JPL Photo Album

	The Annual American Girl program celebrated the newest additions to the books series by venturing into the world of best friends Cecile and Marie-Grace in 1853 New Orleans. Girls at the program were entertained by familiar tunes from that era, like "Camptown Races," played by Gillian McCary while they dined on red beans and rice with smoked sausage and beignets for dessert! They also watched "The Gift: A Play about Family, Love and Friendship" adapted by JoAnn Brooks from the book series by Sarah Masters and Denise Patrick, starring Briar Poytress as Cecile, Isabella Pinto as Marie-Grace, Alena Scott as Mademoiselle Oceane, Samuel Thrasher as Uncle Luc, and Rosa Webster as the narrator. We also can't forget the hard work of the stage manager Elizabeth Smith and the play's director Melissa Webster!
	The 10th Annual Valentines from the Heart program in February was a huge success! More than 125 enthusiastic patrons of all ages met in the library's spacious new annex to craft almost 500 Valentine's Day cards for Jacksonville's elderly and shut-ins! Every year library staff, along with volunteers like local scout troops, deliver the cards to residents of Jacksonville Health & Rehab, Ladiga Manor, The Meadows of Jacksonville, Myrick Manor and the participants of the Jacksonville Senior Center, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Countryside Hospice and Meals on Wheels.
	January brings around one of our most popular teen programs…Manga Madness! For the 8th annual program, teens got a chance to learn some fun facts about the sources of their favorite anime and manga (Japanese animation & graphic novel) characters with our guest speaker, Historian Jeff Kretzschmar. As always, they get to test their knowledge of all things Japanese during the trivia contest and show off some creative flair by wearing costumes from their favorite manga.