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PARADISE VALLEY
NORTHEAST PHOENIX
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BLACK CANYON CITY
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Sharing The
MARCH 2014
Of Books
One Little Library at a time By Kathryn M. Miller
A movement is afoot. The movement comes in small packages, although typically bigger than a breadbox – but the reach is global and has one rule: “Take a book, return a book.” The movement is the Little Free Library, which began in 2009 as a tribute to the founder’s mother – a former school teacher who loved reading. Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin built a model of a one-room school house, filled it with books and put it on a post in his front yard. Rick Brooks of Madison, who promotes green practices and a vibrant local economy, joined forces with Bol and a community was formed. Little Free Libraries have sprung up around the world and become gathering places where neighbors share their favorite
Around Town Town Around
literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share. It is a story of achieving a variety of goals for the common good – and the story is spreading, which is where Melissa Wiegand, a teacher at Copper Canyon Elementary School in the Paradise Valley Unified School District, comes in. “I read an article about the Little Free Library movement to my classes,” says Wiegand, a teacher for 19 years. “After I read the article to them and showed them some videos, one of the kids said, ‘We should do this.’ All the students agreed. One of the kids put his hands out in the center of the group and said, ‘Everyone, hands in.’ Everyone put their hands in in agreement to do the Little Free Library.” Copper Canyon Little Library, continued page 18
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Goodguys Goodguys 5th 5th Spring Spring Nationals Nationals
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Roderick Stevens (Booth #108)
44th Scottsdale Arts Festival The Scottsdale Arts Festival is a weekend-long celebration of the visual, performing and culinary arts. The event features 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the United States, continuous live music and entertainment on two stages, an expanded roster of 15 local gourmet food trucks from the Phoenix Street Food Coalition, creative activities for kids at the Imagine Nation family area and free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). In collaboration with the Festival, Scottsdale Public Art will present the U.S. debut of Happy Rainbow by the Los Angeles-based artist duo FriendsWithYou. The outdoor event will be held at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (7380 East Second Street) March 14-16, and runs 10am-6pm Friday and Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday. Singleday passes are $8 for adults; children age 12 and under are free. For additional information, visit www.scottsdaleartsfestival.org or call 480.499.8587.