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Are you looking for Farmer's Markets? Planning a road trip or vacation in Wisconsin? Hoping to find the freshest cheese curds in the State? Take a look at SavorWisconsin.com. The vendors and manufacturers featured on this site produce, manufacture and grow their products in Wisconsin. The site is searchable by region/county, restaurant, business type or keyword. So don't leave home without knowing where the freshest and most local items can be found statewide.

The Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library will hold their annual Spring Literary Luncheon on Monday, May 19 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Wisconsin Club, located at 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. This year's event will feature award-winning author Louise Erdrich. She is the author of over a dozen novels, including Love Medicine, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. On May 19, she will be signing copies and reading from her latest book, The Plague of Doves.

Reservations are required for this event. Each reservation includes an autographed hardcover copy of The Plague of Doves or a Schwartz Bookshops gift card of equal value. Please call 286-8720 for more information.

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention month.

Here are some facts on teen pregnancy from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee.

-Milwaukee is one of the Top Ten cities within the U.S. with the highest percentage of total births to teen mothers.
-The long-term cost of a Milwaukee teen having one baby is estimated at $79,320.
-Girls born to teen mothers are 83% more likely to become teen mothers.
-Children of teen mothers are much more likely to drop out of high school prior to graduation.
-In Wisconsin, 71% of babies born to teen girls are fathered by males over 20 years old - in 20% of the cases the fathers are at least six years older.

For more information on preventing teen pregnancy, check out the links below. These sites are for both parents and teenagers.

http://www.donttellmyparents.org/parents/

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/ntppm.htm

http://www.teenpregnancy.org/

http://www.plaintalk.org/index.htm

http://www.milwaukee.gov/PlainTalk23791.htm

Milwaukee Urban Gardens will present a program on how to use your backyard to raise vegetables for fresh produce at a fraction of the supermarket cost. Learn how to prepare soil. Discover which crops work best for the success of a small personal garden. Find out how to reap a good harvest and reduce your grocery bill.

Saturday, May 10, 2008, -- 1pm
Atkinson

Saturday, May 31, 2008 -- 1pm
Tippecanoe

Monday, July 14, 2008 -- 6pm
Tippecanoe

For more information visit
Milwaukee Urban Gardens

A Teen Violence Prevention Series sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library and the MPL Teen Advisory Board.

Two teams will compete against each other for prizes while learning the facts about violence from professionals in each respective field. The competition will conclude with a question-and-answer session on violence.

Central Library
Meeting Room 1
Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.

For information about parking downtown, please visit ParkMilwaukee.com.

Please join us at the MPL Central Library on Tuesday, May 13th at 7 pm for a discussion of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried : a work of fiction. However, prior reading of this book is not necessary to join in the discussion. Tell the group about your experiences in the military or discuss the impact of military service on your family. Any and all contributions are welcome!
The Vietnam War experiences of the author are told in this outstanding work of fiction. This novel was a finalist for both the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award and the acclaim is well deserved. The book is not a novel in the traditional sense, or a collection of short stories and not quite a memoir.

Celebrate Children's Book Week with the Milwaukee Public Library! Since 1919, Children's Book Week has promoted connections between children and a love of reading. All over the country, schools, libraries, bookstores, and families take part in events honoring children's literature. Here is a list of fun activities at the Milwaukee Public Library.

Story Times
Sing along with the story “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” and then make your own version to take home.
Atkinson, Tuesday, May 13, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Center Street, Wednesday, May 14, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Make Your Own Bookmark
Central, May 12-17. Materials will be available all week in the Children’s Room to make your own bookmark.
Martin Luther King, Wednesday, May 14, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Book Bingo
Fun for the whole family! Listen to a story, play book bingo, and enjoy a snack.
Capitol, Tuesday, May 13, 6:30-7:15 p.m.
Bay View, Saturday, May 17, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

What are the shortest and longest streets in Milwaukee?

The shortest street in the City of Milwaukee is S. Davidson St. It is a mere 55.91 feet long.

By contrast the longest North-South running street is 27th St., which runs 11.89 miles. The longest East-West running street is Oklahoma Ave., which runs 8.33 miles. Finally, the longest diagonal street is Fond du Lac Ave., which runs 8.7 miles.

For other information on streets in Milwaukee, a great source to check out is the book Milwaukee Streets: the Stories Behind Their Names by Carl Baehr. He explores the stories behind their names and provides other interesting facts such as previous names of certain streets.

MPL’s Jacki Potratz was featured on WUWM’s “Lake Effect” program on Thursday, May 8 where she reviewed some up and coming fiction titles.

Click to listen!

For the past two years Wisconsin residents have turned to AskAway-a free online information service staffed by professional librarians 24 hours a day, seven days a week-for reliable answers to all sorts of questions. Now AskAway is encouraging young adult residents to share their positive experiences by creating and posting short videos as a part of the “I Love AskAway” YouTube video contest for teens. Click and scroll here for detailed entry instructions.

Entries should consist of an original video that depicts the AskAway chat service available to all state residents at the Milwaukee Public Library. Videos should be between 30 to 60 seconds long (longer videos may be edited), and must either be uploaded to YouTube or submitted on DVD or CD-ROM by July 31, 2008.

First prize is a $150 Best Buy gift certificate and second prize is a
$75 Best Buy gift certificate. Contest winners will be announced Sept.
2, 2008.

Washington Park Library will be hosting the 2008 Money Camp for Kids! Sponsored by Upsilon Mu Omega, this weeklong camp for students entering grades 6-8 will take place June 16th-20th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students will learn how to open a bank account, listen to presentations on finance, banking, and the stock market, and take fun field trips.

In order to register for this free program, fill out an application and Emergency Contact Form and mail them to:

Upsilon Mu Omega
c/o Money Camp
P.O. Box 510426
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Please register by May 30. Questions? Contact: Tammi Summers (414) 313-5907

Today is the first day for teens to sign-up for MPL’s Young Adult Summer Reading Program. This year the theme is: Get Graphic @Your Library.

You can sign-up online, through the MPL web page.

Teens receive a coupon for a free Cousins mini-sub just for signing up!

Don't forget to show up for the Young Adult Summer Reading Program Kick-off Party. It will be held Saturday, June 14th, at the Central Library from 2:00-4:30 p.m. in Meeting Room 1. There will be music, refreshments, X-box, board games, and door prizes. A great time will be had by all!

It's almost that time again in Milwaukee, when Farmers Market season hits us. There are many markets to shop at, all through Milwaukee. Here are several links to Farmers Market Guides in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Online
Milwaukee Green Food
Ecommandos

Start your Super Reader Summer by signing up at any Milwaukee Public Library on the special dates below to be a Super Reader and have some super fun with great activities for kids ages 6-12!

Atkinson
Wednesday, June 4, 3-8 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Bay View
Saturday, May 31, 2-3 p.m.
Hear a super story, create a super hero puppet and enjoy a super snack.

Capitol
Monday, June 16, all day
Say hello to summer by making a bookmark and discovering some fabulous new books you will want to read. Every hour on the hour we will have a drawing for a free book.

Central
Saturday, June 21, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Summer story time with Browser, the library mascot, includes a craft and a snack.

Center Street
Wednesday, June 11, 2-7 p.m.
Design your own Super Hero and add it to our Super Reader Board.

East
Tuesday, June 3, 2-3 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Forest Home
Tuesday, June 10, 3-4:30 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Martin Luther King
Thursday, May 29, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Mill Road
Saturday, June 14, 1-3 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Tippecanoe
Wednesday, June 4, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Create a super craft and have some snacks fit for a super hero.

Villard Avenue
Friday, June 13, 2-3 p.m.
Start your Super Reader Summer – Zap into your summer and start your reading adventure with a Bang! Create your Super Reader Superhero alter ego. Special guest artist Jeanette Wright Claus will be on hand to give drawing tips.

Washington Park
Monday, June 16, 2-8 p.m.
Start your Super Reader Summer – Zap into your summer and start your reading adventure with a Bang! Create your Super Reader Superhero alter ego to put on display in the Washington Park Fortress of Books!

Zablocki
Wednesday, June 4, 2-7:30 p.m.
Create your own super hero costume and enjoy some super snacks.

With the weather warming up just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, the Milwaukee County Parks will be buzzing with activity. Biking, hiking, dog walking, golfing and picnicing are just some of the activities available in the many county parks. The sunny, long days provide the perfect incentive for getting outside and socializing with friends and family. So enjoy the holiday and don't forget to stop in to your local Milwaukee Public Library to choose a perfect book for lounging in the fresh air.

Getting together with family and friends this Memorial Day weekend? Searching for a great dish to bring? Try this recipe for German Potato Salad from the August 5, 1981 edition of the Milwaukee Journal. This dish is another Milwaukee favorite!

German Potato Salad

8 cups cooked salad potatoes, peeled, sliced and still warm (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup (1 medium) finely sliced onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon celery seed
salt and pepper
6 slices bacon
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
parsley sprigs for garnish

In large bowl, combine potatoes with onion, parsley, celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste.

In medium skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, reserving drippings in pan. Add flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to drippings. Stir well. Bring just to boil; reduce heat.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat egg slightly. Add vinegar, water, and lemon juice. Slowly add egg mixture to mixture in pan. Stir and cook over low heat until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour over potato mixture; mix lightly. Crumble reserved bacon over potatoes and mix lightly again. Garnish with hard-cooked eggs and parsley. Serve warm. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

2009 Budget

As was reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today, the Milwaukee Public Library submitted its 2009 budget earlier this month, which included a number of difficult service reductions. The budget included the reduction of hours at the Central Library and the closing of four neighborhood libraries. This requested budget was presented in response to the library’s allocation, which was significantly reduced. Unfortunately, Milwaukee is not immune to the economic downturn happening around the country and just as Milwaukee families are grappling with how to pay for the increased cost of gas and food, we at the Library are also forced to make difficult decisions. We will be working closely with the Mayor, the Budget Director, and the Library Board of Trustees throughout the summer and while I am hopeful that the situation will improve, we will continue to work to provide quality services in the face of these budget cuts. On behalf of all of us at the Library, I appreciate your patronage and your support.

Paula Kiely

Director

On May 26, 1955, a couple of mountain climbers made history by becoming the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Those climbers were Edmund Hillary (who passed away earlier this year) and a Sherpa guide Tenzing Norkay.

Numerous attempts had been made to reach the summit, starting as early as the spring of 1922. Other attempts were made over the next thirty odd years, but all proved unsuccessful until 1955.

Since the scaling of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norkay, over 2000 people have climbed to the mountain's peak. Of those more than 2000 climbers, nearly 200 have died in the attempt.

Zablocki Family Story Times
Introduce preschoolers to books and reading at our interactive story times featuring stories, crafts, songs, and fun for children ages 2 -5 and their parents or caregiver. Call 286-3055 to register. Special story times for child care centers; call to schedule.

Tuesdays, June 3 – July 29 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.

Bilingual English/Spanish Preschool Story Time
Preschoolers are invited to 45 minutes of stories, songs, finger plays, and crafts. There are no story times the week of June 30 – July 4th. Child care centers are welcome.

Forest Home
Thursdays, June 5 – July 31, 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

Zablocki
Wednesdays, June 4 – August 27, 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

Horas de cuentos bilingües para niños preescolares
Los niños preescolares están bienvenidos a 45 minutos de cuentos, canciones, juegos con los deditos y manualidades. No hay horas de cuentos durante la semana del 30 de junio hasta el 4 de julio. Se extiende también la invitación a las guarderías.

Forest Home
Los jueves, el 5 de junio al 31 de julio 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

Zablocki
Los miercoles, el 4 de junio al 27 de agosto 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.