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Featured Library: River Forest Public Library
Angela Hanshaw | October 05, 2010
The River Forest (Ill.) Public Library (RFPL) is celebrating Mark Twain this month with a variety of programs for all ages.
First- through fifth-graders were invited to “Tom Sawyer Days” on October 3, where they learned about Tom’s life and times, played some old-fashioned games, and made a yummy treat.
Tying in with Banned Books Week, the library offered “Censorship: What Do You Believe?” on October 5. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first banned in 1885 and continues to show up on banned books lists today. Library director Sophia Anastos lead a discussion on censorship, including what is censorship, what does it mean for access, and is it a good thing or a bad thing?
The Mississippi River figures prominently in much of Twain’s work. On October 7, the library will host “The Natural History of the Des Plaines River.” Presented by Trailside Museum, this program discussed the Des Plaines River, a major water-highway for Native Americans and French fur traders, the reason for the establishment of Chicago, and home to hundreds of species of plants and animals. Participants will explore past and present life along this important waterway.
On October 8, the library will host Richard Henzel as Mark Twain. For more than forty years, Richard Henzel has presented “Mark Twain in Person” more than a thousand times to audiences across the United States, Canada and Great Britain to rave reviews.
Teens are invited to tune into their inner Huckleberry Finns with a two-day popsicle stick raft building program on October 12 and 13. Teens will build popsicle stick rafts and then test their floatability the next day for a prize.
Also in October 13, join the afternoon book discussion of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or gather around on of the library’s fireplaces in the evening to discuss the Mark Twain short story “The Private History of a Campaign that Failed” with Richard Henzel.
Angela Hanshaw is Program Officer/Web Editor for the ALA Public Programs Office.
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