January at the Fosston Library Arts Center

Happy New Year - 2012! I’m not sure how that can be, but I guess I’ll believe the calendar. The burning question is: Will this mild winter continue or are we going to pay for this with subzero temperatures and feet of snow continuing through April? Only time will tell.
I can tell you though that there are some interesting programs planned at the library for 2012 as the Lake Agassiz Regional Library presents The Sugarbeet Series, sponsored with money from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
As part of this series, on Wednesday, January 18, harpist/vocalist Chris Ward will present a concert at 7 p.m. at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. Ward is from the Twin Cities and has appeared at the Guthrie theater, as will as performing for the kings of Sweden and Norway and the prime minister of Iceland. I’m listening to some of her music as I write - very enjoyable.
January also brings the Hot Reads for Cold Nights adult reading program, which will run January 3-February 29. Pick up an entry blank at the library, then read (or listen to) four books for a chance to win a prize. Make one of them The Memory Quilt: a Tale of Friends & Family Lost & Found in the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918 by Pamela J. Erickson, this year’s community read selection. Then make plans to come to the grand finale on March 6 to meet the author.
You’ll also want to read Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice, which is the January selection for the Books and BonsBons Book Club, meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10., at 7 p.m. I haven’t read it yet, but it tells the story of five very different people who find themselves together in a dilapidate estate house in northern Scotland. Sounds intriguing.
The Fosston Community Library Arts Association annual meeting will be on Wednesday evening, January 11. Anyone is welcome to attend - watch for the official notice.
The local Poetry Outloud contest will be held at the arts center on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m. The public is welcome - it’s nice to know that students are still learning poems.
Writers’ group will meet Thursday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m. If your New Years resolution is to do some writing, meeting with a group of like-minded individuals may be just the motivation you need. You can just show up, with or without something to share.