Adult Craft: Fall Gnomes
2024-09-10 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Home, sweet gnome! We will be painting 7” ceramic gnomes in September to kick off the first month of Fall. Be creative, paint and decorate a whimsical, realistic or abstract design to set off your gnome’s personality. Display it on your patio, in your yard, on your mantle or table’s centerpiece this Fall.
All Adult Crafts are on a first come, first served basis. Participants may sign-up up to 30 minutes prior to the activity and we will take as many as we have craft supplies.
Open to participants 17+ years, no library card requirement, all supplies provided by Collegedale Public Library.

Baby and Toddler Storytime
2024-09-11 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-16 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-18 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-23 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-25 10:30 - 11:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
This early literacy program for ages 0 to 36 months is designed for activity and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*
Theme: Book Characters
Week 1: Pete the Cat
Week 2: Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 3: Elephant and Piggie
Week 4: Bruce the Bear

One-on-One with a Financial Advisor
2024-09-11 17:00 - 19:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
The Library is offering One-on-One sessions with Anthony Young who is a financial advisor from Thrivent, a non-profit financial organization. 30 minute sessions are free and private in our meeting room. Getting your finances in order isn’t always easy or clear. That’s why Anthony is here to provide the expertise and support you need. Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for a meaningful retirement, you deserve personalized financial guidance driven by what’s important to you. Together, we’ll assess your financial picture and explore how you can.
There are 4 sessions available starting at 5:00 PM: 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30. Sessions are free, but limited. Please register for a session (only one session per person). If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can contact someone on the waiting list. *No products will be sold*
Pre-register today to reserve a spot!

Preschool Storytime
2024-09-12 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-17 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-19 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-24 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-26 10:30 - 11:00 | TN
Preschool storytime is an early literacy program for ages 3 to 5 years old with stories, music, and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*
Theme: Book Characters
Week 1: Pete the Cat
Week 2: Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 3: Elephant and Piggie
Week 4: Bruce the Bear

Paws to Read: Therapy Dog
2024-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | TN
Meet Phoenix! This pup is all ears and ready to hear you read to him during our Paws to Read hour. Pick a book from our shelves and read to Phoenix or visit with him. If you are shy around dogs, you can watch Phoenix while you do the small craft provided. For safety, we will limit the number of people in the room at one time.

Staff Development Day
2024-09-13 | TN
The Collegedale Public Library will be CLOSED Friday, September 13, 2024 for our annual Staff Development Day. We will resume normal operating hours Saturday, September 14, 2024.

Local Author Visit: Tyler Boyd’s The Biggs Machine
2024-09-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join the Friends of the Collegedale Public Library as they host local author Tyler Boyd who will discuss his book – The Biggs Machine – Historical/Non-Fiction. Open to everyone – no library card requirement.
For the first half of the 20th Century in Polk County, Tennessee, Sheriff Burch Biggs reigned supreme. From 1904 to 1948, the political machine of Biggs was built upon three pillars―election fraud, police brutality, and graft―and while it is true that Biggs was not the first (or last) American sheriff to permit “fee-grabbing”, take kickbacks, or stuff the ballot box, the duration and brutality of his tenure makes him exceptional. Biggs was elected sheriff eight times, and when he was out of office, one of his two sons served in his place. The Biggs Machine tells the story of Burch Biggs, his corrupt empire, and how it all came crashing down following World War II. Extensively researched, including interviews with Polk Countians who lived during the Biggs regime, The Biggs Machine presents the true story of how “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and a cautionary tale to prevent history from repeating itself.
About the Author: Tyler L. Boyd is an author, historian, and educator in McMinn County, Tennessee.
In Spring 2017, Boyd began work on his first book, a biography of Harry T. Burn, his great-granduncle. Burn became famous for casting the deciding vote in the Tennessee General Assembly to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, granting the right to vote to women across America. Boyd debunks the myths about Burn and his role in the woman suffrage movement, and chronicles the rest of his life and career in Tennessee politics. “Tennessee Statesman Harry T. Burn: Woman Suffrage, Free Elections and a Life of Service,” was published by the History Press in August 2019. It won several awards, including the Award of Distinction from the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Award for Historic Preservation from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and was selected for the Tennessee State Museum’s 2020 Book Club.
His second book, “Nellie Kenyon: Trailblazing Tennessee Journalist,” was published in April 2022 by Waldenhouse Publishers. In an era when men dominated the field of journalism, Kenyon covered some of the 20th century’s biggest stories, including the trials of John T. Scopes and Jimmy Hoffa. Through her outstanding work, she paved the way for the many women that work in journalism today. Boyd’s biography of Kenyon won the Project Excellence Award from the East Tennessee Historical Society.
In September 2023, Acclaim Press published Boyd’s third book, “The Biggs Machine: Old Time Politics in Polk County, Tennessee.” Previously a forbidden topic of discussion for many Polk County natives, Boyd finally chronicles this story for the first time. Inspired by the Battle of Athens in 1946, a bipartisan group of veterans formed the Good Government League (GGL) to challenge the political machine of longtime Polk County Sheriff Burch E. Biggs. Through election fraud, graft, and police brutality, Biggs perpetuated his corrupt regime in power for nearly two decades before its violent overthrow in 1948.
Boyd was born and raised in Athens, Tennessee. He studies history, civics, economics, geography, and philosophy. He enjoys genealogy, running, traveling, and the cinema. He has a B.A. in history and a M.S. in teacher education, both from the University of Tennessee. He has taught high school in Loudon, Bradley, and McMinn Counties. He currently serves as a Programs committee member at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, vice president of the McMinn County Historical Society, secretary of the McMinn County Library Board, and on the Athens Historic Preservation Commission. He is also a member of the East Tennessee Historical Society, Tennessee Historical Society, and the National Society Sons of the American Revolution.

Origami Workshop: Autumn Leaves Garland!
2024-09-17 17:30 - 18:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join local Math teacher and origami artist Ms. Shirley for some early Fall fun. We will learn to fold various styles of autumn leaves in this month’s origami workshop. We will provide twine to string these up to make a festive fall garland to hang in your home! This would be a great activity for families to make a garland together or for an individual to create their own garland.
This program is open to anyone in the community, free and no library card requirement.

September Fiction Addiction Book Club: The Frozen River by Arial Lawhon
2024-09-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Fiction Addiction Book Club will be discussing The Frozen River by Arial Lawhon – open to anyone, no library card requirement.
A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

September Crime Reads Book Club: Practice to Deceive by Ann Rule
2024-09-21 15:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Crime Reads Book Club will be discussing Practice to Deceive by Ann Rule. Open to anyone – no library card requirement.
In Practice to Deceive, Rule’s first book-length investigative chronicle since In the Still of the Night, Rule unravels a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State. presented with the clarity, authority, and emotional depth that Rule’s readers expect. It’s a case with enough drama, greed, sex, and scandal to be called “The Real Housewives of Whidbey Island”; but this was not reality television. This was murder: pure, cruel, ugly, and senseless. And someone had to pay the price.
Nestled in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Accessible only by ferry and the soaring Deception Pass Bridge, it is known for its artistic communities and stunning natural beauty. Life there is low-key, insular, and the island’s year-round residents tend to know one another’s business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas was discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV in a hidden driveway near Whidbey’s most exclusive mansions, the whole island was shocked. A single bullet between his eyes was the cause of death, but no one could imagine who among them could plot such a devious, cold-blooded crime. At first, police suspected suicide, tragically common at the height of the holiday season. But when they found no gun in or near the SUV, Russel’s manner of death became homicide. Like a cast of characters from a classic mystery novel, a host of Whidbey residents fell under suspicion.
Brenna Douglas was Russel’s estranged and soon-to-be-ex wife, who allowed him to come home for a Christmas visit with their children. The couple owned the popular Just B’s salon. Brenna’s good friend Peggy Sue Thomas worked there, and Brenna complained often to her that Russel was physically and emotionally abusive. Peggy Sue’s own life has been one of extremes. Married three times, hers is a rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale in which she’s played many roles: aircraft mechanic, basketball coach, the “drop-dead gorgeous vamp”; beauty queen as a former Ms. Washington, Las Vegas limousine driver, million-dollar horse breeder, wealthy divorcee. But in 2003, her love affair with married guitarist Jim Huden led the two Whidbey Island natives to pursue their ultimate dreams of wealth and privilege; even at the expense of human life.

Lego Robotics
2024-09-23 16:30 - 17:30 | TN
Build your own robot using LEGO kits and Scratch coding. (Limited availability).

Intro to Yoga for Adults & Teens
2024-09-24 17:30 - 18:30 | TN
Local community member and Certified Yoga Instructor Cyndi Allen will be leading us through a beginner yoga class focused on relaxation. Bring your own mat or large towel and meet in the East Room at the Collegedale City Hall Building (rom that faces Imagination Station playground). This event is open to the community at no charge, no library card requirement.
Curious about our amazing instructor who donates her time to the library? Visit the Toe’s Studio webpage where she currently practices and instructs: https://toesyoga.com/schedule/.

Basic Sign Language for Babies and Toddlers
2024-09-25 15:00 - 15:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Our Collegedale neighbor and library patron Miss Ellie will be here to teach us some of the basics of ASL communication to toddlers and baby + their parent, grandparent or other guardian. She will demonstrate greetings, basic words and emotions in order to allow our youngest patrons to communicate before developing their verbal skills. Join Miss Ellie for a small taste of ASL communications!

Playtime
2024-09-30 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-01 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-02 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-03 10:30 - 11:00 | TN
Join us for playtime! All children age 0-5.

LEGO Let's Play
2024-09-30 16:00 - 17:00 | TN
Join us as we play with LEGO bricks! Use your creativity and build anything you can imagine! This program is intended for ages 6 and up.

Family Event: Mini Halloween Glitter Globes
2024-10-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join us for a Tuesday afternoon family craft where we will make cute mini glitter globes for this Halloween season. This program includes a kit for each participant to create their very own Halloween-scene glitter globe.
This event is open to the community, all ages, no library card requirement! First come, first served!

Harry Potter STEM
2024-10-03 16:30 - 17:30 | TN
Come to the library and explore STEM through the magic of Harry Potter. Create a circuit wand and Polyjuice Potion slime! (Limited availability; first come, first served).

String Theory
2024-10-05 15:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Bring any style of needlework project (knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery…) to this informal gathering and talk about books, recipes, and whatever else strikes your fancy while you work.

Baby and Toddler Storytime
2024-10-07 10:30 - 11:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
This early literacy program for ages 0 to 36 months is designed for activity and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*
Theme: Fall
Week 1: Apples
Week 2: Squirrels/Leaves
Week 3:Halloween
