At the Dove Library in the Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium, free movies are shown year round, but on July 17, 24, and 31st, three consecutive Wednesdays, three films from the 50’s to celebrate Carlsbad’s 50th, will be on tap in special presentations hosted by Ann Zivotsky who created the "Preview" section of the North County Times and has had years of movie-watching, filmmaker and actor interviewing, and film reviewing experience. Since the auditorium is small (215 capacity) attendees need to arrive early before 5:30 p.m. when the J.P. Reed Quartet begins to entertain with music from the ‘50’s. After brief remarks from Miss Carlsbad and Ms. Zivotsky, the movie will screen and a discussion of it will follow. It’s "High Noon," on the 17th, "Viva Zapata!" on the 24th and "Singin’ In The Rain," on the 31st.
Even if you can’t attend this series, a visit to this library is recommended for visitors, as a special display of watercolors of Carlsbad that I’ve seen and admired is here, while a photo exhibition of the history of Carlsbad will be on display at Georgina Cole Library, 1250 Carlsbad Village Drive (760-602-2026), throughout the ‘50’s celebration. At either library, visitors can pick up free local information on the TGIF Concerts, Triathlon, Artsplash, and Fiesta del Barrio as it becomes available.
The Library has published "Historic Carlsbad," a free map for a self-guided tour of downtown historic buildings and/or their sites, with photos of each building and significant details of its history. Even though I’ve lived here for 14 years, some of the buildings on this tour are unfamiliar to me, but I plan to take the tour and evaluate it.
In addition to its auditorium, Dove Library has an Art Gallery, the Cannon, open to the public, and providing a frequently changing line-up of art, with emphasis on local, prominent artists. The exhibition running till July 28,"On your Own Time," is unusual as it presents Carlsbad City Employees’ art, with prizes awarded as incentives overcoming shyness. The City has just hired a Cultural Arts Manager who helms the Cultural Arts Office and publishes a free, monthly newsletter, "Carlsbad Arts News," which gives the facts on current and upcoming art events sponsored by the Arts Commission.
Library Hours are 9-9 Mon. through Thurs., 9-5 on Fri-Sat, AND 1-5 on Sundays. The William D. Cannon Art Gallery is open the same hours as the Dove Library on Sundays, is open Wednesdays from 11 to 8, and is open Tues., Thurs., Fri. and Sat. from 11-5. Closed Mondays. For those visitors interested in Genealogy, the Cole Library has one of the best public library collections in the state and especially knowledgeable staff in this field. (Genealogy # 760-434-2931)