Celebrate a Day of Books and Roses 
(Ferndale Public Library Press Release)
Sunday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friends of the Ferndale Library and The Society of Sant Jordi invite the public to enjoy a full day of cultural festivities – meet Michigan authors, buy books, sample great wines from Elie Wine of Royal Oak, enjoy grilled 
Paella prepared by Sangria of Royal Oak, give a rose to someone special, experience Flamenco song and dance, and more. It’s a spring fiesta for everyone and a great way to support the Ferndale Public Library. Admission is $5 and includes a complimentary rose and used book from the Friends of Ferndale Library bookstore. Kids 12 and under are free. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the Library for community programs.
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The Day of Books and Roses celebrates a famous day in Catalonia, Spain, called “La Diada de Sant Jordi” or Saint George’s Day, a day when Catalans stroll streets filled with booksellers and flower stalls to buy a rose, a book, or both to give to loved ones, family members, and friends to commemorate the feast of Saint Jordi, a noble dragon slayer and the region’s patron saint. 
How did this popular Catalan tradition find its way to Ferndale, Michigan? Ferndale resident Elie Boudt, owner of Elie Wine in Royal Oak, and his wife Núria Garrote, who is from Catalonia, first introduced Metro-Detroiters to the Saint Jordi Day celebration in 2006 at Book Beat in Oak Park. The event was so successful that Elie and his wife eventually turned it into a fundraiser for the Ferndale Public Library in 2010.
On April 21, families came to Stevenson Park in Pleasant Ridge to view the fire-breathing dragon sculpture, created by artist Keith Coleman, as part of the promotion leading up to Sunday’s big event.
For more information on the history of Saint Jordi Day, click here.
For more on the Ferndale Public Library please go to http://www.ferndale.lib.mi.us/. Thank you to Jaron Garza for sharing his dragon pictures!
Keith Dalton of The Dalton Group also created a video of the event. Find out more about The Dalton Group at http://tdgpresents.com.
And here is another video, submitted by Carl Weiler:
