Never trusted hot air balloons myself. Too simple of an idea. Nothing between me and a Looney Tune death but some wicker and a propane filled parachute feels like madness. Yet people love them, and I'll admit they do look pretty floating there against a serene landscape.
The tradition of ballooning and library science goes back to the earliest bookmobiles in France, circa 1790. You could trace the history of the thing back to China, around 200 BCE, but we're talking assholes in wicker rather than lanterns. After the Montgolfier brothers sent up their first balloon, librarian Pierre Lebeauc had them take him up with an armload of texts. He proceeded to launch the books from the balloon at those below. Three died, but the theory was sound.
Over the years, Lebeauc experimented with a variety of aerial literary delivery systems. His final iteration was a cart tethered below the balloon that could be pulled along by a team of oxen. The cart carried the books, and as the cart and balloon reached the area where the books would be unloaded to patrons, often children, Lebeauc would have the books lifted into the balloon through a dumbwaiter system and then dropped on the populace. People were aware the library was a thing then!
Later versions ditched the balloon all together and just had a librarian throw books at people from the cart. This was more effective at higher speeds and proof that librarians continue innovating.
This week we pay homage to Lebeauc and other ballooning library adjacent topics. Come down to the library and see what's in store!
Join the Friends of the Banned Library!
Do you want us to slowly float to your house and throw books at you? Join the Friends of the Banned Library and we might just do that. Or not. We can be fickle. $1 a month keeps the lights on and gets you these posts early. Patreon.com/bannedlibrary
Events at the Library
Story Time
Join Children's librarian Natalie for high floating stories and songs this week, including "The Little Wicker Basket Gets High" and a rousing round of "If This Balloon Pops We're All Gonna Die."
Mon-Fri, 12pm, 3pm, 5pm
Make Your Own Hot Air Balloon
This week's preteen experience will have everyone band together to manufacture and fly the library's hot air balloon! Get those little hands ready to sew!
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 4pm
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon at the Library
We will take to the sky with the balloon created at the Make Your Own Hot Air Balloon program and three other balloons from Get High Ballooning. Hot air balloon pilot Rod Blaster and his crew are ready to take you up up and away!
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1pm; Saturday Oct. 10, 10am and 2pm; Sunday Oct. 11, 12pm
Target Shooting with Hot Air Balloons
Get High Ballooning pilot Rod Blaster will be on hand to bring down a few balloons with precision rifles, and we're not talking birthday favors and bb guns!
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6pm
Video Game Competition: Hot Air Balloon Racing 2023
Come on in teens for the hottest video game hot air balloon simulator around. Pick your balloon colors and get ready for 2-6 hours of calm extreme action!
Thursday, Oct. 8, 4pm
Teen Movie Night: Up (2009)
Cry for ten minutes and then find the joy in life with Up, the story of an elderly man who kidnaps a boy scout with a balloon house to get revenge for his dead lover!
Adult Movie Night: Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
You've never felt ACAB like this! David Spade joins the police academy crew to clean up the streets and shoot civilians on patrol. The ending hot air balloon race has to be seen to be believed.
Circulation Station
What we've been reading/watching
Ruthless People (1986) - a comedy of errors when a rich man's wife gets kidnapped right before he murders her. Bette Midler is great, Danny Davito is slimy as hell.
Hard Target (1993) - His name is Chance because his mama took one. That's all you need to know about these rich people hunting people for sport New Orleans adventure.
Thanos War (Captain Marvel, Avengers, Marvel Feature) - The first story of Thanos trying to get shit done and those stupid Avengers and Captain Marvel ruining his fun. Featuring Death and the Cosmic Cube!
Carrie by Stephen King - You will know her name. This month's book to film book club book, King's first novel tells the story of Chris, a girl who just wants to go to prom but stupid Carrie wants to stop her!
Primetime (2026) - The story of a television show that rocked the nation, To Catch a Predator caught a lot of predators but did it also become the predators?
Follow the library on Letterboxd and Goodreads for what we're watching and reading!
Tech Serv's Stewpot
Could be a recipe or a random rant from a crazy person shoved in the back of the library and left alone too long!
I don't feel like talking much today. I can't believe that Rod Blaster is coming here, to the library, with his damn balloons. When I threw that ring off the side and down into the swamp, I believed I had broken his heart sufficient enough. But now he's come back and if he thinks I'm gonna let him into my wicker basket he's got another thing coming.
A good balloon ride snack is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Take you some bread, don't matter what kind, and put some butter on each piece. Then take a handful of peanuts, put them between a couple of dishcloths or whatever, and beat that shit with a rolling pin like it stole your lunch money on chicken finger day. Sprinkle the peanut dust on the butter, add some jelly, and enjoy.