Library Calendar:

• Monday, July 30, 6:30 p.m., "Much Ado About Nothing," Shakespearean comedy presented by the Tennessee Stage Company outdoors on the library front lawn. Bring chairs

EVENTS: Lectures, Speakers, Workshops:

• Tuesday, July 17, 6 p.m., Blount County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting in the Board Room.
  
• Tuesday, June 17, 7 p.m., Introduction to Telescopes and Astronomy, by Forrest Erickson, Bill Dittus and the Smoky Mountain Astronomy Society (SMAS) in the Sharon Lawson Meeting Room.
  
• July 19 - 21, Edible Book Contest exhibits, Main Gallery.
  
• Tuesday, July 17: All Edible Book Contest entry forms must be received at the library by July 17. Entry forms are available at the Blount County Public Library or at www.blountlibrary.org.
  
• Thursday, July 19, 3 - 7 p.m. All Edible Book Contest entries must be received at the library between 3 and 7 p.m. Judging will take place that evening. Entries will be exhibited in the Main Gallery of the library through Saturday, July 21.
  
• Saturday, July 21, 3 p.m. The Award Presentation. Twelve cash prizes will be awarded, with first, second and third prizes of $100, $50 and $25 in the categories of juvenile, ages 8-12 years old, young adult/teens, 13-19 years old, and adult, 20+ years old. Plus, special prizes of $100 each for creativity, humor and judges’ choice. Entries in the professional category will not be eligible for cash awards, but entrants may have their business cards or names displayed with the entry. The decision of the judges is final. Cash prizes are supplied by the Friends of the Blount County Library. The award ceremony will occur in the Main Gallery of the Library.
  
• Thursday, July 19, noon - 6 p.m., Used Book Sale, Friends of the Library members only, in the library’s Lower Level. Sponsored by Blount County Friends of the Library. New memberships available at the door.
  
• Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Used Book Sale, open to the public and sponsored by Blount County Friends of the Library, in the library’s Lower Level.
  
• Thursday, July 26, 7 p.m., Tour of Galapagos Islands travelogue, by Dr. Steven and Linda Watts, in the Sharon Lawson Meeting Room.
  
• Monday, July 30, 6:30 p.m., "Much Ado About Nothing," Shakespeare comedy performed by the Tennessee Stage Company and sponsored by Friends of the Blount County Public Library. This program will be outdoors on the front lawn of the library. Bring chairs.

MUSIC:

• Thursdays in August, 7 p.m., Hot Summer Nights Concert Series. All concerts will be indoors in the Reading Rotunda of the library except for the final concert.
  
• August 2, The Mountain Folk Reunion, in the spirit of 1960s folk music.
  
• August 9, Smoky Mountain Harmony, a cappella chorus and quartets.
  
• August 16, Patrick Lee Hebert, solo piano concert by professional pianist and composer.
  
• August 23, Robinella and the CC String Band, vocalist, will perform from her new Dualtone release as well as from previous Columbia and independent releases. The Robinella concert will be outdoors on the library front lawn, so bring lawn chairs.

TEEN PROGRAMS:

• Friday, June 1-July 23, Summer Teen Reading Program. Teens, grades 6-12, are invited to sign up at the Genealogy Reference Desk for participation in the program to read books. There will be a weekly drawing for prizes.
  
• Sunday, July 29, 2 p.m., Teen Summer Reading Finale Party, in the Sharon Lawson Room at the library for all teen reading program participants along with a drawing for the grand prizes, a $70 Visa gift card, other gift cards and an iPod Shuffle.
  
• July 1-31, Teen Bulletin Board on the bulletin board in the Teen area of the library.

EXHIBITS:
July 1-30 Exhibits:

• "American Girl and Barbie Dolls with Handmade Clothing" exhibit by Lorraine Schmidt in two cubes in the Entry Rotunda.
  
• "A to Z Photography" exhibit by Alan Letourneau on art panels at the Reading Rotunda and four art easels in the sitting areas of the Main Gallery.
  
• St. Andrews Episcopal Church Pottery class exhibit by Anna Hayward, in two vertical cases in the Entry Rotunda.
  
• "License Plate Life Size Sculptures (Six)" exhibit by Steve Russell in the Entry Rotunda, Main Gallery at Circulation and Main Gallery at Children’s Library.
  
• "Blount County Arts and Crafts Guild Member Artwork" exhibit on art wall at library’s Bookmark Café and two easels in sitting areas of the Main Gallery.
  
• "The McMurray Family" exhibit by Gayle French in genealogy display case at the Reference Desk.
  
• "Blount County Animal Shelter" exhibit by Lisa Tipton in one cube in the Entry Rotunda.
  
• "Animal Rescue Arfnets" exhibit by Lisa Tipton in two display cases in the Main Gallery.
  
• "Pandemic Flu Information" exhibit by the Blount County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Blount County Health Department on two easels in one sitting area of the Main Gallery.
  
• Display by Circulation Department on Circulation Desk Cabinets and New Book Shelves in the Main Gallery.
  
  CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS:
  Children’s Library: 865-273-1414. Unless otherwise indicated, all children’s programs are in the children’s library.
  Special Programs:
  
• Saturday, July 14, Cowboy Poet program has been postponed.
  
• Saturday, July 21, 11 a.m., "Westward Ho, Crossing Tennessee" puppet show presented by children’s library staff in the Sharon Lawson Meeting Room.
  
• Saturday, July 28, 11 a.m., Wild World of Jim Moore, of the Animal Band Show in the Sharon Lawson Meeting Room.
  
• Saturday, August 4, 11 a.m., Drama workshop of "The Tempest" by the Tennessee Stage Company in the Sharon Lawson Room.
  Monthly Surprise Display will be showcased in the children’s library office window. The monthly topic will not be publicized, but children can guess the theme by reading clues on the library’s Web site. Visit the children’s library to see if you guessed the correct display topic.