I came to Lawrence in the fall of 1995 as a freshman at KU, and fell in love with this town right away: the lovely old neighborhoods, the vibrant downtown, and especially the people: creative, community-minded, and unafraid of being their authentic selves. And so the opportunity every year to pull together the How-To Festival as a celebration of the talents and know-how of our friends and neighbors is one I’m deeply grateful for. This year, in particular, I’m excited that–in keeping with the Summer Reading theme All Together Now/Todos Juntos Ahora–we’re highlighting ways that you can deepen your community connections as well as build your skills and knowledge (Did you know that joining a group boosts your life expectancy as much as quitting smoking?!).
We hope you’ll join us here at the library on June 10th from 10am-1pm–with nearly 30 presenters from across our community, there’s sure to be something for everyone! Here’s just a sampling of what you can look forward to, plus some reading suggestions if you’d like to dig in further. We hope to see you there!
Contra dance is a style of folk dance with a long and lively history; it’s beginner-friendly and you can come to a dance with or without a partner. The Lawrence Barn Dance Association will be here to show us how it’s done and share opportunities for you to participate!
Anthology of American Folk Music
My Field Recordings from Across the Planet
Did you know that our city buses are fare free this year? If you’ve not yet had a chance to ride one of our new electric buses, or have questions about how to navigate our public transit system, be sure to stop by! You can catch the bus outside of the library for a free 20 minute bus ride and introduction from Lawrence Transit. Bus rides leave at 10:30 am, 11 am, and 11:30 am.
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer
You’ve likely heard that our planet has a bit of a plastic problem, with nearly half of the millions of tons of plastic generated each year coming from single-use plastic items. Mellanye Lackey will teach us how to make plastic yarn (“plarn”!) to extend the useful life of plastic that already exists.
When we think of the world being interconnected these days, odds are we're thinking about the internet. But amateur radio is also a robust infrastructure for communication–one that operates even in emergency situations. The Douglas County Amateur Radio Club will be here to offer an intro to this lesser-known means of communication.
ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications
Last but not least: Don’t forget to stop by the 2nd Saturday Book Sale! The Library’s Friends will be selling books from 10am-4pm on the Kentucky Street side of LPL.
-Melissa Fisher Isaacs is the Information Services Supervisor at the Lawrence Public Library.
Add a comment to: You Too Can How-To!