November at the Arts Center

November is almost here - the month to give thanks. At the Fosston Library Arts Center, we have a couple of new employees, and for that, the rest of us are very grateful.
The new library assistant is Erin Beattie, who comes here from Texas, where she grew up in Ovilla, a small town south of Dallas. A recent graduate of Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Erin has been in Minnesota since August.  She has an education degree. While this is her first experience working in a library, one of her hobbies is reading, certainly an important interest for a librarian. She also enjoys kayaking, swimming and traveling and has been to Australia and Europe, as well as traveling quite extensively in the United States and Canada.
The library also has a new sub - April Wedin - who grew up in Fosston, but has lived in other locations in Minnesota, most recently Marshall, before moving back here this past summer. She and her husband Mike have three children ranging in age from 4 to 11. While she has not worked in a library before either, she also enjoys reading and walking. Her previous work experience was in the insurance and human resource fields. She is a graduate of Northwest Technical College in Moorhead.
The other big news for November is the Auction for the Arts scheduled  for Sunday, Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. Items may be previewed beginning at 1 p.m. so come early to look them over. Once again there will be a wonderful array of items for your bidding pleasure, including a load of gravel, a Girltime getaway, hand-carved fishing decoys, beauty products, and home-canned goodies. Committee members are Sarah Steinbrenner, Sandy Johnson, JoAnn Papke, Michelle Johnson and Wonell Miller. The auction does have its own Facebook page so check that out to see more of what’s available.
I should also mention that LARL has recently switched over to a different software system for the on-line catalogue and for library transactions. Evergreen, as the new system is called, will probably be even better than the old system, but  any time there is a changeover, it takes awhile to get all the bugs worked out, so be patient if things don’t always go smoothly.
Book club will meet Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7:00. This month’s book is Night Stranger by Chris Bohjalian. It’s described as a “paranormal thriller.” That may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy reading that type of book, feel free to join us.
If you haven’t had a chance to view the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council mini touring show currently on display in the upper gallery, I urge you to take a look before it moves on to another location. There is a variety of  lovely small works - paintings, photography, drawing, printmaking, mosaic and even wood burning. The show will be here through Nov. 14.
Also coming up before the end of the month will be a new exhibit in the Sorenson Gallery. There will be paintings by local artist Jill Burggraf. They should be up in time for the Auction for the Arts.

Dates to Note:
Wednesday, Nov. 11 -Veterans Day -
 library closed
Thursday, Nov. 25 - Thanksgiving Day -
library closed
Thursday, Dec. 3 - Writers’ group 7:30 p.m. (No meeting in November)
Sunday, December 6 - Christmas vocal recital - 7:00 .m.