2013 Summer Events at Centerville Library

	Thursday, June 20, 2:00-3:00 P.M. Daffy Dave Come and enjoy magic, juggling, and comedy all in one with hilarious Daffy Dave.  Fun for the entire family!This show will be held outdoors in the library’s back patio.  Some seating areas may not have shade.  Please wear a hat to shield the sun.
	Tuesday, June 25, 1-5:30P.M. Thursday, June 27, 10:00 A.M. – 5:30 P.M. Kids Library Camp For incoming 4th – 7th graders. Learn about what library workers do, how to get homework help, online databases, how things are arranged at the library, and library resources in traditional and electronic formats.  Play outdoor activities, Jeopardy game, I Spy game, and make a craft project to take home!  Registration is full. Check out the fun we had in this camp video.
	Tuesday, July 2, 2-4 P.M. Family Movie Time: Hotel Transylvania Rated PG, 91 minutes. Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teen-aged daughter.Seats are limited.  A ticket is required to attend.  Tickets are free and will be handed out 30 minutes prior to the movie show time.
	Tuesday, July 9 – August 20 except July 16 and August 6 Violin Classes for Kids Lesson for Beginners: 6:30-7:00 P.M. Skill Polishing for Intermediate Violinists: 7:30-8:00 P.M. For ages 6-12.  Little to no experience needed. Learn to play violin or polish your violin skills with violinist Sharon Zhen.  Sharon has earned the highest certificates from ABRSM and MTAC. She has also performed in many orchestras as first violin.Registration is required.  Click HERE to download the registration form.
	Thursday, July 11, 2-3 P.M. Red Panda Acrobats Amazing juggling, balancing, contortion, and acrobats for all ages! Wayne Huey was professionally trained with the Fu Hsing Acrobatic Academy in Taiwan, the Tai Yuan Acrobatic Troupe, and Shanghai Circus Schools in China. He spent seven years training at the three acrobatic schools, learning and perfecting his craft while pursuing his passions in the Chinese performance arts.Seats are limited.  A ticket is required to attend.  Free tickets will be handed out 30 minutes prior to the program.
	Tuesday, July 16, 7-8:30 P.M. Astronomy for Everyone: Size & Scale of the Universe Astronomy program for the entire family. Astrophysicist Kevin Manning, a former consultant with NASA, has always been passionate about astronomy, and wants to share the excitement with you!  During the 1½ hours of program, you’ll learn about the size and scale of the universe, the stars, and other celestial wonders using hands-on activities and assorted visuals.This evening program will run past the library’s open hours so the audience can watch the night sky.  No library services will be available after it’s closed at 8:00 PM.
	Tuesday, July 23, 2-4 P.M. Comic Strips 101 for Tweens and Teens Come join artist Brian Kolm for a cartooning workshop and learn how to create your own comic strip. This free program is for Tweens and Teens, ages 10 and up. Due to space limitations free tickets will be handed out 30 minutes before the program starts. You must have a ticket and be 10 years of age or older to attend. All materials will be provided.Brian Kolm is an artist and designer living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, designer, and performer most of his life. He has a BFA in illustration and film from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts).
	Thursday, July 25 , 2-3 P.M. Compost DIY for Kids Saving the environment starting from home. Learn how to compost and make an edible “compost cake” with chocolate and gummy worms. For grades K to 6.  Kids grades 1 and under please bring an adult to help.This is a Girl Scout Silver Award program.  For details about the program, please contact Phoebe and Christina at silver.award60852@gmail.com
	Tuesday, July 30, 2:00-3:30 P.M. Family Game Day Indoor and outdoor games.  Come one, come all, let’s have fun! Some of the games will be held outdoors in the library’s back patio.  Please wear a hat to shield the sun.
	Every Tuesday and Thursday, August 1 – 28, 1:30-3:30 P.M. Intro to Algebra, 1:30-3:30 P.M. Intro to Geometry, 3:45-5:45 P.M. Four-week math preparation classes for incoming 7th-9th graders. Prepare or sharpen your math skills for the next school year.  Learn algebra or geometry concepts with Jonathan Lu, a USA Junior Math Olympiad qualifier from MSJ High School.Registration is required. Limit to 20 seats for each class.  Click HERE to download the registration form.

Centerville Library is located at 3801 Nicolet Ave., Fremont, CA 94536
For more information, please call 510-795-2629 or email cchang@aclibrary.org or egamell@aclibrary.org

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Highlights of 2011 at Centerville Library

Another year has gone by.  I’d like to share a video of the major events at our library in 2011.  It was another busy year with many fun and/or educational family activities.  The happy faces in this video make me feel rewarded and look forward to the coming year.  Enjoy the video and have a wonderful 2012!

*Video quality can be adjusted to HD but the playback may lag on some computers.

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Scrabble and Brain Fitness

The Fremont Main Library hosts a monthly Scrabble Game Night on the second Monday of the month. Our next game night is this coming Monday, December 12 starting at 7 p.m.

As an added bonus, playing Scrabble will help keep your brain fit. Your brain craves three things: variety, challenging activities, and novelty, according brain experts such Alvaro Fernandez. Playing Scrabble with other people is fun and can also be challenging, especially if your opponents are better players than you. Each game is a new experience – maybe you can use all your letters and score an extra 50 points!

Our enthusiastic and supportive regulars never miss a night and they welcome new players. Conversation is part of the evening – we talk about new words and sometimes new ideas as we play.

And a personal note: If you’re traveling by train, you might meet someone who wants a Scrabble Game, as I did, traveling to Albuquerque. Our one-hour plus game involved my sister, her friend, me and our traveling companion, who had her pocket-size Scrabble Game at ready. She swore by Scrabble, saying that it kept her mind fit.

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What a Fun and Cultural Summer!

The 9-week “One World, Many Stories” summer reading game started on June 13 and will be coming to an end on August 13.  To celebrate this international theme, Centerville Library added a little taste of other cultures in many of our summer events.  At ventriloquist Tony Borders’ show, his cool and crazy critters from around the world brought kids a very fun time full of facts about animals from different continents.  Gary Lapow’s show made a houseful of kids laugh, dance, and sing “All around the world” with sign language.  Magician Dan Chan stunned the audience with his amazing tricks and “Bian Lian” (face-changing), a Chinese national secret dramatic art.  The week after the second Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie came out, we held two Jeopardy games for kids to see how much they know about the world of wizards and witches. Then last week, 250 kids participated in the International Crafts and Games Day, and went home with hands full of world crafts and their names translated into other languages.  What a wonderful reading theme and cultural summer!  To see pictures or videos of Centerville Library’s summer events please visit our Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/CentervilleLibrary or click on the direct links below:

• Kids Library Camp—photo album, video, more videos
• Tony Borders’ Cool and Crazy Critters—photo album, video
• Gary Lapow’sFood, Fun, and Foolishness Songs Around the World—photo album, video 
• Dan Chan the Magic Man—photo album, video
• Harry Potter Jeopardy—photo album, video
• International Crafts and Games Day—photo album, video

We will have  another summer program on August 4 featuring Thomas John, a very funny juggler.  It will be held outdoors in the library’s patio.  Don’t miss Centerville Library’s last show of the summer! 

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2011 Centerville Library Children’s Summer Programs

	Tuesday, June 21, 1:00-5:30 P.M. Thursday, June 23, 10:00 A.M.-5:30 P.M. Kids Library Camp A 2-day camp for kids entering 4th-8th grades. Classes include the library and library jobs, resources for homework help, Internet safety and cool websites, making multimedia posters, Jeopardy Game, carfts and more. Registration required and is already full. Check out how much fun we had in this 2009 camp video.
	Tuesday, June 28, 4 P.M. Tony Borders’ Cool, Crazy Critters Bring the whole family in to hear about other continents straight from the animals that live there! Ventriloquism and a touch of magic! This show will be held outdoors in the library’s patio. Some areas may not have shade. You are advised to wear a hat to shield the sun.
	Thursday, July 7, 2 P.M. Food, Fun, and Foolishness Around the World Songs, stories, and riddles brought to you by legendary children’s entertainer Gary Lapow. This show will be held in the library’s meeting room. Seats are limited. A ticket is required to attend. Tickets are free and will be available at the Information Desk 30 minutes prior to the begining of the show.
	Thursday, July 14, 1:30 P.M. Dan Chan the Magic Man Magic + climbing in a giant balloon + 變臉Bian Lian (what’s that?) + more! This show is full of surprises and excitement! The show will be held outdoors in the library’s patio. Some areas may not have shade. You are advised to wear a hat to shield the sun.
	Tuesday, July 19, 2-5 P.M. Harry Potter Jeopardy! Beginners Level for grades 4 and under, books 1-3 Calling all Harry Potter fans! So you’ve read the books, you’ve seen the movies, now it’s time to play Jeopardy! Registration is required.  Click HERE for more details.
	Thursday, July 21, 2-5 P.M. Harry Potter Jeopardy! Expert Level for grades 8 and under, books 1-7 Calling all Harry Potter super fans! So you’ve read the books, you’ve seen the movies, now it’s time to play Jeopardy! Registration is required. Click HERE for more details.
	Tuesday, July 26, 2-4 P.M. International Crafts and Games for Kids Come have fun making crafts of other cultures and play games, and get your name translated into other languages! All materials are provided. Some part of this event will be held outdoors in the library’s patio. You are advised to wear a hat to shield the sun.
	Thursday, July 28, 4 P.M. Jewelry Making Workshop with Chelsee Robinson Learn how to make jewelry and take home your beautiful project. Keep it for yourself or give it to someone you love. For teens only. Limit to 25 seats. A ticket is required to attend. Find out how to get tickets HERE.
	Thursday, August 4, 2 P.M. Funny Juggler Thomas John Bring the whole family in to watch Thomas John’s hilarious juggling show! You will be laughing out loud the entire time! This show will be held outdoors in the library’s patio. Some areas may not have shade. You are advised to wear a hat to shield the sun.

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Chess!

We have a Chess club at Irvington and it is growing fast. So I interviewed our Junior Chess champion and did a bit of research to see what I could find out about this game.( Research was done at Grolier Online one of the many databases available to the members of the Alameda County Library.)

I knew it was an old game , but I didn’t know it was at least 1300 years old. Nor did I know that it originated in India, evolving from a game called chaturanga. Other related games are xiang ji from China and shoji from Japan. The word chess comes from the word shah, a Persian word meaning King.

People in the military, mathematicians, and computer scientist have all studied chess, but it is a game young children can learn to play. Bobby Fischer was only 14 when he earned his first United States title.

Our volunteer coordinator at Irvington recommends Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess as a good book for a beginning chess player.

Lot of movies, books, movies, and TV shows have had chess as an integral part of the story line. Most of you will be familiar with wizard’s chess in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . In The Eight, by Katherine Neville , an historic chess set is searched for in a centuries long game of chess. The game begins in the time of Charlemagne, last through the French Revolution and ends in the era of the seventies oil crisis . If you are watching Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, you know that Turk, the chess playing computer, is the beginning of Skynet and the end of mankind.

So if you are a kid that likes to play chess, please join us at the Irvington library on the 4th Wednesday of the month! If you are learning, a junior chess champion will be available to give instruction. Registration not necessary.

Contact: Sally Kusalo (510) 795-2631 skusalo@aclibrary.org for more information.

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