PELHAM – The Pelham Public Library has a slew of adult events for area residents to enjoy during the month of November.

All of the upcoming events are free. Here’s a list of what’s to come:

Adulting 101 – presented by UM’s FCS Student Group
You probably spend an enormous amount of energy making sure your kids are learning the skills needed for sports, playing a musical instrument, preparing for the SAT, excelling in multiple academic subjects in school. Most parents do. However, have you ever sat down and explained a household budget? Does your child understand credit card interest? Do they really know how to clean a toilet? How to sort laundry? Prepare meals? If you want to help your high school age children learn to “adult,” bring them to go to this program on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn valuable life skills that will make life a little easier for your child and you. This program is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Alex Rodriguez with questions at arodrig2@forum.montevallo.edu. Seminar topics will include: Self-care, cooking and baking skills, traveling tips and tricks, relationship building, parenting and guidance, basic housework skills, personal and family finances, career and personal development.

Dr. Christopher Rein, author of Alabamians in Blue book talk and signing
Alabamians in Blue is a scholarly examination of Alabama’s black and white Union soldiers and their contributions to the eventual success of the Union army in the western theater. The author of the book will host a book discussion and signing on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. Arguing that Alabama’s Anti-Confederate residents tendered important service, primarily by collecting intelligence and protecting logistical infrastructure, Christopher M. Rein highlights an unappreciated period of biracial cooperation, underwritten by massive support from the federal government. Using military records, individual diaries, and leveraging the robust secondary literature, Alabamians in Blue provides a broad synthesis that demonstrates how southern dissenters were not passive victims but rather active participants in their own liberation. Dr. Chris Rein is currently a Managing Editor at Air University Press at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. He earned his MA in history from LSU in 2001 and Ph.D. in history from the University of Kansas in 2011, and has served as an associate professor at both the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB. He has published several works on Civil War topics in Kansas History and Great Plains Quarterly and has contributed to both the Kansas City Public Library’s award-winning website The Civil War on the Western Border and ABC-CLIO’s Encyclopedia of the Civil War. He lives in Pelham. This event is free.  Books will be available for purchase and signing. Limited seating; reservations are recommended.

Dargan Ware, author of The Legend of Colgan Toomey Book Talk and Signing
On Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m., learn about Colgan Toomey, a hometown legend from Kellyville, Alabama cut down in his prime. He had been a precocious child who’d delighted, amazed, and often bewildered everyone he met. He grew into the town’s biggest, and perhaps only, star: a football recruit that attracted every coach from there to Canada, an Eagle Scout, and eventually a medical student at the University of Texas. When the town heard that he’d been killed by Salvadoran rebels while volunteering on a Doctors Without Borders mission in Central America, everyone for miles around stopped to mourn. What exactly happened to Colgan Toomey? Colgan’s death was impossible to understand: tragic, mysterious, and slightly exotic. He died a hero, with a massive funeral in the town’s football stadium, and a monument in Kellyville’s only graveyard even though his body was never found. No one, least of all his best friend P.J. Campbell, had any clue of the truth behind the Legend of Colgan Toomey. It is a legend of many facets, all of which look different from every angle. Dargan Ware is an attorney, poet, and novelist who lives in Birmingham. This event is free.  Books will be available for purchase and signing. Limited seating; reservations are recommended.

Understanding Medicare Seminar
Does Medicare confuse you? Get answers on Friday, Nov. 15, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 6-7 p.m., at a seminar provided by Linda Reynolds, an independent insurance agent with 15 years of experience. The presentation simplifies complex issues such as the Medicare parts, enrolling and more. Hundreds age into Medicare each month in this area. It is a complex and confusing process for most individuals. Attend this program and get the facts. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Learn to Draw Manga
By popular demand, Pelham Public Library is pleased to announce the return of artist Bo Hughins and free “Learn to Draw Manga” classes. This time around, the Pelham Library is offering two classes for adults in addition to the previously offered classes for teens and tweens. The classes are limited, so registration is required. Please call 205-620-6418 for more information or to register. Teen and tween sessions are Mondays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, from 6-7 p.m. Adult sessions are Mondays, Nov. 18 and Nov. 25, from 6-7 p.m.

Free Morning ESL Classes
English as a Second Language progressing to GED Class takes place every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This class is designed for all levels of English Language Learners – beginners through advanced and preparation for the GED exam. The class is free and is administered through Central Alabama Community College, please call 256-378-2017 for more info.

Free Evening ESOL Classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
Adult learners who seek to learn English are invited to these classes which are held every Thursday at the Pelham Public Library from 6-7:30 p.m. Classes will be taught by a tutor trained and supported by the Literacy Council. For more information or to reserve a seat, please call The Literacy Council at 205-326-1925. Childcare is not provided.