August is upon us

“I’m so glad that it’s August” is not a statement you will hear very often, at least not coming out of my mouth. The fact that summer is two-thirds over always makes me a little melancholy. Looking on the bright side, we still have a whole month of summer left and some wonderful things going on at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.

Come and see the paintings of Arna Rennan currently on display at the Sorenson Gallery. Arna, who lives in Duluth, has been painting plein aire for 25 years. (I actually had to look that up to make sure I was interpreting the term correctly, but it means painting pictures outdoors.) She received training at the National Academy of Art in Oslo, Norway, and spent four months in Paris and southern France seeking out Cezanne and Van Gogh’s favorite places to paint. The winner of several plein aire competitions, she has held painting workshops at the Grand Marais Art colony.

Build a Better World, the summer reading program for children and teens, continues through the end of the month. It’s not too late to sign up and do enough reading to qualify for the big prize drawings. There are two Wednesday afternoon programs scheduled for August. On Wednesday, August 2, working in teams, kids will have a chance to build a robot from recyclable materials. The finished products will be on display at the library so stop by and see them.

On Wednesday, August 9, at 9 p.m. there will be a pool party at the Fosston Civic Center. Meet at the pool with swim suit and towel for 45 minutes of fun with the library staff. There will be snacks and door prizes. Signed permission slips are required and preschoolers must be accompanied by an adult. Nonswimmers are required to wear a life jacket. Civic center lifeguards are on duty for this event.

On Tuesday, August 29, at 6:30, Rhonda Carlin will be giving a presentation on Flower Art. Here’s your chance to learn about making beautiful decorations for your home. She did the first installment of this earlier in the summer (or spring), but even if you missed that session, you are welcome at this one.

Just a couple of reminders:

There will be no story time on August 25, and the library will be closed on Monday, Sept. 4, in observance of Labor Day.