Now @ MPL...

Today is the day of the recall election. Your vote will help determine who will be the Governor of our fair state. If you didn't get the chance to vote early, there is still plenty of time to make your voice heard today. To see where your polling place is, enter your address into the Wisconsin Voter Public Access' search form. If you need any other information regarding the election, and any requirements for same day voter registration, look at the City of Milwaukee Election Commission's website. Now you should have everything you need to make your voice heard. Make sure you tell your friends!

Watch the Transit of Venus with telescopes. Tomorrow, June 5th, the planet Venus will cross in front of the Sun for last time in 105 years! It's a rare, remarkable, and fascinating astronomical event! This event will take place on the Rooftop at Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Gather at Meeting Room I. If completely cloudy, the event will move to the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium at Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W. Wells St.) where you will see stunning full dome animations of Venus, the transit, and live images from the worldwide web.

Location: Central Library's Rooftop (first meet in Meeting Rm 1)
Date: June 5, 2012
Time: 5:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The Central Library will close for business at 8:00 P.M.

Other Information: Solar events need to be viewed safely! To see Venus in front of the Sun, you will need a telescope with a proper filter or special solar glasses. Such glasses can be purchased at the Milwaukee Public Museum Marketplace for $2.00. The Venus Transit starts at 5:04 p.m. Viewing ends in Milwaukee with the sunset at 8:26 p.m. (Venus will continue to cross the solar disk until 11:49 p.m.)

Are you an auto racing enthusiast? 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the historic Vanderbilt Cup and Grand Prix races in Milwaukee. "Milwaukee's Speed Carnival" was an international road race run on country roads just northwest of Milwaukee's city limits.

Come celebrate this historic event with John Haydon, auto and racing enthusiast and author of Historic Road Racing in Milwaukee: The 1912 Vanderbilt Cup, Grand Prize and Related Road Races. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 12 from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the Krug Rare Books Room in the Central Public Library.

Seating is limited, please call 414.286.3011 to register.

Known for his famous Blue Ribbon beer, Frederick Pabst was a complex man who rose from humble beginnings in rural Germany to dine with the leaders of the American Gilded Age. Learn more about the brewing empire that put Milwaukee on the map, as well as Pabst's other pursuits which ranged from horse breeding to art collecting, and his many philanthropic endeavors. Materials in Milwaukee Public Library's Rare Books Collection showcase the various aspects of the Captain's legacy, especially his civic pride in acquiring one of the world's largest autograph albums for the benefit of his community. Join John Eastberg, author of The Pabst Mansion: An Illustrated History and Pabst Farms: The History of a Model Farm for this fascinating presentation on one of the most revered men in Milwaukee's history.

Location: Central Library's Krug Rare Books Room
Time: Saturday, June 16th, 2012 from 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Other Information: Seating is limited. Please call the Art, Music & Recreation
Department at (414) 286-3071 to register.

Registration begins today for Milwaukee Public Library's July-August 2012 Free Computer Classes! With knowledgeable instructors and hands-on experience MPL's computer classes are perfect for those with little to no computer experience as well as those looking to learn more about Microsoft Word and Excel by taking our Intermediate classes.
Space is limited so call 414-286-3011 today to reserve your seat. You can also register in person at any Milwaukee Public Library location or online at www.mpl.org.

Sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation and American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Award 55-42B10549.

The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) opened to the public on May 1st 1893. Its largest attraction however, opened on this day in 1893. The Ferris Wheel, named after its inventor George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., was intended to rival the 1889 Paris Exposition's Eiffel Tower. The structure which boasted 60 passenger cars, had a total capacity of 2,160 and had around 38,000 riders per day. Although the original wheel was demolished in 1906, you can read about Ferris Wheels and the Chicago World's Fair at your Milwaukee Public Library.

Today we celebrate the day that the slaves were first freed in Galveston, Texas. Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been officially in effect since January 1, 1863, many slaves were kept in parts of the South where there weren't enough Union forces to overcome the resistance for more than two years. It was on June 19th of 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

Though the holiday originates in Texas, Milwaukee has one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the world. Enjoy those festivities today and stop in at the MLK Library to get some books on your way home. Take a break from the heat since, even though there's no parking at MLK Library during the celebration, there is air conditioning!