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Oh wait! YES it is! For this Throwback Thursday we offer up a photo of a picnic area in Merriam or Mission circa 1940. Why? It's still summer and that means it's still grilling season!

For even more local history visit jocohistory.org or follow our hashtag on Twitter.

Board games have brought family and friends together for years, and we are now in a golden age of game choices! Join us for enjoyable games, meet new friends and have new adventures. All ages welcome.

• Antioch Library, first Wednesdays, 6 pm »
• Blue Valley Library, second Wednesdays, 6 pm »
• Central Resource Library, third Mondays, 6 pm »
• Monticello Library, third Thursdays, 6 pm »
• Gardner Library, fourth Saturdays, 12 pm »

This Fall you also have three chances to learn The Game of Go, an ancient Chinese strategy game.

If you’ve haven’t checked out what our librarians are recommending, head on over to our Staff Picks Blog to find great stuff that we’ve been reading, watching, or listening to.

Josh N. is a HUGE fan of Doctor Who and recently traced the genealogy of the classic British Sci-Fi television show, looking at works of fiction that have influenced the adventures of our favorite Time Lord over the years – which is no small task, considering the show has been around for over fifty years and still has legions of fans across the globe.

We’ve been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing all this summer, and Kari E. wrote about the effect that outer space has had on her passion for music. Here, she guides us through a list of concept albums all based on space or other planets, including artists like Janelle Monae and Radiohead.

Michael K. recently noted the recent 30th anniversary of the movie UHF, written by and starring “Weird Al” Yankovic. He wrote about his love for the film and what the movie’s delightful collection of oddballs working for a struggling local public-access television station meant for him as a teen.

Finally, librarian Gregg W. reports back from his trip to BookExpo, one of the year’s largest gathering of publishers and authors, and highlights some titles that will be hitting the shelves at your local branch - and, just maybe, the bestseller lists. We love hearing about the next big titles before everyone else does, and Gregg always has his ears to the ground.

Also in the Staff Picks Blog you’ll find recent posts about the blockbuster Where the Crawdads Sing as well as the latest in a beautiful and elegant graphic novel series, Flight.

Each of our locations draws a name from the pool of kids who participated in Summer Reading to win a READ poster photoshoot. Here is Leawood Pioneer Library's winner! You can enjoy the adorable-ness of current and past READ poster winners at each of our Libraries.

Leawood Pioneer hosts Read to a Dog, Creative Writing Workshops for teens, Book Groups, and more!