Events
See our Bios page for information on our Presenters.
October
Thursday, October 6--An Associated event at Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (http://www.pgmuseum.org/)
Buffalo Field Campaign 2016 Roadshow -7 to 9 pm
Location: Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History 165 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: The buffalo is our national mammal. The BFC works to raise awareness of the plight of the Yellowstone bison and works to change current policies for the management of the bison population of Yellowstone National Park. The evening will include Native American flute music by Mignon Geli, special musical guests, storytelling, videos and front line reports from BFC's campaign Coordinator, Mike Mease. For more info http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/
Buffalo Field Campaign 2016 Roadshow -7 to 9 pm
Location: Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History 165 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: The buffalo is our national mammal. The BFC works to raise awareness of the plight of the Yellowstone bison and works to change current policies for the management of the bison population of Yellowstone National Park. The evening will include Native American flute music by Mignon Geli, special musical guests, storytelling, videos and front line reports from BFC's campaign Coordinator, Mike Mease. For more info http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/
Friday, October 7
Artists' Reception – 6:00 to 9 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Enjoy wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres during the "This Land is Our Land" Artists' Reception, which coincides with Pacific Grove’s popular First Friday community art walk.
Saturday, October 8
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Monday, October 10
Book Discussion - 2pm to 3:30pm
Location: Little House in Jewell Park, 578 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: "Letters From Yellowstone" by Diane Smith will be discussed. Hosted by The Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library Book Club
Friday, October 14
Library Talk - "From Drum Solo to Symphony: A history of our national park system" with Pinnacles National Park Lead Park Interpretive Ranger PT Lathrop -5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Today your National Park Service honors and protects America's collective heritage in 413 sites that together tell the story of American values.
Saturday, October 15
Kids' Banner Painting Project - with Julie Heilman - 1 to 3pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10.00 donation per child or $15.00 per family
Description: With the guidance of local artist, Julie Heilman, children will create a banner with a National Park theme to hang in the Children's Room of the library. This activity is geared toward children ages 5-11.
Friday, October 21
Library Talk - "Ansel Adams: A Son's Perspective" with Michael Adams - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Michael was born in Yosemite Valley in 1933 to Ansel Adams and Virginia Best Adams. He will share his experiences growing up with photographer and environmentalist, Ansel Adams
Friday, October 28
Library Talk - "Fort Ord National Monument" with BLM's Fort Ord National Monument Manager Eric Morgan 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Eric will be explaining why the Fort Ord National Monument is the greatest national monument in United States. He will also explain the differences between National Monuments and National Parks.
Artists' Reception – 6:00 to 9 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Enjoy wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres during the "This Land is Our Land" Artists' Reception, which coincides with Pacific Grove’s popular First Friday community art walk.
Saturday, October 8
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Monday, October 10
Book Discussion - 2pm to 3:30pm
Location: Little House in Jewell Park, 578 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: "Letters From Yellowstone" by Diane Smith will be discussed. Hosted by The Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library Book Club
Friday, October 14
Library Talk - "From Drum Solo to Symphony: A history of our national park system" with Pinnacles National Park Lead Park Interpretive Ranger PT Lathrop -5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Today your National Park Service honors and protects America's collective heritage in 413 sites that together tell the story of American values.
Saturday, October 15
Kids' Banner Painting Project - with Julie Heilman - 1 to 3pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10.00 donation per child or $15.00 per family
Description: With the guidance of local artist, Julie Heilman, children will create a banner with a National Park theme to hang in the Children's Room of the library. This activity is geared toward children ages 5-11.
Friday, October 21
Library Talk - "Ansel Adams: A Son's Perspective" with Michael Adams - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Michael was born in Yosemite Valley in 1933 to Ansel Adams and Virginia Best Adams. He will share his experiences growing up with photographer and environmentalist, Ansel Adams
Friday, October 28
Library Talk - "Fort Ord National Monument" with BLM's Fort Ord National Monument Manager Eric Morgan 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Eric will be explaining why the Fort Ord National Monument is the greatest national monument in United States. He will also explain the differences between National Monuments and National Parks.
November
Friday, November 4
Library Talk and Painting Demonstration - “The Art of the Parks” with exhibit curator Christine Crozier - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: The arts have been a part of the history of the National Parks since the early 19th century and were used as a powerful tool to help create the National Parks. The parks continue to exert their siren song on artists from all over the world.
Award-winning artist Christine Crozier has followed that siren’s song and painted National Parks throughout the west and in the Pacific. She will demonstrate her painting techniques while she shares her experiences and insights about painting the Art of the Parks.
Library Talk and Painting Demonstration - “The Art of the Parks” with exhibit curator Christine Crozier - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: The arts have been a part of the history of the National Parks since the early 19th century and were used as a powerful tool to help create the National Parks. The parks continue to exert their siren song on artists from all over the world.
Award-winning artist Christine Crozier has followed that siren’s song and painted National Parks throughout the west and in the Pacific. She will demonstrate her painting techniques while she shares her experiences and insights about painting the Art of the Parks.
Saturday, November 5
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Friday, November 11
Library Concert - "Songs to Celebrate Our Land" with Sea Otter String Quartet - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: These accomplished and talented high school students will play songs from their large repertoire, in celebration of our public lands and our country.
Library Concert - "Songs to Celebrate Our Land" with Sea Otter String Quartet - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: These accomplished and talented high school students will play songs from their large repertoire, in celebration of our public lands and our country.
Saturday, November 12
Kids' Banner Painting Project - with Julie Heilman - 1 to 3pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10.00 donation per child or $15.00 per family
Description: With the guidance of local artist, Julie Heilman, children will create a banner with a National Park theme to hang in the Children's Room of the library. This activity is geared toward children ages 5-11.
Kids' Banner Painting Project - with Julie Heilman - 1 to 3pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10.00 donation per child or $15.00 per family
Description: With the guidance of local artist, Julie Heilman, children will create a banner with a National Park theme to hang in the Children's Room of the library. This activity is geared toward children ages 5-11.
Friday, November 18
Library Talk - "Going Out And Going In With John Muir" with Linda and David Mullally - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Linda and David will share their hiking adventures in the Sierra Nevada Range John Muir loved and helped preserve. They will take you along stretches of the John Muir Trail and into the John Muir Wilderness in the Sierra and the John Muir Way in Scotland including a visit to John Muir’s home in Martinez, California.
Library Talk - "Going Out And Going In With John Muir" with Linda and David Mullally - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Linda and David will share their hiking adventures in the Sierra Nevada Range John Muir loved and helped preserve. They will take you along stretches of the John Muir Trail and into the John Muir Wilderness in the Sierra and the John Muir Way in Scotland including a visit to John Muir’s home in Martinez, California.
Friday, December 2
Library Photographic Presentation and Talk - "Winter in Yellowstone" with Doug Steakley- 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Every winter, Doug takes a small group to Yellowstone Park for photography. During this presentation, he’ll share his photography and experiences from these winter tours. “Winter is a very special time to visit Yellowstone—there are far fewer people than in the busy summer months and the winter environment is quiet and intimate. We visit the wide open Lamar Valley, which has been called the Serengeti of the American west, and is home to several wolf packs, coyotes, elk and bison. We then move south to the Old Faithful area, visiting many hot springs and geysers along the way. Winter is also the time when the bison gather around the hot springs and are covered with frost in the cold early morning hours. Bald eagles are easy to spot among the trees along the Firehole and Madison rivers and there are always unexpected opportunities.” Doug’s upcoming “Winter in Yellowstone” tour for January 16-22 is full, but he is making a waiting list for his 2018 tour.
Library Photographic Presentation and Talk - "Winter in Yellowstone" with Doug Steakley- 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Every winter, Doug takes a small group to Yellowstone Park for photography. During this presentation, he’ll share his photography and experiences from these winter tours. “Winter is a very special time to visit Yellowstone—there are far fewer people than in the busy summer months and the winter environment is quiet and intimate. We visit the wide open Lamar Valley, which has been called the Serengeti of the American west, and is home to several wolf packs, coyotes, elk and bison. We then move south to the Old Faithful area, visiting many hot springs and geysers along the way. Winter is also the time when the bison gather around the hot springs and are covered with frost in the cold early morning hours. Bald eagles are easy to spot among the trees along the Firehole and Madison rivers and there are always unexpected opportunities.” Doug’s upcoming “Winter in Yellowstone” tour for January 16-22 is full, but he is making a waiting list for his 2018 tour.
Saturday, December 3
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Asilomar nature walk and talk with California State Parks Interpreter, Lisa Bradford – 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove (Tours start at the Flagpole north of Hearst Social Hall)
Cost: Free
Description: Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds is participating in the Pacific Grove Public Library’s "This Land is Our Land" series by inviting Monterey Peninsula residents and visitors to participate in one of three monthly tours focused on environmental protection at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds. Walks will include readings from the works of John Muir.
Friday, December 9 Cancelled. Due to Congressman Farr's responsibilities in Washington, he will be unable to return to California for this event.
Library Talk - "A Lasting Legacy" with Congressman Sam Farr - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Congressman Farr was instrumental in making the Pinnacles a National Park in 2013. He will explain that process and talk about his role on the Congressional Friends of the National Park Service Centennial Committee. We will learn about the role of Congress in setting aside and stewarding national lands and the future our National Parks. This evening will also give us a chance to thank Congressman Farr for his many years of service to our community as he retires from Congress.
Library Talk - "A Lasting Legacy" with Congressman Sam Farr - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: Congressman Farr was instrumental in making the Pinnacles a National Park in 2013. He will explain that process and talk about his role on the Congressional Friends of the National Park Service Centennial Committee. We will learn about the role of Congress in setting aside and stewarding national lands and the future our National Parks. This evening will also give us a chance to thank Congressman Farr for his many years of service to our community as he retires from Congress.
John Muir Weekend!
Friday, December 16
Library Talk - "John Muir's Purple Prose Plan to Save the World" with Pacific Grove's Poet Emerita, Dr. Barbara Mossberg - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: John Muir's purple prose gushing like his beloved Yosemite Falls in spring floods U-turned America's mind about the wilderness. From its dictionary definition as wasteland--trash!--and dispiriting desolation, to the idea of its value only as cut down, blown up, dammed, razed, grazed, and fenced, Muir's way of writing about it transforms wilderness to something we love enough to try to save. Known as a geologist and botanist, Muir's writing about wilderness as an awed spectator, overcome by glory, wonder, and beholding, generated a new way of thinking that led to our national parks. What made this geobotanist and ecologist's writing so uniquely powerful? We "drill down" and "get to the roots of" his ecstatic vision to the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare, Milton, Bobby Burns, Emerson, Thoreau, and Romantic poets. As a self-conscious tour guide and interpreter of wilderness, translating skies, falls, rocks, and trees, we are in Shakespeare's world in which there are "tongues in trees, sermons in rocks, brooks in running books, and good in everything."
Library Talk - "John Muir's Purple Prose Plan to Save the World" with Pacific Grove's Poet Emerita, Dr. Barbara Mossberg - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Suggested $10 donation, free to Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library
Description: John Muir's purple prose gushing like his beloved Yosemite Falls in spring floods U-turned America's mind about the wilderness. From its dictionary definition as wasteland--trash!--and dispiriting desolation, to the idea of its value only as cut down, blown up, dammed, razed, grazed, and fenced, Muir's way of writing about it transforms wilderness to something we love enough to try to save. Known as a geologist and botanist, Muir's writing about wilderness as an awed spectator, overcome by glory, wonder, and beholding, generated a new way of thinking that led to our national parks. What made this geobotanist and ecologist's writing so uniquely powerful? We "drill down" and "get to the roots of" his ecstatic vision to the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare, Milton, Bobby Burns, Emerson, Thoreau, and Romantic poets. As a self-conscious tour guide and interpreter of wilderness, translating skies, falls, rocks, and trees, we are in Shakespeare's world in which there are "tongues in trees, sermons in rocks, brooks in running books, and good in everything."
Saturday, December 17
"John Muir Among the Animals" with Lee Stetson - 5 to 6pm
Location: Fire Pit at Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Muir’s nearly disastrous “interview” with a Yosemite bear, his face-to-fang encounter with a rattlesnake, and hilarious stories of tending sheep – those “hoofed locusts” destroying the lovely meadows of the Yosemite High Country – are among the many stories in this very popular show. Also included is Muir’s boyhood remembrance of the passenger pigeons, which dazzled him with their flocks of many millions filling the sky for days at a time. In stark contrast, in Muir’s old age, he is made aware of the single remaining pigeon named Martha, held captive at the Cincinnati Zoo. The basic themes here revolve around animal rights and the problem of extinction, but are largely served up with Muir’s irrepressible humor. And Muir’s deep understanding and love for the animal kingdom was never made more evident – or more educational – than his telling of his frightening adventure with a dog named Stickeen. This quaint little adventuresome animal, with whom Muir gets lost in a storm on an Alaskan glacier, provides us with one of the greatest dog stories of all time. This is an outdoor family friendly event.
"John Muir Among the Animals" with Lee Stetson - 5 to 6pm
Location: Fire Pit at Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Muir’s nearly disastrous “interview” with a Yosemite bear, his face-to-fang encounter with a rattlesnake, and hilarious stories of tending sheep – those “hoofed locusts” destroying the lovely meadows of the Yosemite High Country – are among the many stories in this very popular show. Also included is Muir’s boyhood remembrance of the passenger pigeons, which dazzled him with their flocks of many millions filling the sky for days at a time. In stark contrast, in Muir’s old age, he is made aware of the single remaining pigeon named Martha, held captive at the Cincinnati Zoo. The basic themes here revolve around animal rights and the problem of extinction, but are largely served up with Muir’s irrepressible humor. And Muir’s deep understanding and love for the animal kingdom was never made more evident – or more educational – than his telling of his frightening adventure with a dog named Stickeen. This quaint little adventuresome animal, with whom Muir gets lost in a storm on an Alaskan glacier, provides us with one of the greatest dog stories of all time. This is an outdoor family friendly event.
Sunday, December 18
"The Spirit of John Muir" with Lee Stetson - 2pm
Location: Grace Dodge Chapel, Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: $15.00 with advanced registration or $20.00 at the door.
Description: This show is a fun romp through some of the very best of Muir’s grand, thrilling adventures in his beloved western wilderness. “The Perilous Night on Mount Shasta”, – with Muir freezing in the midst of a howling blizzard while simultaneously being boiled and blistered in hot springs -his astonishing ride down a Yosemite Valley canyon wall on a snow avalanche, and climbing the 500′ wall of the winter ice cone beneath the Yosemite Fall are only a few of the amazing – and true – adventures. They also include Muir’s encounters with a mighty Yosemite earthquake, dangerous Alaskan ice crevasses, snow blindness, and much more – all liberally salted with Muir’s wilderness philosophy. This show’s theme revolves around the health and invigoration one acquires when one fully and joyfully engages wildness.
"The Spirit of John Muir" with Lee Stetson - 2pm
Location: Grace Dodge Chapel, Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: $15.00 with advanced registration or $20.00 at the door.
Description: This show is a fun romp through some of the very best of Muir’s grand, thrilling adventures in his beloved western wilderness. “The Perilous Night on Mount Shasta”, – with Muir freezing in the midst of a howling blizzard while simultaneously being boiled and blistered in hot springs -his astonishing ride down a Yosemite Valley canyon wall on a snow avalanche, and climbing the 500′ wall of the winter ice cone beneath the Yosemite Fall are only a few of the amazing – and true – adventures. They also include Muir’s encounters with a mighty Yosemite earthquake, dangerous Alaskan ice crevasses, snow blindness, and much more – all liberally salted with Muir’s wilderness philosophy. This show’s theme revolves around the health and invigoration one acquires when one fully and joyfully engages wildness.
January 2017
Friday, January 6
Closing Reception - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Enjoy wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres as we celebrate our "This Land is Our Land" series. We will also learn about upcoming projects at the library, including the renovation of the original Carnegie rotunda, from library director Steven Silveria. Curator Christine Crozier will talk about the refurbishing of the library's art and antique clock collection and plans for future exhibits.
Closing Reception - 5:30 to 7pm
Location: Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove
Cost: Free
Description: Enjoy wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres as we celebrate our "This Land is Our Land" series. We will also learn about upcoming projects at the library, including the renovation of the original Carnegie rotunda, from library director Steven Silveria. Curator Christine Crozier will talk about the refurbishing of the library's art and antique clock collection and plans for future exhibits.