Henry Board room on most Tuesdays and Wednesday in August & September.

Aug.  2: Library2Go & Naxos Music Library. Download ebooks, audiobooks and films and stream music 24/7

Aug. 10: BrainFuse. Trained tutors for K-12 students and real job coaches for adults.

Aug. 16: LearningExpressLibrary. Interactive learning platform of practice tests and tutorial course series.

Aug. 17: Universal Class. Over 500 self-paced enrichment and skill courses taught by trained instructors with Continuing Education Units available.

Aug. 23: BrainFuse. Trained tutors for K-12 students and real job coaches for adults.

Aug. 24: Mango Language & Little Pim. Interactive language-learning programs.

Aug. 30: Biography In Context. 600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals for students and general interest.

Aug. 31: Morningstar Investment Research Center. Accurate, up-to-date data on 35,000 stocks and funds, along with industry and market data.

Sept. 6: Gale Virtual Reference Library. Full-text encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary /research.

Sept. 7: Factiva. Research the latest business and industry news, track global markets, or gather detailed company reports.

Sept. 13. Library2Go & Naxos Music Library. Download ebooks, audiobooks and films and stream music.

Sept. 14. Mango Language & Little Pim. Interactive language-learning programs.

Sept. 20. Mergent InvestorEdge. Research companies and access to important company documents and financial information.

Sept. 21. Universal Class. Over 500 self-paced enrichment and skill courses taught by trained instructors with Continuing Education Units available.

Sept. 27. Literature Resource Center. Research literary topics, authors, and their works.

Sept. 28: Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Information and opinions on hundreds of today’s hottest social issues with pros and cons explored.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 856.7250.

WHAT: Go Digital with Fayetteville Public Library Plus orientation sessions

WHEN: multiple days in August and September 2011 at 3 pm.

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Ann Henry Board Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Shawna Thorup at  479-856-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7100      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

 Fayetteville Public Library. We inspire imagination and foster learning.

The Friends of the Fayetteville Public Library will hold a press conference on Friday, July 29 at 2 pm to issue a fundraising challenge to the community.

The Friends will announce an additional pledge of $75,000 toward the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation’s National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Challenge Grant. The Foundation is trying to build a $2 million endowment to support the Library’s humanities collections and programming. With this pledge, the Friends of the Library are the lead gift toward this endowment with a $205,500 commitment. The NEH matches every three dollars raised with one dollar, earning the endowment an additional $68,500.

“The Friends of the Library will donate this extraordinary amount by selling used books for a dollar and $10 annual membership dues,” said Shawna Thorup, Executive Director. Kim Ratliff, President of the Friends of the Library said, “The Friends represent regular people who can’t give a huge amount of money individually, but who as a group can contribute toward the greater good.”

Fundraising for the endowment began in 2005, and the Foundation must meet annual fundraising benchmarks set by the NEH. They are about $93,000 short of their $600,000 goal for the 2010-11 fundraising period, which concludes August 15.

Ratliff said, “We are so proud of our Library, its staff and the many services offered so we want to challenge the community to match our $75,000 pledge with whatever they can manage. If every citizen of Fayetteville pledged just one dollar toward the humanities endowment, we can achieve this year’s fundraising goal.”

WHAT: Press conference: Friends of the Library Challenge Community to Build Humanities Endowment

WHEN: Friday, July 29 2011 at 2 pm

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Community Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Shawna Thorup at 479-856-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7100      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

 Fayetteville Public Library.   We inspire imagination and foster learning.

The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History has been chosen as one of the “Top 10 Things to See and Do in the Natural State ,” in a public poll conducted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

In May, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism announced the list of 175 Top Places to Visit, as determined by activity and searches on Arkansas.com, and encouraged residents to visit www.arkansas.com/175 to vote for their favorite destinations in the state. More than 50,000 votes were cast during four weeks of voting. The Top 10 vote getters, in alphabetical order, are:

•         Arkansas Arts Center , Little Rock

•         Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs

•         Eureka Springs Downtown Historic District

•         Garvan Woodland Gardens , Hot Springs

•         MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock

•         Ozark Folk Center State Park , Mountain View

•         Ozark Medieval Fortress, Lead Hill

•         Petit Jean State Park , Morrilton

•         Shiloh Museum of Ozark History , Springdale

•         Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, Eureka Springs

“When voting closed on June 8, the Shiloh Museum was ranked Number 1,” noted museum director Allyn Lord.  “We’re grateful to the folks who voted for us, and we’re proud to represent Springdale as a Top 10 vacation destination in Arkansas .”

Located at the corner of Johnson and Main in downtown Springdale , the Shiloh Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.  For more information, call 750-8165.

Susan Young

Outreach Coordinator

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

118 W. Johnson Avenue

Springdale, AR  72764

479-750-8165 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-750-8165      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

www.springdalear.gov/shiloh