February is almost over, but the Library staff is still giving away kisses (Hershey’s Kisses) at the front desk, along with fortune cookies, red envelopes with a brass coin, and craft projects in celebration of the Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the fire horse. February and “Love Your Library Month” may be leaving, but patrons have been loving the Valentine’s Day photo booth so much that we have put another one out for March! Be sure to stop by and take a selfie or photos of your friends and family. Don’t forget to tag us on social media.

March is in like a lion and out like a lamb! March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. This was the time of year, in ancient Rome, to resume military campaigns that had been interrupted due to winter. The birthstone is the aquamarine and the flower is the daffodil. Some of the observances in March are: Credit Education Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, National Craft Month, National Pet Vaccination Month, Paws To Read Month, Read an E-Book Week (1st-7th),  National Anthem Day (3rd), Oreo Cookie Day (6th), Johnny Appleseed Day (11th), Pi Day (as in the math pie = 3.14159265 etc.) (14th), Ides of March (15th), St. Patrick’s Day (17th), and Spring (Vernal Equinox) (20th at 10:46 am).

On Tuesday, February 17th, the Library celebrated Chinese New Year! 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse. Everyone who attended was gifted a red envelope with a brass coin for luck. Participants enjoyed fire horse crafts, and assorted snacks. We would like to thank Golden China for generously providing the fortune cookies. Since it was also Mardi Gras, we also passed out beads and Mardi Gras crafts.

On Wednesday, February 18th, the Library hosted their weekly Story & Craft Time. Library Fairy MaKayla read the book “How to Catch a Dinosaur” by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton. The kids used their imagination by painting their own version of a dinosaur while enjoying snacks. Our next Story & Craft Time will be on Wednesday, February 25th, with Ranger Chance from Holliday Lake State Park. He will read the book “Lake Mamas and Babies”. Everyone is welcome to attend with the understanding that this program is intended for preschool patrons.

The Library serves Appomattox County and beyond. On Thursday, February 19th, Library staff went beyond county borders to Farmville, to serve the needs of an almost-empty Children’s Little Free Library at Spoonful of Buttercream bakery. We filled up their children’s library with new and used books from donations and other acquired books. If you are in Farmville, be sure to stop by for some sweet treats and a free book! This is just one of the many Little Free Libraries that we help support. We also support Little Free Libraries outside our front doors, Holliday Lake State Park, the Appomattox Visitor’s Center, Horizon Behavioral Health Center, and Appomattox Inns and Suites.

On Thursday, February 19th, the Library hosted their Retro Movie Night.  In celebration of our nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration, we featured a movie about the adventures of saving the Declaration of Independence. Our next movie showing will be on Thursday, March 12th, starting at 2:00 pm. We will be showing “The Joy of Pi” as a part of the Infinite Sums Rural and Small Libraries Grant.

The Library is still accepting donations of Meal in a Bag Kits, which will be distributed to households throughout our community to help ensure that every family has access to a warm and nourishing meal during winter months. Donations may be dropped off at the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library during regular business hours. If you would like to participate, the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library has a box of gallon-sized zipper bags with recipe cards in them, so all you have to do is fill the bag and return it to the library. For a list of suggested items and sample recipes, please visit our website at: https://www.jrjml.org/tbtc/ to view the Meal in a Bag recipe cards. If you know of someone in need or are interested in receiving a selection of Meal in a Bag Kits you must register your family online at: https://www.jrjml.org/finr or call us. The Library will be in contact with you when the Meal in a Bag Kits are available for you to pick up. In addition, we will be distributing totes of meal kits to some area food banks. For a list of local area resources please visit: https://www.jrjml.org/tbtc.

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.

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