Free books encourage reading from Savannah to Milledgeville

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Andalusia Farm will unveil its Little Free Library, the latest addition to the Flannery O’Connor Book Trail, on Thursday Sept. 15, followed by an evening of live music, readings and refreshments at the last of the seasonal Third Thursday Thursdalusia! open mic evenings. The public is invited and admission is free.

This combined event will celebrate the latest in a series of “Little Free Libraries” (LFL) dotting the course of The Flannery O'Connor Book Trail, which runs from Savannah to Milledgeville. The project is designed to increase access to books for people in all communities along the trail. Andalusia Farm’s LFL brings to nine the total currently on the trail.

The open mic format allows five minutes of time for each person who wants to present; musical groups or theater acts can combine their time – trios will get 15 minutes and quartets will get 20 minutes. Festivities start at 6 p.m. and will go until sunset.

Refreshments will include Wise Blood IPA, courtesy of Wild Heaven Craft Beers, makers of the newly launched O’Connor-inspired microbrew. http://wildheavencraftbeers.com/

Andalusia Farm’s Little Free Library was made by local artist Bobby Huellemeier and graces the Nail House Deck, an open-air, handicapped-accessible platform in the footprint of the old Nail House, or garage, in the backyard behind the house where O’Connor lived with her mother from 1951 until her death in 1964 at age 39.

Huellemeier’s structure is a scaled-down replica of the Nail House. He used locally harvested wood and referred to drawings and photographs of the Nail House to replicate the old garage that was a prominent part of the back yard when Flannery lived here. Andalusia’s Little Free Library serves as a memorial to that now-fallen historic building, lost to time and nature.

“We are excited to share this addition to the trail,” says Executive Director Elizabeth Wylie. “The Little Free Library brings books and reading front and center for our visitors while memorializing an important historic building. It is a powerful reminder of why we are dedicated to the preservation of Andalusia Farm, the locale that inspired some of the best literature of the 20^th century.”

Andalusia Farm is located on U.S. 441, four miles north of the City of Milledgeville. There is plenty of seating and parking is free. Members of the media are welcome to attend.

WHEN:                     

Thursday Sept. 15, 2016

6 p.m. until sunset

WHERE:

Andalusia Farm: Home of Flannery O’Connor

2628 North Columbia Street (U.S. Hwy 441)

Milledgeville, GA 31061

MORE INFORMATION:

The philosophy of The Little Free Library is simple: “Take a book, return a book." Anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share, enriching the community around them by participating. The Flannery O'Connor Book Trail takes it up a notch by paying tribute to the famed Georgia author Flannery O'Connor through this trail of libraries from Savannah (her birthplace) to Milledgeville (where she lived until her death in 1964), to increase access to books for people in all communities along the trail.

More information about Little Free Libraries:

littlefreelibrary.org

The Flannery O'Connor Book Trail has been made possible by Francis Allen, Leslie Lovell, Matt Herbemehl, Katherine Sandoz, Molly Liberman and Loop It Up, Cleonique Hilseca, Christine Sajecki, Jared Hall, Columba House, The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home Foundation, Jeremiah Jossim, Coco Papy, Dare Dukes, Andrew Hartzell, Panhandle Slim, Michael J. Chaney, Jon Waits, Guerry Lumber, The Book Lady Bookstore, The Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation, Bobby Huellemeier and April Moon Carlson, along with an ever-growing team of artists, patrons and supporters.

More information about the Flannery O'Connor Book Trail:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flannery-OConnor-Book-Trail/1406129276345793

More information about the event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1710854542536226/

ABOUT THE FLANNERY O’CONNOR - ANDALUSIA FOUNDATION (FOCA):

FOCA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation and appreciation of Andalusia Farm, the final home of Flannery O'Connor, and to perpetuate her place in the roster of great writers of the 20th Century. The 500+-acre farm in Milledgeville, Georgia, is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. There is free admission to Andalusia Farm, although visitors are encouraged to make a $10 voluntary contribution and donations large and small are always welcome.

SEASONAL EVENING HOURS

April through September the farm will stay open Thursday evenings until sunset. New seasonal hours are in place so visitors can experience the sunsets as O’Connor did. Through September, the farm will be open every Thursday until sunset. Regular open hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thursday – Sunday and, seasonally, on Thursdays until about 8:30 p.m. The new evening hours offer visitors added opportunities to tour the house, shop in the Andalusia store, visit with the peafowl, and generally enjoy the property. A mile-long nature trail loops through the woods along the Tobler Creek and there is indoor and outdoor seating. Small groups and families are welcome, as are picnics, and leashed pets. The third Thursday Thursdalusia! open mic has showcased local talent all summer and will conclude September 15.

FUTURE EVENTS ADVISORY

October 1, 2016 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Home Movie Day

In collaboration with University of Georgia Libraries’ Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, Andalusia Farm will host this worldwide celebration of amateur films and filmmaking, held annually in October.  The event provides an opportunity for attendees to bring in their home movies, learn more about their own family films, how to care for films and videotapes, and how home movies have helped capture personal history. Home Movie Day is free and open to the public. There will be screenings of home movies from the Media Archives’ holdings, including footage from Athens and the earliest home movie footage from Georgia shot in 1917 in Thomasville at the Pebble Hill Plantation and other locales around Georgia and the Southeast.  Also included will be a short clip of Flannery O’Connor at Andalusia Farm in the early 1960s. There will be discussion of the best ways to preserve film and videotape. Attendees are encouraged to bring films, videotapes, and DVDs for inspection and screening when possible (a variety of projectors will be available), and archivists will be in attendance to answer questions. 

November 5, 2016 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. The 12^th Annual Andalusia Farm Bluegrass Festival

This popular regional event is back for the 12^th year. The line-up is Good Country People (Macon), the Skillet Lickers (Atlanta) and headliner Packway Handle Band (Athens). There will be food and drink vendors on site and plenty of free parking. This is a family friendly event. Picnics and leashed pets welcome. The day starts at 3:00 with porch pickin’ (bring your instruments!) and guided trail walks before the bands take the stage at 5:00. Adults $10, students and seniors, $5, kids under 12 free.

For more information: www.andalusiafarm.org