Join the Dothan Houston County Library System for our free Summer Reading Program and movies! Movies will be shown at the downtown library every Friday at 2 pm in June and July and popcorn and drinks will be provided. All Summer Reading Program events will be held at the downtown library and include activities for ages 2 through 12th grade. An End of the Summer Water Party will be held on Tuesday, July 30 at 9 am for all Summer Reading participants. Snacks will be provided, and attendees should bring their swimsuits.

Activities offered for ages 2 through 4 are lapsit story-times, designed for a young child and an accompanying adult. These will be held on the Wednesday mornings of June 19, June 26, July 10, and July 17 from 10 am – 10:30 am.

For children in Kindergarten through 5th grades, activities are as follows:
June 11, 10:30 am-11:15 am – Dewayne Reynolds will present his Dr. Magical Balloons storytelling show.
June 18, 10:30 am-11:30 am – Christina Kirkland will lead the group in a Zumbatomic exercise class.
June 25, 11 am-12 pm – Rick Rakestraw will share his live exotic animals from continents throughout the world.
July 9, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Alabama Conservation Officer Tim Ward will show the group some very special animal guests.
July 16, 2 pm – 2:45 pm – The group will Dig Into Reading with a program hosted by the McWane Science Center.
July 23, 11 am – 12 pm – The group will experience Raptor Trek, a live bird of prey program featuring captive-bred, rehabilitated, and imprinted animals.
Due to limited space, parents and younger children will not be permitted to attend these activities.

Young adults in 6th through 12th grades will have the opportunity to create a variety of arts and crafts. All events will be held on Thursdays at 2 pm. Signups are required in advance. The schedule is as follows:
June 13 – Duct Tape Crafts
June 20 – Stained Glass Jars
June 27 – Watercolor Art Class
July 11 – Tie-dye Shirts
July 18 – Customized Acrylic Cups
July 25 – Acrylic Paint Class

Registration for the Summer Reading Program begins Tuesday, May 28, 2013. For more information, please visit www.dhcls.org or call (334) 793-9767.

Click here to see the Summer Reading Handout.

Dothan Houston County Library System will host the final Lunch Hour Learning session at the library. All events are free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring a lunch and enjoy tea and a cookie provided by the library while they listen to the guest speaker.

This Lunch Hour Learning session will be held on May 15, 2013 from 11:45 am to 1 pm and will feature guest speaker Frye Gaillard, author of The Books That Mattered: A Reader’s Memoir.

The Books That Mattered shares the author’s experience of growing to love books as a child through a series of deeply personal essays that explore the books he considers most influential to his personal development. These books include Johnny Tremain, Night, The Grapes of Wrath, and Slaughterhouse 5, among many others, and Gaillard expertly discusses these works creating a book that is both memoir and history, as well as a critical analysis of the selected works.

Houston-Love Memorial Library is excited to announce the first of a series of Lunch Hour Learning sessions to held at the library. All events are free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring a lunch and enjoy tea and a cookie provided by the library while they listen to the guest speaker.

The first Lunch Hour Learning session will be held on February 12, 2013 from 11:45 am to 1 pm and will feature guest speaker Skip Tucker, author of Pale Blue Light.

Pale Blue Light combines historical accuracy with the gripping story of Confederate soldier Rabe Canon, who becomes the leader of the Black Horse Cavalry. After General Stonewall Jackson suffers a deadly wound at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Canon is sent to secure a fortune for the Confederacy and to uncover the truth behind Jackson’s death. His journey causes him to cross paths with a beautiful Yankee spy as they both try to avoid being captured in California.

Upcoming Lunch Hour Learning sessions will be held on March 14, April 17, and May 15, from 11:45 am to 1 pm. Guest speakers are Harvey Jackson, author of Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera, Ralph Draughon, author of Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Period Photographs, and Frye Gaillard, author of The Books That Mattered.

Don’t know what to read next? Read book reviews and add your own here! Get great book ideas from librarians and other readers!

Many computer and job help classes are available for free at the library! Click here to see a full list of classes.