BPL@Night Presents Two Suitcases and an Accordion: Traveling with the USO Camp Shows

The Birmingham Public Library is proud to present Two Suitcases and an Accordion: Traveling with the USO Camp Shows, the January 2010 installment of BPL@Night.

Dolores Hydock has been a BPL favorite for years. She has performed at library locations throughout the system on a regular basis. In Two Suitcases and an Accordion, Hydock teams up with Barb Sparkes for a unique musical show that tells of Barb Sparkes' adventures in the USO during World War II.

In 1944 and 1945, at the age of 18, Barb Sparkes spent 18 months performing with USO Camp Shows at military bases in the US and abroad. For this special performance, Barb herself, now 83, is on hand to tell about that time and play her original arrangements of wartime standards on the library's grand piano. For a sample of Barb's music, visit the Barb Sparkes page at www.storypower.org.

Barb has just released her third CD, which features her original arrangements of 26 favorite songs, including "Sentimental Journey," "White Cliffs of Dover," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and, of course, "I'll Be Seeing You." The CDs are $15 and will be available at the BPL@Night performance.

The program is in the fourth-floor auditorium of the Linn-Henley Building. To reach it, go to the third floor of the new library building, cross over to the old building, then take the elevator or stairs up one flight. The library is at 2100 Park Place, at the corner of Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd., N., and Park Place (between 6th and 8th Avenue North). There's parking in the library's lot. (It's much easier to park there in the evening than it is during the day!) For information or directions, call the library at 226-3742.

For information on the arts and entertainment, check out the Birmingham Public Library’s online subject guides at http://www.bplonline.org/virtual/subjects/.

Details
What: Two Suitcases and an Accordion: Traveling with the USO Camp Shows
Where: Central Library, Linn-Henley Bldg., Arrington Auditorium, 3rd floor
When: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Time: 6:30 p.m
Cost: Free

This BPL@Night program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. BPL would also like to thank the Alabama Power Company Foundation for their generous support of BPL@Night.