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Students from Community School of Davidson produced this video to invite you to Davidson Housing Coalition’s 2011 Souper Bowl, a fund-raiser for the coalition’s HAMMERS emergency home repair program. It’s this Saturday, Feb. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Davidson College. A dozen area restaurants will put their best soups up against one another in five categories. Watch this video to learn more.

SOURCE: Community School of Davidson

MORE INFORMATION: More information in our Jan. 26, 2011 news item.

Davidson library director Ellen Giduz talks to members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity after they posed for a photo Monday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Members of Davidson College’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, which goes by the nickname Fiji, presented the director of the public library branch on the Village Green with a $1,676 check Monday to help cover the branch’s expenses this year.

The money is included in the total of $211,000 that the Davidson Library Task force raised to help cover a shortfall in county funding for the branch. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Updated Thursday, Jan. 20, 3:45 pm
The 4 1/2-month “Pave the Way to Save Our Library” campaign has wrapped up after raising more than $211,000 to help fund library operations and offset big county budget cuts. That beat town leaders’ pledge last summer to raise $175,000 as part of a deal to keep open local branches, including those in Davidson and Cornelius.

Meanwhile, with the county finances still strained, and the library system in the midst of more reorganizing, it’s still not clear what will happen to local branches in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Read the full story

The snow put a damper on this week’s open houses at area YMCAs.  A one-day open house planned for Tuesday was extended through Friday. And now area YMCAs are planning another celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 18, as well as offering free trial memberships. Read the full story

CHARLOTTE – Because of the snow, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has decided to extend a planned Tuesday open house at its 19 branches into a four-day event, continuing through Friday. Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Doors of local branches, including the Lowe’s YMCA in Mooresville and Lake Norman branch in Cornelius, will be open free to the community, to celebrate the YMCA’s new logo and brand and to offer neighbors without electricity or heat a place to get warm, shower and gather. Read the full story

Riders on Beaty Street near the start of Saturday's Polar Bear Ride. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

About 325 cyclists braved the cold and a surprise mid-route snowstorm Saturday in the 13th annual Polar Bear Ride on the roads of north Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

The annual ride, organized by the Rocky River Road Club, started and finished at Ingersoll Rand, off Beaty Street in Davidson. Some riders chose a 50k ride, while others rode a metric century – 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.

Read the full story

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte is adopting the national YMCA’s new logo and introducing a new branding strategy that focuses on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. All 18 Charlotte-area branches of the Y will introduce the new look with a day of free access for all on Jan. 11. Read the full story

Did you or someone you know get an e-book reader, smart phone or other electronic device this holiday? You can download books and other content free from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

The public library system offers cardholders free downloads at any time through a service called Overdrive. They include audio books, videos and e-books compatible with many popular devices. Read the full story