Historic Farmland USA Farmers Markets Begin May 8!

“Fridays in Farmland” Markets Feature Locally Grown Food, Entertainment & Marketplace

Historic Farmland USA, an Indiana Main Street organization in Randolph County, will the first event in its 2009 series of “Fridays in Farmland“ Farmers Markets Friday, May 8 from 5:00 to 8:00pm. The Market will be held on the sidewalks of downtown Farmland as well as indoors at The Farmland Cultural Center, 103 N. Main Street in historic downtown Farmland at the intersection of Highways 1 & 32. Fridays in Farmland Markets are a celebration of locally produced food, arts, crafts and entertainment. Family activities include a local farmers market with canned goods and spring produce, artisan booths, unique food vendors & bake sale and live musical entertainment. Local Farmland businesses will also be open. Returning artisans and farmers market vendors from previous events include jewelry makers, garden produce sellers and prepared food booths featuring locally made salsa, tomato sauce, relish, pickles, fudge and more. Entertainment will include live performances by local musicians. The events are free and open to the public. The "Fridays in Farmland" series will continue from 5:00-8:00pm on the second Friday of every month through December. For information about the event or to obtain vendor space call 765-468-7631.

It's National Cherry Blossom Festival Time!

According to the Library of Congress American Memory Project’s Today in History website, “On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Potomac River” in Washington, D.C. This event began the idea that grew into the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place every Spring. The trees bloom at a different time every year, but the Peak Bloom Period usually covers late March to early April. Visitors plan their visit around these dates annually.

You can find a history of the festival on its official website. For historical photographs of the festival, use the search box on the American Memory website to search all Library of Congress online collections for “cherry blossom festival”.

What's New for Adults this Month

March 2009 New Books for Adults
Indiana's Covered Bridges / Reed, Robert
Firefly Lane / Hannah, Kristen
Drifting South / Davis, Charles
The year of fog / Richmond, Michelle
Easy beading / Banker, Susan M.
Corsair / Cussler, Clive
Handle With Care / Picoult, Jodi
Learn to play the piano and keyboard / Freeth, Nick
Whispers Through the Trees / Plunkett, Susan (Large Print)
Full of Grace / Frank, Dorothea B. (Large Print)
How to Abduct a Highland Lord / Hawkins, Karen (Large Print)
Blue Dahlia / Roberts, Nora
The Animal Dialogues / Childs, Craig
Snoop: What your stuff says about you / Gosling, Sam
23 Minutes in Hell / Wiese, Bill
House of Cards : a tale of hubris and wretched excess / Cohan, William
Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man / Harvey, Steve

New Movies – Adult Collection
Fahrenheit 451 / Bradbury, Ray (DVD)
David Carradine's Tai Chi Workout (VHS)
Cheaper By The Dozen / Gilbreth Jr., Frank (VHS)
Happy Gilmore (VHS)
What Dreams May Come (VHS)
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (VHS)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (VHS)

New Stuff at FPL for Kids in March

Here's what is new for kids so far this month!

We have added several new books and movies and we are trying out a couple of
NEW FORMATS: Kits and Games and Read-Along Book and CD sets! These items will circulate like all others, for a 2-week loan. Try them out!

New Read-Along Book/CD Kits – read while you listen!
The Tale of Despereaux / DiCamillo, Kate
A Field Full of Horses : Book and Read-Along CD / Hansard, Peter
Walk With A Wolf : Book and Read-Along CD / Howker, Janni
The Teacher’s Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts / Peck, Richard

New Books for Kids:
Benjamin Harrison : Twenty-Third President / Venezia, Mike
ABC / Geddes, Anne
The Night Before St. Particks Day / Wing, Natasha
A Pot O' Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of course) Blarney / Krull, K.
Who Is Melvin Bubble? / Bruel, Nick
Ronald Reagan : from Silver Screen to Oval Office / Patrick, Denise L.
Fiona's Luck / Bateman, Teresa
The Leprechaun’s Gold / Edwards, Pamela Duncan
Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye (#1) / Stilton Geronimo
The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid (#2) / Stilton, Geronimo
How to take the Grrrr out of Anger / Verdick, Elizabeth
What to do when you're scared & worried / Crist, James D. PhD
Carl's Sleepy Afternoon / Day, Alexandra

New Kits and Games for Kids
Barnyard Floor Puzzle
From Head to Toe Game
Pictureka!
The 50 States Game

New Movies for Kids:
Max & Ruby : Max’s Froggy Friend (DVD)
The Berenstein Bears Visit Fun Park (DVD)
Arthur's Tooth (VHS)
Home on the Range (VHS)
Robin Hood (VHS)

Calling All Sam Harper Fans!!!

Check out the newest short story on the Sam Harper Crime Scene blog at http://www.samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com . The female character in this story is planned to be introduced in the third book in the Harper series. Get an early preview and drop author Marta Stephens a note!

Local Unemployment Data Available Through STATS

Are you looking for the latest employment data for your county or metro area? The Indiana Department of Workforce Development and STATS Indiana provide Local Area Unemployment Statistics through the updated Hoosiers by the Numbers website, a state-based portal to workforce information. Especially interesting are the line graphs produced automatically which detail the changes in the workforce from last year to this year, for your selected area. You can receive your results in Word, Excel, or by email. Where does your county rank along with other Indiana counties? Select the Publications tab and choose Ranking of Indiana Counties by Unemployment Rate for January 2009.

YUCK! Poison Prevention Week

March 15-21 2009 marks National Poison Prevention Week. More than 2 million poisonings are reported to poison control centers each year. Most of these cases that are non-fatal occur among children under the age of six. National Poison Prevention Week was designed to inform the public about the prevalence of accidental poisonings in the home and elsewhere, and to shed light on ways to prevent such events from happening.
The Poison Prevention Week Council, which was established by Congress in 1961, provides a handy list of materials that discuss the dangers of various poisons – whether they be plants, medicines, lead or pesticides. Many of these materials are downloadable and most are free.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also provides a list of publications discussing poison prevention. All of these can be downloaded. Check out the Center for Disease Control’s website for additional publications. They provide access to governmental reports on poison prevention. The website also includes a link to the CDC’s Podcast on poisonings. Finally, as summer draws near, adults, children and animals all have easier access to pesticides. Visit the EPA’s website on pesticide safety for more information.