Alabama vs. Auburn: Iron Bowl

 

The Iron Bowl is one of the most iconic and intense college football rivalries in the United States, pitting the University of Alabama Crimson Tide against the Auburn University Tigers. This annual showdown, typically held on the last Saturday in November, captures the hearts of fans and defines the state of Alabama's football culture.

The Iron Bowl's roots trace back to 1893, making it one of the oldest rivalries in college football. Originally played in Birmingham, Alabama, the game now alternates between the home stadiums of the two universities, Bryant-Denny Stadium for Alabama and Jordan-Hare Stadium for Auburn.

The rivalry is marked by intense passion and a deep-seated animosity between the two fan bases. The state of Alabama becomes deeply divided during Iron Bowl week, with "Roll Tide" for Alabama and "War Eagle" for Auburn becoming ubiquitous battle cries.

The Iron Bowl has witnessed numerous iconic moments. The 1982 game is particularly memorable, featuring "The Kick," where Auburn's Chris Davis returned a missed field goal attempt more than 100 yards for a game-winning touchdown as time expired. The "Camback" in 2010, when Auburn's Cam Newton orchestrated a comeback victory, is another legendary moment in the rivalry's history.

The Iron Bowl is rich in traditions. The "War Eagle" and "Roll Tide" battle cries, the pregame "Tiger Walk" and "Walk of Champions," and the playing of "Sweet Home Alabama" and "War Eagle" are all integral parts of the experience.

The rivalry has seen legendary players and coaches, such as Alabama's Bear Bryant and Auburn's Pat Dye. Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama and Gus Malzahn's at Auburn added modern chapters to the storied rivalry.

 

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

 

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Wear your purple on November 16th to show your support to find treatments and cure for this cancer. 

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 64,000 Americans are diagnosed daily with pancreatic cancer. Each year over 50,000 will die from pancreatic cancer. 

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

For more information: 

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network:

https://pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/change-the-course/

American Cancer Society:

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/pancreatic-cancer.html

Gilbertown events in September

 

This month, the library in Gilbertown helped with the Coastal Cleanup and had a program for Constitution Day. 

Prepare for school in the Fall! This weekend is tax-free in Alabama.

 

JULY CELEBRATES MANY THINGS

THIS MONTH, TAKE SOME TIME TO EXPLORE THE WILDLIFE IN PARKS WHILE HAVING A PICNIC!

OUR LIBRARIES OFFER AN ALWAYS INCREASING VARIETY OF RESOURCES SO CELEBRATE JULY BY COMING BY TO CHECK OUT OUR BOOKS ON WILDLIFE, NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS, OR MAYBE FIND SOME EASY RECIPES FOR PICNIC SNACKS. 

July is Anti-Boredom Month.

R U BORED?   

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Stop in and check out the many ways our libraries have to beat the boredom blues this month.

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June 19 is Juneteenth

 

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Jubilee Day and is observed annually on June 19. 

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln in 1863 freeing the slaves in the Confederate states, but it took two more years before the word reached Texas on June 19, 1865. The following year on the same date the first official celebrations for "Juneteenth" took place in Texas.  In 1980, Texas made it a state holiday and many other states began to also.  Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

As a holiday, Juneteenth is often used by organizations in the U.S. and in other countries as a way "to honor the culture and achievements of African Americans."

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Juneteenth". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Jun. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juneteenth. Accessed 15 June 2023. 

June celebrates National Great Outdoors Month

             

         Is there a better pairing than reading and the outdoors?

Each of them on their own have many health benefits and are also very relaxing so joining them together makes things even better. Enjoy the month of June by spreading out a soft blanket under a little shade tree and reading the day away with some favorite books or magazines. Porches, hammock chairs, and park benches are all popular reading spots for many of us working in libraries here at Coastal. Where are some of your favorite places to read while enjoying the Great Outdoors?

JUNE 14th as NATIONAL FLAG DAY

Commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. 

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Flag Day is observed as an annual holiday to honor the flag and celebrate its history.

June is Rainbow Book Month. Let's share some Pride!

Rainbow Book Month™, celebrated the month of June, is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. Rainbow Book Month™ is an initiative of the American Library Association, and is coordinated through its Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table.

Here's some of our library displays celebrating this month:

Monday, May 29th is Memorial Day. What we should always remember!

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Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States each year on the last Monday in May. It is a time for Americans to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military. The history of Memorial Day dates back to 1868 when it was first celebrated as Decoration Day, as a way to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. 

National Student Nurses Day is May 8th

 As part of the month-long observance of National Nurses Month, May 8th was designated as National Student Nurses Day back in 1998.  

Since our nursing students in Brewton finished up their exams this week and would not be back on campus Monday the 8th.  They celebrated the day a little early with cookies and brownies provided this week by the ladies at our Brewton campus library.

It's a history-making event for all to see! Saturday, May 6, 2023 will be Coronation Day for King Charles III

Sometimes to truly appreciate the present, it is necessary to revisit the past.  Our libraries carry many interesting books about the royal family. For example, the ones on display in our Brewton library as pictured below.

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There are some interesting facts about this coronation. It is the first one in Great Britain in 70 years so most people are seeing one for the very first time. Also, it is only the second British coronation to ever be televised but it is the first one to be televised in color since Queen Elizabeth's took place in June of 1953.

However, while some things do change some things stay the same. The coronation will take place in Westminster Abbey where they have been held going all the way to William the Conqueror in 1066.  After the coronation, there will be a procession ride in a 260-year-old carriage that has been used in each coronation going back to 1831. As a final tidbit for thought, President Biden will not be attending but will have his wife, Jill Biden there instead as no U.S. President has ever attended a British royal coronation.

For more interesting information see the article link below:

https://apnews.com/article/coronation-king-charles-queen-elizabeth-57485899e7a3ad8df0909f8e58599f75 

 

CELEBRATING MAY AS NATIONAL NURSES MONTH

The picture above shows Nursing Instructor, Anita Boutwell and Lynette Ruckman, Director of Nursing for Brewton and Atmore admiring our library display in Brewton celebrating National Nurses Month.

National Nurses Month is a month-long celebration in May to show appreciation for and encourage a better understanding of all the contributions nurses make every day.  The month includes several special days of appreciation including National Nurse Day, International Nurse Day, National Student Nurse Day and National School Nurse Day.  The celebration of a National Nurse Week goes as far back as 1954 but was designated officially by a White House proclamation in 1974. 

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day! I can haiku, how about you...

Today, April 17th is National Haiku Poetry Day The traditional form for Haiku is as follows: a 3-line poem with 5, 7, and 5 syllables per line. An old silent pond;  A frog jumps into the pond. Splash! Silence again. -Basho Libraries how great; At feeding the need to learn. Knowledge fills the air. -DeeDee Baggett Haiku Foundation Haiku Generator Haiku Syllable Counter

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Matsuo Basho Greatest Master of Haiku

April celebrates National Garden Month

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April is National Garden Month and it celebrates the arrival of Spring and encourages the enjoyment of  everything that has to do with gardening by recognizing its benefits to mental, emotional and physical health. 

 

April is National Poetry Month

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The concept of celebrating poetry was launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 when April was declared to be National Poetry Month.  Each year, the importance of poetry is celebrated all month long with events, activities and resources.  

(click to enlarge Bay Minette's display)

Let's honor the progress with March as Women's History Month

 

For the month, our libraries display a wide variety of informative resources about Women's History.

Scan here for more library displays on our Facebook page.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day this month at the libraries by finding the treasure in books.

Learn More about March 17th

Today in History from the Library of Congress

• The Guide to Irish American Resources at the Library of Congress compiles materials available throughout the Library and also includes a bibliography and selected websites beyond the Library of Congress. Read the post on the Library of Congress Blog that highlights Irish-American Heritage Month: New Resources
• Search on the term Irish in American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940 for many autobiographical stories told by Irish Americans.
• Search on Irish in each of the Performing Arts Databases. Also a search of all collections containing performing arts material will reveal a wide variety of entertainment items relevant to Irish-American culture as well as numerous plays and sketches from the American variety stage featuring stereotypical Irish characters.
• Searching the Library’s blogs on the term St. Patrick’s Day returns several posts related to the holiday, including one from the Picture This blog on the Irish Brigade’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 1863.
• Search the historical newspaper database Chronicling America to find coverage including articles, photographs, and advertisements of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations from years past. To focus your results, use the Advanced Search page to search on a specific phrase (e.g., St. Patrick’s Day or Irish Americans) or date range (e.g., March 17-18, 1865).

PLAN TODAY FOR SOME SPRING BREAK READING

 

In the libraries, we have picked our books for Spring Break so now we would really like to help make your reading hearts happy. Please comment below and tell us some of your favorite book titles, favorite reading genres, or go-to authors. 

Gilbertown supports Coastal Reads

For February

For March

 

Coastal Reads has taken off for Spring Semester!

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February's book, Hidden Figures was picked out by our Thomasville coordinator, Kelly Elmore who led Wednesday's enlightening discussion about the true story of the black female mathematicians whose calculations helped the United States reach space.

March's book will be The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune which is an enchanting love story about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place.

  

 

Check out our libraries during African American History Month!

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Brewton's library display celebrates this month with the contributions of  African American authors. The top shelf spotlights the work of Octavia Butler, one of the first female African American science fiction writers.  On display is her book, Kindred, which has been made into a television series as well as some of her other book titles that are being considered for film or television adaptions. 

Also, check out the libraries' video celebrating this month made in Thomasville.

https://fb.watch/isVCim6dCo/

Snacks in the libraries for Spring Semester's First Week of Classes

 WE AT COASTAL ALABAMA LIBRARIES WANT TO  
WELCOME STUDENTS TO SPRING SEMESTER. 
COME BY TO VISIT AND GRAB A SNACK!

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SNACKS IN THE STACKS IS BACK!!