A celebrity of sorts is arriving in Alexandria on Monday, Aug. 12.
Alexandria Library and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) are welcoming the arrival of American Girl™ doll Melody Ellison™, at the Alexandria Station.
She will arrive at the train station at 110 Callahan Drive on VRE Train 301 at 1:18pm.
American Girl™ dolls are 18-inch dolls, books and accessories that teach young girls lessons about history in the United States. According to the company, "Each historical character—from a daring Native American girl living in the Northwest in 1764 to an optimistic girl growing up in San Francisco in the mid-1970s—inspires girls to stand up for what they believe in, to be independent thinkers who aren’t afraid to stand out in the crowd, to find strength in the face of adversity or tragedy, and to embrace life with all of its obstacles and opportunities."
The Alexandria Library this year is commemorating the 80th anniversary of the August 21, 1939 sit-in at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library. The library system will be introducing American Girl dolls, Felicity™ and Melody™, for check out in the coming months.
Melody™ was born in 1954, fifteen years after the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In. We think Melody™ would have found this peaceful protest inspiring, as she was passionate about raising her voice for equality during the Civil Rights era. She will be escorted by Executive Library Director Rose T. Dawson.
The VRE train departs from Union Station at 12:55 p.m. and will make one stop at Crystal City before arriving at its final destination in Alexandria.
To follow Felicity’s™ and Melody’s™ adventures before they arrive at Alexandria Library in the fall, and for more information on when they will be available for checkout, look for updates on the Library’s website at the Alexandria Library’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.