Take a break from the summer heat and join Minneola Fire Chief, Jan Otero and the Minneola Firefighters for a fun and informative story time on Friday, July 19 at 11 am at the Minneola City Hall Gym at 800 US-Hwy 27.

Kids of all ages and their caregivers will enjoy a firefighter-themed story time, learn about fire safety and have the chance to explore the city’s big red fire engine. However, if an emergency call is received the truck will have to leave.

The Minneola Schoolhouse Library is located at 100 South Main Avenue. For more information email jdix@minneola.us or call the library at (352) 432-3921 Ext 380.

The Friends of the Cooper Memorial Library will host a showing of Gaetano Donizetti’s delightful opera La Fille Du Régiment (Daughter of the Regiment) on Monday, July 22, at 1:45 pm in room 108 B. 

La Fille Du Regiment is an opéra comique (comical opera) in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti, set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. It was first performed on 11 February 1840 by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse. 

The opera was written by Donizetti while he was living in Paris between 1838 and 1840 preparing a revised version of his then-unperformed Italian opera, Poliuto, as Les Martyrs (The Martyrs) for the Paris Opéra. Since Martyrs was delayed, the composer had time to write the music for La Fille Du Regiment, his first opera set to a French text, as well as to stage the French version of Lucia di Lammermoor (The Bride of Lammermoor) as Lucie de Lammermoor. 

La Fille Du Régiment quickly became a popular success partly because of the famous aria “Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête! (Ah! my friends, what a day of celebration!)”, which requires of the tenor no fewer than eight high Cs – a frequently sung ninth is not written. 

This is a free program and light refreshments will be provided during the intermission for our guests. 

For more information about Opera @ the Library programs and our other special events, please visit our web presence at https://sites.google.com/site/operaatthelibrary/ or contact Dennis Smolarek at 352.536.2275 x2623 and email at operaatcooperlibrary@gmail.co 

Revisit the spectacular history of the moon landing with “Shoot for the Moon,” a 50^thanniversary salute to a historic American achievement hosted by Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning producer and interviewer Charlie Grinker. The adventure begins at 2 pm, July 24 at the Clermont Performing Arts Center’s Black Box Theater, 3700 S. U.S. Highway 27. Music will be provided by Jay Rubin and Jazz-4-Ever Dance Band with America’s all-time favorite moon songs.

Grinker will entertain and inform the audience as he discusses the history of space and the Apollo missions, honoring the first moon landing and the incredible efforts it took to get there.

The show takes off with “A Trip to the Moon,” the 1902 motion picture classic and the first movie to become an international hit. Enjoy highlights from Grinker’s collection of rare videos. The film was created by the legendary George Melies, who produced it, wrote it and starred as the commander of the 1902 spacecraft. Here’s how Melies envisioned the journey beginning with a huge rocket that fires a well-equipped craft into space, travels to the moon, lands safely on the lunar surface, has a run-in with moon warriors and returns to a joyous celebration on planet Earth.

Remarkable 1920s motion pictures of rocket testing in Massachusetts and New Mexico move us forward on our journey to the moon. They were filmed by Esther Goddard, the wife of Robert Goddard, America’s Father of Space. With her wind-up camera, she captured her husband’s work from the 1920s through World War II, including the lift-off of history’s first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926, the direct descendant of the rocket that sent Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon in July 1969. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland honors Professor Goddard.

“Shoot for the Moon” then brings us together with our first astronauts, known as The Mercury Seven, including John Glenn, who in 1962 became the first American to orbit the Earth in space. In 1998, Glenn again made history, this time as a crew member of the space shuttle Discovery. We’ll be aboard to see and hear from him at age 77, as he becomes the oldest person ever to travel in space.

The climax of “Shoot for the Moon” begins at breakfast with Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. We witness their historic journey into human history as they share their thoughts while walking on the lunar surface. Grinker also asks some of our favorite Americans to share their memories of that unforgettable day. They remember it well – Tom Brokaw, Betty Ford, Oprah Winfrey, Mickey Mantle, Maya Angelou and Neil Simon. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for everyone.

Get your front row seat. It’s sure to be out of this world. Buy your tickets for “Shoot for the Moon” today at www.ClermontPAC.com. The box office is open 1-5 pm. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, as well as two hours before showtime. Questions? Call 352-394-4800.