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“Too Cool for Yule” 2018

A number of years ago, I began creating the holiday play list, variously known as “Don’t Touch that Dial,” the “Too Cool for Yule” blog, and more simply, the Director’s Playlist.

It’s a collection of seasonal tunes that I look forward to assembling each year, right around the time holiday music earwigs begin their assault on the senses.  From schlock (hopefully not too much of that) to rock, over the years we have managed to amass quite an eclectic set of “mix tapes,” and this year is no exception.

Black and white filtered photo of pine trees on the edge of a lake in winter

Before you start clicking and singing along, however, a couple of explanatory notes (pun intended) are in order:

In August, the magnificent voice of the Queen of Soul was silenced.  Like many in my age cohort, Aretha Franklin’s music was a soundtrack to my life.  Represented here by a swinging “Blue Holiday” from her second album, it’s a brilliant reminder that ‘Retha was as deft with the keyboard as she was with her vocal chops.

Paul Simon and Joan Baez launched Farewell Tours (NB: sorta kinda, Baez is briefly rebooting in April) and are represented by “Getting Ready for Christmas Day” and “Amazing Grace,” respectively.

I’ve closed the list with two “secular” selections. While libraries were not exactly what Bob Dylan had in mind when he penned the classic, “Shelter from the Storm,” we are indeed that for many in our community - an inclusive and safe place for knowledge, for belonging and for comfort.

And finally, 2018 was the centenary of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein’s birth and I have chosen to give him the last “word.” Jazz pianist Bill Evans’s emotional rendering of Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” from the buoyant “On the Town” is a pitch perfect ballad for this time of year, when we recall where we’ve been and anticipate where we are going if we have the luxury of time.

“Where has the time all gone to

Haven't done half the things we want to

Oh well, we'll catch up some other time”

Whether you eat Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Day, attend church, binge on Netflix, curl up with a good book or board game you borrowed from the library, or sit quietly with your thoughts, all of us at Arlington Public Library wish you and yours the very best.

DK

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Murphy & Ames Lumber and Hardware

Arlington has long been home to many flourishing small businesses, including the original Murphy & Ames lumber and hardware company:

Located in Rosslyn from 1908 to the 1960s, Murphy & Ames became known as a prominent company in the County. In 1951 a fire consumed their Rosslyn flagship store, but the devastation did not deter then President, W.P. Ames, Sr. He quickly rebuilt and expanded the company’s service offerings, even adding a new location in Falls Church.

The company’s goal was to serve Arlington County’s (and the surrounding communities) changing landscape and building needs. With the 1950s and 1960s housing boom, Murphy & Ames began to offer additional services, such as having an expert millwork craftsmen on-hand, and the company worked diligently to attend and serve Arlington’s ever-growing and ever-changing population.

By the early-to-mid 1960s, Murphy & Ames had expanded to Fairfax and Herndon thanks to the opening of I-66. Now with four stores in full operation, W.P. Ames made the decision to close and ultimately tear down his Rosslyn store. A ten-story office building was built on the former site, and with the continual decline of residential growth in Rosslyn, the area became an urban hub for office spaces through the remaining decades of the 20th Century.

To learn more about Murphy & Ames, or Arlington’s diverse history, visit the Center for Local History located on the 1st floor of Central Library.

Winter Clothing Drive

Support Arlington Students and Families

Monday, Nov. 19 - Friday, Dec. 7

Photo of colorful hand drawing: Winter clothes

Communities in Schools of NOVA is collecting hats, gloves, mittens and scarves for students and family members in Arlington Public Schools at the following Library locations:

  • Central Library
  • Columbia Pike Branch Library
  • Shirlington Branch Library
  • Westover Branch Library

Your generosity will provide warmth during the cold winter months!

For more information about the Winter Clothing Drive, please contact Communities In Schools of NOVA at info@cisofnova.org.

CIS NOVA is an independent, non profit affiliate of the national Communities In Schools (CIS) network.

 

Win a Book Wednesday: “Once Upon a River”

Win a Copy of "Once Upon a River" by Diane Setterfield

cropped image of the spines of "Once Upon a River"

About "Once Upon a River"

"Once Upon a River is a whimsical story with dark undertones, that will leave you guessing until the very end. Amelia. No, Alice. Or is it Ann? – is saved from drowning late on the night of Winter Solstice. All who encounter this four-year-old, have a strong affinity to her. But what is it that draws people to her? Does she belong in this world? If you like Setterfield’s Thirteenth Tale, then this book is for you."

Reviewed for you here by librarian Karen. Publication date is set as December 4, 2018.

Want to Win this Book?

  • Leave a comment below on Wednesday, April 3, and share the name of the book you're reading this week.
  • Everyone who leaves a comment here, on Facebook OR Twitter will be entered into a random drawing (Library employees are not eligible). Please only enter in one place.
  • The winner will be contacted by email on Thursday, April 4.
  • The winner can pick up their prize at the Library location of their choice.

Win a Book Wednesdays takes place twice a month. Prize books are Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of books that will be added to the Library collection within the next month, and can already be found in the Library catalog as "on order."

ARCs are uncorrected proofs given to the Library for review purposes only, and are not for sale.

Oral History: Dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Arlington Voices the Oral History Collection

Interview with Agnes Quade

In observance of Veteran’s Day, the staff at the Center for Local History present a clip of an oral history interview with Charles and Agnes Quade, who recalls attending the first dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1932. After some research about Sgt. Frank Witchey (spelled Witchie here) we have determined that Mrs. Quade misspoke during her interview and based on her information about meeting the Sergeant, she was actually there on the original dedication date in November 1921 (thank you to an eagle-eyed patron for pointing this out to us!).

In this segment, Mrs. Quade shares her memories of seeing Sergeant Witchey - a man her husband would eventually meet - play Taps at the Unknown Soldier’s tomb.

NARRATOR: Agnes Quade
INTERVIEWER: Theda Nichols
DATE: May 3, 1975

TN: Now, while we’re on the War subject, didn’t you tell me that you had attended the first dedication of the Unknown Soldier in 1932?

AQ: Yes.

TN: Uh-huh.

AQ: I did.

TN: Could you tell me what you remember about that?

AQ: And that was just a wonderful, impressive occasion. I went out to the National Cemetery, to the Amphitheater. And my mother was here from Atlanta, Georgia, at the time – had come 600 miles; and I thought, “Oh, how wonderful [that] we are here for such a solemn day.” It meant so much to everyone.
And when we arrived, out at the Cemetery, I asked one of the men who had charge of the services if it would be possible that we could get a seat.
And he said, “Oh, no!” – that all the seats were taken, and that others – we just didn’t have any room for anyone else in the Amphitheater; we could stand outside, and we could hear, probably.
And I said, “But my mother’s here, and she’s from Atlanta, Georgia.”
He said, “Just a minute, Lady.”
And over he came with two tickets, which I still have – and I treasure! – and brought me a program. And he ushered us in to about the fourth row of the Amphitheater.
And it was a very solemn service. I have Kodak pictures of the first Unknown Soldier’s Tomb – with the wreath, and with the colors, the flags, and the different divisions of the military, which were at that particular service.
And I would like to add there that the man, who was Sgt. Witchie, is a wonderful bugler – played “Taps” that day over the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb – on November the 11th, 1932.
And in several years, my husband happened to meet Sgt. Witchie; and now we have an autographed copy, a picture, framed, of him playing “Taps” at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb on November the 11th, 1932.

You can find Charles and Agnes Quade’s interview in its entirety at the Center for Local History- VA 975.5295 A7243oh ser.2 no.24 

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

What is the oral history collection?

Oral history is a popular method of research used for understanding historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of people’s personal experiences.

The Arlington Public Library began collecting oral histories of long-time residents in the 1970s, and since then the scope of the collection has expanded to capture the diverse voices of Arlington’s community. In 2016, staff members and volunteers recorded many additional hours of interviews, building the collection to 575 catalogued oral histories.

To browse our list of narrators indexed by interview subject, check out our community archive. To read a full transcript of an interview, visit the Center for Local History located at Central Library.

Women’s Work: Ruby Lee Minar

Have you shopped in Lee Heights? Visited Lyon Park?

Then you have been to neighborhoods created by real estate developer Ruby Lee Minar.

You can read a short history of Ruby Lee Minar's influential career in Arlington real estate development in our online exhibit, Women's Work.  The exhibit includes original documents, which are housed in the Center for Local History's Community Archive.

In the 1920s, entrepreneur Ruby Lee Minar built a real estate empire in and around Arlington. It was so expansive that the American Business Review described her as the “most successful woman in realty development in the country.”

By May 1921, Minar had become the exclusive sales agent for the Lyon Park subdivision owned by Lyon & Fitch. Minar also purchased a 400-acre tract of land between the Washington Golf and Country Club and the Potomac River, which was developed into a subdivision named Lee Heights.

Ruby Lee Minor was a prominent advocate for women’s rights in her roles as first president of the Washington, D.C. Soroptimist Club, a worldwide civic organization for business and professional women. She became the first woman admitted to the Virginia Real Estate Association and went on to be the only woman on the Alexandria-Arlington-Fairfax Real Estate Board.

Memorial Bridge illustration, from Ruby Lee Minar's brochure advertising Lee Heights

100 Years of WWI: New Books and Films

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

On Nov. 11, 2018, we mark 100 years since the the armistice of 1918 that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Allies and their opponent, Germany.

Explore World War 1 from multiple perspectives, in a variety of formats, with our World War 1 Book Lists:

Montage of new book covers of books about World War one

Love Games?

The Library’s collection provides access to a variety of games that inspire continued learning, constructive play, and creative thinking in players of all ages.

Borrowing

  • Games can be placed on hold through the catalog.
  • Games check out for 1 week from any Library location.
  • Games can be renewed once if not on hold for another patron.

Returning

  • Games can be returned to any Library location.
  • Please return games to a service desk, not in a book return.
  • Please return games with all pieces if possible.
  • Please report any damage to a Library staff member.

The Games Collection is made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of the Arlington Public Library, and in partnership with Barstons Child’s Play. We would also like to thank NOVA Board Game Group for their continued support of the Library’s Gaming programs.



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