Oktoberfest, started in 1810 as a celebration of the marriage between Ludwig I, the crown prince of Bavaria, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, has been cancelled twenty times in over 200 years:
In 1813 for the Napoleonic wars,
In 1854 for a cholera epidemic,
In 1866 for the Austro-Prussian War and 1870 for the Franco-Prussian War,
In 1873 for another cholera epidemic,
From 1914-1918 for WWI,
In 1923 and 1924 due to hyper-inflation of the economy,
In 1939-1945 for WWII,
And 2020 for the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s festival would have run from today, September 19, through October 4, however, despite its cancellation, you can still celebrate at home. Check out one of the following ebooks or books on German language on display at the library, or put one on reserve for curbside pick-up:
Or, take a look at Transparent, a language learning service available through the library.
Or, take a look at Transparent, a language learning service available through the library.
Challenge: try translating this popular Oktoberfest drinking song using only library materials:
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit Ein Prosit, ein Prosit Der Gemütlichkeit
Want to travel somewhere warm? How about Honolulu, Cairo, or Havana. What about somewhere scenic? Try Rome, Venice, or Malta. Want to visit somewhere historic? Check out Moscow, Prague, or Jerusalem. Travel to these countries and cities might be prohibited right now due to the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit them through a book. Climb aboard one of these historical fiction novels set around the world for an adventure from the comfort of your own home:
The ACLU has been at the forefront civil rights issues since its founding in 1920. The group was started by a small group of idealists in New York City in response to growing anti-communism hysteria after world war I. The National Civil Liberties Bureau , the pre-cursor to the ACLU, was co-founded in 1917 by Crystal Eastman and Roger Nash Baldwin. Today, the ACLU has affiliates in all 50 states and has over 1,200,000 members.
For instance, on May 25, George Floyd, a black man, died by asphyxiation while being detained by police. The incident was caught on camera and sparked worldwide protests. In June, the ACLU and 400 coalition groups (including the American Library Association) sent a letter to congressional leaders condemning police violence. Their 15 page letter requested that legislation be passed immediately to address ongoing police killings and violence against black people.
This is what the ACLU does. It fights for the civil liberties of people like you and me.
Per the ACLU website, their goal is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States”. They are non-partisan and have been criticized by the left and the right. They’ve sued democratic administrations and are suing the current administration (there are currently 237 filed lawsuits).
The ACLU also provides legal representation and has been involved in landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education (school desegregation), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), the Scopes Trial (theory of evolution), and Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage). Have you seen the movie about Loving v. Virginia that came out in 2016?
But what about New Hampshire? One day, closer home, a Jehovah’s Witness, GeorgeMaynard, covered up the slogan “Live Free or Die” on his license plate. He didn’t agree with the slogan, based on his religious beliefs. New Hampshire law at the time said that doing so was illegal. He was stopped twice by Lebanon police. The ACLU contacted George because they felt he had a good federal case. Sure enough, In Wooley v. Maynard, it was decided that it is, in fact, ok to cover up the slogan on your license plate. The existing law was invalidated by the Court as a denial of the right “not to speak” under the first amendment.
Besides providing legal representation in civil rights cases, the ACLU also seeks to educate citizens and has a helpful section on their website on knowing your rights. For instance, what do you do if you’re stopped by the police? What are your rights in prison? What are your rights if you have a disability? What are your rights as an immigrant? Learn more about the ACLU and the many ways it protects the common citizen. Please check out the display of print, video and audio materials in the library Rotunda and notice the list of the many areas for which the ACLU has been on the front lines. Happy 100th birthday American Civil Liberties Union and many more.
Manchester City Library and St. Mary’s Bank team up to bring you this 4-part series designed to help you review your financial health! Please register for this event through the Library’s Calendar for the zoom meeting link! You’ll also receive links to download handouts that will be used during class.
September’s topic is Budgeting. We’ll review common types of spending beliefs, the basics of building a budget, “good” and “bad” spending, and how to build savings into your plan.
If you have questions, please call Sue Harmon at 603-624-6550 x3319 or email sharmon@manchesternh.gov.
Need a refresher on the rules? Well each week we will post two picture, each from a different location in Manchester. It is your job to guess where it is. If you guess all the places correctly, you will be entered in to drawing to win a gift card from a local Manchester business.
How do you submit your answers? Each photo will have a link to a form, where you will type in your answer, your name, and contact information. Or you can call or email the Information Desk with your answers at 624-6550 ext. 3319 and library@manchesternh.gov.
The Manchester City Library will be closed on Monday, September 7th, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday at our normal times. We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.
In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, take a trip through time and relive what it took to pass this historic amendment. Choose between two factions within the Suffragists and see how they campaigned to get women the right to vote. Look through old photographs from the Library of Congress as well as a virtual poster exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
The State of New Hampshire is holding its Primary Election on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and the General Election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
The State Primary will be held across all 12 Wards in the city from the hours of 6:00am to 7:00pm. If you are unsure of your voting location, please utilize this tool. You can also view a sample ballot for your ward through the City Clerk’s office.
In order to vote on September 8 and November 3, you must be registered to vote. To register, you may visit the Office of the City Clerk Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, and Tuesday until 8:00pm. In order to register you must be 18 or older by Election Day and be a US Citizen. To register, you must provide proof of identification and proof of residency in Manchester, similar to how you would register for a library card.
For more information, including acceptable forms of ID and , please see the City Clerk’s website.
