All Library locations and book drops will be closed on March 29th and March 31st for Good Friday and Easter. 

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August 6, 2019 is National Night Out.  Learn how you can get involved with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Leave your porch light on Tuesday, August 6!

August 5, 2019

National Night Out is a nationwide event that promotes community awareness and builds police-community relationships. This annual event began in 1984 and is held in more than 20,000 communities and neighborhoods across the United States and Canada. 

More than 70 events are being held around Mecklenburg County this year; find an event near you here, or check with your neighborhood association’s social media. Check the social media app NextDoor for events, alerts and news unique to your neighborhood. It’s also a great way to find events hosted by your local library! 

Here are some ways the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branches will participate this year:

The Matthews Library will participate in the town of Matthew’s National Night Out event on the Town Green--right outside the library. Community organizations, including the Matthews Police Department’s K-9 unit, will be on hand to share information about keeping your neighborhood safe. Stop by the library tent or head inside the library to say hello to your neighbors and staff, learn about upcoming library programs and escape the summer heat!  

The Myers Park Library will join Grier Park apartments for their 36th Annual National Night-Out Celebration event on Tuesday, August 6 from 5-8 p.m. The Library will table the event, providing literacy activities, giveaways, registering attendees for Summer Break and for Library cards.

The Davidson Library will attend the town of Davidson’s National Night Out. The Library will table this event, providing Library information and an activity for kids.  This event is from 5-7 p.m. and the town will provide FREE food!

Sugar Creek Library will participate in Hidden Valley National Night Out from 4-8 p.m., University City Regional Library will join the Hammond Lake Community on Rubin Lura Court from 6-8 p.m. and the West Boulevard Library will participate in National Night Out festivities at the Arbor Glen Outreach Center.

You can also participate by leaving your porch light on from 7-10 p.m. This symbol of awareness serves as a welcoming and friendly signal to your neighbors. 

Check out these community-building ideas and resources—all free with your library card:

  • Hold a backyard Movie Night with family-friendly movies from Hoopla!  We recommend Swiss Family Robinson or The Shaggy Dog.   
  • Get to know your neighbors on your street by throwing a progressive dinner; every household makes a different course of the meal.  Try The Southern Living Party Cookbook for menus and inspiration.
  • Host a block party with recipes from Nancy Vienneau’s Third Thursday Community Potluck Cookbook or Ashley English’s Handmade Gatherings
  • Meet your friendly neighborhood firefighters from Station 24 at South County Regional Library Monday, August 19 at 10 a.m.
  • August is a great time for an ice cream social! If you don’t have an ice cream machine, make more than 100 frozen treats with Leslie Bilderback’s No-churn Ice Cream.
  • Start a neighborhood book club with a free book club kit available for checkout! See a full list of titles here
  • Attend a lecture by our Historian-in-Residence Tom Hanchett. He’ll be at our Steele Creek, Morrison and Myers Park libraries this fall speaking about the history of various Charlotte neighborhoods. 
  • Enhance your neighborhood or community by attending workshops provided by the City of Charlotte. Attend a pre-registration workshop or learn more about the program here
  • Support your local small businesses by starting your own business! Learn how to get started by attending SCORE workshops at various library branches throughout the year or Aspire Community Capital workshop at our West Boulevard Library.

Build a safer, stronger neighborhood with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library!