7:00 to 8:00pm

Main Library

The Winter program series will take place on Wednesday evenings, January 19 through March 9, 2011,with two sessions between 7 and 8 p.m. Sessions will be approximately 25 minutes long and will be held in the Livermore Public Library Civic Center Storytime/Craft Room. Registration begins Monday, January 10th. Children may register for up to three sessions during the Winter series, as space allows. Drop-ins may be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Participating children should not be fearful of dogs or have allergies to pets.

For more information or to register, please call the Livermore Public Library's Children's Desk at 925-373-5500, ext. 5504.

7:00pm

Main Library

Local historians and Livermore Heritage Guild members Anne Homan and Richard Finn will talk about the effects of the huge 1906 earthquake on Livermore, what the citizens of Livermore did to help each other, and the big effort to help those in need throughout the Bay Area.

Anne Marshall Homan has lived in Livermore for 36 years. After earning her teaching credential and an M.A. in English literature at Holy Names College, she taught a variety of English classes at Livermore High School. In 1996, she retired and began work on The Morning Side of Mount Diablo, now in second printing. She became deeply involved in researching the history of Livermore, and in 2006 she finished Historic Livermore, California A-Z. For two years, she wrote a weekly column on local history for the Livermore Independent.

Richard Finn, a native of Berkeley, came to Livermore in 1959, when the only stoplight in town was at the corner of L and First Streets. He graduated with a degree in mechanical design from Oakland City College and was hired by Sandia National Laboratories. He retired from his position as manager of Integrated Design Services and Engineering Information Management at Sandia in 1996 and now can follow his hobbies of genealogy and local history.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

10:30-11:30am

Main Library

It happened to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1906, and again in 1989: tectonic plates shifted, the Earth moved, and devastation followed! What can we do if it happens today? Become a junior seismologist and explore the inside and outside of our planet, find out what instruments are used to measure earthquakes, and piece together a proper safety kit to make sure you’re prepared—not scared—the next time the ground starts to quake and shake!

Lawrence Hall of Science is a renowned resource center for preschool through high school, science and mathematics education and a public science center with exciting hands-on experiences for learners of all ages. Established in 1968 at the University of California, Berkeley in honor of Ernest O. Lawrence, UC’s first Nobel laureate, Lawrence Hall of Science is a national leader in the development of innovative materials and programs for students, teachers, families, and the public at large.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

12:30-5:30

Main Library

All ages are welcome to these free library programs. Contact Youth Services at (925) 373-5504, or Rincon at (925) 373-5540, for more information.

1:30-2:30pm

Main Library

7:00pm

Main Library

Find out all you need to know to survive the next Big Quake, and other disasters. Genevieve Pastor-Cohen will give an overview of the hazards faced by the Livermore area, emphasizing the four pillars of preparedness: making a kit and a plan, plus being informed and involved.

Genevieve Pastor-Cohen is a certified emergency manager, certified business continuity planner and earned her Master of Science Degree in Emergency Services Administration from the California State University, Long Beach. She has been in the comprehensive emergency management industry for 19 years, in which she has served local jurisdictions in disaster recovery and emergency planning and preparedness, since the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Pastor-Cohen joined the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in 2008 as the Emergency Preparedness Manager. The position involves training and exercising city management staff in responding to disasters, facilitating the Livermore Disaster Council, is the Community Emergency Response Team Program Manager, presents emergency preparedness talks to the community and business and oversees the Citizen Corps Council and more.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

12:30-5:30

Rincon Branch

All ages are welcome to these free library programs. Contact Youth Services at (925) 373-5504, or Rincon at (925) 373-5540, for more information.

10:30am

Main Library

Under the general direction of Dr. Philip Manwell, Dean; students from the Arts and Communication Division at Las Positas College will offer a special presentation of the children’s book, Lizzie Newton and the San Francisco Earthquake. The story of ten-year-old Lizzie Newton, who having helped take her grandmother to the hospital after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, sets off on her own to find her parents. Come experience the earthquake from a child’s perspective.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

2:00pm

Main Library

In today's music industry where October's hot property is November's has-been, the fear of obsolescence exerts a powerful influence on many performers, unless, of course, you're the Frisky Frolics. With a ukulele-driven program of such Tin Pan Alley-era classics as "Cake Eatin’ Man" and "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes," the quintet revels in the outdated, dusty gems from our grandparents' 78 rpm record collections.

In the hands of Rick "The Dimestore Dandy" Quisol (ukulele, vocals, kan-zoo), Yanos Lustig (sax, piano), Craig Ventresco (lead guitar) and Chris "TeeGee" Green (acoustic bass, backing vocals), the Jazz Age ditties shimmer and sway, tickling the funny bone while soothing the soul. The group’s shows are about far more than music, as a growing number of Frisky Frolics fans can tell you. Performances include vintage clothing and props that further enhance the magic of the long-lost musical treasures. The Frisky Frolics offer a unique opportunity to travel back in time to an era when the harsh realities of the Depression were temporarily softened by snappy tunes, droll lyrics, and the occasional ferocious kazoo solo.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

7:00pm

Main Library

A cast of volunteer readers from Shakespeare’s Associates will bring James Dalessandro’s book 1906 to life with a dramatic reading. With an introduction by Dr. Philip Manwell, the featured selections will provide a glimpse of 1906 San Francisco— part Paris, part Dodge City— corruption, bravery, a journalist, a runaway, a Chinese slave girl and ….Enrico Caruso!

Shakespeare’s Associates, Inc. are the producers of the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, among other theatrical endeavors. Inspired by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Associates are committed to producing professional theater in the Tri-Valley community.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

12:00pm

Vine Cinema

View a special showing of the classic 1936 movie San Francisco starring Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy, nominated for best actor. Clark Gable plays rakish Barbary Coast kingpin Blackie Norton, Jeannette MacDonald portrays a singer torn by her love for Blackie and her need to succeed among the opera-going elite, and Spencer Tracy is a priest who supplements spiritual advice with a mean right hook. Time Out Film Guide says “romantic drama…lavish spectacle…and the walls come tumbling down! This Academy Award winning extravaganza’s street-splitting, brick-cascading, fire-raging recreation of the cataclysmic earthquake, remains one of the greatest action sequences in the history of the cinema, rivaling the chariot race in Ben-Hur.’”
One of only a handful of independent movie houses in San Francisco’s East Bay, the Vine Cinema has embraced the “dinner-and-a-movie” concept, providing restaurant quality food with a limited-item menu from the Zephyr Grill and Bar next door. The Vine Cinema (www.vinecinema.com) is located at 1722 First Street in Livermore.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

2:00pm

Main Library

The 1906 magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the Northern San Andreas Fault marked the birth of modern earthquake science. For the first time, the effects and impacts of a major seismic event were systematically investigated and documented. The full extent of the San Andreas fault throughout California was also mapped for the first time. Damage to structures showed destruction was closely related to building design and construction--a painful lesson oft repeated around the world. Interpretation of repeated surveying data and surface fault offsets led to development of the elastic rebound hypothesis--that earthquakes represent sudden release of elastic energy along a fault resulting from a cycle of slow strain accumulation produced by relative displacements of neighboring portions of the crust--this earthquake cycle is still accepted today with minor modifications.

We now know that a repeat of the 1906 earthquake is only one of a wide number of future major damaging earthquakes likely to impact the Bay Area. We cannot predict earthquakes, however we can predict their likely effects and the most hazardous regions. Looking to the future, a dense array of continuous GPS recorders in Northern California, part of a new initiative by the National Science Foundation called EarthScope, can search for fault interactions and determine if an acceleration of strain rate precedes the next big earthquake, as it may have prior to 1906.

Mary Lou Zoback is currently Vice President, Earthquake Risk Applications with Risk Management Solutions. A 28-year veteran of the United States Geological Survey, Dr. Zoback is a highly respected geophysicist, recognized for her work on the relationship between earthquakes and state of stress in the Earth's crust.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

7:00pm

Main Library

People who recall San Francisco's prior days bemoan that it just isn't the same... and they're right. San Francisco will always remain one of the world's great cities, but yesterday's San Francisco, with its personalized style and charm, had no rival. San Francisco's earthquakes, 1906 and prior will be presented in a richly illustrated discussion of how the city earned its seal and what really happened.

James Smith’s book San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks is not just a list of places, facts and dates -- this pictorial history shows why San Francisco has been a legendary travel destination as well as one of the world's premier places to live and work for more than one hundred and fifty years. It not only tells of the lost landmarks, but also dishes up the flavor of what it was like to experience these past treasures.

California historian James R. Smith is the author of San Francisco's Lost Landmarks and San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Early Years, as well as a number of historical articles. He co-authored The California Snatch Racket: Kidnappings during the Prohibition and Depression Eras with friend and noted author W. Lane Rogers.

The pair also co-wrote Serious Mischief: Crimes in California, slated for publication in 2012. Smith is currently working on San Francisco's Playland at the Beach: The Golden Years, covering 1945 through 1972.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

7:00pm

Main Libaray

David Kiehn, Historian of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum will show short films and photographs by the Miles Brothers, pioneers in American cinema, including their 1906 film A Trip Down Market Street, an historic 13-minute journey shot just days before the earthquake.

David Kiehn is the author of Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company, the definitive history of that pioneering film company, published in 2003. His research on the subject, which began in 1995, sparked a renewed interest in this local Niles history, resulting in the first Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival in June 1998, and the formation of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, a non-profit organization, in 2001. He is the historian and film programmer for the Museum, located at the historic Edison Theater in the Niles district of Fremont, California. In October, 2010, he was seen on 60 Minutes in a segment with Morley Safer about A Trip Down Market Street, a film which he discovered was shot by the Miles Brothers, a San Francisco film company, only four days before the 1906 earthquake.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

1:30 to 3:00pm

Main Library

At Aftershock!, teens will learn first aid for earthquake and fire disasters through a special American Red Cross training course designed for teens. Other topics include first response topics and techniques, and a look at teen volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.

2:00pm

Main Library

Jack London: Eyewitness to the Great Quake is a dynamic portrait of California through the eyes of the renowned author, adventurer and social crusader, Jack London, as performed by Michael Oakes, artistic director of Live Oakes Educational Theater. Follow London as he journeyed throughout the region documenting the devastation of the 1906 earthquake –one of the most articulate of the eyewitness accounts.

Live Oakes Educational Theater combines rigorous research with acting expertise to bring history to life. Since 1994 they have toured their award-winning living-history shows, complete with evocative sets and period costumes, to schools, libraries, National and State Historic Parks, museums, and theaters across the country.

This program is part of Livermore Reads Together, a community-wide reading program featuring James Dalessandro’s book, 1906: A Novel, about the San Francisco - earthquake and fire. The community of Livermore is encouraged to join their neighbors by participating in the Livermore Reads Together free events for children and adults during the month of February 2011. Copies of books and event schedules are available at all Livermore Public Library locations. Livermore Reads Together is generously sponsored by The Friends of the Livermore Library.