Friends Annual Book Sale

You can never have too many books! Right? So, visit the library for the Friends Annual Book Sale, which is sponsored by the Friends of ROPL to raise funds for library programs. Thousands of gently used and new books and DVDs for all age groups will be on sale.

 The Friends Member Preview Night kicks off the sale on Thursday, March 7, from 5 to 8 pm. Membership may be purchased at the door. Regular sale hours are Friday, March 8, 10 am to 5 pm; Saturday, March 9, 10 am to 3 pm; and Sunday, March 10, 1 to 4 pm. For more information or to volunteer, call 248.246.3700.

Sondheim on Sondheim

Part musical revue, part documentary, Sondheim on Sondheim gives us an intimate portrait of famed songwriter Stephen Sondheim in his own words and music. Through archival video footage interwoven with live musical performances by a talented cast of eight, audiences get insight into the man behind the genius. Featuring an array of songs from his storied career, Sondheim on Sondheim is a moving, funny and fascinating look at the man and his art, an engaging and entertaining show for all lovers of musical theatre.

Tickets are available for the Stagecrafter performances through March 10 at the Baldwin Theater. Veterans and active military personnel and their immediate families are eligible for a buy one ticket, get one half price ticket discount on Thursday, March 7. Limit of six tickets. Some exclusions may apply.

Students (with a valid ID) are eligible for a half-price ticket discount for the Thursday, March 7 performance. Student discount tickets are available at the door the evening of the performance. Students must show their current student ID at the box office window (one ticket per student ID). Doors open at 7 pm.

Help First Responders Help You

When a person living alone calls 911 and is unable to open the door, firefighters must break through a door or a window causing costly damage to the person’s home and wasting valuable time. The Royal Oak Fire Department’s residential lockbox program is designed to get quick access to adults living in their own homes during medical emergencies — especially senior citizens. When you suffer a fall, stroke or heart attack, every second counts. The lockbox — which contains a key to your home — reduces the likelihood of property damage caused by first responders forcing entry into your home in response to an emergency call. The lockbox program is open to all Royal Oak residents who either live alone or are left alone on a regular basis and have a condition which may cause them to need immediate assistance due to being incapacitated or unconscious. This includes the elderly, physically handicapped or residents recovering from a major injury or surgery. For more information, go to romi.gov/1271/FAQ-Residential-Lockbox.

Wildlife Conservation Gala

Join the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) for an extraordinary evening as they celebrate their third annual Wildlife Conservation Gala, presented by Ford Motor Company, on Saturday, March 16, from 6 to 9:30 pm. Themed “Saving Birds Around the World,” the event will celebrate the DZS’s global wildlife conservation efforts.

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a sit-down dinner in the Detroit Zoo’s iconic Wildlife Interpretive Gallery, a brief presentation on the DZS’s expansive work in bird conservation, as well as the presentation of the 2019 Nautilus Award. This award is given to an individual whose efforts have made a profound impact on the future of wildlife and embodies the DZS’s mission of Celebrating and Saving Wildlife. The evening will also feature a raffle with the chance to win “zoonique” prizes.

Presentations will include fascinating stories about current fieldwork with penguins in the Falkland Islands and Antarctica, as well as reports on long-term preservation efforts in the Great Lakes region with piping plovers and other species.

In 2018, the DZS was recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the work of Tom Schneider, DZS curator of birds, who has spent nearly two decades leading the captive-rearing component of the federal recovery plan for Great Lakes piping plovers.

The DZS’s wildlife conservation efforts are making an impact around the world. In the last few years alone, the DZS had led and/or supported field conservation programs on six continents. These programs include rescuing and rehabilitating imperiled gorilla populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, assessing populations of Eurasian otters in Armenia, rearing and releasing nearly extinct toads in the U.S. and abroad, and many more.

This is a 21-and-older event. Cocktail attire. All proceeds benefit the Detroit Zoological Society’s wildlife conservation programs.

Tickets $250 and up.