Readasaurus, the Monster Jam, and Charcuterie Boards

 

11-8-2024

I thought the monsters would leave the library after Halloween. While the monster, monsters did, they were quickly replaced by other monsters such as the six-foot-tall cardboard T-Rex in the lobby and the four-foot-tall blowup T-Rex in the library itself. Facebook followers are helping us come up with a name for that one. Personally, I like Readasaurus. Miss Maria thinks that sounds more like a type of dinosaur rather than a name. She may have a point.

Regardless, (s)he is looking for some friends to hang out in the library for Dinovember. Anyone willing to lend us a dinosaur for the month will receive heartfelt thanks.

The newest monster is an opportunity for patrons 2-12 years old to earn a free kid’s ticket to the Monster Jam at the Fiserv Forum on January 11^th or 12^th. This does require the purchase of an adult ticket for $20. To make this happen, families should pick up a “Rev Up To Read Club Card” for their young ones at the East Troy Lions Public Library and check out some books. The children will receive a stamp for every library book read and returned to the library. Five stamps are needed to earn the ticket.

It is suggested the voucher is redeemed before the nights of the Monster Jam to make certain tickets are available. The driving to Milwaukee early to secure tickets in advance seems like a lot of work for this homebody. Then I remember how many times Little Prairie Primary students asked me for help finding the Monster Truck books or the excitement with which seventh grade students my first-year teaching talked about going to Monster Truck shows.

This month we are also finalizing plans for the Winter Reading Program. Most of the planning for such a standard program is fairly routine; a matter of setting dates, updating paperwork, and selecting prizes. This year’s programs will be a bit different. Rather than the Caroling of the past, this year we will kick off the season with a Charcuterie Board Demonstration at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, December 4^th. Details on this will be finalized on Thanksgiving Day over my stepdaughter Katie’s annual charcuterie contribution to our family gathering.

Katie’s boards are always beautiful and delicious which is why I thought of her when the idea was suggested. She has agreed to give a demonstration and discuss pairings. My one criticism of her boards is the quick disappearance of the fruit. The cheeses and jams Katie selects are usually too sophisticated for the preschool set so they focus on the apples and grapes. I love pairing apples with cheese, which means I pout. To counter that, I am making a kid friendly option out of pure selfishness. If it goes over well, we’ll show that on the 4^th as well.

To answer the most important questions: yes, there will be tasting involved, and no, registration is not required.

Reading Now: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Listening to Now: A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

Monsters and Dinovember

 

10-25-2024

In the interest of public safety, patrons need to be aware that next over the next several weeks the library will be overrun by monsters, dinosaurs and furry creatures. I’d say we are becoming a veritable Jurassic Park, but I can’t promise all the dinosaur will be from that period.

The danger begins on Wednesday, October 30^th at 1:00 pm with the showing of the most recent installment of the Hotel Transylvania series: Transformania. Hmm, actually that movie premise involves the old switcheroo. Instead of an all but one cast of monsters, it showcases an all but one cast of humans. Good thing, as the East Troy Community School District is closed for inservice. Impressionable young children may accidentally attend the viewing and wear the emotional scares for life. Perhaps the popcorn would make them feel better.

Thursday at 3:00 pm is the time for Teens & Tweens programming in our Lower Level. Each of the first four Thursdays of the month have a specific theme. The 31^st is the fifth Thursday of October. To celebrate, we have spooky board games available for groups of friends to play. Trick or Treaters are invited to wear their costumes and start the evening at the library where we will be passing out candy - hopefully not in the snow like last year.

The really big reptile ancestors take over the next day as part of Dinovember. We are inviting local dinosaur enthusiasts to bring in their dinosaurs to display in our glass case. They can be plastic, stuffed, Lego, etc. just not living as we don’t have the proper budget or staff to handle the feeding and cleanup required. They will be returned safely at the end of the month. Patrons of the smaller variety will receive a dinosaur sticker each week. Ms. Maria will stick to a dinosaur theme for that month’s Storytime on Fridays at 11:00 am.

Finally, the furriest event will be on Thursday, November 14^th at 2:00 pm when we’ll host a special dino-storytime. Mr Nibbles, a local bunny and sometimes library patron, will wear his dinosaur costume and share his favorite story. Snacks will be provided. I’ve been instructed to make them dinosaur shaped. Fans of Drew Daywalt’s The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors may be disappointed to learn, they will not be dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. For those of you who don’t know the book, I highly recommend it and will happily do a read aloud upon request for patrons brave enough to visit us amidst the upcoming dangers.

Honoring Women Veterans - I Am Not Invisible

 

10-11-2024

The article will run on the opening day of Wine, Cheese and Murder. You know where I am; however, even though the play still pulls my focus, it is time to turn at lease some of my attention to our next program. Since Veterans Day is exactly one month away, it’s time to announce that program.

This will be ETLPL’s third year hosting a military program in November. We started with Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story by Mike O’Connor. Last year Mike came back to talk about his second book, Badger Aces: Wisconsin Fighter Aces, 1917-1972, paired with the traveling exhibit Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

This year we will again host a traveling exhibit from the WVM paired with two guest speakers. I Am Not Invisible began in Oregon as an awareness campaign highlighting the role of women veterans. It is now a nationwide program. The traveling exhibit is composed of pop-up banners each featuring a different veteran. More information about these women can be found on the museum’s website which hosts the oral history interview.

On November 4^th at 4:00 pm we are pairing the banners with a presentation from two local women. Commander Michelle Himsel is in charge of East Troy’s American Legion Loomis-Martin Post 188. She will be joined by 3rd Class veteran Eleanor Montano.  Himsel and Montano will give a talk about their experiences in the military.

One of the goals in our strategic plan reads, “Create solutions to minimize facility shortcomings.” With that in mind and knowing a portion of our target audience includes patrons who find the stairs to our lower level difficult to manage, we have asked the East Troy Intergenerational Community Center for use of their space. Located in the back of the East Troy Community School Districts business office, the former Doubek Elementary building, the Community Center is one level and offers plenty of parking.

The exhibit will be set up for the November 4^th talk at the Community Center. Afterwards it will be on display at the library November 5^th through November 16^th. It is important to note that the ETICC entrance is accessed from a driveway on Division Street rather than the district’s entrance on Beulah Avenue. It is set back quite bit so don’t let the open grass areas confuse you.

We hope to see you there as we honor these and all military women for their service.

Reading Now: Twilight by Stephanie Myer (I WILL finish this book. Maybe after the play.)

Listening to Now: Graves on the Fens by Joy Ellis

Fall Programming Kicks Off

 

9-13-2024

Fall program changes kicked in at the library this week. Monday saw our first Pokémon Open Card Battle. On hand were Bryan, owner of 2To16 Games, and his fiancée Harlie who helps out at the shop. The two patrons who came after school already knew how to play so it was all about battles this week; however, Bryan and Harlie were fully prepared to teach and feed participants. They brought starter decks and cookie cake to share.

2To16 Games is in Mukwonago near Fork in the Road and in the same strip mall as Judd’s Designs. Along with their Corgi, Annie Mae, Bryan and Harlie provide a space for game play of Magic the Gathering as well as Pokémon. Contrary to their name, most patrons are actually in their 20s. Younger players do come in with their families. Board games are also available for free play. Play space is free; however, they do sell trading cards and supplies such as card sleeves, dice, and new player decks.

Our next Pokémon night is after school on Monday, September 23^rd. This program runs the same days as our Yarn & Stitch group: 2^nd and 4^th Mondays each month. This coming Monday, September 16^th is our first Serial Sampler Book Club. This month is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown to coincide with the movie release.

The October book is Magyk by Angie Sage. This was on my recommendation. The Septimus Heap series is one of my favorites. Emma and I listened to it before she was old enough for Harry Potter. I had to trick her into listening to it as the title gave her the impression it was a boy book. Our previous listen finished while we were on the way to Devil’s Lake. Lo and behold, Magik was the only other audiobook with us. The first chapter introduces a lost princess, which immediately made the book and its six sequels acceptable.

The series have some similarities in that they both involve young men raised without parents and whose life changes when they discover their magical abilities. Septimus Heap is not nearly as dark for all that he too has a nemesis from birth. Print and audio copies are available at the library.

For adults and older teens who like to write, our new Writer’s Workshop starts Tuesday, September 17^th at 3:00-4:30. This program is intended to create a safe space for writers to share their works in progress and provide feedback and support for each other.

Reading Now: 

Listening to Now: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin 

The Great Debate

 

8-23-2024

I’m feeling a little out of touch this while writing this from home at the end of a four-day weekend minus an afternoon impersonating a strict librarian for the 2024 Scavenger Games on Saturday. For those who remember, the wedding was lovely, I did decide on a hair style for the Games, and I took my daughter and grandsons to the zoo on Monday. (Sorry, Mom. I’ll call you tomorrow about the cataract surgery.)

What I do remember, is the plan to continue previewing fall programming with this article. Last week was about the Serial Sampler book club and Writer’s Workshop. This week will cover Pokémon Open Card Battles and August’s upcoming 5^th Thursday.

Pokémon Open Card Battles are scheduled for Mondays so they seem like a good place to start. To be specific, they are scheduled for the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of each month. If that sounds familiar, it may be because the Yarn & Stitch group meets on those mornings at 10:00 – 12:00. The Pokémon group is scheduled for 3:00. We do understand that it takes some time for students to make their way to the library after school. Drive safely and arrive in one piece. All ages are welcome. All that’s needed to participate are cards.

The other reasons the 2^nd Monday may sound familiar is that in last week’s article I mistakenly named that the day for the Serial Sampler Book Club. The date I gave, September 16^th is a better indicator of what I meant as that’s the 3^rd and correct Monday of the month.

There was a Great Debate at the library regarding what to call this program. The issue at hand centered on the number of formats Pokémon takes: card game, augmented reality mobile game, video game, movie, stuffed animals, graphic novels, etc. In this case, we do mean card game.

We were fortunate to select Monday night as that also happens to be the day 2TO16 Games in Mukwonago is closed. Located in the small strip mall on the corner of Rochester and Lake Streets in Mukwonago, 2TO16 Games offers open gaming for Pokémon as well as Magic the Gathering and board games. Bryan has agreed to spend some of those days off, the 2^nd and 4^th of the month, at our program teaching participants new to the game how to play.

As for the 5^th Thursday in August, the published weekly schedule names a different activity for the first four Thursdays of each month this summer. August is the first month with five. This coming week we will be showing a movie staring my mom’s favorite lasagna eating cat. That starts at 3:00.

Reading Now: Mistaken Identity by Don & Susie Von Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak

Listening to Now: Marshlight by Joy Ellis (DCI Matt Ballard Bk 4)

Fall Program Preview

 

8-16-2024

On Saturday the ETLPL is participating in the second 2024 Scavenger Games sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. If you participated in the June games, know Miss Maria has created a completely different scavenger hunt. The clues and format are all new, but library skills will still be helpful. While Miss Maria works on that, I’m focused on how to do librarian hair given that I did not keep my vow to maintain long hair until the final games in October. I prioritized comfort and the family wedding on Friday. I should be ashamed.

We have also been working on Fall programming. Miss Anna created a September-December Calendar similar to the Summer Calendar handed out in the library this year. The fall calendar will also be handed out and run in the Fall Park & Recreation Guide. That meant being much better about planning ahead then in the past few years.

Two new programs I’d like to highlight are the Series Sampler Book Club and Writer’s Workshop.

Miss Maria is organizing the Series Sampler to replace the summer’s Choose Your Own Adventure Book Club. SS is also geared toward late elementary/middle school.  The book club will meet the third Monday of each month at 3:00 pm. She’ll start with an activity and snack to break the ice and allow time for students to make it here after school before the discussion begins. Each month will feature the first book in an age-appropriate series.

The September Series Sampler book is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The first book of this series finds Roz, a robot with amnesia, waking up alone on a remote, wild island. The September 16^th discussion will take place eleven days before the movie’s release.

Copies of the book are available at the library for checkout.

The Writer’s Workshop will be led by Julianne Carlile. Prompts will be provided for writers who would like them; however, they are not required. The focus is on developing writing skills so writers will have opportunities to provide and receive feedback. Our target audience is adults, but high school students with an interest are more than welcome.

Writers will meet with Julianne the third Tuesday of the month 3:00 – 4:30 pm beginning September 17^th. Bring the writing you’d like to discuss and/or the means of writing. The library will make copies for discussion, but they cannot be on thumb drives.

 Reading Now: A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Listening to Now: White Teeth by Zadie Smith (PBS Great American Read book)