January

A new month and a new year – January 2024. While no one knows what the coming year will bring, there is always something new at the Aurora Center for the Arts and the Fosston Library. If one of your New Years resolutions has to do with getting more organized, the library has just the thing for you. On Thursday, January 11 at 7 p.m., there will be a virtual organizing workshop with Minnesota author Jessica Litman, who wrote Home Sweet Organized Home No registration is required. Just go to larl.org/organization. No worries if that’s a bad time for you, a recording will be available until February 8. If you are resolving to read more books in 2024, you may as well join Book Blizzard, the library’s winter reading adventure, for a shot at some cozy prizes. Complete a reading log for every four books you read (or listen to) from January 2 to February 29 to be entered into the prize drawing. Forms are available at the library or online at larl.org/bookblizzard. The library book club continues to provide two options to attend: Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Jan.16, at 2 p.m. Both groups will be discussing the book, The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson. If you need a copy of the book, check with the library. Bingo for the kids, always a popular activity, is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17, at 3:30 p.m. Everyone hopes for a prize. Works by Cindy Kolling of Gully are scheduled to be displayed at the Sorensen Gallery mid-January through February. The exhibit is entitled “It’s Not Nothing… and Those Aren’t Weeds.” It sounds interesting. The Aurora Center for the Arts will be holding its annual meeting in February this year. Watch for more information next month. And a reminder – the library will be closed Monday, January 15, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

September

September is here – days are shorter and maybe cooler, the squirrels are busy gathering acorns, and students are back in school. At the Fosston Community Library Arts Center, now to be known as the Aurora Center for the Arts, music lessons will be resuming as well. Jeff Menten will be available to teach violin, viola, cello, string bass and guitar. His schedule is already quite full, but he should have room for some online students. You may contact him at 218-255-0087. I will once again be giving piano lessons. My contact information is aagekay@gvtel.com, 218-435-6710 (land line) or 218-289-3968 (call or text). If you are interested in lessons for yourself or your child, please contact the instructors directly. Now, back to the name change for the FCLAA, as it has been known for 43 years. The board of directors has decided it’s time for a change. To learn more about this decision, you are invited to a re-branding event on Wednesday, Sept. 13, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. I’m quite sure there will be refreshments. Also beginning in September at the Fosston Library is preschool storytime on Monday, Sept. 11, at 10:30 a.m. (Notice the change of day) and bingo for kids on Wednesday, September 20, beginning at 3:30 p.m. A special program is coming up on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. There will be music and storytelling by The Skally Line as performers Fred Keller and Bill Cagley travel around the curves and bends of early American music, playing Appalachian ballads, fiddle tunes, stringband blues, bluegrass and more, accompanied by forgotten rip-roaring stories from Minnesota’s history. This program is geared toward adults, and admission is free, thanks to funding from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. On October 3, a leather-working activity for adult is planned for 6:30 p.m.. There is no cost to the participants, but preregistration is required. For more information contact the library at 218-435-1320. The library book club will hold its first meeting of the fall on Tuesday, Oct. 9. This year we will be offering two options as to time, one at 2 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. The book for October is West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. For more information or to reserve a copy of the book, call the library.

Summer student art

Fosston High School Alumni Exhibit

August - the Downhill Slope to Fall

August is here, which means we are on the downhill slope to fall. We have escaped most of the excessive heat plaguing much of the country (and the world), and I’m always a little bit sad to see summer come to an end. Let’s enjoy what is left of it. At the Fosston Community Library Arts Center, August will be a relatively quiet month. The Sorenson Gallery will feature the work of the Fosston Youth Art Club. More than 60 young people ages six through twelve participated in the program so expect to see lots of colorful pieces and make sure you allow enough time to see them all. The library summer reading program came to an end July 31. Participants are reminded to turn in their reading logs by Saturday, August 5. Prize drawings will be held the following week, and there are lots of fun prizes. On Thursday, August 17, Ed Lavelle, editor of the Thirteen Towns, will present a special program at the library. He will discuss the history of the paper and highlight favorite stories uncovered during the digitization of issues from 1891-1900. If you are interested in regional history, journalism history, or genealogical research, this is the program for you, and if you just need to get out of the heat, remember that the library is air-conditioned. This program, which is made possible thanks in part to funding from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, is at 2 p.m. You can also stop at the library any time to view old issues of the paper on microfilm. The FCLAA sponsored two successful “Make It to the Lake” events, each one featuring art projects and a picnic supper. These events were held in Lengby with proceeds donated to the Lengby Improvement Club. One of my favorite summer activities is to sit on my deck with a glass of iced tea, reading a good book. If that sounds appealing to you, stop by the library and pick up something to read. Enjoy the lazy days of summer while you can. Just don’t spill iced tea on your library book.

Special Events in July

This year July brings the Fosston All-School Reunion, and at the Sorenson Gallery at the Fosston Community Library and Art Center, the display for the month will feature art from Fosston High School alumni. It should be a fun exhibit. The gallery is open during library hours so if you are here specifically for the reunion, stop in to look and say hello to the librarians while you are there. Sponsored by the FCLAA, but held on the Heritage Center grounds, the Music on the Porch concerts continue throughout the month of July, every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. These free concerts are a great way to spend your Thursday evenings. Bring a chair or grab a spot at one of the picnic tables under the shelter. July’s concerts include Dan Rodriguez on July 6, Steve Turner on the 13th, Sam Miltich and the Clearwater Hot Club on the 20th and Caleigh on the 27th. Most of these artists have played in Fosston before and if you’ve heard them once, I’m sure you want to hear them again. If you haven’t, you are in for a treat. I know Dan Rodriguez has played at the art center previously – Tickets for that performance sold out so fast I didn’t get to hear him. I remember enjoying Steve Turner’s performance last summer on the porch. Originally from Naytahwaush he is now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Sam Miltich is a jazz guitarist. The publicity material says he was born and raised in the woods of northern Minnesota – maybe he will be more specific about that. Caleigh is a Minnesota band with three female musicians who perform a variety of musical styles, including folk, Celtic, bluegrass and American old-time. Express Yourself!, the summer library experience continues through the month, so there is still time for kids up to 18 to track their reading and be eligible for some great prizes at the end of the month. If you are already signed up – keep reading. On Wednesday, July 12, there will be a special presentation by an Itasca State Park naturalist. “It’s Showtime” for the animals. Bright colors, crazy dancing, loud sounds and more – Minnesota animals know how to put on a show. The program is at 2 and will be suitable for all ages.

June, June, June

June, June, June – just because it’s June (to quote the song), there is a great variety of things in the offing at the Fosston Community Library Arts Center. At the library, Express Yourself!, the summer library experience, started June 1. Kids of all ages may track their reading (or listening) on reading logs available at the library to be eligible to win all kinds of great prizes. In addition, there are all sorts of special programs. On Saturday, June 10, at 3 p.m. there will be a special children’s concert by the Grammy-nominated Ralph’s World, a music group created by Ralph Covert. Covert combines rock and roll energy with kid-friendly lyrics. One of his best known songs is “At the Bottom of the Sea.” The library is not usually open Saturday afternoons, but it will be for this special performance. On Wednesday, June 14, there will be an livestreamed drawing class and watch party at 2 p.m. featuring cartoonist Rick Stromoski. Suitable for ages five and up. Drawing materials provided. On Wednesday, June 21, youth ages 11-18 are invited to create a leather keyring. Registration is required for this 2 p.m. class to have materials available for all participants. On Wednesday, June 28, students ages five to eleven are invited to make a live story podcast. Time for this event is also 2 p.m. I wouldn’t have a clue as to how to go about making a podcast, but I’m sure the kids will catch on fast. On Friday, June 30, at 10:30 a.m. there will be a mini-play “The Ant & The Grasshopper.” The performance is intended for ages three to ten but anyone is welcome. On Monday, July 3, or Thursday, June 6, kids are invited to stop by the library to decorate a parade bag – their very own candy catcher. Come any time between 1 and 4 p.m. If you come to the library on the right day, you may get to greet a new employee. Keni Evje will be helping out as a sub. Many of you already know her, as she has lived in Fosston her whole life, except for a short stint in Wisconsin. She was in charge of the elementary school library for 20 years, retiring from that job five years ago. She and her husband Richard have four grown children and nine grandchildren, with one more due soon. She has worked in a variety of jobs, including EMT, nursing home activities , and running a board and care home. She enjoys baking, crafts and, of course, reading. Concerts on the Porch, sponsored by the FCLAA and held at the Heritage Center Grounds, begin Thursday, June 22, with Annie Fitzgerald and Sarah Morris. Singer/songwriters based in the Twin Cities, they performed here last year as did Acoustofiddle, the featured duo for the June 29 concert. Concerts will be held through July. All are free and begin at 7 p.m. The summer theater production, “Bugsy Malone, Jr.” is scheduled for June 27-29 7 p.m. and June 30 at 2. Gallery display during June will be by artist Brea Abrahamson. Sorry, I don’t have much information on her currently. Stop by and be surprised. One final note – the library will be closed on Monday, June 19, in observation of Juneteenth, and on Tuesday, July 4, Independence Day.