FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2009
Contact: , Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7379
Fax: (512) 974-7442

Celebrate Juneteenth: Honoring Our Legacy at the Carver Branch

The George Washington Carver Branch of the Austin Public Library, The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, and Outreach Productions invite you to celebrate Juneteenth: Honoring Our Legacy on June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Carver Branch, 1161 Angelina. Juneteenth is a day for all Americans to celebrate African American freedom, history, and culture. Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived on Galveston Island to take possession of the state of Texas and to enforce emancipation. The celebrations include storytelling, puppet shows, art activities, museum tours, and doll making. The Juneteenth celebration is free and open to the public. For more information please call (512) 974-1010 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/library.

Schedule of Events and Activities

10am-4pm
Tours of the Juneteenth Exhibit at the Carver Museum every hour on the hour

10am-12pm

1. Welcome and Introduction of Vendors
2. Coat of Arms Workshop, "Create Your Family's Coat of Arms"
3. Puppetry /Doll Workshop, "Make Your Own Puppets & Corn Husk Dolls”
4. Friendship Bracelets "Make a Friendship Bracelet"
5. Magnets & Buttons, "One Size Fits All Magnets & Buttons"

12pm-1:30pm
HEB Buddy Visit!

1:30pm-2:30pm
Juneteenth Puppet Show: "Mumba and the Spider"

2:30pm-4pm
Continue workshops

Outreach Productions is a program of creative learning through literature dedicated to improving the lives of minority and disadvantaged youths, with a particular emphasis on those youths living in historically impoverished areas. Outreach promotes literacy and library utilization through the development of various programs that focus on creative writing, puppetry, poetry, and computer science.

Carver Branch History
The George Washington Carver Branch has a unique place in Austin Public Library’s history. The building which is now the Carver Museum was the original Carver Branch Library. In 1933 when a 26,000 square foot Italian Renaissance building replaced the original 1,800 square foot wooden frame building as the new Central Library, the wooden frame building was moved to 1165 Angelina, was resurfaced with brick and became the first branch library in Austin. It was also the first branch to serve African American citizens, who had advocated strongly for a library in their community. In 1979, after further citizen input, a new 10,000 square foot facility was built to better serve the multipurpose needs of the community. The original Carver Branch Library then became the Carver Museum.

The Carver Branch Today
In the 1998 City of Austin Bond Election, voters approved the funds to expand the Branch Library to more than 15,000 square feet. The new Carver Branch opened, October 30, 2004 with expanded space for adult and youth computers, a collection of more than 75,000 volumes, four public meeting rooms, a separate youth area, VICTORY Tutoring study rooms, ports for laptop computer hook-ups, wireless internet access, and an art exhibit space.

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Funded in whole or in part by a Loan Star Libraries Grant authorized by the Texas Legislature and awarded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to the Austin Public Library.