A Tribute to Lilian Jackson Braun, an evening of cats, mysteries and entertainment

 

"A Tribute to Lilian Jackson Braun", an evening of cats, mysteries and entertainment, was held at the Tryon Movie Theatre on Monday, April 18 th at 7:00 pm.   Everyone was invited to attend this free event.   No tickets are required.   Seating was limited to the 300- seat capacity of the theatre.   People were encourage to come celebrate a lifetime of PURRfectly irresistible CAT WHO ...   mysteries. This special event wass sponsored by the Polk County Public Library as its culminating event for National Library Week.

This wass the keynote event for the year long "Limitless Possibilities @ Your Library(TM) " marketing campaign made possible through a competitive grant awarded to the Polk County Public Library through the Library Service and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

The "Limitless Possibilities @ Your Library(TM) " campaign began in September, 2004 with Library Card Sign Up Month. Lilian Jackson Braun served as the library's honorary chair for that event.   Ms. Braun has had a long association with Polk County Public Library as a patron. Associate for Public Services, Sharon Spurlin, often helped her with research information.  

Ms. Braun provided just the right quote for the library card sign-up month campaign - "A Library card is the start of a lifelong adventure".   She also sent the library a wonderful photograph of herself and letter telling of the value of public libraries in her life.  

The Lilian Jackson Braun poster produced for this event was awarded Swap and Chat "Best in Show" for program and events at the North Carolina Library Association conference in November, 2004. An article about the poster and campaign appeared in Library Journal Magazine.

This major year-long   "Limitless Possibilities @ Your Library(TM) " campaign involved several facets, including: an evaluation of library services and resources, the creation of a new library logo, a redesign of the website, a rearrangement of the existing library interior, promotional and informational publications and a exterior makeover for the bookmobile, which was unveiled in early May, 2005.

Cynthia Terwilliger, Community Relations Specialist, to explore the options for honoring Ms. Braun for her lifetime achievement as part of the library marketing campaign.   When Terwilliger outlined the concept for the tribute, Pumphrey said, "Let's put on a show!".   So, Terwilliger set to work collecting tributes from colleagues and fans across the country to be read at the event, compiling reviews, selecting cat songs, recruiting cast members and contacting the Putman Publishing Company and Recorded Books marketing departments for help with posters and door prizes.

"This evening could not have come together without the help of Earl Bettinger.   His energy has been boundless and the help he has given me in pulling together the special pieces for the show - from book posters to floral arrangements has been immeasurable," states Terwilliger.

Said Terwilliger about the cast, "We have the most talented and enthusiastic people I know involved in this production.   Liz Norstom, John Calure, have such fabulous voices they could both be narrators for talking books.   Patti Peake and Carol Cox rival most Broadway singers.   Lesley Bush and Dean Trakus are pianist extrordinaire and Andy Millard is in a class by himself. Then there is Earl Bettinger, whose ebullient personality is just infectious.   What a cast, what a night!"

Mark Pumphrey, Director of the Polk County Public Library, encouraged community participation in this special tribute. "We hope that this event spurs us to appreciate the wonderful people who have lived or visited Polk County who have contributed so much to the cultural fabric of America.   Libraries are sentinels to our heritage.   Polk County Public Library will continue to serve as a trusted steward of our literary heritage.   Ms Braun's legacy as a writer finds a permanent home in our library."

Special thanks are due to Barry Flood, owner of the Tryon Theatre for providing the venue; to Recorded Books for their donations of audio books of The Cat That Went Bananas and The Cat Who Talked Turkey ; to the Putnam Publishing Company for their help in producing special posters for the event; to the Book Shelf for donating a hard back copy of The Cat That Went Bananas ; to the Four Winds Florist for a special floral bouquet for the performance, and to Shelley Lavey librarian at the Detroit Free Press for contacting publisher emeritus, Neal Shine.   Special thanks to Neal Shine (Braun's boss at the Detroit Free Press) George Guidall (narrator of Braun's audio books) and Natatee Rosenstein (Braun's editor at Putnam) for writing special tributes; to the State Library of North Carolina for helping us collect notes of appreciation from libraries across the county and for funding our marketing grant.   And especially to Lilian and Earl for their donation of paperback books and all of the support they have given us in putting together this tribute.   Finally, special thanks to Koko and Yum-Yum who have agreed to become the honorary cat mascots of the Polk County Public Library - "YOW!"