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Monday, September 23, 2013

75th Anniversary of the First Night Game at Central

by Casey Gamble and Bryan Whitledge

Central State Life Sept. 21, 1938 p. 3
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the first night football game played at Central. On Friday, September 23, 1938, both football fans and players alike were thrilled for this exciting event. Back in 1938, some things were different at Central – the Institution was Central State Teachers College, tuition was $15 per term ($30 for non-residents of Michigan), athletic teams (which were only for male students) were known as the Bearcats, and home football games were played at Alumni Field, which was located in the grassy area between where Finch Fieldhouse and the Health Professions Building stand today.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Opening event of Our Front Porch Exhibit

For over thirty years, CMU Public Radio's Our Front Porch has featured the best of Michigan music, recorded live and in concert. Join host John Sheffler, as well as his colleagues Dan Bracken, Peggy Brisbane, and Robert Barclay as they open the Clarke Historical Library exhibit Our Front Porch by reminiscing about the show's storied history.

The event will take place on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 pm in the Park Library Auditorium. A reception will follow in the Clarke. This event is free and open to the public.

And don't forget about the Our Front Porch Concert featuring Billy Strings and Don Julin on Saturday, September 28. At 7:00 pm, Billy Strings and Don Julin will warm up in the Clarke Historical Library in a free and open to the public event. Then, at 8:00 pm, the main event will take place in the Moore Hall Kiva. Tickets for the main event, which can be purchased through Ticket Central, are $15.00 for General Admission and $5.00 for students.

The Our Front Porch exhibit is underwritten, in part, by the Cindi J. and Kathryn R. Graham Endowment, with additional support from the Croll Family Endowment and the Friends of the CMU Libraries.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

National Digital Newspaper Conference

by Frank Boles

Annually, the awardees responsible for the National Digital Newspaper Program meet at the Library of Congress to discuss projects and possibilities in this nationwide effort to bring millions of newspapers online and make them freely available to the public. The Clarke Historical Library is the focus of the project in Michigan, and thus Kim Hagerty and Frank Boles spent several days in Washington last week, discussing online newspapers with their colleagues from more than thirty states.

Monday, September 9, 2013

200th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie

by Ryan Rooney

Tuesday, September 10th, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. Yes, the same Lake Erie that many view as a tranquil body of water nestled along the shores of the Canadian Province Ontario and the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. However, on the morning of September 10, 1813, tensions were high as Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry led his fleet of ships to battle in what would be the most historical naval engagement fought on the Great Lakes.

For several weeks, rival British and American naval squadrons had been preparing for battle. On the morning of September 10th, Americans anchored at Put-In-Bay, Ohio saw the British fleet under the command of Robert Heriot Barclay moving toward Detroit. The nine boats under the leadership of U.S. Master Commandant Perry left from Put-In-Bay at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of the battle. Nearing 10:00 a.m., they confronted the fleet of Commander Barclay.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Clarke Historical Library Saturday Hours this Fall

Now that class is back in session at Central Michigan University, the Clarke Historical Library will be open Saturdays during the Fall semester. Beginning this Saturday, September 7 and extending through Saturday, December 7 (with the exception of November 30 in observance of Thanksgiving), the Clarke will be open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Stop in to browse our current exhibit, use the Clarke resources to further your research, or learn a little something about CMU history, Michigan history, and children's literature.

On days of home football games, the Clarke will be available for alumni to browse our historical yearbooks, student newspapers, football programs, and photographs documenting the history of Central Michigan University.