Going Green: How You Can Help Preserve Our Planet (June 3 - 7:30 PM)

“Going Green” is no longer only a slogan for environmentalists: individuals and corporations around the world are beginning to embrace the idea. Discover how you can help preserve our planet when environmental engineer Martha VanGeem shows how to balance concerns for conservation and environmental quality with today’s lifestyles. VanGeem’s topics will include water conservation, energy reduction, and more. VanGeem is Principal Engineer at Skokie-based CTLGroup, where she is manager of the organization’s Building Science and Sustainability Group. Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

Beyond Rain Barrels: Strategies for Water Conservation in the Local Garden (May 27 - 7:30 PM)

Landscape designer Julie Siegel, of J. Siegel Designs, Inc., will offer tips on how to grow beautiful gardens while simultaneously preserving limited natural resources and protecting the environment. This lecture, featuring a host of stunning photographs, will explore gardening with a heightened appreciation and respect for nature, discuss global issues that inform water conservation, and present an overview of how regional and cultural distinctions define landscape. The Garden Club of Mount Prospect cosponsors this program.  Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

Remembering Erma Bombeck (May 20, 7:30 PM)

Freelance writer and speaker Minna Rae Friedman presents a tribute to one of America’s great humorists, Erma Bombeck, during a program that recalls Bombeck’s wit, wiles, and writing. Bombeck’s syndicated newspaper column, At Wit’s End, depicted the less-than-glamorous role of suburban housewife in the second half of the 20th century with priceless gems, such as “Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids,” and “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.” Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

A Garage Band Happening: Electric Boogaloo Performs Last Local Show!

Witness history in the making when members of Electric Boogaloo kick out the jams one last time in Mount Prospect as the band performs its final local show in the Library’s lower garage. Be there!

5/16/2008  7:00PM - 9:00PM   Register here. 

Basic Floral Design for Spring (May 13, - 7:30 PM)

Create a spring centerpiece with a dazzling array of fresh seasonal flowers and foliages under the guidance of Paul Siels, of Mount Prospect-based Busse’s Flowers and Gifts. Space is limited to assure all participants receive individual attention. A $15 nonrefundable fee is due when registering at the Library’s Registration Desk.  Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

Super Saturday: Cheeseprov!

Laugh yourself silly during this comedy program based on TV’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Children of all ages will take part in short-form improvisation and theater games, presented by HeadCheese Fat Boss Productions. Participants will learn team-building and cooperation skills by watching and playing with trained improv professionals. Click Here to sign up.

You Tube and the Personal Video Revolution (May 6 - 7:30 PM)

YouTube and other video Web sites have transformed the way people use the Internet. This demonstration, led by Indian Trails Public Library IT professional Barry Gerth, will show participants how to create online video masterpieces using the free downloadable software, MS Moviemaker. Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

"Someone Must Wash the Dishes" An Anti-suffrage Satire (April 29)

Many women fought against getting the vote in the early 1900s, but none with more charm, prettier clothes--and less logic--than the fictional speaker in this satiric monologue written in 1912 by pro-suffragist Marie Jenney Howe. "Woman suffrage is the reform against nature," declares Howe's unlikely, but irresistibly likeable heroine, presented here by actress Michele LaRue. Contradicting as many points as she makes--yet never noticing--this well-intentioned speaker sincerely believes that her efforts as a "womanly woman" will keep the Home intact and save the Nation from anarchy. Register Online or call 847/253-5675.

Money Smart Week: April 20- 26

MPPL will host two financial programs in support of Money Smart Week, an annual effort organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, intended to educate and inform consumers about all aspects of financial planning. These sessions will be presented by speakers endorsed by the Bank.

• Investment Planning: How NOT to Find Yourself up the Creek at Retirement
  Tuesday,  April 22, 2008    7:30 p.m.
  Financial advisor F. Bill Billimoria will discuss the importance of making the right choices when it comes to saving for a “Golden Pond retirement.” Based on his book, On Golden Pond…Or Up a Creek?, Billimoria will outline the eight barriers that often prevent individuals from achieving their financial goals and enjoying a financially secure retirement: Lack of Planning, Ignorance, Too Much Debt, Bad Investments, Lack of Protection, Inflation, Income Taxes, and Procrastination. Billimoria is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Illinois.
  This program is presented in support of Money Smart Week. Isabelle Flemming
• Planning for “What If…?” 
  Thursday, April 24, 2008   9 a.m.
  Estate planning for real people! The Library welcomes Karen Chan, consumer and family economics educator with the University of Illinois Extension, for an overview of ways to effectively prepare financially for emergencies or unexpected illness. What financial tools are available to aid families in the event of disability, incapacity, and death? Marriage, remarriage, and divorce? Whether your assets total $60 or $60,000,000, you need to have a plan to determine who will pay your bills and handle your finances, where the money will come from in case of emergencies and illness, how your property will be distributed, and how your dependents will be cared for.

Investment Planning: How NOT to Find Yourself up the Creek at Retirement (April 22, 7:30 PM)

Financial advisor F. Bill Billimoria will discuss the importance of making the right choices when it comes to saving for a “Golden Pond retirement.” Based on his book, On Golden Pond…Or Up a Creek?, Billimoria will outline the eight barriers that often prevent individuals from achieving their financial goals and enjoying a financially secure retirement: Lack of Planning, Ignorance, Too Much Debt, Bad Investments, Lack of Protection, Inflation, Income Taxes, and Procrastination. Billimoria is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Illinois.  Register Online or call 847/253-5675.