'Tis the Season

Once again it is December – winter, snow, Christmas, and some special activities at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. The new exhibit at the Sorenson Gallery is by local photographer Marc Lindgren. The display includes colorful photographs from a trip to Cuba a few years ago and a video of Marc’s travels. Stop in and see it during library hours through December. On Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. there will be a virtual event featuring authors Sarah Stonich and Jess Lourey. The interactive format invites readers to an authors’ salon where they can ask questions about writing life. Lourey’s latest book, Litani,is a domestic suspense novel exploring the satanic panic that swept Minnesota in the 1980s, and Stonich’s Reeling is a sequel to her bestseller, Fishing! To access this event, go to the LARL Website at larl.org. Preschool storytime continues to be offered at the library at 10:30 on Fridays, and Kids Club with games, bingo, crafts, and Legos meets on Wednesdays at 3:30, although on Dec. 22, an early-out day at school, kids can head to the library as soon as school is out. Although the library writers’ group was a casualty of the pandemic and now longer meets, here is a poem I wrote for it a few years ago: ‘Tis the Season It’s here, it’s here, at last it’s here - That special season of the year. Black Friday shoppers line up early, Racing for bargains hurly-burly. The turkey’s eaten, we’ve had our naps, In the stores, we’ll do our laps, Hoping to find that perfect gift At a price that appeals to our thrift. Christmas music fills the airways. Garlands of green cascade down the stairways. Christmas trees are up and lighted. Santas galore will be sighted. Christmas shopping season’s come, Buy this, buy that, don’t be a bum. What all this means, I do not know, But something happened long ago, A wondrous birth we should remember Celebrated in December. Holiday closings: December 24 – The library closes at 12 noon and will be closed Christmas Day. December 31 – The library closes at 5 p.m. and will be closed New Years Day.

The Dark Days of November

November is here with colder weather and shorter hours of daylight. Of course, we will be going off Daylight Saving Time, so it will be lighter a little earlier in the morning for a bit, but it will be getting dark sooner, so I guess that’s a wash. However, despite the cold and darkness, the Fosston Community Library Arts Center has several exciting opportunities for you. Coming up on Sunday, Nov. 28, is the 2021 Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts. Held every two years, this is the big fundraiser for the FCLAA. All manner of items, including baked goods, stained glass, quilts, woodworking, rosemaling, glass blowing, leather goods and more, will be auctioned off by Lynda Lohmeier beginning at 2 p.m. FCLAA volunteers will provide an appetizer and dessert buffet. There will be a silent auction as well. Items will be available for viewing beginning at 1 p.m. Somehow, I missed getting the current exhibit in the Sorenson Gallery into last month’s column, but it will be up through Nov. 17. Local artist and Fosston native Heidi Danos is displaying a nice variety of various mixed media paintings. She began working on her art in 2019. Since that time, she has had four pieces featured in exhibits sponsored by the Northwest Arts Council. Stop in at the library and look – many of her pieces are for sale. The library book club will meet Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. November’s selection is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Written from the point of view of Enzo, a dog, the book deals with family dynamics in a custody battle between Zoe’s maternal grandparents and her father Denny, a race car driver. On Monday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. author Lorna Landvik will do an online presentation. Landvik has written several books. The most recent one is entitled Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with recipes). I have read and enjoyed some of her earlier books, and I know she’s a funny lady so I think this would be worth your time. Go to the LARL Facebook page or the LARL website for a link to the presentation. If you are seeking assistance in finding a job, going back to school, or developing a resume, help is as near as your local library. During the month of November, Jennifer Person from the Inter County Community Council will be at the Fosston Library on Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information you may contact her at 218-689-265. Just a reminder – the library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. It close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24, and will be closed on Nov. 25, which is Thanksgiving Day. Normal library hours will resume in Nov. 26.