Happening tomorrow at the library! I hope you can join us for some fun and creativity!
“Bee Happy At Your Library” For Mental Health Awareness Month
Category: Events and Presentations
Save the Date Bars for Books PAFL Fundraiser
To help celebrate National Library Week, Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is hosting a tasty event on Thursday April 23. Their first ever Bars for Books will run from 3pm to 6pm and will raise funds for new library materials across all ages and formats.
During the event, over a dozen local bakers will be putting their signature bars on the table and leaving it up to you to decide who bakes the best bars in Pipestone.
From Blueberry Lemon Blondies to Chocolate Highlander Cookie Bars, and tried and true brownies to newly created concoctions, everyone should find something to love.
All PAFL asks is that you put your money where your mouth is. Instead of talking about your #1 bar, use your dollars to upvote your favorite(s). Winners will be decided by the funds their bars bring in.
We’ve already heard a lot of strategizing by people planning to attend. One patron is planning to pay a dollar per bite-sized sample. She will then put a second dollar into her third place choice, a $5 bill into her second place bar, and $10 toward her favorite recipe. She told us she will spend roughly $25-$30 to help PAFL find Pipestone’s best baker.
As PAFL will use 100% of the proceeds for this fundraiser to purchase new library materials, this strategy could net the library a new adult hardcover novel, or a picture book and board book combo, or two middle grade novels and one young adult novel.
Another patron plans to give a free will offering of $20 straight to PAFL to taste the goods, followed by pocket change toward his favorite treats. Yet another claims they will jar watch–bumping the best baked goods with a few bucks here and there if the competition appears to be edging closer to a win. Whatever your method, you get to choose your own fundraising adventure while supporting a worthwhile organization and the literary needs of our entire community.
BONUS: Your vote(s) will also provide bragging rights to the top three bakers of the day!
Outdoor Adventures, Full STEAM Ahead, & More!
Join us on Tuesday, May 7th at 4:00pm for a conversation with mountain climber, photographer, author, and Iowa native Jen Loeb. Loeb will take us through her adventurous life reaching the “7 Summits.”
On Saturday, May 11th Full STEAM Ahead returns from 10:00am-1:00pm. Experience hands on activities for all ages in our new makerspace and around the library—all about pollinators! We will also have Family Storytime before Full STEAM Ahead at 9:30am.
Join us on Thursday, May 9th for Games & Grub! Bring a potluck dish to share, a favorite game, and your friendly competitive spirit. This event is for all ages. You can sign up by calling the library at 507-825-6714 or with the feedback form below.
Grief Writing Workshop & Coloring Cafe
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 20th, you can engage in two creative and therapeutic programs at Meinders Community Library. Join us for a Grief Writing Workshop with Lisa M Bolt Simons from 10:30am-1:30pm.
We also have Coloring Cafe from 2:30-4:00pm. Come relax and enjoy an afternoon of coffee and coloring with Sally!
April Special Events
Calling all baseball enthusiasts and history buffs! Join us at Meinders Community Library on Thursday, April 18th at 6:30pm to dig into Pipestone’s rich sports history with Trava Olivier and learn about the 1926 Black Sox, an African American baseball team based out of Pipestone for a season.
On Saturday April 20th at the library, we have a Grief Writing Workshop lead by Lisa M Bolt Simons. Lisa will guide participants through a series of writing prompts and activities designed to explore and express experiences with not only grief but also the lighthearted/humorous memories that remain when someone is gone. Register for this workshop through the contact form below or call the library at 507-825-6714. Visit Lisa’s website to learn more about the author and presenter: https://lisamboltsimons.com/
National Library Week Winners and More
Thank you to everyone who stopped by the library or participated in our Facebook photo challenge for National Library Week. Our grand prize winner of the bonanza bundle of over $150 in local and regional gift cards is Teya Olson! Our two runner up gift card bundle winners are Karen Chatterton and Theresa Stangle! Winners can stop by the library during open hours to pick up their prizes. Thank you to the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library for providing the prizes!
We have more fun activities going on this week! Join us on Thursday 4/18 at 6:30pm to hear about Pipestone’s 1926 Black Sox baseball team from Trava Olivier.
On Saturday 4/20 at 10:30am, we have a Grief Writing Workshop with Lisa M Bolt Simons, where participants will explore their grief with heart and humor. Preregistration is requested.
Let the Programs Begin
It is with no small relief that I am able to write the title of this post. In fact, I will keep 99% of the words I want to write to myself because we have beautiful flyers to show you all the great things we have in store for the remainder of spring.
Make sure to scroll through all eleven flyers to find the one(s) that speak to you. Sign up for events that require registration, check out our clubs and groups that begin next week, and help us determine which programs we should continue offering.
Also, participate in National Library Week (April 7-13) to get entered into a prize drawing–courtesy of Pipestone Area Friends of the Library.
While the library isn’t 100% finished, we are well on our way to better serving you! Follow us on facebook or this blog to keep up to date on all our happenings!
Free Literary Events to Fill Your December
If you’re like me and prefer a good book over a basketball game or an author talk over a sitcom, I’ve got a must-attend list of events to fill your social calendar in the upcoming month.
Though I would love to say that Emily and I are the rock stars who curated this amazing list, I can’t take credit for the awesomeness I am about to share with you. Kudos for that go to Arianna Rebolini at Literary Hub who did all the heavy lifting.
Please check out her post, 47 Virtual Book Events Worth Streaming This December, and pick and choose the author events that speak to you. Hint: as patrons, you’ve been reading many of these authors such as Ann Patchett, Brene Brown, Ruth Ware and Riley Sager to name but a few.
Also, don’t forget to finish our Community Read with Koa Kalia Yang and her virtual author discussion of The Song Poet. Supported by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, One Book | One Minnesota is a state-wide initiative to encourage communal reading and discussion of topics that will help us expand our world and make stronger connections with those around us.
Yang’s event takes place on December 9 at 7:00pm. While this event is free, registration is required. For personal viewing at home, register at The Friends One Book web page.
If you are interested in joining staff at Meinders Community Library for this virtual discussion, call or stop by the library to register by Wednesday, December 8.
As a public librarian operating on a limited budget, I would like to give so many shouts to the wonderful literary community who continues to provide content and opportunity to the general masses. You are the present day heroes in Carnegie’s dream of free access to all.
Thanks, Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, for providing great services and access to Greater Minnesota. Thanks, Pipestone Area Friends of the Library, for your continued support of our local community. We do good things with your help! Thanks to all who use our library services–virtual, digital, physical, books, programs, makerspace, education assistance, quiet spaces, games, etc. Without you, we would have no one to serve. And lastly, thanks to all who support us in any way–financially, promotionally, and the myriad ways we can’t begin to name.
In the true spirit of book clubs (which is really what author talks are), let’s continue these shared experiences and keep working toward the best community we can be!
happy reading (and listening)~ jody
Wild & Wooly Prohibition Events
The Volstead Act, which made the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal, turns 100 this January. To commemorate this anniversary, Meinders Library will be hosting several Prohibition-themed events.
On Monday January 14th, we’ll explore Minnesota’s own connection to Prohibition with living history presenter Arn Kind at Meinders Library.
Join us at the Pipestone Country Club on Saturday January 19th and put your new Prohibition knowledge to the test with Wild & Wooly, a large scale escape room speakeasy.
This event is open to anyone over the age of 21. Assemble your teams, find your best flapper and gangster apparel, and call Meinders Library to reserve your spot.
We will also host a teen version of the escape room at the library on Saturday January 12th. Open to teens in grades 7-12.
Author Allen Eskens at Meinders
Saturday November 10 @ 2:00pm
Join award-winning Minnesota author, Allen Eskens, as he shares his newest book, “The Shadows We Hide.” This sequel to “The Life We Bury” will be released on November 13.
Refreshments will be provided by Pipestone Area Friends of the Library. Other sponsors of this program include the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund, as well as State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant.
Thanks to all who have made our Community Read possible.
