The Pacific Electric Railway: Then & Now

Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 7:00 p.m. — Relive that wonderful era when you could take a street car from Santa Monica to Pasadena and beyond when authors Michael Patris and Steve Crise present a slide show of images from their new book, Pacific Electric Railway (Then & Now). Loaded with photos from Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society’s archives, Pacific Electric Railway shows the far-reaching “Red Car” transportation system started by San Marino’s Henry Huntington in 1901. The authors will also share photos from today’s Southern California landscape that the railway helped define, such as the green parkways of Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard. The Pacific Electric Railway originally provided reliable transportation across more than 1,000 miles of track. Postwar society's affair with the automobile led to the loss of an infrastructure that could have formed the basis for an enviable modern light-rail system, one that current society would be happy to utilize. Pacific Electric Railway Then & Now sold out its first printing in five weeks and is well on its way to a multiple printings. Steve and Michael both serve on the board of the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society as well as the Mount Lowe Preservation Society and were born and raised in Southern California. They have plans for future book projects based on Southern California railroads. Join them for a fascinating look at an amazing transportation system discarded for “progress.”

China: From the 1950s to Today Photo Exhibition

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 -- one day only -— Organized by China Photo Services of Xinhua News Agency and Chinese Culture Development Center, China: From the 1950s to Today Photo Exhibition will be held at Crowell Public Library on Wednesday, April 18, one day only, in the Barth Community Room and surrounding areas of the library. The exhibition will also be held April 16 (12:30 pm to 4:00 pm) at UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library. Both exhibitions are free to the public. The Chinese Culture Development Center has invited Ms. Xiaobo Chen, chief editor of the Photographic News Department of Xinhua News Agency, and Mr. Yu Liu, director of the International Photos Newsroom of the Photographic News Department of Xinhua News Agency, to make a special presentation on this wonderful photo exhibition. “China: From the 1950s to Today” Photo Exhibition includes 130 pictures, documenting the changing lives of ordinary Chinese people in the last six decades. Selected from Xinhua News Agency’s huge photo archive, this series is not only an incredible photo collection, but has extraordinary historical value. Many photos are very rare and have just become available to the public for the first time. The co-organizers of this exhibit are UCLA East Asian Library, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, UCLA Confucius Institute, as well as Crowell Public Library. This exhibition will move to East Coast and be displayed at Asian Cultural Center NY on April 21, 2012. Founded in 1995, Chinese Culture Development Center is an Alhambra-based cultural institution that promotes Chinese cultures and education in Southern California, organizing and sponsoring programs in the local community that help to deepen understanding between American and Chinese public. For more information, please visit www.ccdcus.com.

Hunger Games Challenge!

April 17, 2012 @ 3:30pm--Barth Community Room FREE!
For Young Adults grades 6-12

Hunger Games: You’ve read the book and seen the movie; now put yourself to the test. Crowell Public Library presents it’s first annual Hunger Games Challenge on April 17th at 3:30pm in the Barth Community Room. The Hunger Games challenge is free and open to all young adults grades 6-12.

You’ve been chosen to represent your district, and you’ll be put to the test. Enter the arena and show your mettle in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. Find out your Hunger Games name, take an epic trivia challenge, and test your chances of survival in the Cornucopia and physical challenge. It’s not all a matter of life and death— you’ll also showcase your cupcake decorating skills (channeling Peeta, the baker’s son)! How will you fare? Find out in an afternoon where grit and wit may finish ahead of pure brawn. Survivor(s) of the Hunger Games Challenge will take home their own copy of Hunger Games!

Hunger Games events are subject to change, as the Gamemakers want to keep the tributes on their toes. The Hunger Games challenge is sponsored by the Friends of the Crowell Public Library.

“Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!”—Effie Trinket