And They're Off!

The Garland County Library will host a  series of  lunchtime talks exploring horse racing at Oaklawn Jockey Club.  The first program, scheduled for Wednesday, March 7^th at noon,  will focus on women’s roles in racing. Guest panelists from various areas of the racing industry scheduled to appear include Kathy Howard, former jockey and current trainer; Kim Baron, Director of Marketing; Jennifer Hoyt, Director of Media Relations;  Deborah Keene, Director of Horsemen’s Relations;  Mary McGrew, Food and Beverage Senior Management; and Mary Rampellini, Daily Racing Form expert and journalist.

            “We’re really excited about resuming this series,” Library Director John Wells said.  “We had a blast last year with this program and lots of people have asked for a continuation, so I hope it’s an even bigger hit this year.  One of the things that makes Hot Springs unique is its history of live racing and we’re looking forward to learning more about it from track insiders. Once again, we’re working with Brandon Scott at Oaklawn to help us line up the most interesting and entertaining figures in racing.”

            Other programs in the series, scheduled for Wednesdays in March at noon, will feature Oaklawn’s new faces, handicapping, and a meet and greet with jockeys and trainers. 

            Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch; water and soft drinks will be provided.  Due to limited seating, registration is required for this event.  Call 623-4161 or 922-4483 to register or for more information.

A Blog on Blogs

Web logs, or blogs for short, have been popping up all over the internet in various forms since the 90’s. Originating from email lists, bulletin board systems, and other early internet social networking tools, blogs are basically personal online journals created by individuals about any topic imaginable. A blog is usually laid out in a reverse chronological order with the newest post at the top and every thread allows users to comment. Anyone can blog these days; knowledge of HTML (hypertext markup language) or FTP (file transfer protocol) is no longer necessary due to modern web publishing tools. Some blogs tend to concentrate on certain subjects and others are more like day-to-day personal interactive diaries. As of 2011, there were an estimated 156 million public blogs in existence. No wonder why the Garland County Library has its very own web log where we post about what’s happening at the library, exciting upcoming events, and absolutely useless knowledge. 

Here are just a few of my favorite blogs. And, no, they don’t have anything to do with anything. 

Portraits of dogs as they shake off water!!

And, of course,

Hey Girl, I like the library too!

Free tax help at the Garland County Library

Tax volunteers from AARP will be offering free tax help at your Garland County Library from now until April 14th. Their hours of operation are Monday-Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and they also have evening sessions on Tue-Wed-Thu from 3 pm to 7 pm. To use this service, you'll need to bring your W-2s and a copy of last year's tax return. If you have rental or farm property, you are ineligible for this service. The service is first-come, first-served and can be hectic at times, so it might be a good idea to call ahead and see if they are full for the day. They do not, however, take phone calls or give tax advise over the phone.

While you wait, the library has a number of ways to occupy your time. We show movies during the week(check the schedule at http://www.garland.lib.ar.us/new/movies.html), you can read a book, use the internet, take in a book discussion or enjoy one of the library's many programs. The AARP volunteers do a great service to this community, so come by and get your taxes filed.

Sonny Burgess to Headline Library Cash Tribute

            The Garland County Library will host The Johnny Jamboree, a tribute to the late Kingsland, Arkansas native Johnny Cash, on Saturday, February 11^th.  Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers will headline the event to a sell-out crowd. Other festivities will include a “Johnny Cash Birthday Bash” and a performance by Adayas, a local band.

            “Great music is a part of our heritage as Arkansans,” said Karen Covey, who is organizing the event for the library.  “Of all the great musicians who’ve come from Arkansas, the one who’s probably had the most impact and touched the most people is Johnny Cash.  This is our tribute to the Man in Black.”

            Rockabilly Hall of Fame member and Arkansas native Sonny Burgess, along with his band the Legendary Pacers, will perform at 3 pm in the Gordonelle Williams Hall. 

            Burgess formed his band in 1955 in Newport, Arkansas. They had five singles on Sun Records, the same label for which Cash recorded, including “Red Headed Woman” backed with “We Wanna Boogie,” which is considered by some critics one of the “wildest” rock and roll records ever. Sonny and the Pacers have played to sold out clubs, festivals, and colleges all over the US and Canada.

            “We’ve had Sonny and the Pacers at the library several times and they just keep getting better,” Covey said.  “They traveled and performed with Johnny Cash and they’ve promised to share some stories as well as music.”

            Adayas, a local band whose music blends old and new styles for an original sound, will perform at 12:30 pm.  “Our sound is a mix blues and rock riffs with catchy vocal melodies and rhythmic bass lines,” Tony Webb, who plays bass and guitar, said.  “We hope people will come to see us for our original songs, but until they get to know them, they’ll definitely enjoy some covers we do by everyone from the Doors to Roger Miller, and of course, Johnny Cash.”

            Adayas, which also includes Tim Webb on vocals and guitar, Charlie Hunt on bass and guitar, and Eric Powell on drums, takes its name from the Caddo Indian word for “band” or “us.”

            The Johnny Jamboree festivities will commence at 11 am with a “Johnny Cash Birthday Bash.” 

            “Johnny Cash’s birthday is February 26^th, so we’ll be celebrating a little early,” Covey said.  “But we plan to have a fun party, listening to his music, sharing stories, having refreshments, giving away some great prizes.  If anyone has any Johnny Cash memorabilia they’d like to show off, we might have a show and tell, too.”

            For more information call the library at 623-4161 or 922-4483.

Groundhog Day

As early as February of 1841, Americans have relied on a groundhog to predict how much longer winter weather will last. Although the rodent is very rarely accurate, rated at about 39% according to the National Climatic Data Center, thousands of people still gather to celebrate Groundhog Day every February 2nd. Supposedly if the day is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from the ground winter weather will end and the animal will leave it's burrow. If the sun is shining and the groundhog sees his shadow he will retreat and winter will continue for six more weeks.

This weather forecasting tradition began in the 18th and 19th centuries using not only groundhogs, but a variety of animals such as badgers, bears, marmots, and even hedgehogs. The modern holiday is mostly celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where crowds as large as 40,000 people gather to eat, drink, dance, and of course watch Punsutawney Phil predict the end of winter.

This already widely celebrated holiday became even more popular with the release of the 1993 comedy film, Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray as the love-to-hate weatherman Phil Connors.

For more information on this bizarre holiday check out The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun or watch the film, Groundhog Day.