Family Storytime and Playgroup

Family Storytime and Playgroup is on at the Charles L. Durham Library on Wednesday, October 21, starting at 10:30 AM. It's a weekly program, so if you miss this one, there's another next week. The session is built for preschoolers, toddlers, and babies, and it's a two-part thing: songs and stories first, followed by a playgroup where the kids can hang out and make friends. Siblings are welcome, too, so you don't have to leave anyone at home.

The library itself is at 3320 Haverford Avenue, at 34th and Haverford, in the Mantua neighborhood. It opened on July 9, 1979, as part of the Mantua Community Center and was originally called the Mantua Branch. In 1995, it was renamed to honor Judge Charles L. Durham, a Mantua native who sat on City Council from 1967 to 1974, was appointed to the Common Pleas Court, and was a strong civil rights advocate in the city's first black caucus on Council. The branch was renovated in 1999 as part of the 'Changing Lives' campaign.

That's a bit of history for the building, but the neighborhood goes back even further. Mantua and Powelton date back to the 17th century, and the area took its name in 1809 from Judge Richard Peters. If you're in the neighborhood with a little one, it's a good mid-morning spot to get them out of the house. The session starts at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, October 21, at the Charles L. Durham Library, 3320 Haverford Avenue.