A Day of Celebration

When: Sunday, September 14, 2008; 1 – 5 p.m.
Where: Walnut Creek Civic Park

Free

Join the Walnut Creek Library Foundation as it kicks off its community campaign with LibraryFest – A Day of Discovery. Authors, artists and performers will mix it up with community organizations, civic leaders and celebrities in a full schedule of activities for all ages. This event represents the dynamic range of services that will be available at the new downtown Walnut Creek Library, set to open in 2010.

LibraryFest will feature celebrity readings, multi-cultural performances, Shakespearean sword fights, gardening demonstrations, and workshops in going green, tracing genealogy, and living healthy, to name a few. An expansive children's area will delight kids with loads of age-appropriate activities. Local food vendors, free prize drawings, and big-name headliners will add to the day of fun. This event is co-sponsored by the Contra Costa Times, Kaiser Permanente, and Minute Man Press of Lafayette.

Click here for the complete program

Headliners

	Gail Tsukiyama, author, The Samurai's Garden and Women of the Silk

Brian Copeland, comedian, entertainer, playwright, Not a Genuine Black Man

Celebrity Voices

Bay Area celebrities will read short excerpts from their favorite books:

• Brian Copeland
• Gail Tsukiyama
• Simon Vance, audio voice/actor
• Al Hart, "The Voice of KCBS Radio"
• Rosalie Howarth, KFOG D.J.
• Gwen Regalia, Mayor of Walnut Creek
• Mary Piepho, Contra Costa County Supervisor

Live Entertainment

• Barvinok Ensemble Russian singers/dancers
• Diablo Valley Chinese Cultural Association
• Irish music and folklore with Celtic harpist Patrick Ball
• California Shakespeare Theater Sword Fights
• Diablo Light Opera Stars 2000

For Kids and Teens

• Baby Literacy, storytime for infants presented by the Walnut Creek Library
• Animals of Mt. Diablo, presented by the Lindsay Wildlife Museum
• Fratello Marionettes present "Peter and the Wolf"
• California Symphony percussionists
• Graphic Novelist Gene Yang discusses his award winning book, American Born Chinese
• ARF presents "Read to Your Pet Program"
• Arts & crafts activities, games and more

For Adults

• "Whodunit?" Mystery Writers Panel, facilitated by Lynn Carey, Contra Costa Times Book Club with Pricilla Royal (Sorrow Without End) and Cornelia Read (A Field of Darkness)
• Drought-tolerant Landscaping Workshop, presented by the Gardens at Heather Farm
• Sports Medicine & Fitness, presented by Al Loosli, MD, Center for Sports Medicine Walnut Creek
• Travel on a Budget, presented by Ann Tatko-Peterson, Contra Costa Times travel editor
• Wearable Fine Art, presented by Natasha Foucault, Russian clothing designer/silk painter

Exhibits and Activities Throughout the Afternoon

Children's Storytime and Activities • Teen Gaming, Best Buy • Lawrence Hall of Science, "Engineer It!" • Lindsay Wildlife Museum • Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, "Read to Your Pet" • Native Bird Connections, "Birds of Mt. Diablo" • The Gardens at Heather Farm, "Drought Tolerant Landscaping" • Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation • Boy Scout Troop 1811, "Carbon Footprint Calculations" • Friends of Civic Art • Civic Arts Exhibit • Save Mt. Diablo • John Muir Women's Health Center • Walnut Creek CERT, "Disaster Preparedness: Organizing Your Neighborhood • Get Your Library Card! Contra Costa County Library • Citizens for a Sustainable Walnut Creek, "Greening Your Home" • Contra Costa Times, Face Painting • Mt. Diablo Audubon Society • Friends of the Creek • League of Women Voters, Voter Registration • KKDV, FM 92.1, Diablo Valley's Hometown Station• Friends of the Walnut Creek Library Bookstore • Clayton Books •