Latest news with #WillardLibrary
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What's happening at Willard Library for Juneteenth in Battle Creek?
Willard Library, 7 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek, will host a Juneteenth celebration on Thursday, June 19, at 5 p.m. in the programming room. According to a community announcement, local author J.R. Reynolds will present 'Profiles in Perseverance: The Freedom Seekers and Freedom Fighters Who Helped Build Battle Creek.' The event will focus on stories of resilience within Battle Creek's Black community. Reynolds will highlight notable figures, including doctors Carl and Donna Powell, Viola Johnson, and classical performing artist Mattie Robbins Willis. Audience members will have the opportunity to share their own reflections and memories of those featured. Find out how to sign up: Willard Library's summer reading kickoff has fun for the whole family More news: Need an advanced directive? Oaklawn Hospital offers help, answers health care questions On Friday, June 20, at noon, the library will hold a workshop discussing the book 'The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict.' Participants will explore how true liberation is reflected in communities and relationships. The workshop will focus on the book's core message, emphasizing the importance of viewing others as people rather than obstacles. The celebration continues on Saturday, June 21, with the Juneteenth Family Day Celebration at Claude Evans Park, 320 N. Washington Ave., Battle Creek, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees can visit Willard Library's booth for information about the Summer Reading program and upcoming library events. Willard Library programs are free and open to the public. For more information, go to or call 269-968-8166 ext. 513. This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at We want your news: How to submit community announcements This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Juneteenth at Willard Library: Stories, workshops, and family fun
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
List: Juneteenth events in West Michigan 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — This year marks 160 years since enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, received the news that they had been freed — the roots of the Juneteenth holiday. They were the last to get the news on June 19, 1865 — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. From then on, Black Americans celebrated the day with picnics, concerts and other events. Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021. Check out the list of Juneteenth events in West Michigan below: 'Sleeping With the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery' with the authors at Willard Library | June 17 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Event details Profiles in Perseverance: The Freedom Fighters Who Helped Build Battle Creek at Willard Library | June 19 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth Workshop on 'The Anatomy of Peace' at Willard Library | June 20 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth at Claude Evans Park | June 20-21 | Event details Justice 4 All Juneteenth Jam at Calder Plaza | June 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Event details Celebrating Juneteenth at Chicago Beef Joint | June 19 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth run/walk meetup at Calder Plaza | June 19 at 6 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth 5K Freedom Walk and Run | June 14 at 9 a.m. | $35 to register | Event details Freedom Festival and Market at Kollen Park | June 21 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth Celebration at Bronson Park | June 14 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth 5K | June 16 at 6:10 p.m. | $25 registration | Event details Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom — Black Film Fest: 'Mr. SOUL!' at Kalamazoo Valley Museum | June 17 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth Family Afternoon at Kalamazoo Institute of Arts | June 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Event details Black Arts and Cultural Center Juneteenth Speak Easy | June 19 at 7 p.m. | Event details Burrell Juneteenth 2025 | June 21 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Event details The Movement That Sang with Robert Jones Sr. | June 12 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth family fun day by Rotary Club of Muskegon | June 14 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Juneteenth social mixer at Mona Lake Park | June 15 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Motown Music Bingo | June 18 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth Parade | June 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Event details Mirrorland: The Art Is You at Muskegon Museum of Art | June 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Event details Juneteenth Celebration: Make Your Own Juneteenth Bracelet at Muskegon Township Library | June 16 to June 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Event details If you don't see your event on the list, send us an email at with the details. Be sure to include a link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Footage could show latest evidence of famous Evansville ghost
EVANSVILLE – The latest potential evidence of a famous Evansville ghost surfaced earlier this month, when a door at Willard Library appeared to open and close on its own. The library posted security footage of the incident to its Facebook page Friday morning. Timestamped April 17 around 5:45 p.m., the video shows a lower-level entrance near the elevator. No people are in frame, and the glass on the door provides a clear view of the outside, proving no one is around. The door suddenly cracks open. It shuts just as quickly. The post notes that it happened about 15 minutes after staff left for the day and locked – and alarmed – all the doors. The library claims it has footage of employees double-checking the entrances before they left. 'Important note: The alarm system will not arm unless all doors are properly latched,' the post reads. Later that night, as director George Carter returned to Willard to work after-hours, he received a call from the alarm company that an open door had 'triggered the system.' 'The director informed them he was already on-site and would investigate,' the post reads. 'When he checked the door in question, it was still securely locked. Upon reviewing the security footage, this is what he discovered.' Although Willard's post doesn't mention her by name, commenters were quick to evoke the Grey Lady: the famed specter that's supposedly haunted Willard since at least the late 1930s. Unquestionably the most famous poltergeist in the city's history, she's attracted everyone from SyFy's 'Ghost Hunters' to renowned psychic Lorraine Warren, who went on to depicted by Vera Farmiga in 'The Conjuring' franchise. The library maintains 24-hour 'ghost cams' in its children's section for anyone who wants to catch her in action. And over the years, patrons and employees alike have reported vaporous taps on the shoulder; mysterious falling books; chairs shoved away from desks while no one is around. Berry Global employees next door have even seen the library elevator climbing and falling on its own throughout the night. A few years ago, two Willard staffers were watching surveillance footage when they spotted a woman who appeared to be wearing a costume: a long, gray dress and veil. 'They were kind of keeping an eye on her and she just dissipated into thin air,' Arrika Taylor, Willard's adult services librarian, told the Courier & Press in 2021. 'Disappeared right in front of their eyes.' No veiled specter can be seen in the latest footage. Some commenters blame the wind. But it would have to be a stiff breeze to jostle a latched, locked door. This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Footage could show latest evidence of famous Evansville ghost
