Library supporters organize Blaine jazz events August 18-19

Jazz fans have two upcoming opportunities to learn about and listen to jazz, thanks to a pair of free events library supporters are putting on for the community on Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19.

Friends of Blaine Library (FOBL) and the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) are hosting a free event for elementary school children to learn about jazz at Blaine Public Library 4-5 p.m. on August 18. The event, Junior Groove, will center around Bellingham Jazz Center drummer Jerry Steinhilber’s interactive teaching. Registration is not required. 

The community is then invited to a jazz performance the evening of August 19 at the Blaine Performing Arts Center. Steinhilber’s group, The Jazz Explosion, will play for the audience 7-8 p.m. Attendees can either register in advance or show up to the concert. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Sandra Bogen, FOBL board director and treasurer, said she looked forward to seeing the community involved and voicing  support for library services. 

Bogen hopes the jazz performance will not only provide entertainment, but also educate community members on their library. The event will have information on the feasibility project being conducted by Kulshan Land Trust, the city of Blaine and WCLS to create a building that would house a new Blaine library and affordable housing. 

The Blaine events are the last of a three-part summer series that WCLS and several groups of library supporters have hosted across Whatcom County with the support of library grants and community donations. 

The South Whatcom Library in Sudden Valley started jazz events in 2010 that were popular but took a hiatus, Bogen said. The Blaine and Ferndale library supporters became involved this year to resume and expand the jazz program.

“It was a wonderful collaboration and a beginning of some new events and possibly an annual event,” Bogen said. “We want people to know there are many activities available through their library.”