Even though the weather remains hot and dry, we’ve wrapped up summer at the library and are already starting our fall programming this week.
At the end of August, we hosted a lively rock and roll pizza party in celebration of the reading done by the over 200 children and adults who signed up for this year’s Summer Reading Club. Music was provided by Tony Prophet, an energetic and engaging children’s performer, but I saw quite a few adults tapping their toes and doing a little dancing! Library manager, Nicole Glentworth, presented certificates of achievement and Mayor Susan Johnston took time out of her mayoral schedule to be on hand to congratulate the readers with a handshake and an awesome Reading Club medal.
But it seems that summer isn’t truly over until Brigade Days has been and gone. Once again the library was pleased to be part of the festivities. We were able to have LiLi, the Library Live and On Tour vehicle and her new driver Dave, this year so we had some catchy library tunes to accompany Hope Library staff in our parade entry. Thing One and Thing Two and, of course, the Cat in the Hat - a.k.a. Kristin, Sarah and me! Later Saturday afternoon, the library hosted a talk by Mike Starr and Chris Heschl of Fort Langley National Historic Site. Governor Simpson was quite the taskmaster! You can read about him in Trading Beyond the Mountains: The British Fur Trade on the Pacific, 1793-1843 by Richard Mackie and other books available at your library!
So what’s on at the library this fall? We will be introducing some new ongoing programs. Every Sunday, Happy Knit Hope welcomes knitters of all ages to join them at the library fireplace for a knit and chat. And once a month, we’ll have both writers and travellers meeting to discuss their respective passions!
Just around the corner is International Talk Like a Pirate Day on Thursday, Sept. 19. We’ll have pirate stories, cookies, and yes, pirate talk! Maybe there will be some practice pirate talk at the Friends of the Library meeting the night before? Perhaps.
As an aside, everyone is welcome to join this group of library lovers who have been so instrumental in raising funds for library “extras” over the years. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., seldom goes beyond 7 p.m., and the next one will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Of course, we will also continue to provide space for the Friends of the Hope Library Senior’s Coffee and Conversation group on Thursday mornings. Seniors are welcome to come and have a coffee and chat with other seniors. Sometimes the library will bring in a speaker - and coming up, the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations of B.C. will present a workshop on technology and aging on Sept. 26. This will be a look at what is available now and what the future promises to provide.
Wrapping up the month, during Arts & Culture Days (Sept. 27 – 29), the Hope and District Arts Council, the Friends of the Library, and the Art Machine will be collaboratively constructing a companion for Annabelle. She’s the fabulous lady with the lovely smile, the one who greets everyone at the library.
A grand way to wrap up September!
Staff Picks: Free Magic Secrets Revealed: A Memoir by Mark Leiren-Young, the author of Never Shoot a Stampede Queen and The Green Chain. Leiren-Young did an author reading at Hope Library a few years ago and I thought I’d give his latest – billed as “a side-splitting coming-of-age journey” a try. I find I am quite enjoying his autobiographical account of the angst involved in being a teenage playwright.
Also recommended: Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, which is getting good reviews on Bibliocommons (the library catalogue) and is the winner of the 2012 National Book Award. A moving exploration of love and violence.