Here We Are in May

      Here we are in May. The weather has warmed up, the birds are singing, buds are beginning to swell on the trees, and the library is still closed. However, there are plenty of assets still available from the Fosston Community Library Art Center and Lake Agassiz Regional Library.

      The FCLAA is sponsoring online art classes, for adults on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and for kids on Thursdays at 4 p.m. There is a charge for these, and you may register on-line at fclaa.org. The adult class on Tuesday, May 5, will be watercolor painting with Ivy Bailie. She will also be doing the kids’ class on Thursday, May 7, where the subject is a watermelon slice. On Thursday, May 14, Jessica Aakre will will work with the children on graffiti, text and hand lettering. Scholarships are available for the kids. Check the FCLAA Website for further offerings.

     While there are a multitude of e-books available through the Lake Agassiz Website (larl.org), if you are hungering to hold a real book in your hands, the library is now offering no-contact curbside service. Request what you want on-line, and when it is ready, you will receive a phone call to arrange for pickup from the picnic table in front of the library. Requests are usually filled once a week. Books may be requested from Fosston or from other Lake Agassiz locations, but not from Northwest.

       LARL also has a new service which enables patrons to borrow movies, music, e-Audiobooks, eBooks, comics and TV shows to download to your computer, tablet or phone. It is called hoopla, and it can be accessed by going to larl.org. There is a limit of 5 titles per month.

      While your little ones currently cannot come to the library for story time, they can watch story time at LARL at Home. The library system has a You-Tube channel with books read by librarians from throughout the system. There are also STEM activities available.

      If you are missing coming to the library to use the wireless access, it continues to be available from outside the building during normal library hours. No password needed.

If you have no library card, remember that you can apply on-line and be given a number that you can use to access all these free services.

     I would encourage you to go to larl.org if you have further questions. There is now a chat feature as well as a hotline number (833-522-5275).

     Stay safe, and  take advantage of all the wonderful resources available through the library system.

An April like no other

April – as I am writing on March 29, we still have snow although little by little it is melting. We are all staying home for the most part, because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, there are no activities scheduled at the Fosston Community Library Art Center and the library is closed.

However, the library has several on-line resources available at larl.org.  With a growing collection of more than 20,000 titles of downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks, there is plenty of reading material that can be accessed on your computer, your phone or your e-reader. And if you have some printed library books that are already checked out, don’t worry. Just return them when the library reopens and there will be no overdue fees.
You are required to have a library card to check out these eBooks. If you don’t, you can apply for one online (again at larl.org). You will be sent a library card number via e-mail within 24 hours. As always, library cards are free.
Also, on the library Website you can find links to a ton of online resources for kids. There are sites for early learners, for grades K-6, and for grades 7-12. Sites such as Tumblebook Library, ReadBrightly Storytimes, and Britannica School Elementary will help children keep learning from home.
If you are interested in genealogy research, with your library card you can have free access to AncestryLibrary and HeritageQuest. I just took a quick look at HeritageQuest and found the 1900 census page showing my grandfather, who at that time was single and living as a boarder in someone else’s home.
Magazine and newspaper articles from thousands of publications around the world can be accessed digitally. I looked at these two sites also. The amount of choices was a bit bewildering, but if one takes the times to look for something, you can probably find it.
For all you aspiring writers out there, this might be the time to sit down and write. After all, there is basically no place to go. MN Writes MN Reads is a resource for writers seeking free resources for publishing and sharing e-books and for readers interested in discovering books by local writers.
Take care, stay safe, practice social distancing and read a book (an eBook that is.)

March is here!

March is upon us – and we are that much closer to spring. Maybe by the end of the month the snow will be gone – or maybe not. I can’t predict the weather, but I can tell you about all the great things going on with the Fosston Community Library Arts Association.

The newest FCLAA board member is Maggie Stewart. Although she lived in Alaska for a bit as a young child and in Moorhead for college and awhile after that, Fosston is really her hometown and she has been back here for the last five years. An English major and a theater minor from MSUM, Maggie was involved with the Straw Hat Players during her college days. She currently works at a group home in Fosston as well as having an Etsy shop, where she sells paper crafts and knitted items. To find it go to etsy.com and look for MadeinMinnie. In addition to knitting and crocheting, her other hobbies include reading and scrapbooking. Maggie’s parents are Mike and Bonnie Stewart. She decided to join the board to become more involved in the local arts community.
Saturday, March 7, will be the Mystery Dinner Theater. Held at Ventures, the event begins with a social hour at 6 and the performance scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Generations.
On Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m., the fourth annual “Cans” film festival will be held at the library theater to benefit the Loaves and Fishes Food Shelf. Several short films will be shown. Admission is a non-perishable food item.
In the Sorenson Gallery March brings the second annual juried art show. An artist reception will be held on Thursday, March 26, from 5-7 p.m. Artists wishing to enter may apply on-line or pick up a form in the art center lobby.
The library book club will meet Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. This month’s book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It’s an interesting book, with the narrator being a young teenager with autism. Refreshments will be served.
Writers’ group will meet Tuesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. February’s meeting didn’t happen because of several conflicts (among them precinct caucuses) so hopefully March will be better.
Here are a few facts about the library that you may not know:
1.       Library cards are free to those in the local area. If you don’t have one, bring proof of your address and apply at the library.
2.       With that library card, you will have access to books, DVDs, magazines and audio books.
3.       If you need to send or receive a FAX, you may do so at the library. There is a charge for this service.
4.       The library has a Facebook page (Fosston Public Library.) Follow it to get information about all the fun events.

February - still winter!

February – Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and still winter! This is Minnesota after all, so life doesn’t come to a standstill because of a little cold and snow.

The Fosston Community Library Arts Association elected officers and accepted new member Maggie Stewart to the board at its recent annual meeting. Other members of the board are Bonnie Stewart, Sarah Steinbrenner, Joann Papke, Molly Peltier, Dawn Skeie-Crane, Jason Steinbrenner, Barbara Johnson, and Abby Pearson.
The FCLAA will be celebrating 40 years in 2020. There will be a brunch reception (10 a.m.- noon) on Saturday, February 29. Plans are to include present and past directors, artists, musicians, board members and volunteers in the celebration. The gallery exhibit for the month will be a display of past productions.
The Fosston Library has a special promotion during the month of February. You are invited to go on a blind date with a book. Books will be wrapped up in paper with a few hints as to the contents. Pick one, read it, and make some comments on the enclosed card. You just might find a new favorite with no danger of involving yourself in unsavory situations.
The Book Blizzard adult reading program will continue through the month. Read four books for a chance to win a prize. (The blind date book will count.)
Book club meets Tuesday, February 11 at 7 p.m. to discuss A Fireproof Home for the Bride by Amy Scheibe. I enjoyed the book with its late 1950s Fargo-Moorhead area setting, although I was a little bit puzzled by the description with the discussion questions which said it was set in southern Minnesota. Anyway, new members are always welcome, and there are also treats.
Crafternoon for kids will be Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 12:30-2:00 p.m. Make a fun Valentine craft. Those under eight must be accompanied by an adult or older caregiver.
Writers’ group will meet Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. New members are always welcome.
If you like to read the book before you see the movie, watch for a display at the library featuring books that are soon coming out as movies.  Or once you’ve seen the movie, you may want to read the book
Remember that the library will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, for Presidents Day.
And lastly, watch for upcoming details on the FCLAA’s first mystery dinner theater to be held March 7.

January 2020

January 2020 – how’s that? White and snowy for sure. It’s perfect weather for curling up with a good book, so you might as well join the Fosston Library’s Book Blizzard winter reading adventure, and you just might win a prize. Complete a reading log, available at the library, and every four books you read or listen to will put you in contention. You may also sign up online at larl.org/bookblizzard.

If you would like to know more about the Fosston Community Library Arts Association, here’s an opportunity for you.  The FCLAA will be holding its annual meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. The 2020 board of directors will be elected, and annual reports will be available. The public is invited to attend.

The library book club will meet Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. January’s book is After Anna by Lisa Scottoline. When Anna moves in with her mother and stepfather after years apart, things go terribly wrong. I have just gotten started reading this thriller and I can’t predict the ending, but it is holding my attention. We also get treats.

Kids’ Club will continue to meet on Wednesdays from 3:30-5 p.m. There will be crafts, Legos, games and bingo on a rotating basis. Children under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult or older caregiver.

Writers’ group will meet Tuesday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to write that memoir, this might give you the motivation to get started on it. Bring a sample of your writing to share, or feel free to just come and listen. We are a pretty easy-going group.

Remember that the library is closed on Monday, January 20, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If you are in dire need of something to read, the digital library is available on-line 24-7. You may ask your local librarian for help with that.

 

December is here!

December is here, bringing snow, cold and the holiday season. At the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. December will bring several fun events.

On Sunday, Dec. 15, there will be music in the air as Dwana Carroll’s piano students present their Christmas recital at 2 p.m. Admission is free and I’m sure there will be refreshments.

A new exhibit will go up in the gallery on Friday, December 13, featuring ceramic sculpture artist Hana Bibliowicz of the Twin Cities. Bibliowicz was born in Columbia to Polish and Mexican Jewish parents. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Albany State University and her master’s in sculpture from San Francisco State. She has participated in numerous shows, both in Colombia and the United States. There will be a reception that evening, and she will be teaching a class on Saturday, the 14^th. Watch for more details.

The library will be offering Kids’ Club activities every Wednesday from 3:30-5 p.m., with a special cookie decorating session on Dec. 11. Children under the age of eight are required to have a teen or adult supervisor with them.

The library book club will meet Tuesday, December 10, at 7 p.m. to discuss the book No Place I’d Rather Be by Cathy Lamb. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but the discussions are always interesting and the refreshments tasty.

The library will be closed on both December 24 and 25 for Christmas but will resume normal hours on Thursday, December 26. It will close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will also be closed on New Year’s Day.

Writers’ group will not meet during December, but will resume its normal schedule (7:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month) in January.

In closing, I will leave you with the little poem I wrote for our last writers’ group session:

                 Thanks

For turkey and taters and red ripe tomatoes

For hard candy, hamburger hot dish and ham,

For apples and apricots, artichokes too

For nachos and nuts and Nutella, yum, yum

For kiwis and KitKats and ketchup in bottles.

Salads and sausages, seafood and scones.

Thank you for all these wonderful foods

Only a few that my diet includes.

What Will November bring?

Will we get an Indian Summer in November, or will we have full-blown winter? I couldn’t tell you, but I do know there are some things to be thankful for at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center.

First and foremost, there is a new library associate. Mavis Haugom has been hired to fill the position left vacant when Caese moved into the branch manager slot. Originally from Zap, North Dakota, Mavis has lived south of McIntosh for the last 26 years with her husband Gene. She says she has always wanted to work in a library, and after a career in nursing and then one in accounting, she finally has her dream job. Most recently she worked in the finance department at Essentia Health, retiring about a year and a half ago. Her hobbies including reading, playing the piano and knitting.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, everyone is invited to the library open house from noon to 8 p.m. There will be treats, coffee, hot apple cider and door prizes. Whether you are a regular customer or have never set foot in the library before, you are welcome.

Also on Nov. 12, the library book club will meet at 7 p.m. This month’s book is One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. I haven’t read it yet, but apparently it involves a single mother, a chaotic family, a quirky stranger and a comic road trip. Other readers have told me they liked it.

Writers’ group will meet Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m. New members are always welcome.

The November exhibit in the Sorenson Gallery will be “Trades of Hope” featuring handcrafted jewelry, scarves, bags and home décor from artisans worldwide. A reception will be held on November 22 from 5-7 p.m.. Items will be available for purchase at that time with proceeds going to the Theater Elevator Fund. Abby Pearson is coordinating the exhibit.

The Daisy Hagen Auction for the Arts is coming up on December 1. Watch your local paper for more information.

If you have used markers that should be discarded, bring them to the library as there will be a drop-off box to collect them and send them to the Crayola ColorCycle program. They do not have to be Crayola markers. Highlighters and dry erase markers are also accepted.

On last reminder – the library will be closed on Monday, November 11, for Veterans Day, and on Thursday, November 28, for Thanksgiving Day.