Welcome back to Behind the Stacks. We had a great time at the Savin Rock Festival this past weekend. It is always wonderful to see so many of our patrons out and enjoying the festival and the lovely weather. We would also like to shout out the winner of our Sunflower Seed Count, Elizabeth Fox, who made the closest guess and won a Dunkin gift card. If you missed us there, make sure to stop by and see us in-person at the library or at the Apple Festival in September!
We’ve got a packed schedule for the kids to enjoy before back-to-school season officially starts! Starting on Aug. 7, you can join us at the Old Grove Park on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for a lively Sunshine Story Time. Children to age 5 can sing, dance, and listen to music and stories in the sun, and adults can feel free to bring blankets, towels, or chairs to relax on. Kids can also get in on a few crafty adventures at our Ora Mason Library throughout the month of August.
Pick up a Children’s Take & Make and use colorful tissue paper to make a fish suncatcher. All supplies are included so you can take them home and put it together at your convenience. While you’re at OM, you can also add to Our Sea of Friends Community Art Display! Decorate your own paper fish and add it to the display as we create a colorful sea together! Both of these programs will be available from Aug.3-31 while supplies last.
Finally, we will be having our Summer Reading Finale on Aug. 12, where kids can once again round out their summer by throwing pie at a librarian. Spend the afternoon at the library enjoying summer crafts, snacks, games and activities. You can explore our Book Mobile and have a turn throwing a pie tin of whipped cream at one of our library staff. Winners of the Summer Reading Raffle Baskets will be announced during this event as well, so children who turn in their summer reading brochures to Main or OM will be able to take home their prize. Registration for this event opened Aug. 1, and is limited so contact us at the library to guarantee your spot.
The adults still have a lot to look forward to as well. Are you looking to get into gardening, or simply just have trouble keeping houseplants alive? Then join us for Intro to Gardening, an introductory presentation on the topic of gardening taught by local business owner Tyler Newkirk. Tyler will be going over the basics of how to start your own garden, answering questions about planting and caring for plants, and will send attendees home with some seeds to help you get your garden started. We also have an ocean themed Take & Make craft kit for adults to enjoy this month. You can bring the calming beauty of the ocean to your home with the Ocean Life Windchime craft. Each kit will include one randomly selected wooden sea creature and all other supplies needed. No registration is required but kits are limited so be sure to stop by the Ora Mason Library if you want one.
Our Summer Reading Bingo Challenge is in full swing and will continue until Aug. 31. Participants can get Bingo sheets from either the Main Library or Ora Mason and complete activities to get a Bingo. Hand in your completed sheets to either library location to be entered into one of three raffles and pick up a new sheet! We are very excited to announce that we have several prizes to give away this year, thanks to generous donations from Lorenzo’s Restaurant & Deli, 744 West, Nick’s Luncheonette, and Stowe’s Seafood.
The Main Library and the Ora Mason Library each have one raffle that you will be entered into if you return at least one BINGO sheet to that library. Return at least one to each library to enter both raffles and have a better chance to win a $25-$30 gift card! Finally, everyone who returns five BINGO sheets will be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card. Please contact us with any questions and we look forward to seeing you participate.
Finally, we are still collecting non-perishable food items to donate to WHEAT at the end of the summer. If you are interested in donating, please drop off any items at either the Main Library or the Ora Mason Library. Some commonly needed items are instant mac & cheese, instant potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, granola bars, crackers, nuts, and any canned items like soups, vegetables, and tuna.
Thank you as always for tuning in to Behind the Stacks, and we look forward to seeing you at the library.