Americana music will fill the air the evening of Saturday, August 14th at The Backyard Park located at 876 Swiss Hill Road North, Jeffersonville. The gates open at 5 p.m. and the open-air show begins at 6 p.m. with tickets costing $25.

Slam Allen will entertain you with his unique blend of soul and the blues. He has played all over the world, including at the Bethel Woods Center For the Arts. He has also been the leading singer and guitarist for the legendary James Cotton Band.

A local multi-talented favorite, Justin Sutherland, will join in on this special night. Justin plays the piano, saxophone, guitar, drums and harmonica. He writes, composes, arranges and sings his own music.

Noah Barker, son of drummer Thurman Barker will also be joining the event. Noah grew up in Jeffersonville, studied with Tanya Cohen from the Janice Center and Dominick D’Aurio. He received a full scholarship to study Jazz piano at the University of Louisville and came back to New York to receive his Master’s Degree in Jazz Piano performance. Since then, he has been busy self-producing 5 EPs, playing gigs in Louisville, Kentucky, New York City and Berlin, Germany and an occasional gig here in Jeffersonville.

Noah will be filling in for Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters as an illness has made it impossible for her to perform. JEMS thanks Noah for helping us by agreeing to play at our event! Guests are reminded to bring lawn chairs and blankets and sorry, no animals are permitted in the park. Compliance with state health regulations applicable at that time will be followed.

The Jeffersonville Firehouse Book Sale Returns! Dates are set for the Annual Jeffersonville Firehouse Book Sale sponsored by the Friends of the Western Sullivan Public Library.

The highly anticipated book sale at the Jeffersonville Firehouse will run Thursday, August 12th through Saturday, August 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day, and Sunday, August 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

On Saturday, fill up a bag for $2.00. Everything is free on Sunday. There are thousands of gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and more to choose from with prices as low as $0.25!

Early in the pandemic the Western Sullivan Public Library temporarily waived late fees and fines. The vote by the Board of Trustees aimed to ease financial hardships our communities faced and to enable full access to the library’s essential services and programs.

After further review, the Board eliminated fines permanently starting June 2021 and will offer amnesty to patrons with existing fines. Both these new measures remove barriers that keep people from returning to the library and enjoy our wide range of services.

The library’s mission is to provide our communities with welcoming centers of information and discovery and provide our patrons with tools for lifelong learning, creativity and enrichment. Now they are able to provide this access equally to everyone they serve. If you find a long-lost library book at your home or under your car seat, don’t worry! Return it at any of their branches and stay to explore all the new items, programs and services available to you.

Please let me know if you have any news to share!