The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald will be commemorated today in services across the state. Twenty nine lives were lost when the ship sank in Lake Superior 36 years ago in 1975 about 17 miles from Whitefish Point. The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle will host a remembrance ceremony at 6:00 PM, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum will have a service at 7:00 PM. Gordon Lightfoot recorded a memorable tribute to the lost crew in his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The highly anticipated new film J. Edgar opens this weekend. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench and Armie Hammer, it explores the public and private life of J. Edgar Hoover — one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. Hoover was considered the face of law enforcement in America for almost fifty years.

Final day to vote for the New Seven Wonders of the World is Friday, November 11. The choice has been narrowed to 28 places around the world. Three of the nominations are in North America. The Grand Canyon-USA, The Bay of Fundy-Canada, and El Yunque-Puerto Rico. Vote now!

The hunter (author Sandy Arno Lyons) and the skeptic (Robert Elmouchi) will discuss hauntings in the Great Lakes as well as Lyons' book entitled Michigan's Most Haunted: A Ghostly Guide to the Great Lakes. Lyons wrote her book after traveling our great state and visiting known haunts. Did she have any real encounters? Come hear the spine-tingling tales on November 1 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room.

Knitting vintage : 30 knitting projects inspired by period fashions by Claire Montgomerie — Many of us admire vintage styles, but it can be challenging to find actual vintage knits in good condition in the right size for a reasonable price. This book offers patterns for sweaters, hats, and other accessories in vintage styles inspired by the twenties through the eighties. It may be difficult to think of the 80s as vintage, but the Striped Mohair Sweater is not to be missed.

Fringe-ology: how I tried to explain away the unexplainable—and couldn't by Steve Volk

But will the planet notice?: how smart economics can save the world by Gernot Wagner

The unexpected patriot: how an ordinary American mother is bringing terrorists to justice by Shannen Rossmiller; with Sue Carswell

If you weren't able to attend the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. on September 24-25, videos of the event including authors' talks are now available. Historian and author David McCullough appeared at the 2011 National Book Festival, as did Sylvia Nasar, Cassandra Clare, Wally Amos, Sara Paretsky, and more.

John E.L. Tenney of A&E's Paranormal State presents the top ten most haunted placed in Michigan. Do you live near a known source of "Supernatural Phenomena"? Why do ghost hunters from all over the world come to Michigan? How/why do people become ghost hunters? This program will include a visual presentation that is only appropriate for ages 12 through adult. Join us for this shocking evening on October 26 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room.

Christopher Columbus first made landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492 somewhere in the Bahamas, on an island which the natives called Guanahani and which Columbus renamed San Salvador. This date is a observed as public holiday in the United States as well as in many countries in South America. It is known as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, Day of the Americas in Uruguay and Day of the Cultures in Costa Rica. Many historians, however, are still asking the question "Who really discovered America?" Everyone knows that Native Americans were here long before Columbus arrived.

Arc of Justice: a Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle is this year's Great Michigan Read 2011-2012. To kick off the Great Michigan Read, Mr. Boyle will tour six cities throughout Michigan in late October. At each site, Boyle will host a presentation, question-and-answer session, and book signing. All events are free and open to the public.

As the Canton Public Library continues to deal with a declining budget, patrons are reminded the "magazine express" program has been discontinued.

September 6–November 27
Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photographs of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman Exhibit

The lives of partisans depended on their ability to remain unseen, undocumented and unidentifiable. But one fighter, Faye Schulman, had a camera. Schulman’s rare collection of images captures the camaraderie, horror and loss, bravery and triumph of the rag-tag, tough partisans—some Jewish, some not—who fought the Germans and their collaborators.

This exhibit is sponsored by the University Library and the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. Additional events will be held at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery in Room 100 (use Diag entrance) at 913 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI.

Public parking is available in the structure at 650 S. Forest, just south of S. University. Free and open to the public

September 22, 5:30-7:00 PM, A talk with author William M. Adler, Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery

The man who never died : the life, times, and legacy of Joe Hill, American labor icon by William M. Adler — Joe Hill was convicted of murder in Utah in 1914 and sentenced to death by firing squad. In the international controversy that ensued, many believed Hill was innocent but condemned for being a union man. Author William M. Adler spent four years investigating the case, and in a biography that reads like a murder mystery, argues convincingly for Hill’s innocence.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution consists of this single sentence that introduces the document and its purpose. The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America and is the oldest written national constitution still in force. Completed on September 17, 1787, with its adoption by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was later ratified by special conventions in each of the thirteen United States.

Museum Adventure Program passes will be available until September 23, 2011 to check out. Museums will accept passes until September 30, 2011.

The 2012 program will run from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

What do a fiery patriot, a queen, a bank robber, a scientist, and a composer have in common? They were all born in the month of September.

Samuel Adams: a life by Ira Stoll

Death and the Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I and the dark scandal that rocked the throne by Chris Skidmore

The love pirate and the bandit's son: murder, sin, and scandal in the shadow of Jesse James by Laura James

What could be more intriguing than a spy story, where truth is stranger than fiction or fiction incredibly true to life? Here are some suggestions for exciting reading material to "spies" up your life!

Books

General History

Operation Dark Heart: spycraft and special ops on the frontlines of Afghanistan--and the path to victory by Anthony Shaffer — Lt. Colonel Anthony Shaffer had run intelligence operations for years before he arrived in Afghanistan. He was part of the "dark side of the force"—the shadowy elements of the U.S. government that function outside the bounds of the normal system. Operation Dark Heart tells the story of what really went on—and what went wrong—in Afghanistan.

Join us on Monday, September 12 at 9:00 AM as the VVA Post 528 Color Guard raises the flag and at 7:00 PM for a musical tribute by the Michigan Philharmonic. Check out these books and dvds on display:

The 9/11 Commission report: the attack from planning to aftermath: authorized text by with an afterword by Philip Zelikow

Portraits 9/11/01: the collected "Portraits of grief" from The New York times by foreword by Howell Raines; introduction by Janny Scott

9-11: artists respond

Local community leaders will share both memories and proposals for building inter-faith bridges at an observance of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, hosted by the Muslim Community of Western Suburbs (MCWS). The event will be held at the group's headquarters, located at 40440 Palmer Road, on Sunday, September 11 at 2:30 PM. The event is free and open to the public, but donations of non-perishable items for local food pantries are encouraged.

For more information, contact Aamina Ahmed (248-894-7081) or Anne Marie Graham Hudak (734-502-2508).

This legal holiday is celebrated in the United States on the first Monday of every September. The first Labor Day celebration dates back to a parade in New York on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. More than half the states were celebrating Labor Day by 1893, but it wasn't made a national holiday until June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

Books

Reference

Historical encyclopedia of American labor by edited by Robert Weir and James P. Hanlan

Labor conflict in the United States: an encyclopedia by edited by Ronald L. Filippelli — editorial assistant, Carol Reilly

US Labor History

Bread--and roses: the struggle of American labor, 1865- 1915 by Milton Meltzer — illustrated with contemporary prints & photographs — Using diaries, newspaper reports and other source material, the author shows the industrialization of America and the workers' struggle for higher working standards.

Child labor: an American history by Hugh D. Hindman — This book considers the issue of child labor as a social and economic problem in America from an historical perspective — as it was found in major American industries and occupations, including coal mines, cotton textile mills and sweatshops, in the early 1900s.