Henry David Thoreau said, “Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” I am almost positive he meant to add “read the book”. In any case, the seasons are changing and change is good. I think we are all ready for cooler weather. I, for one, am ready to get my “librarian cardigans” out of the closet. Nothing says autumn like a good cardigan.
Children’s programming was great this month. Lucia is partnering with the Reynolds Homestead once a month to bring a spin to Storytime and we so appreciate everyone there for helping us. This month’s Storytime themes were fall leaves, fairs and carnival games, and Norma Bozenmayer came by to teach about skunks. Apparently, the smelly critters eat bugs and help the ecosystem. Thank you, Norma, for all you do for our library—inside and out. Lego club has been well attended, and we have met many new faces in September, which is always a joy.
Lucia hosted “The Digital Door to Your Library”, which is essentially a class on how to navigate our new OPAC catalog and use the BRRL website in the most effective manner. She had two programs for that particular day planned but only two patrons came for her morning session. They did leave the library with a better understanding of the website and encouraged her to try again. She has plans to do just that; we just need to settle on a date.
I only had one homeschool bookworm this month. Our theme was “Show and Tell”. I read him a book and then he read me a book, as I had brought two books to read.
We worked on presentation skills and he shared with me that his best friend, Rose, had given him a toy boat when he was little. Keep in mind he is six or seven years old.
I shared my Little Golden Book of “Beauty and the Beast” and explained why that is not only my favorite Disney movie but also my favorite fairytale. It’s a story of how we should care for others for who they are on the inside, not how they look on the outside. We finished our meeting with a game of checkers.
Special thank you to the ladies with the Patrick County DAR for setting up their Constitution Day display area. We are proud to showcase this in the library every September.
Board Games Between the Stacks was attended by several of our teen homeschoolers this month. Their favorite games are Cards Against Humanity, Family Edition and UNO. One patron brought his own card game and some recommended new word games for us to purchase. I can’t say that the library was particularly quiet during those two hours; lively it was and I was okay with that. The library is for everyone.
The Patrick County Agriculture Fair was held the third week of September. Lucia and I went to the VIP night on Monday to see everyone’s displays and discuss possible collaborations for programming with different groups in the county.
The Stuart Rotary hosted dinner that evening and we dined on BBQ sandwiches and shrimp with veggies and slaw. It was delicious and we were so appreciative.
The following night, “Student Night,” Gayle and I sat at our booth with fair hotdogs (we had been waiting for them since last fair year) and ate and greeted some of our regulars and some new faces. We encouraged them to come to programming and we discussed books, of course.
Although the fair was fun, we had to compete with it on Sitcom Trivia Night. We had two teams—The Golden Gals and Friends. The final score was 116 to 82, with Friends taking home the trophy. Kaye did a fabulous job as usual, and we appreciate all she does for this event. Next month’s theme is October Hauntings.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, the CCC met. The Crafty Chapters Club worked on “Bookish” bedazzled trucker hats. We had so much fun and then when we were done, we worked on our book bedazzling, simply because one bookish craft wasn’t enough. A special thank you to Emily Keith for being my sidekick at these meetings.
The Caring Hearts Free Clinic stopped by on Thursday, Sept. 24 and set up to give free blood pressure screenings. The turnout wasn’t great, but I can blame the weather on that one. It was cool and rainy. All of us were able to get our blood pressure checked and I was able to talk a few people from the museum next door to come and get checked as well. Special thanks to Christie and Amber for coming by and handing out Caring Heart treats. During that program, a group of students from PCHS happened to be at the museum and were able to come by the library for a quick tour. I hope to see some of them at some of our teen programs soon.
We finished out the month as usual with our Senior Social. This month the idea was creating an autumnal craft. I had small trays, picture frames, canvases, and wall hangings to decorate and paint. Alicia took over this program and became the professional glue gun handler. We had a good turnout, and it turned out to be Dolly Day, so they jammed out to Dolly. At the same time, I had a record player in the main part of the library playing Dolly tunes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., not 9 to 5. Lucia created coloring pages and don’t you know that our neighborhood Dolly Parton aka Rebecca Adcock stopped by for photo opportunities.
Also, the Patrick County Bookmobile schedule can be found at https://www.brrl.lib.va.us/locations.php#bookmobile.
It was a great month. Fall decorations are coming along inside the library and the trees outside our windows facing DeHart Park are spectacular. October is going to be a busy month, with festivals and programs but I am not worried one bit because the staff here at the Patrick County Library is amazing and will do an incredible job.
Until next month, happy reading,
Somer Ojodeagua, PC Library Branch Manager
