By Somer Ojodeagua
October could not decide if it was a summer month or a winter month, but I think it’s safe to say it ended figuring out it is definitely an autumn month. This month our usual monthly activities such as Silent Book Club, Sit and Stitch, the Walking Club and Yoga all stayed steady and were met with smiling faces.
Emme’s Book Bingo was a hit in October. The room was nearly full with 13 people. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we hope they return in November. On October 7, Lisa Kroplin and Shannon Hylton from First Horizon Bank in Stuart presented the first of a two-part series on Scam Prevention and Money Smarts for the elderly in the community. Participants learned about choosing the most responsible power of attorney for their individual situation, as well as proper phone etiquette regarding “sales” people whose intent is to scam people out of their money and steal identities. We announced part two of this series for November 18, where Shannon will provide additional information on this topic.
On October 16 we had our second Trivia Night with a Halloween Theme. Abby asked fifty questions on the history and origins of the spooky holiday, in addition to movies and music with Halloween themes. The true winner of this event was the buzzer system we now have. While we still have to figure out a couple of kinks in the system, there was less confusion when compared to the birthday horn/kazoo debacle that we had in September. The next trivia night will be on November 20, from 6-7, with the theme of Harry Potter versus The Lord of the Rings. Dress up in your favorite HP or LOTR gear and come join us!
On October 18, Joni and I set up our table and represented the library at Calliope in downtown Stuart as the town celebrated the Apple Dumpling Festival. We watched hundreds of apple dumplings sell and may have eaten one or two ourselves. We had the spinner wheel ready and no visitors to our table walked away empty handed. We had stress apples as opposed to stress balls, pencils, pens, bookish or apple tattoos, books, movies, koozies, bags, and bookmarks available in the “spin your prize” activity. Around noon that day up at the Stuart Farmers Market, Emme also had a table set up representing the library at the “Bobbin for Books” event. Children were able to fish an apple out of a basket and take it to trade in for their own free book. The Apple Dumpling Festival was a hit and we had a blast.
On October 23, our Homeschool Bookworms met, and they presented their book reports where they spoke about their book’s title, author, plot, setting, characters, the problem and the solution. They did an interactive Cinderella story/game that led into next month’s subject, which will be learning about sequence of events. Of course, Halloween sugar cookies were available in a to-go bag, as they left class. It was an educational meeting.
The Senior Social on October 24 was not as crowded as the past two meetings but I am almost positive it was due to the weather. It was a cold and rainy Friday. Set up in the meeting room we had left over autumn crafts from our previous meeting on one side and the other side had a BINGO setup. Prizes included candles, Halloween fun solo cups, pot holders, facial masks and koozies. A snack table with pastries, candy and coffee was very appreciated on that chilly morning.
The following day, the Halloween Monster Mat Making program was held. We had coffee and cinnamon buns and wonderful conversations. Ten participants ended up creating the most fun and creative floor mats I have ever seen. I decided last minute, since it was the end of the month, to open all of our stencils to the group and design whatever type of mat they desired. Some went with regular “Welcome to Our Home” mats, others made Halloween themed mats, while a few did Christmas themed mats. We sprayed a protective coating on each mat when completed. I can see another one of these programs in the future. Such a fun way to be creative.
We literally ended the month with the “coolest” event of the month–Halloween Spooktacular. Gayle and I set up the library table on main street and gave out candy and treats to all the ghosts and goblins that stopped by to see ‘Pinkalicious and Ms. Frizzle’. Despite the breeze, we had a great night. How can October be over? I am so looking forward to what November has in store for us. I know it will be fun and busy. Thank you to an amazing staff and to all the patrons who are so supportive of our library. Until next month, Happy Reading!
