#6 - pasadena public library

august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena.  

i have accepted a position at salford mennonite church in harleysville, pennsylvania.  we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena.  when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg.  i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city.  i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind (which thankfully, are already posted), and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.  we have arrived at my top ten things about life in pasadena.

#6 - pasadena public library

the public library system in pasadena is extensive with countless programs happening at ten different locations across the city.  we've been fortunate to live near two locations - the beautiful central library (shown above) and our local villa parke location.  books can be requested from any branch to be picked up at whatever location is convenient.  the main central library has frequent art displays, a small used book store, and a coffee shop (among other things).  I will certainly miss the library.

2011 shrine of the eternals induction ceremony

i've mentioned before how much i love the baseball reliquary - one of the most incredible baseball institutions in the world (and i am happy to be a card carrying member).  this year marked the third time that i have been able to attend the annual induction ceremony (you can read my entry for 2009 and 2010 by clicking on those years).

those in attendance were able to witness incredible speeches from inductees including the san diego chicken (pictured above, strutting his stuff for the crowd), and former dodger great maury wills (pictured below).  baseball fans in southern california should go out of their way to make it to one of the reliquary's events - better yet, become a card carrying member and be able to vote on next year's inductees!

perspective

villa park public library branch

tucked up in the top level of the villa park community center is a tiny branch of the pasadena public library.  i appreciate the network of our amazing library system, and since this branch is only a short walk from where we live, it makes for a convenient walk with the baby.

library fountain

our local public library has this quaint little bubbling fountain outside.  i'm not sure i've captured it perfectly, but i like the way the water ripples on the top.

library entryway

oh, pasadena public library.  why are you so classy?

library fireplace

the incredible children's wing of the pasadena public library has a massive fireplace - complete with stone carvings below the mantle and an interesting painting above.

skywatch friday brilliance

i'm really proud of this one.  vibrant sky, iconic city hall, even a few other buildings on the horizon with the mountains behind them.

more skywatch friday can be found as usual, right here.

pasadena public library sky

check out the pretty sky.  you might be thinking it would fit for tomorrow's skywatch friday, but i've got an even better iconic pasadena photo for that!

pasadena's boxing legacy

i'm not a big boxing fan, but i love the uniwatch blog and anything that has to do with sports asthetics.  so it was this beautiful jacket that caught my eye on a recent trip to the library.  do you see the chain stitching and needle work on that thing?  incredible.

as it turns out, this led me to learn a bit about pasadena's boxing history.  this jacket belonged to hall of fame boxer, canto "tnt" robledo, and there is a large display about his career and legacy on display right now at the library.

i also learned that there was a statue of some sort installed at the villa park community center this summer.  i may have to go do a little detective work and get a picture.

shrine of the eternals induction day 2010

one of my favorite annual pasadena events took place yesterday afternoon at the public library - the annual shrine of the eternals election day, hosted by the baseball reliquary.  this year's class of inductees was sports writer roger angell, former player pete rose, and former player and manager casey stengel.  unfortunately none of these esteemed gentlemen were there to accept their award in person (angell and rose with prior commitments, while stengel passed away several years ago), however that did not stop the gathered crowd from having a wonderful time.

as usual this event was very well attended and filled with memorable moments.  i think i could have spent all day listening to the baseball stories that were shared.

among my personal highlights...

- the star spangled banner and take me out to the ballgame were performed by award winning whistler, carole anne kaufman
- hearing baseball stories of a cleveland indians fan from sister mary assumpta (photo on right) and tasting her "nun better" cookies

- witnessing writer ron rapoport hold up an actual hall of fame ballot to explain how he writes in pete rose's name every year (photo on left)
- seeing stengel's neice, toni mollett, hold up the former manager's shoes and place them on the stage to symbolize that he was here with us (photo at top of page)
- hearing stories of life as a major leaguer from pete rose's friend, greg goossen including a humorous moment about breaking curfew and meeting his manager (casey stengel!) on the elevator

not sure why blogger didn't publish this at my normal 12:01am time.  for some reason, recent posts have been saving as drafts instead of scheduled posts.  sorry faithful followers for the late state of this blog!

shrine of the eternals induction day

the baseball reliquary is one of this area's most incredible treasures - part memorabilia collection, part historic preservation, and all baseball celebration.  the reliquary frequently put on incredible displays of obscure baseball artifacts, artwork, and presentations, that are open to the public.

part of their legacy is an annual selection of baseball pioneers to their "shrine of the eternals".  33 baseball icons have been inducted to their hall of fame, ranging from josh gibson (known as the black babe ruth), to jim abbott (a pitcher who played in the big leagues despite having only one hand).  this month the main branch of the pasadena public library is displaying a collection of items paying homage to these 33 individuals, and this coming sunday the reliquary is set to induct three more.

this event is free to the public, and if you are interested in reading about my experience from last year, you can check it out right here.

the pasadena public library

it has been a while since i've featured our beautiful library facade on this blog. while showing my sister around town, i was struck by just how beautiful it is.

so today you get to see what i saw. i hope you enjoy!

la pintoresca branch library

pasadena's public library is a beautiful building, but the library system doesn't stop there. this branch is one of just nine locations in pasadena! pretty incredible.

baseball reliquary at the library

for those who missed the shrine of the eternals induction ceremony, you still have time to check out the baseball reliquary's fantastic baseball card exhibit which is happening now in the east wings of the library.

2009 shrine of the eternals induction day

oh man, what an afternoon. yesterday i attended the baseball reliquary's 2009 induction day. this unique event included music on the glass harp by douglas lee...


ceremonial bell ringing by the group led by terry cannon (executive director) in honor of hilda chester...


speeches and presentations from a variety of wonderfully interesting people including sports writers mike shannon (pictured below) and don malcolm, jill and mike magnante, and ron shelton.

this year's inductees were roger maris (former single season home run record holder), jim eisenreich (successful major leaguer who played with tourette syndrom), and steve dalkowski(a minor league pitcher who was the inspiration for the movie bull durham (la times article)). all in all, a wonderful afternoon of baseball stories and celebration at pasadena public library. i can't wait until next year!

library from another angle...

not the first picture of our beloved library that i've posted, but definitely a different angle than you've seen before. it still strikes me as one of this city's most striking architectural pieces.

pasadena public library

i've never seen a library like the one we have here in pasadena. high ceilings, old wood trimmings, it's amazing. and as a student, i'm here fairly often.

architectural mischief

the column on the left at the library has a flipped symbol in the top square. did the builders do it on purpose?

famous words