Delve into Ann Arbor's fascinating history as AADL unveils a new digital local history archive (available at aadl.org after this event) featuring decades of news and photos tracing the rise and decline of Argus Cameras, a very important early manufacturer in Ann Arbor.This event will include an introduction to the Argus online archive; a discussion of the history of Argus and its place in the community by Bob Kelly; and post-presentation refreshments.Bob Kelly has been collecting and researching Argus for over 30 years and is one of the founding members of the Argus Collectors Group. Founded in the Depression, Argus Cameras employed, at its height, 1300 workers and occupied two city blocks on 4th Street. The first camera rolled off the assembly line in 1936. The Argus Model A camera was so popular, it sold 30,000 units by Montgomery Ward within the first week.Step back in time and learn more about this important early Ann Arbor business.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is celebrating its 50th year - and AADL is excited to unveil its new digital archive, chronicling the Festival's history. Join Donald Harrison, AAFF Executive Director, and other voices from the Festival's past as they share behind-the-scenes stories from the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America! This event features the premiere of AADL's digital archive of the Festival, which will provide online access to posters and program guides from the Festival's half century of film exhibition history. The evening will conclude with light refreshments and the opportunity to mingle with Film Fest fans. THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ARCHIVE @ AADLThis website will document the history of the Ann Arbor Film Fest and its 50 years of experimental cinema. Festival programs, photographs, promotional materials, and behind-the-scenes documents from the Festival's half-century history will be featured.Original interviews with festival organizers and participants from over the years and media coverage of the event including articles from the Ann Arbor News and Ann Arbor Sun will paint a portrait of the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America.Join us for a look in the past and an introduction to this valuable online collection!

In the first 18 months after Pearl Harbor, 350,000 people came to the city of Detroit to work in defense plants. The Willow Run Bomber Plant played a key role in what became known as the "Arsenal of Democracy" by producing 8,685 B-24 bombers before it closed in 1945.In this talk, Yankee Air Museum's Randy Hotton shares his extensive research on the Willow Run Bomber Plant. He is the Director of Flight Operations at the Yankee Air Museum as well as a Board Member and Committee Chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee.

Panelists John and Leni Sinclair, Pun Plamondon, David Fenton, and Genie Parker--all members of Ann Arbor's White Panthers and Rainbow People's Party--participate in this panel discussion which is part of the of 'Freeing John Sinclair: The Day Legends Came to Town,' a series of events celebrating the launch of AADL's Freeing John Sinclair website (available at aadl.org beginning on Friday, December 9), marking the 40th anniversary of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally that took place in Ann Arbor on December 10, 1971. These five panelists were central to many of the actions and ideals surrounding Ann Arbor's late-1960s counter-culture. For this event, they'll reflect on what they called their "total assault on culture" during the late 1960s and early 1970s - what worked, what didn't, and what it means today.The panel will be moderated by Professor Bruce Conforth of the University of Michigan Program in of American Culture. This special event will be held in Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union, 530 S. State Street on the UM Campus.

Learn more about the history of the Michigan Law Quadrangle when retired Law Library Director and author Margaret Leary discusses her book "Giving it All Away: The Story of William W. Cook and His Michigan Law Quadrangle." This fascinating book not only illuminates a critical chapter in the history of the University, but sheds light on the development of laws pertaining to corporations and the communications industry.

Join in the celebration as AADL unveils Old News, a new, online product (available at aadl.org after this event) devoted to the digitization of newspapers from Ann Arbor's past.

Along with the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and the New York Dolls, the MC5 are recognized as one of the bands that paved the way for punk rock. While the group did not reach the heights of national celebrity or financial success during their seven years together, their musical legacy has never been more celebrated -- with recently reissued recordings and documentary footage, as well as an unlikely reunion tour. In 'MC5: Sonically Speaking,' Detroit-based author Brett Callwood delves into the MC5's story from the band's beginnings in 1960s Detroit to its 1972 break-up, the post-MC5 fates of its members, and the eventual reunion that cemented its legacy. This event includes a book signing and books will be for sale at the event.

Michael Erlewine, the award-winning archivist of popular culture, who founded and built the largest music review database in the world, All-Music Guide, has written a fascinating new book that chronicles the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.The first Ann Arbor Blues Festivals, in 1969 and 1970, brought together the greatest-ever selection of blues performers and helped bring modern blues music to a wider audience. Never before had such a far-reaching list of performers been assembled. These groundbreaking festivals were the seed that grew into the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, which was continued annually for many years.

Step back into history as Underground Railroad Historian Carol Mull introduces the Library's new online product, Signal Of Liberty - a digitized version of a weekly abolitionist newspaper published in Ann Arbor between 1841 and 1848. Users will be able to browse issues of the paper and it will be full-text searchable on aadl.org. This project is part of the Making of Ann Arbor partnership with the Bentley Historical Library and the University of Michigan Digital Library Production Services. Refreshments will be served at this kick-off event, which will include a demo of this new historical resource and a discussion of the Underground Railroad by this prominent local historian and author. Carol teaches and lectures extensively on the Underground Railroad and has written a book on its history in Michigan, due to be published Spring, 2010.

Join Wystan Stevens, local history buff and Former Kempf House Museum Curator, and Kingsbury Marzolf, retired UM Architecture Professor, for a delightful look back in time as they present photographs from the very rare local history book, Art Work of Washtenaw County, published in 1893. Photos include buildings, Main Street scenes and more. Marzolf and Stevens will provide delightful commentary for each.This event is co-sponsored by the Washtenaw County Historical Society and is also held in conjunction with Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2010, which, this year focuses on the subject of Michigan.