Today is International Sing-Out Day, so break out in song today like they do in the musicals. Sing out your words in conversations instead of speaking them. Since this is also National Tap Dance Day, you can even add a few dance steps if you like!

Wednesday is National Senior Health and Fitness Day, Thursday is the anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, and Friday is Morning Radio Wise Guy Day.

Monday is Memorial Day, and the library will be closed in observance of the holiday.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Horses are the theme of Wednesday's 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. storytimes. Participants will make a horse weather vane. Bike safety is the topic of Saturday morning's 10:00 storytime. Robert Sherman will give a bike safety workshop, and participants will make a Galimoto.

The library's "Creature Features" Summer Reading Program is in full swing. You'll want to sign up for lots of fun learning activities all summer long! Teens will want to sign up for the Reading Rocks! Teen Summer Reading Program, a sure way to avoid the summertime blues!

BOOK TALK

If history is your "bag," you'll want to check out the great collection at the library. For instance, Wick Allison has used history to illustrate some practical maxims of philosophy and lessons we can learn from them. "Condemned to Repeat It" is a collection of interesting and often exciting stories that give an insight into human behavior under unusual circumstances.

For those who like to collect bits of historical trivia, this book will prove to be a treasure trove. It may even lead you on a quest to learn more about a particular incident in history, such as how Washington stopped a coup or how a circus girl saved an empire!

If you prefer to learn about history by reading about the people who lived it, you'll want to check out "A Way Out of No Way: The Spiritual Memoirs of Andrew Young." In it, Young shows the importance of listening for a spiritual calling and following it with courageous action.

And there is an important new book on Young's mentor, Martin Luther King, Jr. "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.," edited by Clayborne Carson, was commissioned by King's family and written using his own words.

DID YOU KNOW?

We want to say a great big thank you to everyone who supported and voted for the Library Expansion Bond Issue. You'll be hearing more about the expansion and the progress we're making in future columns.

Since we've been talking about history, here are a few glimpses into life in the 1500s. Houses had thatched roofs made of thick straw piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the pets - dogs, cats, and other small animals - lived in the roof. When it rained, the roof became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, giving us the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house, either. This posed a real problem in the bedroom, where bugs and other debris could really mess up your nice clean bed. People found that making beds with big posts and hanging a sheet over the top addressed the problem. Their ingenuity resulted in those beautiful 4 poster beds with canopies!