Fire at the Library

 

6-28-2024

Monday was an exciting day at the library. For a moment I thought it may be too exciting, but all I really needed was a little faith in Prairie Lakes Library System and Mad Science.

The Mad Science program on Monday was all about air and included combustion. I didn’t think anything of the lit candles until a flammable powder was blown through it, but that wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the ethanol in what basically amounted to the type of jug found at a water cooler. That woosh made me happy to know the fire department was scheduled to visit the library anyway that day and hoping their visit would be pushed ahead and hour. This was the first time we hosted Mad Science. It looks like a winner.

After the 1:30 performance, Miss Maria runs a Choose Your Own Adventure book club for 9–13-year-olds. The program is actually sponsored by the publisher who will send participants a free book and swag bag. This week’s theme was fire; hence the scheduled visit. We were honored to have Captain Brian Pluess and volunteer firefighter Jon Gulig from East Troy Fire & Rescue here with their gear including the new fire engine. The book club members were a bit hesitant about climbing inside, but we did draw a few families from the park. Among the more enthusiast was a young man who was happy to meet one of the firefighters who helped put out the fire at his house last year.

We have another scheduled visit from Fire & Rescue next week for the Children’s Parade. A police officer will also be present. I wonder who will be more popular. There’s a challenge.

The library is closed Friday, June 28^th and Saturday, June 29^th for the Lion’s July 4^th celebrations at Rossmiller Park. We will also be closed on Thursday, July 4^th. That means no Preschool Play Group or Teens & Tweens this week. The library will be open again on Friday, July 5^th for Storytime.

The closures do make it tricky to hand in the June reading grid for participants of the Summer Reading Program. Those are due on Monday, July 1^st. I fear patrons will be so focused on the parade, they’ll forget to come into the library to hand them in, but having them due on Thursday, June 27^th seemed a bit early. Adult and teen grids aren’t due until the end of July as their drawing tickets are earned by reading entire books rather than counting minutes.

Reading Now: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Listening to Now: Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (July Adult Book Club selection)