Registration Required

 

7-11-2025

July may be the busiest programming month of the year here at ETLPL. We have year-round ongoing programs for all ages, Monday afternoon summer programs, Friday afternoon art, reading grids due, and three adult programs to promote.

The last item on that list is the reason for recent email newsletter sent out to our adult patrons whose email address are on file. At this point I see using Patron Point to send these emails for three reasons: promote adult programming, highlight changes to our schedule three times a year, and welcoming new cardholders. The emails do allow recipients to unsubscribe from one or both of the first two types or all emails.

The beauty of the emails is that they will be infrequent, especially compared to these articles, and allow for immediate responses. Two of the upcoming adult events ask for advance registration with a deadline the week before the event. Included in the email are links to our new calendar which includes an online registration feature. Registrations can be made immediately and the event added to the home calendar at that time. The LocalHop calendar, which took the registration, has the ability to send an email reminder about the event. Given the infrequency of these events, that is helpful for patrons.

Registration is required for one of two reasons: events which involve more preparation than most or are expected to be popular and have limited space. In January when we ran Sourdough Made Simple the first time, registration meant we had enough starters and instruction pamphlets for everyone. In the end when registration reached 80 people for the two time slots, it let us known when the space would be full.

Miss Maria has a one-day teen program requiring registration in order to give her time to prepare. On July 31^st, she is planning to host a Teen Murder Mystery. This will be a role-playing adventure for which participants will be given parts to play as they solve the case. The choice of mysteries will be determined by the number of participants who register by closing on July 26^th.

This is also the final due date for summer reading grids. When we close that day Miss Maria will start preparing materials for the teens and I will draw names for the summer reading prizes. Last week Monday was the due date for the June grid as well as the Children’s Parade and FFA Petting Zoo. We had 333 in the library that day. Without the two programs I expect there to be a few less on July 26^th, but I’ll wear my running shoes just in case.

Reading Now: Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Book 1 of the Dresden Files)

Listening to Now: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Art Attack and Registrations

 

7-4-2025

This year’s Children’s Parade was a glorious way to kick off 4^th of July celebrations. We had eighty-one children and parents participate. Many of the children will, however, need a stern talking to before they get their temps as they broke a cardinal rule. Never pass the police officer. While Chief Swendrowski led the start of the parade, using the high school’s bus lane provided many of the bicyclists the opportunity to lead the finish. Perhaps we should add bike races to the final celebration on July 28^th.

This week is a short one for the library as we will be closed for the holiday and the carnival. Miss Maria will appreciate the breather as Friday’s Art Attack has been quite popular. The first week was a bit slow with eight participants, but now that summer is in full swing last week’s craft had twenty-nine participants plus their parents. This will definitely be a program we run again next summer. Miss Maria has also brought up the possibility of offering it one Saturday a month during the school year as well.

Moving forward with a program like Art Attack will be made easier with the new website we are soon to reveal. Our current website is only sixteen months old; however, six months after it went live, our provider announced his retirement. Prairie Lakes Library System stepped in and provided funding for a web designer and will host the new site. One of the changes we’ll make is in converting our calendar feature to the event management service LocalHop, also provided by PLLS. That’s a fancy way of saying our new calendar will allow us to add events with built in registration. This will be used for future Art Attacks and events such as the returning Sourdough Made Simple.

The final service PLLS provides its libraries that we are beginning to implement is Patron Point. That service allows us to send a variety of emails to patrons. The first of which went out this week. It provided information on adult programming for July and August. The two August events, Sourdough Made Simple and Sourdough Bake Off, include links to LocalHops registration page. The new website isn’t live yet, but the registration process is ready. For patrons without email, a call or visit to the library will allow for easy sign up. Benefits of using LocalHop include setting limits to the number of participants, but allowing for waitlist as well in case someone cancels and email reminders before the event so fewer people forget they signed up.

More next week on other features of the new website and upcoming programming.

Reading Now: Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner (Short Story collection from the Queen's Thief series)

Listening to Now: Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

 

Children's June 4th of July Parade

 

6-27-2025

The East Troy Lions Public Library is very fortunate to be located on a sizeable Village owned property and across the street from another in form of Playmore Park. This allows us the flexibility in holding programs outside. Unfortunately, we don’t own the weather.

Monday’s program was to be the annual FFA Petting Zoo. That was switched to a movie once the forecasted highs became a reality. The animals have, through their social secretary Mr. Ryan Holle, made arrangements to be at Playmore Park this coming Monday. That means we are double booked for the weekly children’s program. Here’s the plan.

The original schedule called for a Children’s Parade along the sidewalk in front of the East Troy High School and East Troy Middle School. They would love to have an audience so feel free to gather some friends and a lawn chair to come watch. I don’t believe it will be necessary to drop off chairs the night before. There is plenty of prime seating. Participants should bring their bikes, scooter, wagons, stroller, etc. to the library at 1:30. We will have plenty of supplies for decorating their “float” including streamers, garland, temporary tattoos, flags, and pinwheels.

The parade will line up in the library parking lot just before 2:00 to begin the parade. We will be led by Chief Jeremy Swendrowski and followed by a mini pony.

Waiting for us at the park will be the rescheduled FFA Petting Zoo, water, and a small snack.

The East Troy Lions Club will take over the celebrations at the end of the week beginning at 5:00 on Thursday, July 3^rd. In order to make room/stay out of the way, the library will close at that time and reopen on Monday, July 7^th. Copies of the Lion’s event schedule including the bands and parade are available at the library.

Before we close on Thursday, Miss Maria will be holding a Preschool Sensory Playtime at Playmore Park’s Pavilion. She held on the day we rescheduled the FFA Petting Zoo last year. (It seems we don’t have luck with animals outside.) This is a hands-on exploratory event. Children will be invited to play with items that appeal to their senses of touch, smell, and sound as well as their creative nature. While some of the activities may be a repeat of last year, others will be new.

That event will take place during the regular Thursday Playgroup’s 10:00 am time.

Reading Now: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betsy Smith (#13 on the Great American Reads list)

Listening to Now: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (July's Adult Book Club Selection)

 

Competitive? Like Puzzles? See below

 

6-20-2025

Summer seems like an odd time for this article about a puzzle competition, but I didn’t schedule it. The competition is officially called the Prairie Lakes Puzzle Masters’ Tournament and is entering its second year. That means I wrote sketchy articles about it last year with little detail or used it as filler. This year I have history to draw from. History is very helpful.

The competition is sponsored by our library system; that’s the Prairie Lakes portion of the name. It involves teams of 2-4 working their way through three levels of competition for full bragging rights; that’s the Puzzle Master portion of the name.

The first level of competition takes place at individual libraries to select up to three teams to represent them at the regional level. A shortened version of the rules would include the amount of time allowed for assembling the puzzle (I’m thinking 1 hour at this level) and the number of pieces (500 at this level). Other rules apply that can be summarized here as don’t cheat or distract other teams and participants under 16 years old need a parent involved. The full list will be provided to anyone interested. All teams will be given the same puzzle. A date will be set for September.

East Troy’s best puzzlers will then move onto the regional competition on October 18^th at Walworth Memorial Library. Competitors at this level will have 2 hours to complete a 750-piece puzzle. The top 3 teams will continue to the 1000-piece systemwide competition on November 15^th at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. Therein lays the true glory.

Given the number of events happening at the library this month, it may seem odd to write about a September/October/November event now. Most of us will be lucky to remember these details tomorrow. However, true puzzlers and competitors need time to create their teams and should block out those dates early. They are also welcome to meet at the library, preferably the 1^st or 3^rd Saturday of the month to hone their skills and team work.

Will they complete the edges first? Sort pieces by color? Divide the puzzle by sections assigned to specific team members? Well oiled team work takes practice.

The library has a large selection of puzzles in our Puzzle Swap to use as practice in preparation of each level. It is separated onto two different shelving units: 750+ pieces and -750 pieces. The former collection is in a side room that is usually locked. We are happy to open it for anyone, competitor or not, to borrow/swap a puzzle. The later is in the programming space near the television for easy accessibility for children and families.

We’d love to hear from anyone interested in competing. Look for more specific information about a local competition when the fall Park & Recreation Guide is available. Even if we don’t have a page in the guide, we’ll have our fall calendar available.

 Reading Now: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Back to PBS's Great American Read list)

Listening to Now: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (Time to compare it to Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. Hopefully it won't take as long.)

IMLS Update

 

6-13-2025

In April I wrote an article about President Trump’s Executive Order regarding the Institute of Museum and Library Services. At that time, Trump had appointed Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling as Acting Director of the IMLS and the majority of staff had been placed on administrative leave. Libraries across the country received half the funding appropriated by Congress on their behalf. This was a departure from the traditional full payment. It is not known at this time if payment of the other half will be made.

Since then, President Trump has release his FY26 budget with does not include any funding for the IMLS and would eliminate the only federal agency that provides funding and services to public libraries.

There are currently several lawsuits against these actions playing out in the courts. One of their arguments is that the Executive Order disregards the role of the federal government’s three branches. Congress makes laws and appropriates funds the president is meant to implement and spend. While some of those suits have resulted in temporary restraining orders others have not allowing some of the dismantling of the IMLS to continue before final rulings are given.

Libraries systems across Wisconsin have worked together to create the Speak Up for Libraries advocacy campaign. In additional to an informative website providing basic background on the issue, they have also distributed postcards for patrons to express their opinion to US Senators and Congressional Representatives who also have a say on the future of the IMLS.

We have postcards and address labels for Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson and Congressman Bryan Steil available for residents to express their opinion. In addition, there is a collection box for the postcards. Those boxes will be collected in Milwaukee and bulk mailed. Residents may also choose to mail them independently instead or voice their opinions via a phone call or email.

The Walworth County Health & Human Services has given us a second collection box for the summer. Every three years they conduct a Community Health Assessment. Those survey results are used to create their Community Health Improvement Plan and guide their work to improve quality of life in Walworth County.

Anyone wishing to complete the survey may return it to the collection box at most Walworth County libraries. We do have paper copies of the survey and a QR code for the electronic version.  A link is also available on the Walworth County website by searching Community Health Assessment & Improvement.

Reading Now: The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman

Listening to Now: Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne (Final book in the Ink & Sigil series)

Adult Summer Programs

 

5-30-2025

This week acts as the official bridge between our spring and summer at the library beginning with the Friends of the ETLPL Books and Bites on Saturday. We had collected so many books over the past year that it took nearly an hour and half to set up. Five hours later the bites were gone along with many boxes of books and the Friends had raised over $900. Now begins the process of collecting more.

June 2^nd begins sign up for the Summer Reading Program. All ages are welcome to sign up. Materials are printed, give aways are organized and prizes are arranged. The calendar will be handed out to Little Prairie Primary students who make their yearly visit next week. It’s also available on our website and at the front desk. The framework of our schedule remains the same with year-round reoccurring programs and additional children’s programs on Monday afternoons. There are new programs scattered here and there. Some of those scattered programs are open to adults. We also have a program each month specifically for them.

In June Ben Merens from the Wisconsin Bureau of Consumer Protection will give the presentation Common Scams and Frauds. Merens reached out to public libraries offering a list of twelve presentations from which to choose. Scary to think that many people have found a minimum of that many ways to try and cheat and steal. Look for another of Merens presentations in the fall. The IGET Community Center has kindly opening its space for us at 2:00pm on June 11th. The Community Center is located in ETCSD’s Doubek building. The entrance can be found off of Division Street. Sandwich boards with the IGET center and ETLPL logos will be by the driveway.

July will see us back at the IGET Community Center for Meet the Author: Mary Bub. Nearly two year’s ago Bub’s husband passed away. One of the ways she dealt with her grief was through a series of letters later published as Letters to Betty: the anatomy of one woman’s grief. Bub will talk about her book on July 23^rd at 2:00pm. Copies will be available for purchase and signing as the event. We also have one available for checkout through the library.

Sourdough returns to the library on August 6^th. Experienced bakers are invited to enter their best recipes in a sourdough bake-off, think State Fair rather than British. Margaret Schultz will return that day to run her Sourdough Made Simple class in the evening at 6:00pm. That afternoon at 4:00pm she has agreed to work with three other judges to select the best sourdough baking East Troy has to offer. More details for that will follow as we finalize categories and procedures. In the meanwhile, that are two months left to tweak and perfect baking. A sourdough discard class is available through MasterClass for any bakers wishing for some professional advice before August. Free MasterClass seats are available through the library’s website. Registration for both events will be required.

Reading Now: Return of the Thief by Meghan Whelan Turner (Final book of the Queen's Thief series which took Turner 24 years to complete. This gives me hope for the completion of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles. Afterall, The Name of the Wind only came out on 2007.)

Listening to Now: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (Book 2 in Wicked series.)

Goodbye Grab Bags, Hello Brag Tags

 

5-23-2025

Summer really is right around the corner. Maybe not the weather, but certainly the end of the school year. While I still catch myself making plans for when I am off in the summer, I quickly catch myself and panic sends me back to making my real summer plans. This week has been a flurry of activity printing our summer schedules, reading grids, coloring sheets, drawing tickets, and fliers. All the supplies are lined up on a table ready to go.

This year we are making two big changes to the Summer Reading Program.

The program and prize drawing are open to all ages. Sign up begins on Monday, June 2^nd. Usually that would be the first day we set out the grab bags. Kids love the grab bags. As a mom, I have not appreciated them. It’s been a tradition since the beginning of time to give children plastic Oriental Trader items that break, get left behind, or end up in a landfill. I have cringed for three summers as the bags are filled and set out. What I haven’t done is purchase any new items. We didn’t quite run out last year; however, we are low enough that (CO)OPERTATION Learn at Little Prairie Elementary nearly did the trick.

We are now free to start a new tradition. Beginning this year children will receive brag tags each week. Each one is a different design with this year’s theme on one side and a saying like, “Reading Rocks” (that’s the guitar) on the other. At sign up children will receive a cable ring with a twist lock to keep them on. The cable rings come in five different colors. The tags come in ten different designs. The hope is they are a more desirable take away and will serve as a reminder of a fun summer rather than another plastic mini skateboard with wheels that fall off.

True story, my first summer here I found sets of those wheels lying on the floor and though they were a tongue ring. After finding a second, that didn’t seem probable. It took me another summer before I realized what they actually were.

Each month this summer we do have an adult program scheduled. No excuses for not coming based on weather. Ben Merens, Consumer Protection Outreach Specialist for the Wisconsin Bureau of Consumer Protection will kick us off on June 11^th with the presentation Common Scams and Fraud. The Intergenerational Community Center is lending us their space for the program which will begin at 2:00 pm.

Scams and fraud have been an issue probably even before Nigerian princes discovered email. Today they bombard me with countless texts every week. At first it was election related, now several are threatening social security. Merens will help take the panic those type of appeals create and help us avoid their lure.

Reading Now: The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros

Listening to Now: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire