News + Events
Smiley LIVE! Fivacious
Smiley LIVE! Presents: Fivacious
Wednesday, February 21, 6:30 PM
The Contemporary Club
This free public event is part of the Smiley LIVE! concert series. It’s family-friendly, with a Q&A segment where young and old alike can ask the performers questions about their music, their performance, and anything else they may be curious about.
The five Johnson siblings created the soul-stirring Afro-folk singing group called Fivacious. They have been performing together for the past 30 years, developing their sound as children in the Church of God Evening Light Saints, where congregational singing is acapella. Both grandparents on their mother’s and father’s side were pastors who shaped the lineage to experience the song as medicine. Fivacious grew up singing in prisons, on the streets, in hospitals, at births, and on deathbeds. For Fivacious, music is community. We invite audiences to sing with us to embody the profound power of the human voice. Singing is a birthright, and Fivacious believes every voice that sings is a gift to the world. The five-part harmonies of Fivacious have been developed in a small church in Phelan, California in the Mojave Desert. From this humble beginning, every performance is a space for stories to be passed on to the next generation.
Smiley LIVE! Sean Gaskell
Smiley LIVE! Presents: Sean Gaskell
Thursday, February 22, 5:00 PM
The Contemporary Club
This free public event is part of the Smiley LIVE! concert series. It’s family-friendly, with a Q&A segment where young and old alike can ask the performers questions about their music, their performance, and anything else they may be curious about.
Sean Gaskell features songs on the kora – a 21 stringed West African harp. He studied under the instruction of Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh at their home in Brikama, Gambia, over three extensive visits between 2008-2018. In 2023, he made his first visit to Senegal to study with Youssoupha Cissokho and his son Mamadou Cissokho in the town of Saly.
The kora is traditionally played by oral historians known as Griots. Many songs featured on the kora preserve an 800-year history dating back to the founding of the Mande empire. Gaskell has presented adult, youth and family programs at over 350 libraries and a multitude of k-12 schools, colleges, universities and assisted living facilities in the United States and Canada.
Celebrate Lincoln in February
Open House – Saturday, February 3
The Lincoln Shrine Open House is just around the corner! Don’t miss the popular event on Saturday, February 3, 2024, 11am-3pm at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and Smiley Park in Redlands.
The annual event will once again feature new exhibits, live music, Civil War reenactors, and family activities. The crowd-pleasing 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery will provide hourly cannon demonstrations, the 7th Michigan Cavalry will discuss the life of cavalrymen during the war, and President Lincoln presenter Robert Broski will be on hand to recite the Gettysburg Address. In addition, the Sons of Union Veterans, Dr. Malarkey, the Camp Carleton Band, and the Inland Empire LEGO User Group, with their ever-growing LEGO Civil War battle scene, will also be on hand.
The event will be preceded by the annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, which will culminate with a program on the steps of the Lincoln Shrine at 10:30am. A Redlands tradition since 1940, the Pilgrimage is hosted by the Gray Arrow District, Boy Scouts of America and is sponsored by Redlands Noon Kiwanis.
The Lincoln Shrine Open House is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Heritage Room.
Lincoln Dinner – Monday, February 12
The Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association welcomes Professor Christopher Oakley of the University of North Carolina at Asheville as keynote speaker of the 92nd Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on Monday, February 12, 2024. Taking place at the University of Redlands’ Orton Center, Professor Oakley’s address will examine his work to uncover the details of Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Gettysburg in November, 1863. Decades in the making, Professor Oakley’s work combined print media and technology.
A life-long aficionado of the 16th president, Professor Oakley has enjoyed a varied career as an animator, director, photographer, and educator. In 2013, his interest in President Lincoln inspired him to launch an undergraduate research endeavor called The Virtual Lincoln Project, which led to the discovery of a previously unknown image of Abraham Lincoln standing in the crowd at Gettysburg.
He has worked as an animator on feature films for Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, and Rhythm & Hues. His work includes Dinosaur, Scooby Doo, Men in Black II, and Stuart Little 2.
Attendance to the Lincoln Dinner is $69 for Lincoln Memorial Association contributors who donate or renew in January, 2024, and $79 for the general public. To request a reservation, call (909)798-7632 or email heritage@akspl.org.
Smiley Gamers’ Society: Video Game Tournament 1/16/2024
REGISTRATION FULL!
So sorry about that! Please keep your eyes peeled for future events!
Video Game Tournament: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Gamers, the time has come. Join us for a super fun Super Smash Bros. Tournament at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Prizes are on the line for winners.
Video Game Tournament: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Tuesday, 1/16/2024
6:30-8:30pm
The Assembly Room at A.K. Smiley Public Library
125 W. Vine St.
Ages 10+
FREE!
Space is limited and registration is required…reserve your spot here! 🙂
*Nintendo is not a sponsor or affiliated with this tournament.
*Terms for participating in and viewing Community Tournaments using Nintendo Games: