2 Huge Events This Week At FADL

Fremont Library to Host Japanese Balloon Bombs Presentation & Native American Heritage Presentation

Live @ the Library, a series of events including author visits and informational presentations is hosting two events at the beginning of November. The first will be about Japanese balloon bombs during World War II, and the second will be about life on historical Turtle Island before European contact.

Floating Vengeance: The World War II Japanese Attack on Michigan presented by Michael Unsworth: Japan sent over 9,300 balloons to attack the North American mainland from November 1944 to early April 1945. This campaign was Japan’s attempt at vengeance for the April 1942 Doolittle attack on the island of Honshu. Built of laminated panels of paper, filled with hydrogen gas, and kept aloft by an ingenious altitude control mechanism, the balloons traveled the jet stream to make the 6,200-mile crossing of the Pacific. The furthest east they were discovered was in Michigan. This talk will discuss general outlines of the balloon attacks followed by a detailed description of the two balloons which were discovered at the border area of Kent & Allegan counties and in Farmington in the Detroit suburbs.
Presenter Michael Unsworth is the co-author of the annotated bibliography Future War Novels (1984) and the editor of Military Periodicals (1991). He has also written a number of articles, concentrating on military history. He has written several articles and given numerous lectures on the Japanese balloon attack. Most recently he appeared in the Great Balloon Bomb Invasion which is on the Discovery+ streaming service. This free program will begin in the library’s Community Room on Tuesday, November 1st at 7:00 p.m.

Under the Western Sun: An Indigenous Account of Life on Historical Turtle Island presented by Carmen Alfaro: Have you ever wondered what life was like on Turtle Island (North America) before European contact? Did you imagine towering cities with sanitation canals, trade networks that spanned thousands of miles, and artisan-crafted books? Join Carmen Marie, Wixárika, of The Sunhart Center of Ecology & Design for an interactive conversation on what life was really like just over 500 years ago and the rich heritage it brings to contemporary Indigenous Peoples. Recording devices requested to be turned off during drumming and songs.
Carmen Marie is the Two-Spirit, Wixárika owner of The Sunhart Center of Ecology & Design, a social-mission driven center "dedicated to stewarding our Lands for the next 7 Generations." She draws her knowledge from many sources including Elders' teachings, a background in cultural anthropology, and her mentors. She specializes in Traditional Ecological Knowledge, native food and medicine plants, and Wixárika culture. This free program will begin in the library’s Community Room on Thursday, November 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

Learn more about library events by visiting www.fremontlibrary.net or call 231-924-3480.