Hola friends!
I’ve had a blast creating programs for you this year! We’ve danced, we’ve meditated, we’ve learned, we’ve celebrated, and so much more! I can’t believe the year is almost gone! This is always a time of reflection and so, please let me reflect upon my favorite programs of 2024. This year was hard to pick just five, so here’s a countdown of my TOP 10.
Number 10
Drumming Basics Part 3 – September 23, 2024 – In English
The idea of Drumming Basics is an extension of our love for making music here at the library. When we hosted our first Battle of the Bands last year, we bought a drum kit to make it easier for bands to switch on and off the stage. Then we thought, why don’t we keep drumming throughout the year? And the idea of Drumming Basics and Drumming Open Jams was born! We want to continue sharing the beautiful gift of music-making with our community in as many ways as possible. Drumming Basics Part 3 was the culmination of everything we had learned this year. We jammed to some of our favorite tunes from Queen and The Beatles, and it was rewarding for me to witness everyone’s progress.
Let’s keep building our musical community.
The Next Drumming Open Jam Dates
Tue., Jan. 7, 5 to 6 p.m. Signed up here
Tue., Feb. 25, 5 to 6 p.m. Signed up here
Number 9
Pride Movie Night: The Mitchells vs. The Machines – June 27, 20024 – In English
We celebrated Pride Month with a fun movie night. We watched The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Rated PG), an action-packed, sci-fi adventure story with a queer teen protagonist (Katie) and state-of the-art animation. This movie won numerous awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 2022 for Best Animated Feature Film.
It was great to see new faces. I always enjoy seeing reactions, and this movie had a great combination of laughing out loud and edge of your seat moments. At the end of the movie, a mom and her teen came up to me to express how grateful they were for safe spaces like these, and said they were interested in more queer programming. Stay tuned for more!
Read more on this subject here
Number 8
Mentes Creativas: Arreglo Floral Rústico – July 22, 2024 – En español
The inspiration for this program was vintage wooden crates. We started with a Power Point presentation to show step-by-step instructions as well as images of vintage flower arrangements to fuel our creativity.
It always blows my mind how everyone starts with the same exact materials, but each uses them in a completely different way resulting in unique arrangements all around.
Number 7
Photography Basics – March 18, 2024 – In English
Our instructor J. Luis is a very successful wedding and quinceañera photographer from the Chicagoland area. His program structure had a good balance of theory and hands-on practice. There was a power point presentation with easy-to-follow images where we learned about the exposure triangle: shutter speed, iso, and aperture. At the end, Jose Luis became a model and posed for photos, so that students could practice all that they had learned.
Follow J. Luis' beautiful photography here
Number 6
Intro to Latin Dance: Brazilian Samba and Lambada – August 14, 2024 – Bilingual
This was the most challenging dance we’ve ever done in my Intro to Latin Dance programs. It was so difficult to practice even the basics of it. It was super-duper fast, and right when I thought I had it and felt out of breath from moving my feet at hyper speeds, I realized I was still doing it way slower than the actual Rio de Janeiro dancers. I had a lot of fun during this class, but I immediately regretted it the next day! All my muscles were in pain.
Number 5
Frida Kahlo Fest – October 5, 2024 – Bilingual
Enter the world of Frida Kahlo! For Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrated the life and artworks of this powerful Mexican woman. We had a variety of activities such as live painting, live music, dancing, a cool sugar skull craft activity (a big shoutout to my coworker Steph for putting this together), a look-alike contest, Mexican snacks, and an educational timeline and fun facts about Frida. What a blast!
A big thanks to local artists Mischief Whimsy and Manch F.
Number 4
Serenade For Mom – May 9, 2024 – Bilingual
In Mexico, we serenade our loved ones on their birthday, for romance, for Mother’s Day, for Father’s Day, really, for any special occasion. The idea is to sing for your special someone, usually in the late hours of the night or in the super early hours of the morning, outside their house facing their window. The goal is to wake them up with melodious sound waves in the air. Music conveys so much more than words can express. Through serenatas, your message of love and appreciation becomes deeper.
We wanted to bring this beautiful tradition to the library. I played a handful of instrumental pieces on guitar, and vocalist Uriel Garcia sang a few traditional tunes as well. A special part of this program was poet Piotr Fiszer’s lovely poetry. I saw a few moms getting emotional while he was reciting.
Number 3
Battle of the Bands – August 10, 2024 -- Bilingual
The library got loud once again with blazing vocals, heavy metal guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums, and a cheering crowd. This was another successful battle full of amazing singers, musicians, and judges. This year brought us the most energetic and super-duper charismatic frontman we’ve ever seen! He was Nighthawk from the high school band Satara. They blew our minds with their infectious sound and powerful performance.
Additionally, we premiered A Random Drive’s music video. They were last year’s grand prize winners, and part of their prize was a one-continues shot, one-location music video produced, directed, and edited by yours truly. 😊
A huge thanks to our talented judges, especially Gene who helped me coordinate this! Thank you, Gene! You’re awesome!
The Winning Bands
First Place Winner: Satara
Second Place Winner: Commit This To Memory
Third Place Winner: Band of Something
Certificate of Appreciation Bands
Felyx
Uriel
Three Day Weekend
Number 2
I Love Me series – multiple dates – In English/Bilingual
It’s hard to pick just one of the I Love Me programs. We kicked off with a relaxing sound bath, next was a therapeutic drumming circle, and then a calming meditation. All of them were outstanding so I pick the whole I Love Me series as my number 2. 😊
I believe that self-love is important because it gives you the ability to accept yourself as you are. Self-love is a skill that everyone can learn. Through this skill we learn to recognize our strengths and forgive our weaknesses in a way that will impact our lives in a positive and meaningful way. Above all, self-love makes us more compassionate people.
The Next I Love Me Programs! Join us!
I Love Me: Chanting Music - Wed., Jan. 8 at 7p.m click here to register
I Love Me: Power-Bundle - Wed., Apr. 23 at 7p.m.
Don’t forget that you’re amazing!
For more info on these programs click here
Number 1
We have a tie!
Day of the Dead Short Film Fest – October 30, 2024 – Bilingual
I love cultural programs like these because we learn and share history and heritage. Celebrating and appreciating diversity strengthens our community, and what a fun way to do it through short films.
This night started with a vivid narration of the Day of the Dead legend in both English and Spanish. With this, we were quickly immersed in the culture, traditions, and thoughts of our Mexican ancestors. What followed was a collection of beautiful short films. All the films were made in Mexico by a group of award-winning, indie filmmakers that happen to be my friends! Each story was a celebration of life and a reflection upon it except for the last one. The last one was the scary legend of La Llorona or The Weeping Lady. We took a sharp turn and dived straight into horror. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work out going from happy to darkness but it was brilliant. We learned, we remembered, we got scared, and we ate delicious Pan de Muerto. These types of events are my jam.
Extra Note: This year, I also enjoyed creating a Tapete for our Day of the Dead altar. The Tapete is a traditional mat made of colorful sawdust, flowers, seeds, feathers, fruits, or vegetables. This is a beautiful, ephemeral artform where a large section of the floor (usually in front of Day of the Dead altar) is decorated and after the festivities, it is swept away.
Holiday Guitar Concert – December 18, 2024 – English and French
What a beautiful way to finish my 2024 programming. This Holiday concert was everything I hoped it would be and more! We had Felyx open with John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” Next, he played Rufus Wainwright “Hallelujah” and a magical moment happened when the whole audience started singing the “Hallelujah” chorus with Felyx. So beautiful.
The next performer was Scott from the band Commit This To Memory. He is a super talented musician who I call a one-man band. He was our second-place winner in this year’s Battle of the Bands. This time, he delighted us with “Last Christmas” by Wham!, “Blue Christmas” by Elvis, and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland.
Follow Scott and Commit This To Memory here
Our closing act was Nighthawk, the lead vocalist of the band Satara. They were the first-place winners of our Battle of the Bands. With powerhouse vocals, he performed a mix of covers and originals.
Follow Nighthawk and Satara here and here
In the middle of all this amazingness, we had a huge surprise! R. F. Mechelke, my good friend and super talented local author made time to come to the show and read poetry for us. We sort of made a deal, if he reads an original poem, then I would read one too. I challenged myself to write and recite a poem in French. The result was fulfilling. Now, I want to keep reciting more original poetry in French. 😊
Thank you for reading! I can't wait for 2025! 😃