Ferndale

Ferndale Reads event returns with more activities for kids

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « File photo by Philip Southern The Ferndale library will present its annual Ferndale Reads program, which features a month of activities for kids and adults, beginning Feb. 16. Pictured, library employees Darlene Hellenberg and Kelly Bennett wear 1930s-style outfits as part of the kickoff party for the national Big Read program in 2010. File photo by Philip Southern The Ferndale library will present its annual Ferndale Reads program, which features a month of activities for kids and adults, beginning Feb. 16. Pictured, library employees Darlene Hellenberg and Kelly Bennett wear 1930s-style outfits as part of the kickoff party for the national Big Read program in 2010.

FERNDALE — The Ferndale Public Library is once again hoping to bring the community closer together through reading with its Ferndale Reads program.

The month-long series of events will officially kick off on Feb. 16, although most activities will take place in March. This year’s program will focus on “The Local News” by Miriam Gershow, an exploration of the fraught relationship between a brother and sister after one of them goes missing.

Darlene Hellenberg, programs coordinator for the Ferndale Library, noted that it took her a long time to choose a book this time around, but she ultimately selected “The Local News” for a number of reasons.

“I wanted to pick a story with a female lead character, and as luck would have it, it turned out that this story is also set in Michigan,” she explained. “I also wanted to pick something that was different from past choices, but was also something that a lot of people could relate to.”

This year, for the first time, Ferndale Reads will include a selection for younger readers, as well: “Eleven” by Patricia Reilly Giff. Hellenberg noted that although the two stories are quite different, “Eleven” explores themes that are similar to those in “The Local News.”

Ferndale Reads will get started Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. with an Early Bird Special, where readers can pick up a copy of “The Local News” before the bulk of the program gets under way. Then, at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25, children can get their hands on copies of “Eleven” at the Kids Kickoff Party.

Every Monday evening in March, the library is hosting free movie nights at 7 p.m. featuring films — including “Brick,” “Spirited Away,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” and “Rabbit-Proof Fence” — that touch on some of the same ideas examined in the two novels.

In a special edition of the library’s Your Neighborhood Professor series held at 7 p.m. March 7, a local journalism professor and psychologist will discuss the media’s role when a person goes missing, as well as the psychological effects that it has on the community.

Other highlights include a ‘90s Trivia Night at 7 p.m. on March 20, a Learning Disabilities Forum at 2 p.m. on March 24 and a Kids Mystery Party at 6 p.m. on March 28. There will also be a number of book discussions held on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month.

Hellenberg pointed out that the variety of different events involved is no accident. “These activities really provide another outlet that people might not think of at first,” she said. “With Ferndale Reads, we’re trying to show people that books can be interpreted in many different ways.”

That approach will be evident with the participation of the Go Comedy! Improv Theater, which once again will provide entertainment to Ferndale Reads. Its upcoming original production, “Survived By…,” is based on “The Local News” and will be held at 8 p.m. every Thursday night in March.

“I’m really excited about that,” Hellenberg said. “This is a very serious book, so I’m definitely curious to see how they’re going to make it funny.”

According to Pj Jacokes, co-owner of Go Comedy, finding the comedy in such a dark story was precisely the goal with this year’s show. “What I want to do is to take a very grim tale and put our spin on it without laughing at its message in a way that’s going to offend people,” he explained. “I love the challenge of putting together a show like this.”

The five-member cast will give a series of performances inspired by The Darwin Awards, which, as Jacokes described, illuminate “boneheaded ways” that people have died throughout history. Tickets are $5 each or free for guests who have a Ferndale library card.

“We’re taking a little more straightforward approach this time because we wanted to follow the story a little more closely,” Jacokes said. “I really want our show to be part of the dialogue for Ferndale Reads. The cool part for the audience is that it’s entirely improvised, so each night will be totally different.”

Ferndale Reads will conclude at 7 p.m. on March 29 with what Hellenberg believes will be the highlight of the program, when Gershow visits the library to discuss “The Local News” and answer readers’ questions. For Hellenberg, giving residents a chance to meet some of today’s best book authors is her favorite part of Ferndale Reads.

“I loved going to author visits in college,” she said, “so now being able to be the person who is bringing these authors to Ferndale is really gratifying. It really fits in with our whole approach to Ferndale Reads, which is all about connecting the community in ways that are fun and free. This is a great way to meet your neighbors because it gives people something in common that they can talk about.”

To view a complete schedule of events for the 2012 Ferndale Reads program, go to www.ferndale.lib.mi.us.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.