Summer Reading - Starry Starry Night

We are approximately at the halfway point of the 2012 Summer Reading Program already! If you have yet to sign up, fear not! You can register at any time throughout the course of the program. There are, of course, plenty of activities and programs for you to take part in still, including this week's fun and fantastic programs:

Universe in a Jar

Monday, July 9th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Family Program

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN 16 oz PLASTIC OR GLASS JAR

Ever wanted to bottle the universe and keep it on your shelf?

Well, now you can! Bring one 16 oz clear glass or plastic jar from home

and we'll show you how!

Make Your Own Constellation!

Tuesday, July 10th, 11:00 - 11:30 am

Grades K - 5

Do you love stars? Listen to a starry night story and design

your very own constellation! This craft is "out of this world!"

Hunger Games

Tuesday, July 10th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Grades 6 - 12

*Registration Required - Limit 30*

Think you have what it takes to be declared a victor in the

library's first annual Hunger Games? Crafts, skill stations, Capitol food

and an Arena Scavenger Hunt await our tributes.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Mosaic Dream Monogram

Wednesday, July 11th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Grades 4 -8

*Registration Required - Limit 15*

Using shiny, glittery gems, beads, buttons, and more, teens will

have a blast creating a mosaic monogram on a canvas banner.

The results are stunning!

Lighted Paper Lanterns

Thursday, July 12th, 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Grades 4 - 8

Lighten up your night. Make your own custom paper lanterns!

Summer Reading - Night Adventures

Independence Day is just around the corner, but that's not the only thing. Week four of the 2012 Summer Reading Program is about to begin as well! Read on to find out what events, activities, and programs we will be hosting for next week's "Night Adventures"!

>>>PLEASE BE ADVISED<<<

The library will be closing at 5 pm on Tuesday, July 3rd.

Opening the Door to Dreams

Monday, July 2nd, 6:30 - 7:15 pm

Teens & Adults

Presenter Robin O'Neal Kissel (aka "Robin Ok") will guide

this interactive session where you will learn how to capture, work with,

play with, and honor those nighttime excursions---dreams!

Poppin' Rockets!

Tuesday, July 3rd, 11:00 - 11:30 am

Grades K-5

Little ones will make a poppin' rocket using simple household materials

such as plastic cups and rubber bands. This program promises to be a "blast"!

Lego Build Your Dream!

Friday, July 6th, 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Family Program

One hour of free-building fun with your friends and family!

Dream up some great creations!

Summer Reading - Night Life

Well, folks, we have two weeks down! Have you signed up for the Summer Reading Program yet? If not, hurry in today! You could win one of dozens of our prizes and giveaways, including Nook Tablets and Kindle Fire's! The activities and programs we have for the week of June 25th-29th are as follows:

Glow-In-The-Dark Spider Ball

Monday, June 25th, 6:30-7:30 pm

Family Program

If you're thinking "Eeek---spiders!", fear not! These spiders will not bite and

 are quite friendly. For this program, you will be making creepy,

 but super-easy spider balls. Their glow will haunt you!

Who-o-o-o's There?

Tuesday, June 26th, 11:00-11:30 am

Grades K-5

Who-o-o doesn't love owls?

Your little one's will be making their

own owl crafts to take home!

Bricks 4 Kidz

Tuesday, June 26th, 6:30-7:30 pm

Ages 5-12

*Registration Required- Limit 15*

Think you've got what it takes to be a Bricks 4 Kidz builder?

Explore the creative process of model design and discover how

LEGO components can work together to create all kinds of structures.

Games and activities are led by a Bricks 4 Kidz party host! LEGO bricks galore!

Flashy Fireflies!

Wednesday, June 27th, 4:00-5:00 pm

Grades K-5

*Registration Required - Limit 15*

Who doesn't like catching fireflies? For this craft, your little one's

 will be making fireflies that really light up!

Going Batty Headbands

Thursday, June 28th, 4:00-5:00 pm

Grades K-5

*Registration Required - Limit 15*

Ever feel like going a little batty? Then these headbands will be exactly what you need!

Summer Reading - Night Night

The 2012 Summer Reading Program has officially begun and what a start it has been! Dozens and dozens of you have registered to participate and many more of you have already begun to take full advantage of all of the programs, activities, and crafts that we have to offer. Interested in what is going on this week? Read on!

The Reading Genie

Paul Adams

Monday, June 18th 6:30-7:15pm

Family Program

This family program has comedy, music, storytelling, puppets and more!

The Reading Genie encourages young readers and their families to check out

bedtime stories, books about stargazing, the moon, dreamcatchers,

and even creepy crawlers and things that go bump in the night!

Jumbo Crickets!

Tuesday, June 19th, 11:00-11:30am

Grades K-5

Listen to a nighttime story and make a jumbo-sized cricket to take home!

Fortunately, this cricket won't keep your little one awake at night!

Clifford's Stuffed

Animal Sleepover

Wednesday, June 20th, 4:00-6:00pm

*Recommended ages 3-7 years*

(Drop-off)

Have you ever wondered what happens in the library after we're closed for the night?

We will share our secret world with your stuffed animal friend during this "stuffed animal sleepover". When you drop off one of your stuffed animal friends at the library, you will:

1.) Create a name tag for your stuffed animal

2.) Listen to a story with your stuffed animal

3.) Tuck your animal in for the night

Thursday, June 21st, 12:00-6:00pm

(Pick-up)

You will then pick up your stuffed animal and receive a picture of your friend's sleepover adventure! You will find out what fun mischief your stuffed friend got into during their overnight stay at the library!

Lego Build Your Dream

Friday, June 22nd, 3:00-4:00pm

Family Program

Sixty seconds on the clock! Get ready for fast-paced,

crazy building challenges using LEGO bricks!

There will be free-building fun, too! Stop in and

dream up some great creations!

Summer Reading - Dreams & Wishes

The 2012 Summer Reading Program is just around the corner--literally! Beginning next Monday, June 11th, you can begin signing up for the program and enjoy all of the fun that the program offers. The first week's theme, "Dreams & Wishes", will have lots to offer you. Read on to find out what fun activities, programs, and crafts you can enjoy next week!

Catch a Fairy, Catch a Gnome

Monday, June 11th, 6:30-7:30 pm

Family Program

*Registration Required*

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN 16 oz PLASTIC OR GLASS JAR

Ever been fascinated about capturing a fairy or gnome?

Where would you keep it? What story would your "little treasure" tell?

Capture your own little treasure tonight!

Dreamcatchers

Tuesday, June 12th, 11:00-11:30 am

Grades K-5

Keep the bad dreams and nightmares away!

Create your own dreamcatcher!

Dreamcatcher Bracelets

Wednesday, June 13th, 4:00-5:00 pm

Grades 4-8

*Registration Required - Limit of 12*

Make a dreamcatcher to wear around your wrist!

Wish Upon a Shining Star!

Thursday, June 14th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm

Family Program

Make a beautiful shining star out of foil, cardboard,

yarn, tissue paper, and Mod Podge!

For the Love of Chocolate!

This past Monday, the library hosted its second annual "For the Love of Chocolate" contest. Participants were asked to create one chocolate dessert for the judges, three local businesswomen, who would score the desserts on five criteria: taste, texture, appearance, originality, and complexity. After much deliberation (and thirteen scrumptious entries) the judges made their decisions. 

First place went to Emily McCracken and her Chocolate Ganache Cake; second place went to Lynn Norman for her Chocolate Bonbons; while third place went to Peyton Pakozdi for her Oreo Cake. 

Afterward Jim Revelos, of Esther Price Candy, gave a presentation about the history of the company, as well as featuring a short video in which the candy making process of the local sweets company was shown. Needless to say, it was a night of entertainment and decadence.

Visit our Facebook page today to see photos of the winners, the desserts, and more!

What We're Reading

Staff Member: Stacy


I Would Recommend: "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides


"It's an epic of a novel that spans 50+ years and follows three generations of a Greek-American family. Our narrator, Calliope (or Cal), takes us on a journey, spilling family secrets long-ado hidden from everyone. Remarkably funny for the subject matter; gut-wrenching at times. Whether or not you agree with Cal's decisions, you can't help but root for him. A book you can set down and pick back up time and again, you won't be able to forget what happen no matter how long you've been away from it. You'll want to read it straight through!"

"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver’s license...records my first name simply as Cal."

So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of 1967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

Middlesex is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.