LA County Fair Parade, Sept. 5, 2008

We had a great time at the parade again this year. As always, it was hot, crowded, and the food smelled great. We had a great time. Our City of Pomona truck was driven by our good friend John from Community Services. As you can tell from the pictures, our truck was in front of the Pomona Police vehicles and I got a candid shot of our Chief Joe Romero. All of us in the truck yelled "Hi Chief!" Maybe that's why he's not smiling...

The pictures of all of us in the truck didn't turn out so well and the individual pictures turned out much better. I was holding our big read book for this year: "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee. Our Senior Administrative Assistant, Maura Montellano, made signs we held up in the back of the truck such as, "Book lovers never go to bed alone." And "Libraries: Medicine Chest of the Soul." We chanted, "Knowledge is free at the Library!" A lot of people waved back and cheered for the Library. It was GREAT fun! We'll do it all again next year!

Joke of the day: What do you call cheese that's not yours?
Answer: Nacho cheese! :)

The Homework Assistance Center

Our homework center is getting ready to open! This was a huge success last Spring and Cal Poly Pomona is making it happen again. We got rave reviews from both children and their parents about what a great help this center gives our children.

Here in these pictures are staff from Cal Poly: Charlene, Heather, Joel, Sandra, and little Jezebel.

Mark this date on your calendars: September 16, 2008. The homework center is a free service to children from grades 1 through 6. They will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 4:00pm until 6:00pm. I have seen them stay late when a child's project was due the next day. Staffing the room are volunteers from Cal Poly University here in Pomona. Help spread the word so even more kids can take advantage of the center.

Story times begin this coming week! Here is our schedule:

Tuesday Sept. 9: 12:15 Preschool story time
3:00pm After school story time

Wednesday Sept. 10: 3:30-4:30pm Grandparents and Books with Grandma Jean.

Thursday Sept. 11: 12:15pm Infant story time

It's Pomona day at the Los Angeles County Fair!! Be sure and pay attention to the parade at 5:00pm. The library will be represented!!

Joke of the day: What did the meteorite say when asked to give a quote?
Answer: "No Comet." :)

Los Angeles County Fair

Los Angeles County Fair
Originally uploaded by PhotoAvatar

Hey all you fair goers...The Los Angeles County Fair begins tomorrow! The library will be represented in the parade. Yours truly and several of my co-workers will be riding in the back of a truck similar to this one in the picture. We have soooo much fun every year. Last year I carried a book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", and people wanted me to throw it to them! I think not!

This year I will be armed with my camera. Fear not...those who do not wish to appear on our lovely blog will remain off and those who do will be famous! :)

Joke of the day: Why can't you trust information at the Fair?
Answer: Because they only give out Fair information! :)

Mission San Xavier, Tuscon, Arizona

Every fourth grader in California has studied the California Missions. This mission is in Tuscon, Arizona and it is beautiful! As you can see, both the outside and inside are more elaborate than ours in California.

According to their flyer, "A National Historic Landmark, San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783.

The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 19th Century space."

It truly is beautiful. If you are ever in Tuscon, it is worth the visit.

Joke of the Day: Why did the cookie turn green?
Answer: It was feeling crummy. :)

Back from vacation!

It's GREAT to be back at the Pomona Public Library! I had some good times on my vacation and for the next several days I will be posting about them. I'll start out with Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Scottsbluff is a familiar spot on the Oregon Trail. Many pioneers came this way so seek a new life out west. My great-grandparents settled in this area. Gering, Nebraska is where they located and they had a great view of Scottsbluff from their farm. My Mother and her twin brother were born here and were raised on a dairy farm. I have many happy memories visiting every summer on vacations.

These pictures were taken at Scottsbluff National Monument. You can see the wagon ruts that were formed from the wagon trains heading west. My little cousin, Austin, is standing next to one. Just standing near them makes you feel like you're standing in history.

Carnegie Library, Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Carnegie Library, Scottsbluff
Originally uploaded by Nebraska Memories

Greetings from Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Here is the Carnegie Library that existed in Scottsbluff. Like our own Carnegie, it did not hold all the books that was needed in this community and it was torn down and a newer one was built. My great grandparents settled in this area back in the late 1800's. They acually settled in Gering, Nebraska just south of the Scottsbluff monument. I'll write more on this later.

Greetings also from Tuscon, Arizona. Good friends live here that used to work for Pomona Public Library. Some of you may remember Marisa Abramo and if you do, she says hi right back at you!

I will be visiting a Mission here in Tuscon and I'll take a lot of pictures. I'll be posting these things when I get home. I can't believe that I will be home Thursday. This trip has gone so fast!!

See you soon!

Joke of the day: What is the best trip you never want to take?
Answer: The one where you end up on the floor! :)
(I've taken both and I'm here to tell you ...)

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersein, Adieu! Going on vacation!!!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersein, Adieu! Going on vacation!!!
Originally uploaded by fantartsy JJ

Adios! That's right I'm going on vacation. Today is my last day at work and I leave for the good old midwest on Monday. I haven't visited my family for several years and it will be good to see them.

I plan on going to as many libraries as I can and I may blog from on the road. I'll try to talk Ms. Nissa and Grandma Sue to continue blogging from home.

We had a terrific summer! I can't remember laughing this hard in a long time. The final count for our readers this summer is: 1,018 readers! We met our goal and surpassed it and had a lot of fun along the way.

You have a couple of weeks to rest and then school begins again. Remember that we are here for you!

Joke of the day: Why did the blue jay get a perm?
Answer: Because the curly bird catches the worm. :)