Mountlake Terrace Library Blog

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Some Things You Might Not Know


When I visited my Swedish cousin last year, I was surprised to learn that in Sweden, you cannot own just one horse. It is felt that only one horse out in a field would get lonely, so you must have at least two horses. Also dogs cannot be left alone in the house for more than five hours.

 I found these laws quite strange and interesting, especially wondering how they could be enforced. I decided to see if we had some similarly strange laws.

Here's what I discovered:
  • In Connecticut, it is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset.
  • In Kentucky, a woman may not buy a hat without her husband's permission.
  • In Ohio, it is illegal to get fish drunk.
  • In Oklahoma, dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.  And it is illegal to have a sleeping donkey in your bathtub after 7pm.
  • Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown in Florida. (I wonder if it's OK if the gown isn't strapless).
  • In Vermont, it is illegal for women to wear false teeth without the written permission of their husbands.
  • In Zion, Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give cats, dogs or other domesticated animals a lighted cigar.
  • Right here in Washington, State, it is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the Chief of Police as he is entering the town.  And in Seattle, goldfish can ride the city buses in bowls only if they keep still.
  • My two favorites:  In New York, the penalty for jumping off a building is death!  And in London, people are not allowed to catch a cab if they have the plague!
The mind runs wild thinking of what incident precipitated these laws!  What shocking or criminal activity surrounds a woman buying a hat without her husband's permission?  Or who was the first person to give a cat or dog a lighted cigar or got his fish drunk and what happened as a result?  Something bad, I am assuming.

But for most of us, these laws are amusing but not relevant.  Even if I lived in those other states, it's been awhile since I've tried to give my poodles a lighted cigar, and I'm not yet ready for false teeth.  However, I am known to put my dogs in costumes. I hope there is not a law against that!


Aren't you glad there are no laws that keep you from visiting your public library to take advantage of all of the materials, programs and classes available there? 

From these statistics,  you can see that libraries are very relevant to the residents of Snohomish and Island Counties.
  • In 2011, there were 13.1 million visits to the Sno-Isle Website
  • Over 428,000 residents have library cards (63% of Snohomish and Island County residents)
  • Over 7,000 library programs and classes were offered in 2011 and 73,000+ people attended 
  • 9.5 million books, CDs, DVDs, and audio and ebooks were checked out in 2011

And 2012 marks the 50th Anniversary of Sno-Isle Libraries.



Fifty years ago, the 1962 Seattle World's Fair celebrated space age optimism.  Boeing was flying high.  The best-selling novel of 1962 was "Ship of Fools" by Katherine Anne Porter. "Laurence of Arabia" won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Record of the Year was "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  Seattle appeared to be the capitol of the world and the 21st century was a science fiction vision of wonder and anticipation.

 In the midst of that excitement and confidence, residents in Snohomish and Island Counties took a big leap into the future by unifying two county rural library districts to form Sno-Isle Libraries.

In 1961, there were 12 community libraries in the Snohomish County Rural Library District and after the Sno-Isle Intercounty Library District was formed, four Whidbey Island libraries joined Sno-Isle.  (The oldest still-functioning library in the Sno-Isle Libraries District is Snohomish which started in 1910.  The Mountlake Terrace Library opened on May 12, 1955, making it the 8th oldest in the System. )

Fifty years later, Sno-Isle Libraries is comprised of 21 community libraries.  Technology has evolved and many customer needs have changed.  Yet our two-county district continues to be an essential community doorway to reading, resources and lifelong learning, as well as a center for people, ideas and culture.

So we are celebrating the millions of children and adults over the past 50 years who have benefited from library early learning efforts for children and lifelong learning materials  and classes for adults

And we invite you to celebrate with us here at the Mountlake Terrace Library on Saturday, June 9, when we will hold an Open House and Used Book Sale. 

The Open House begins at 10am with remarks from local dignitaries and entertainment at 11am. 

The Book Sale runs from 10am-2pm and proceeds benefit the Friends of the Mountlake Terrace Library, who provide quality library programming for the community.

Book talks about great summer reads for all ages will be available, along with children's crafts, Polaris demonstrations, drawings for free books and a preview of the Mountlake Terrace Library Time Capsule.  All who attend will have an opportunity to tell us what should go into our ten year time capsule.



So join us on June 9th and throughout the years, as we continue to provide access to information, learning, entertainment, recreation, and the promotion of public dialogue opportunities over the next 50 years.

Just remember. If you are coming from Seattle by bus and have goldfish in a bowl, keep them still!

2 comments:

Anjel Astara * said...

I luv it 0:* xoxoxox ~Your~favorite~Michiganian~ niece~Anjel 0;)

Anjel Astara * said...

I luv it 0:* xoxoxox ~Anjel
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