July is coming...

July is probably tied for June as my favorite month. Unfortunately, once we’re past the Fourth, it seems to be a quick downhill slide to fall, so we need to make the most of summer while it’s here. Here are some suggestions to help you do just that.
At the Fosston Library, the summer reading program for kids, Paws to Read, continues. Toddlers through teens can still sign up, read some books and attend some special programs, and be eligible for some great prizes. Programs still coming up include PAWS for balloon critters on July 9, PAWS for a quick snack with Cheryl Winkelmann on July 16, PAWS for pets with the Prairie Pet Clinic on July 23, PAWS for a plush pet picnic & sleepover on July 30, and PAWS to study tracks with staff from Itasca State Park on August 6.  All programs are at 2 p.m. To clarify the details for the July 30th program, children and their stuffed animals will come for the picnic on the library lawn, but only the stuffed animals will spend the night at the library where they will have their pictures taken enjoying the sleepover. All children are expected to return home and sleep in their own beds.
Kids and adults alike are invited to enter the PAWS to read photo contest. Take a picture of your favorite pet reading or (more likely) being read to. It can be a dog or a cat, a ferret or a pet chipmunk, maybe even a goldfish, although since goldfish don’t have paws maybe you need to check with Tammi on that. You may submit a printed photo or email the digital file to Fosston@larl.org
Coming up at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center at the end of the month is something we all are waiting for: The Fosston Community Theater ‘s summer comedy production of The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase. The play is described as “a hilarious farce of sneaking, wrestling and getting stuck in the furniture” at Uncle George’s rustic cabin as George’s family members search for a suitcase filled with money. Michelle Marx will direct. Dates and times are Thursday through Saturday, July 31-August 2 at 7 p.m. with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, August 3. Advance tickets will be on sale at Generations clothing store in Fosston.
As you would expect, the library will be closed July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

June Is Here

June is here, and our world has been transformed - green grass, leaves on the trees, colorful flowers and warm temperatures. At the Fosston Community Library Arts Center, it’s all about paws. as the 2014 summer reading program, “Paws to Read,” kicked off with a party on Wednesday, June 4. Kids of all ages are invited to pick up a reading log and register for door prizes. Every child who reads or attends a library program on 20 separate days between  June 1 and August 31 will receive a prize and will be eligible for additional prize drawings. Teens have a separate program requiring 15 books to win a prize. Also for teens are a teen trivia contest and anytime crafts.  There will be special programs each Wednesday at 2 p.m.
On June 11, Ben Carlsen will be there along with Black Lab puppy, Wenzel, for “PAWS for service dogs.“ Ben and his wife Pia are volunteer puppy raisers for Leader Dogs for the Blind. They live in Thief River Falls.
The program on June 18 is entitled “PAWS to Create Art.” A teacher from the MN Textile Center will bring lots of different kinds of animal furs that are used in making a variety of things from clothing to art.  Children will get to make a colorful piece of felted art to take home.
Cheryl Winkelman will be at the library on Wednesday, June 25, with PAWS for Craft Time. I don’t know exactly what she’ll be doing, but she always comes up with some fun projects.
Staff from the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge will be at the library on July 2 with PAWS for Wildlife Safety.
Also in conjunction with the  summer reading program, there will be a PAWS to read photo contest. Children, teens and adults are all invited to submit a picture of their favorite pet reading or being read to. You may submit a printed photo or e-mail the digital file. One entry per person, please. There will be prizes.
Not part of the summer reading program, but a special opportunity nonetheless, is an appearance by Ozzie Tollefson on Saturday, June 21, at 1 p.m. Tollefson, originally from the Fosston area, spent 48 years in education, teaching and presenting educational assemblies. He will be signing his book, Mr. Teacher,a novel about a young schoolteacher in northern Minnesota during the final year of WWII.
While you’re at the library, be sure to take a look at the current display in the Sorenson Gallery, where you will find cloudscapes by photographer Lance Thorn.