News + Events

 

Larry Burgess and Tom Atchley are offering their Redlands Local History class beginning on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. The class meets from 7:00 to 9:00 pm for eight consecutive Tuesdays ending on April 7 and is held in the Assembly Room of the Smiley Library.

The class, sponsored by the Library Board of Trustees, has a fee of $30.00 per person with the proceeds going to the Redlands Heritage Room

Burgess, Smiley Library Director emeritus, inaugurated the course in 1971 and a few years after was joined by Atchley, a teacher of history at Redlands High School, now retired. Burgess has written and lectured extensively about Redlands history, and Atchley is well known for his informative walking tours of Redlands neighborhoods, as well as for his talks.

Course subjects include people and places that influenced the founding of Redlands, its prehistory and geology, and climate and setting.  Topics include social and cultural history of organizations and government, crime and scandal, philanthropy, photographs and maps, colorful personalities, Redlands in literature and in film, and questions that class members may have about their town.

Reservations can be made either by e-mail at admin@akspl.org or by calling the Library Director’s Office at 798-7565.

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine will honor Abraham Lincoln at the 88th annual Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on Wednesday, February 12 at 6:30pm in University of Redlands’s Orton Center. Dr. Douglas Egerton of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York will deliver a keynote address “Lincoln and Black Soldiers”.

Attendance to the Lincoln Dinner is $49 for supporters of the Lincoln Memorial Association who give in January 2019, and $59 for the general public. Advanced reservations are required and will remain open until February 5, or until sold out, whichever comes first. For reservations or for more information, please call (909)798-7632 or email heritage@akspl.org.

 

Comedian / Preservationist, Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton, author of the just released This Day in Comedy: The Ethnic Encyclopedia of Laughter invites you to experience this hysterical and historical event that will spark the imagination.

Join us at the 48th annual Lincoln Shrine Open House on Saturday, February 8th from 11am to 3pm at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and Smiley Park. The day will feature live music, Civil War reenactors, and new exhibits. The event is free and open to the public. You won’t want to miss it!

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is a part of the division of Special Collections of A.K. Smiley Public Library and is the only museum and research center in the west focusing solely on Lincoln and the American Civil War. The museum is located at 125 W. Vine Street in Redlands. Admission is free. For further information, please call 909-798-7632 or visit www.lincolnshrine.org.

 

Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa.  He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora’s musical repertoire in addition to some of his own personal compositions.