Now that summer is officially here it's time to groove to some of the season's best tunes from summers past. Check out our list and add your own!

• All summer long (1962) — The Beach Boys
• Brown eyed girl (1967) — Van Morrison
• California girls (1965) — The Beach Boys
• Centerfield (1985) — John Fogerty

Wednesday, June 22 is the opening night for the 2011 Detroit Windsor International Film Festival, which will take place on Wayne State University's campus. Running through Sunday, the 26th, the festival will screen a variety of short films, documentaries, and music videos. Now in its fourth year, the festival includes several films with local interest. "Cornertore" — about life in a party store on Six Mile Road — and "Fordson: Faith - Fasting - Football" — about an Arab-American high school football team from Dearborn — are just two of the entries with Detroit area ties. A Tech Fair for aspiring filmmakers will also be held on June 25 from 11:30AM to 4:00PM. Tickets for the festival are $5. For more information call (313) 222-8879.

More than 90,000 Michigan men — nearly a quarter of the state's male population in 1860 — served in the United States Civil War. Over 14,000 Michigan soldiers died in the service of their country — roughly 1 of every 6 who served. Michigan supplied a large number of troops and several generals, including George Armstrong Custer's Michigan Wolverine Cavalry. In all, Michigan fielded 31 Regiments of Infantry, 11 Regiments of Cavalry, 14 batteries of Artillery, 1 regiment of Sharpshooters, and 1 regiment of Engineers.

Discover the intriguing stories behind caviar, rubber, barbed wire, the electric chair and the color blue — among others!

Books

Bananas: an American history by Virginia Scott Jenkins — Before 1880, most Americans had never seen a banana, but by 1910 bananas were so common that the streets were littered with their peels.

If Prince William and Kate Middleton's upcoming wedding has piqued your interest in all things royal, then check out the following films and television series from the Library's collection. And don't forget to set your alarm clock for 6:00AM Friday morning to catch all of the festivities!

TV Series

Elizabeth I by HBO Films

Elizabeth R. Discs 1 & 2 by British Broadcasting Corporation

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. The first shots were fired on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. Confederate forces let by Brig. General P.G.T. Beauregard demanded the surrender of the fort and opened fire when the Union commander, Maj. Robert Anderson, refused. He was forced to evacuate the next day, however, and this battle became the first engagement of the war. It raged on for four more years until Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulyssses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.

Now that Spring is finally here and Opening Day is only a couple of weeks away, it's time to get back into the baseball swing of things! You can do that by watching some of the many great baseball themed films and documentaries in the Library's collection — or by reading up on your own Detroit Tigers. Batter up!

Feature Films

The Bad News Bears — In the orignal version, Walter Matthau is a grumbling beer-guzzling former minor-league pitcher who gets roped into coaching a band of half-pint misfits somewhat loosely called a team.