Have you spotted Penny or a member of her posse yet? The Library staff has started hiding kitty-ducks around town! Penelope (aka Penny) and her posse of kitties (cat shaped rubber ducks) are cats about town! Penny the Library’s orange kitty mascot along with her clowder of cats are hiding around town. If you find Penny or a member of her posse just return them to the Library and pick a Penny Pincher prize! All ages are welcome to become a member of the Penny Pinchers! You are allowed one prize per person while supplies or kitty-ducks last. We have purchased only so many kitty-ducks, and once they are gone and not returned to the Library the program will be over. If you find a kitty-duck keep the game going by returning it to the Library for prize! All returned kitty-ducks will be released back into the “wild” to be found and returned again, so more prizes can be won. These kitty-ducks will not be found inside stores or other buildings, but outside, so please be respectful when going on your kitty-duck hunt.

On Tuesday, September 9th the Library welcomed Crossroads for a late morning adventure in rock painting, snacks and a movie. They generously left their sparkly rocks behind to help “Squirm the Bookworm” grow! Squirm is the painted rock participation project with Appomattox Rocks to see how long we can make this conversational artwork. Squirm located in the lava bed on the side of the Library. This private group of adults loves to meet at the Library for a safe and happy place of acceptance to enjoy an outing that includes movies, crafts, stories, and of course snacks! If you would like to book your own private program at the Library please feel free to reach out to us.

Tween STEAM on Tuesday, September 9th, MaKayla our new Youth Services Specialist, introduced the Library new micro world scientific microscope with preloaded sample slides that the kids had to guess which classification the sample fell under. The kids got to use the microscope to make comparisons of everyday objects with worksheets to compare their observations. Yes, of course we served snacks. The microscope, along with its slides will be available for checkout in the future as a STEM / STEAM makers kit.

On Wednesday, September 10th, the Library hosted Holliday Lake State Park’s Ranger Chance and Harold Holliday, the park’s resident red-eared slider turtle. Chance read the book “Chase the Moon, Tiny Turtle: A Hatching’s Daring Race to the Sea” by Kelly Jordan. We are aware this book is about a sea turtle and its race from the beach to the ocean, as Chance distinguished the similarities and differences between sea and land turtles. The kids enjoyed snacks while making drawstring backpacks to look like turtle shells, and a coloring project. Harold was the star of the show, allowing the kids to pet and scratch his shell with a brush.

Wednesday, Sept 10th the Library hosted its first Jamerson Teen Book Club featuring the graphic novel “Very Bad at Math” by Hope Larson. It was a light crowd, but those that attended enjoyed pizza and good conversation. The next Teen Book will be held on Wednesday, October 8th, starting at 3:30 pm in the community room, featuring another graphic novel “A Witch’s Guide to Burning” by Aminder Dhaliwal. A witch’s work is never done when she works for the people. With the success of her town relying on her magic, demands are high. But what happens when a witch can’t keep up with the magical requests? She is burnt, of course―in a cruel ritual that extinguishes her magic and erases all her memories, making her just like everybody else. But when a burning ceremony is interrupted by rain in Chamomile Valley, a witch is left writhing at the stake. It’s up to a witch doctor and her toad friend to save the singed witch and nurse her back to health. Can they help her before her magic is lost forever?

On Thursday Sept 11 – The new Girls Who Code Club met for the first time in the library community room. Girls Who Code is a club designed to help young women learn about science, technology, engineering and math and how they integrate into their everyday lives. At this meeting we learned what an algorithm is and how we can use them in our everyday life to schedule our day. The Jamerson GWC club welcomes new members from 3rd grade to 12th grade please register at https://www.jrjml.org/girlswhocoderegistration/.

On Friday, September 12th the Library staff welcomed back Crossroads for a private movie and snack time. Once again we encourage you to contact us if your organization, club, or group wants to have their own private event.

On Saturday Sept 13 – At this month’s Creative Class for Adults we created faux stained-glass portraits of flowers, butterflies and cats. These wonderful pieces of art were created using clear glue, acrylic paint and frames. We offer a new craft to learn each month. If you would like to join us for our next session, please register at https://www.jrjml.org/adult-program-registration.

The Library loves being asked to be a guest vendor at different organizations’ outreach opportunities in the area. This month we are attending two events. The first will be on Saturday, September 20th, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the American Legion Hall’s  Chili and Cheer Community day. Come out for a day of chili cook offs, craft vendors and family activities! This event is open to the public and admission is free! We will also be at the Holliday Lake State Park’s Fall Festival on Saturday, September 27th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. There will be hay rides, archery, crafts, an obstacle course, live animals, a scavenger hunt, prizes, live music, face painting and more. State park fees do apply for this event. Look for our blue tent for craft projects, a photo booth, the latest in Library information and events, and more!

It is that time of the year, time for the annual Jamerson Library Fall Plant Swap! To be held on Thursday, October 2nd, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm in the Library’s community room. What is a plant swap?  It is when you bring your extra or unwanted houseplants, seeds, bareroots, and cuttings to the Library and exchange them for new friends to take home. You must bring plants in order to take plants in a fair or generous exchange of greenery. There are just a few simple rules to follow;

In observation of the Railroad Festival and Columbus Day the Library will be closed to the public from Friday, October 10th through Monday, October 13th. The book depository at the back of the building will also be closed during this time. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause our patrons. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, October 14th starting at 9:30 am.

If you have any questions or concerns about this article or other library-related topics, please feel free to call us during normal business hours at 434.352.5340.

The Library receives a steady supply of new and donated items, we would like to highlight the following: