NOVEMBER - 2009

Friends of the Library Annual Meeting Scheduled for November 10

Join members of the Friends of the Library for the 2009 annual meeting and reception on Tuesday, November 10 at the newly renovated Leawood Pioneer Library, 4700 Town Center Dr., Leawood. There will be an election of officers and board members with updates on the Friends, Library Foundation and Johnson County Library activities. There will be a special presentation to the Library of a photo exhibit honoring the legacy of the library founders. Refreshments will be provided.

The public is invited to attend and meet Friends members, learn about this important library support group and tour the newly renovated Library Pioneer Library. Call (913) 261-2319 for more information.

The Friends of the Johnson County Library was founded in 1956 after the group of volunteers successfully lobbied state and county lawmakers for the creation of a county library system. The operated volunteer libraries throughout Johnson County until funds were appropriated to hire professional staff. The Friends of the Library currently has a membership base of more than 800, operate book sales and two used book stores, advocate for library funding and encourage community support for the Johnson County Library.

For more information call (913) 261-2319 or visit www.jocolibrary.org/friends.

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Meet artist David Diaz at Leawood Pioneer Library

The Johnson County Library will host a reception for artist and children’s book illustrator David Diaz at the Leawood Pioneer Neighborhood Library, 4700 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS on Saturday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free event and visit with the artist and view his work which is on display in the galley.

Diaz has has illustrated more than thirty books, and won several awards for his work including the Caldecott Medal for Smoky Night. He provided illustrations for and Margaret Wise Brown’s The Little Scarecrow Boy, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book. He lives in Southern California.

Diaz work will be on display in the gallery at the Leawood Pioneer Neighborhood Library through December 10.

This library program is free and open to the public; no registration required. For more information call (913) 826-4620. Interpretive services and other accommodations for those with special needs are available by contacting Library staff at least 48 hours in advance of the program.

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Updated Johnson County Trail Guide now available

An updated version of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District's most-asked-for publication is now available. The Trail Guide to Hiking and Biking in Johnson County, a four-color map-style guide showing all county and municipal trials in the county, has been updated and reprinted.

Trail guides are available free in quantities up to 20. Larger quantities can be purchased for 50 cents each. The maps are available at the following District locations: Antioch Park Offices 6501 Antioch Road, Merriam; the Ernie Miller Nature Center, 909 North Kansas 7 Highway, Olathe; and at the John Barkley Visitors Center in Shawnee Mission Park, 7900 Renner Road, Shawnee. Guides will also be available at many city offices. For more information, contact your city's park and recreation department.

The updated guide also has information about the new Kansas City Regional Trail Safety Initiative and it's 9-1-1 sign project which provides GPS-based reference points with address codes in undeveloped areas which lack typical grid-based address systems. In the event of a need for emergency services in these areas, park patrons can communicate their location to the 9-1-1 dispatcher by sharing the unique identification on the nearest 9-1-1 marker sign. Pilot projects initiated in 2009 by the City of Lenexa and the Johnson County Park & Recreation District placed trail marker signs in the Black Hoof Park/ Lake Lenexa area and on the Gary L. Haller Trail between Shawnee Mission Parkway and Prairie Star Parkway. The effectiveness of the pilot projects in providing accurate location and dispatch directions for emergency responders is currently being evaluated.

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Temporary closure at Kill Creek Streamway Park expected Nov. 5 & 6

The Kill Creek Streamway Park in De Soto and its Off-Leash Area will be closed Nov. 5 through 6 for maintenance, Johnson County Park & Recreation District officials said. This maintenance work was earlier anticipated in October, but was delayed due to weather and other concerns.

Application of seal coat on the northern portion of the trail is tentatively set for Thursday and Friday, with the trail reopening on Saturday. These plans remain highly dependent on favorable weather.

The closure will affect the 95th Street access point as well as its parking lot, which effectively also closes the 16-acre Off-Leash Area located at the access point as well as the 1 mile stretches of trail going both north and south from the access point. The portion on which seal coating is planned extends north to The Meadows subdivision.

For more information call the District's Park Information Line at (913) 312-8833 or Park Manager Monte Fiegel at (913) 583-9985.

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