Everyone Has A Story

Congratulations to Madelyn for completing 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten! We're so proud of you and all the adults who read all those books to you. Based on your smile, we think you'll enjoy the next books just as much! #1000BooksBeforeKindergarten #KidsAtTheLibrary (at Westover Branch Library, Arlington Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1XC6SUBZIm/?igshid=1p8bijnx73nq8

While the Washington Nationals dominate most local baseball discussions, there is also a fascinating history of baseball in Arlington’s African-American community. The earliest known baseball team, named The Old Virginia Blues, started in 1910. They played each Sunday on a field in East Arlington near Arlington Junction. The two best known teams—the Virginia White Sox (pictured above) and the Green Valley Black Sox—started playing in the 1930’s. Each weekend throughout the summer, the teams competed at a field near High View Park, on land which is now occupied by the Virginia Hospital Center. Their games provided a social gathering place for local residents and families. After the land was purchased for development, the teams folded, for lack of a place to play. Stop by the Center for Local History at Central Library to learn more. #CenterForLocalHistory #archives #ArlingtonVA #ArlingtonVAHistory (at Arlington, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0D6kCDhyqn/?igshid=1ht4cx7ugi4j3

Congratulations to Jase, the newest member of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Hall of Fame! We're so proud of you, and all the adults who read all of those books to you. #1000BooksBeforeKindergarten #KidsAtTheLibrary https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqKu39hc6s/?igshid=17czt0plcu8ub

Is your little one missing the usual storytime routine this month? During June our preschool storytimes take a break, but the children's librarians - like Pat and Kate, photographed here talking to kids at Tuckahoe Elementary - are extra busy visiting all of Arlington elementary schools. They share great new books, promote the value and fun of reading during the summer, and get kids excited about Summer Reading! Summer preschool storytimes start Sunday, June 23. We look forward to seeing you then! Photo thanks to Tuckahoe Elementary School Library. (at TuckahoeElementary) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByahG_qhDWw/?igshid=updfl8oul0bw

Are you ready to swing for the fences with Summer Reading? Adults, teens and kids can read for 25 days between June 1 and September 1 to win 2 tickets to a Washington Nationals game! You can even track your reading in your Library app. Get all the info on the Library website - link in our profile. #SummerReading (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNdgrThTI2/?igshid=67s8a9cqu3k

Have you read to YOUR reptile lately? On Tuesday, the Columbia Pike Branch Library and the Career Center's Animal Science Department (located next door to Columbia Pike) teamed up for the first of three weekly Reading to Reptiles events. 16 elementary school age kids read for 15 minutes each to a dragon lizard, a blue tongue skink, a tortoise, and two snakes (one snake was blind but listened very well). Thanks to our partners at the Career Center of Arlington Public Schools - Mr. Scott Lockhart and his teenage Animal Science students, along with all of our excellent readers! #ReadingToReptiles #KidsAtTheLibrary (at Columbia Pike Branch, Arlington Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNueQOBNM3/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hw0fwyx1kmp9

Meet Charles, who just joined the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Hall of Fame! Congratulation kiddo, and to all the adults who read with you - we are super proud of you 📚❤️😊 #1000BooksBeforeKindergarten #KidsAtTheLibrary (at Shirlington Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxH3KuNhZxt/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=76ab4jgh0x0m

Are you ready for May the 4th? #MayTheFourthBeWithYou (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxAUVGmh4NW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jw56jx45rp6

We are delighted to report that 4 year old Lessley has read 1,000 books before kindergarten! Congratulation kiddo, and to all the adults who read with you. #1000BooksBeforeKindergarten #KidsAtTheLibrary (at Shirlington Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5ineXhYcq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14oqh9a7c6pnx

Scholastic photo set #3 It's time for the Arlington Public School's annual Scholastic Art Show! Stop by Central Library this March to see these and other fantastic work by Arlington middle and high school students. Sculpture is on the second floor. (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvJgJGvhQJm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1abzkqxub22sk

What a wonderful evening last night with Arlington Reads author Jacqueline Woodson! She told us, "Everybody has a story, and everybody has a right to tell their story. If you make it through kindergarten you have enough to write about for the rest of your life." All photos copyright Josh Brick (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCec-1hYOe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zk5wrcx6s8kf

It's time for the Arlington Public School's annual Scholastic Art Show! Stop by Central Library this month to see these and other fantastic work by Arlington middle and high school students. #scholasticartawards2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bug494kBrOZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1l1pnwkbfp2n7

It's time for the Arlington Public School's annual Scholastic Art Show! Stop by Central Library this month to see these and other fantastic work by Arlington middle and high school students. #scholasticartawards2019 (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bug3UHpBhjB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xly3sg9w5y29

Have you ever traveled down Shirlington Rd in the Nauck neighborhood, and stopped for a snack at the one story, white, shingled building on the corner of Shirlington Rd and 24th Rd S? Established in 1952, the Green Valley Pharmacy is the first (and only) pharmacy and lunch counter in Arlington that would serve African American patrons during the Jim Crow era. The man who opened the pharmacy was Dr. Leonard “Doc” Muse, a pharmacist and social activist. Muse was born in Florida in 1923 and after serving in World War II used his GI benefits to attend the Howard University School of Pharmacy. In 1952, he and his partner Waverly Jones bought the former Hyman’s Grocery and opened the Green Valley Pharmacy. The pharmacy served black and white customers, but mainly served as a neighborhood hub for Nauck- as a lunch counter, a drug store, and a first job for many young people in Green Valley. Doc provided free lunches for the hungry and free medications for those who could not afford their prescriptions. In 2013, Green Valley Pharmacy was named as an Historic District by the Arlington County Board, and Muse himself was honored by the Arlington NAACP with the Community Appreciation Award. Muse’s commitment to social activism established him as a pillar of the Nauck community, positively influencing the young people of Green Valley and providing a social and political hub for the residents of Nauck. This photo was taken by Matthew Welborn in 2010, as part of a student photography contest sponsored by the Center for Local History. (at Green Valley Pharmacy) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKYBNQhkoE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=inf73vg5ksaq

Cub Scout Pack #589 was Arlington’s first African American Cub Scout Pack, established in 1952 and founded by Ernest Johnson. This photo shows the April 1953 induction of new pack members, with Johnson standing to the right. Founding Cub Scout Pack #589 was part of Ernest Johnson's efforts to give African American children in segregated Arlington a variety of activities to help them grow and have fun. As the director of the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation’s Negro Recreation Section, (founded in 1950), Johnson worked tirelessly to expand the Section’s sports, arts, and culture programs for African American children in the County. He oversaw the development of Jennie Dean Field and a new recreation center at Hoffman-Boston on S. Queen Street, known as the Carver Center. The Section also organized picnics, beauty pageants, and socials. The County recognized Johnson’s abilities as an organizer and developer of programs, and when Arlington desegregated their Parks and Recreation facilities and programs in the spring of 1961, he became the Supervisor of the Centers Section, overseeing “teen clubs, free classes, and meeting of non-Department sponsored clubs in the centers.” Johnson stayed with the Department until his retirement in 1982. Arlington then celebrated Ernest Johnson Day with a parade, softball game, and testimonial dinner. Ernest Johnson's work for the County is remarkable in another way: he had the foresight to hire a professional photographer to attend many of the Negro Recreation Section’s activities. These photographs make up the Arlington Community Archives’ Photograph Collection 218, the Ernest Johnson Collection, which can be viewed online. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt3xp2mh7dh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tdv0qo2rotba

Congratulations to Zelda, the newest member of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Hall of Fame! #1000BooksBeforeKindergarten #KidsAtTheLibrary (at Glencarlyn Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/Btv159jBEN6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gt0i0y85io4d

Tonight's Arlington Reads author Michael W. Twitty tells us, "Don't let your road blocks stop you. Turn them into your sign posts." #TheCookingGene #ArlingtonReads #ArlingtonReads2019 (at Arlington VA Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtmdmMphVIh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1uv2lso6lgrj6