Holiday Party!

It's Christmas time at the library! We will be having a Holiday Party for kids of all ages on Thursday, December 17th @6pm. There will be snacks/refreshments, arts and crafts, and a special Christmas story! Please come and bring your friends. Also, come and check out our tree donated by McClure's Evergreens in Port Royal. Thanks!

Library Benefit Auction!!!

The Friends of the Juniata County Library will be having a Chinese Auction October 3rd.

Mifflintown Fire Hall from 6 to 9 pm

The Chinese auction will include many baskets that have been prepared and

donated by local businesses and individuals.

Examples of some baskets are:

Penn State items including tickets and a parking pass for the homecoming game,

handmade papers, teas and coffees, baby supplies, woodcrafts, foods, and hand-painted crafts.

In a Chinese auction, bidders buy tickets 7 tickets for $5 and bid on a basket by placing tickets

in a tub beside a basket they would like to win.

At 8:45 pm a winning ticket will be pulled from each tub.

The odds of winning increase with the number of tickets that a bidder places in a particular tub.

When not examining the baskets and bidding, there will be other things to do.

Displays of goods and services set up by businesses and agencies can be visited.

Two notable agencies are the American Red Cross and the Lewistown Hospital.

Used books as well as Wayne Taylor’s new book will be available for purchase.

Tootles the Clown will be entertaining the children

and music will be provided by Calvin Brackbill of Extreme Sound Entertainment.

Hot dogs, cold drinks, and baked goods will be sold.

The Friends are holding this event to raise money to help defray an expected reduction in their state funding.

To inquire about reserving a space or about donating a basket,

contact auction chairs

Janice Darrow (436-2398) and Nancy Olson (527 2228),

or Friends of the Library president Richard Burkholder (436-6555).

Featured Parenting Books

We now have a display of parenting books in the children's room on display for your library convenience! We will be adding new books to the collection in the near future for mothers and fathers with children of all ages. Please feel free to check them out...they could be a life-saver!

bad blaugger

Oh how I have been a bad blaugger! So much happened over the summer time that I found it hard to keep up! No excuses...summer is over now. Autumn is here!

Footpainting video :)

2009 State College Arts Fest

Thank you Juniata Cultural Arts Committee for making our bus trip to the State College Arts Festival for Children and Youth Day possible! They were kind enough to pay for our transportation to State College.

We left the library and arrived at Beaver Stadium where we took a shuttle downtown. I can't believe how many fun activities they had for kids! The place was jam packed with children of all ages. There were muiscal and theatre performances, big sand castles, sidewalk art for sale, arts and crafts activities, gallery exhibits, and yummy carnival food (and alot more that I probably didn't have time to see). Parents and their children were free to wander about and pick and choose which activities they wanted to participate in.

It was a bit chilly for July but other than that, I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who came and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! Maybe we can go again next year?? Cross your fingers! And yes, that is a picture of a storm trooper.

Playing Footsie (paint included)

I needed an excuse to do this program...luckily our theme this summer is "Be Creative". I'm glad it stopped raining because today we read the story "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds and "Draw Me a Star" by Eric Carle out on the grass since it's so beautiful. After our storytime, we ventured down to the back porch to embark upon our messy foot adventure. On the porch, we had a big long sheet of paper, different colored paints, and a kiddie pool of water for rinsing. I'll let the pictures say the rest....

Pottery Workshoppie

A special thanks goes out to Todd and Melissa Tabb for volunteering at the library last week! They are both extremely talented local potters that were willing to bring their potters wheel to the library to give a demonstration. We read a story called "The Pot that Juan Built" and then watched as Todd threw a pot on the wheel and Melissa described what techniques he was using. After they were done, they gave each child a piece of clay to make either a pinch pot (a small hand built cup) or a tile. After the kids were done, we collected their creations and Todd and Melissa took them home to fire in the kiln. What a great program!! I can't wait to see what they look like :) THANKS TODD AND MELISSA!!!

Kendra

Oh, and our Summer Assistant this year is the lovely and talented Kendra Getz! She will be helping with children's programs throughout the summer. She's awesomely amazing in every way...yay Kendra!

Our Schedule

Here's our schedule...just in case anyone forgot or lost the little paper. If you notice, everything is going to be AMAZINGLY FUN!!!

Week 1: Summer Reading KICK-OFF!!

Friday, June 12^th 6pm: Adam Swartz and his puppets will be visiting the library to perform

the puppet show “Billy and the Story Machine”. Don’t miss out!

Week 2: Sculpt it!

Tuesday, June 16^th 11am-12pm Ages 3&4

Wednesday, June 17^th Community Concert in the Park@7pm: Open Mic Night

Thursday, June 18th 6-7 Clay Workshop: Local Potters, Todd and Melissa Tabb

visit the library, and give a demonstration. Ages 5 - 12.

Week 3: Paint with your Feet!

Tuesday, June 23^rd 11am-12pm Ages 3&4

Wednesday, June 24^th 11am-12pm Ages 5-7

Thursday, June 25^th 1-2pm Ages 8-12

Thursday Evening, June 25^th 6-7pm Ages 3-12

Week 4: Break! Have a Great 4^th of July

Week 5: Field Trip!

Tuesday, July 7^th Stories in the Garden* 11am, All ages

Wednesday, July 8^th Field Trip to Children and Youth Day at the State College Arts Fest.

We will be taking a school bus to State College. Space is limited, sign-up at the library!

Pack a lunch. Check for times.

Thursday Evening, July 9^th: Kids Movie Night

Week 6: Music!

Tuesday, July 14^th 11am-12pm Ages 3&4

Wednesday, July 15^th 11am-12pm Ages 5-7

Wednesday Evening, July 15^th Community Concert in the Park@7pm: Big Band

Thursday, July 16th 1 -2 Ages 8 - 12

Week 7: Photography!

Tuesday, July 21st Stories in the Garden* 11 am, All ages

Wednesday, July 22nd 11am - 12pm, Photography Workshop

with photographer Sarah Little! Ages 5 - 7

Thursday, July 23rd 1 - 2pm, Photography Workshop, Ages 8 - 12

Week 8: Act it! Cook it!

Tuesday, July 28^th Theatre Workshop!! Learn the tricks of the trade--acting tips from the pro’s.

The Popcorn Hat Players will be visiting from Harrisburg.

Sign up at the library, space is limited! Ages 6-12

Wednesday, July 29^th Cooking Art Party! This may get messy!

Thursday, July 30^th Kids Movie Night

Week 9: Recycled Art!

Tuesday, August 4^th 11am-12pm Ages 3&4

Wednesday, August 5^th 11am-12pm Ages 5-7

Thursday, August 6^th Stories in the Park with Rosie @East Waterford Park,

10-11am, All ages

Thursday, August 6^th 1-2pm Ages 8-12

Thursday Evening, August 6^th 6-7pm Ages 3-12

Week 10:

Wednesday, August 12^th Stories in the Park with Rosie@ McAlisterville Park, 10-11am, All ages

Thursday, August 13^th 6pm The return of the GREAT WORM CRAWL-OFF! Bring your fastest worm to race!

Week 11: Summer Reading FINAL PROGRAM PARTY!!

Wednesday, August 19^th 11am-2pm All Ages are invited to bring their families and a covered dish or snack. We’ll be having games, food, and entertainment, and drawing our raffle winners!

*Stories in the Garden is a new program at the library. We have started a small community garden where we hope to teach about the importance of growing your own healthy food.

Feel free to bring a blanket and picnic as we sit under a shade tree and read a garden story.

All of the programs provided by the Library are free of charge.

Most of our programs involve a story, activity, and/or craft.

Occasionally we have a special event or workshop where sign-up is necessary to know

how many supplies are needed.

A special thanks goes to the Juniata Cultural Arts Committee for providing financial support for some of our art workshops, performers, and field trips this summer.

Their help made this summer schedule possible.

Also, thanks to all of the volunteers who help with the summer program!

If you would like to help the library, we are always in need of food and art supplies,

among many other things. Please contact us for details.

Don’t forget to check out our Infant/Toddler Read-to-Me Summer Program (ages birth-3)

and our Young Adult Reading Program (ages 12-19).

If you have any questions about our summer events and programs, please contact us at (717) 436- 6378,tessagross@juniatalibrary.org, or www.juniatalibrary.org

ConGRATs! Write and Illustrate Your Own Book WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP!!!

HEY-

Now here's something cool-

These are the winners and runners-up from the write and illustrate your own book contest! How great!

If you didn't win this year, don't give up!! You could win if you enter a book next year...all of the books were very creative! The judges have a hard time picking the winners.

If you wrote a book and haven't gotten it back yet, you can pick it up at the library. The winners have their books bound and placed in the library. We had a book signing party for t

he winners and runners-up on June 4th.

Here's the list of this year's winners:

Kindergarten:
1st: Kierstyn Fogle
Runner up: Jorden Hockenberry

First Grade:
1st: Paige Smith
Runner up: Malin Kint

Second Grade:
1st: Julia Rice and Kenneth Hershey Jr.
Runner up: Carli Walters

Third Grade:
1st: Zachary Fogle
Runner up: Camryn McClure

Fourth Grade:
1st: Allison Beaver and Rachel Dressler
Runner up: Rachel Bargo and Brenna Strawser

Fifth Grade:
1st: Elizabeth Ritzman
Runner up: Ashley Auker

Sixth Grade:
1st: Caroline Lesh

We Kicked-it...KICKED IT GOOD!

Thanks to Adam Swartz for the very entertaining puppet show!!! It was called "Billy and the Story Machine". I'm sorry if anyone missed it! My favorite part was the noise the story machine made...unfortunately I can't reproduce it via text. At the end, Adam gave the library a free puppet! I believe the puppet's name is "Squeaky Carrot". You can come hang out with Squeaky Carrot at the library anytime you're feelin blue.

New Technology...meow.

So we're all kicked-off here at the library and Summer Reading is on it's way! Thanks to everyone with their patience...we're doing things a wee bit different this year. Sorry if I've caused any confusion! One new aspect this year is that we've been technological-if-ied. I wasn't super crazy about the idea at first but I will admit that it makes it easier for people who don't live close to the library. Also, it's a great way for us to keep track of all those statistics about participation that are necessary for us to keep track of. I still have to straighten out a few kinks but I think it's been working alright...or at least I haven't gotten many complaints yet. If anyone has any suggestions or feedback, please let me know!!!

If you're keeping track of your books the old fashioned way, we still have you set up with an online account. You would have to email so that I could give you your username and password if you wanted to access it. Anywhoo, remember, KEEP READING ALL SUMMER LONG!!! Studies show that children who read over the summer months are better prepared for school in the fall! WOOHOO!

Summer Reading Kick-off!!

Alright, I think I've got just about everything set up for Summer Reading! There are three programs this year: Infant/Toddler Read-to-me Program (ages 0-2), Kids Summer Reading Program (ages 3-12), and the Young Adult Summer Reading Program (ages 12-19). These programs are all geared towards keeping track of books read over the summer and being eligible for prizes.
You can register by visiting our website (www.juniatalibrary.org) and clicking on the link, or coming to the library to register and receive your hard copy book log.
We will also be having events all summer long! Our theme this year is BE CREATIVE AT YOUR LIBRARY! I'm pretty sure we know how to do that.

Our Summer Kick-off will be on Friday, June 12th at 6pm--We will be having a puppet show by State College Puppeteer Adam Swartz called "Billy and the Story Machine". Refreshments will be provided. Please come and help us start off the summer with a bang! See you soon!

In loving memory

I would like to say a few words about Jeff Funk, a wonderful volunteer who recently passed away. Even though I have known Jeff since I was young, I knew him mostly through his service to the library. Every Thursday evening, Jeff would come in to help assist patrons and to shelve books. He also brought with him treats for the staff who were working that night. That is how Thursday became lovingly known as "French Fry Thursday". Luckily, I work on Thursdays 12-8pm, so I always had the pleasure of working with Jeff. He added something to Thursdays that I can't quite explain (not just the french fries). He added jokes and smiles...and he just had a way of making something ordinary be something extraordinary. Needless to say, Thursday was my favorite workday of the week, and I attribute that mainly to the fact that I got to spend it with fun and happy people. Jeff has been an example to me of someone who gave so generously without asking for anything in return...and who truly enjoyed life. So in honor of the tradition that Jeff started, French Fry Thursday lives on forever.
Thank you Jeff for your service, and kindness...and wisecracks--we will miss you more than you could know.
Love always,
Tessa

GETTING READY!!!

I"M GETTING READY....FOR SUMMER....MUAH HA HA HA HA HAAA!!!! Things are looking pretty amazing! Our theme is "Be Creative @ Your Library". I'm so excited.

Eggstraordinary

How could I forget? I almost forgot to write about our last week of Spring Story Hour!!
First and foremost, thanks to everyone who came to story hour and for all the help and donations and love and overall goodness all around. I love to see kids (and parents!) show such enthusiasm for reading and acting silly.
We always have a party for our last week of story hour, and party we did! The story we read was called "The Extraordinary Egg" by Leo Lionni. A sneaky library chicken always lays eggs in our yard this time of year and we have to gather them up! So we all made homemade baskets and went on an egg hunt. Luckily all of the eggs had a special treat inside of them....mmmm....
Everyone received a free book and a certificate of participation, and thanks to everyone's donations, we had healthy snacks and refreshments to finish off our story hour.
What a barrel of monkeys! THANK YOU THANK YOU MUCHO GRACIAS!

Write and Illustrate Your Own Book Contest!!!

Don't forget about the Write and Illustrate Your Own Book Contest for grades K-6. The deadline is April 30th! Children can write and illustrate their stories and compete to have them bound and put into the libraries permanent collection. The great thing about this contest is that it has been going on for years and we have books that were written and illustrated by many local people that are all grown up now. They are one of a kind and they are here at the library for your viewing pleasure.

Here are the rules (PAY ATTENTION!)

*Children must be Juniata County residents in grades K through 6.

*Both text and illustrations must be done by the children and all work must be original. Parents and teachers may advise children about punctuation and spelling, but may not rewrite the text.

*If two children submit a joint entry, and the joint entrants are from different grades, the entry must be submitted under the higher grade. Students may not be the author of one book and the illustrator of another.

*All edges of all book pages must have at least a 1.5 inch margin. Page size must not exceed 8.5x11 inches, but it may be smaller. (Margins are needed when binding the winning books)

*The final text should be neatly printed or typed on plain paper, not notebook paper. Parents may assist with typing. Avoid using pens or pencils that fade or smear. Do not write on your book after it is finished. Illustrations must not be pasted or taped to book pages. Do any drawing directly on the book page itself.

*The title page must include the name, grade, and school of the author and illustrator. Please indicate which student is the author and which is the illustrator. Attach a sheet of paper with the address and phone number of the students.

*The book may have a cover, but please don't laminate it. Please do not staple the book. Instead, use paper clips to hold it together. Do not use notebooks, binders or similar covers.

*Only one entry per child will be accepted.

*All entries must reach the library on or before the deadline of April 30^th, 2009.

*One winner from each grade will be selected. The winning stories will be bound and put into the library's permanent collection.

Chugga chugga

What kid doesn't like trains? Trains are big and fast and loud and they whistle and they carry stuff and they're just plain cool and amazing. So for our 7th (or 8th?) week of Story Hour, our theme was trains. And, in honor of trains, we created our very own "library train". Each kid was given a ticket at the beginning of Story Hour and after we did our stretches and read our story, we jumped on the library express and chugga chugga'd around the library. Again, not the quietest library activity but since when was Story Hour quiet? The stories we read were "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo" and "Train Song", and we made noodle trains (glued pastas onto constuction paper).

Spring has sprung!!!

It is officially Spring!!! For our sixth week of Story Hour we made our very own pots out of plastic cups that we decorated and planted beans and peas. We also read a few gardening stories which taught us about growing and eating healthy veggies. We read "Up, Down, and All-Around", "Oliver's Garden", and "The Gulps".
I'm so excited because this year we are attempting to make a library garden and grow our own vegetables right here. On April 25th, we hope to have United Way's Youth Day of Caring break the ground for our small garden patch. We would like to try and grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, chard, and onions. We are also going to try to grow sunflowers, peas, and squash down along the bottom side of the building. Once the weather is warm enough, I would like to have a planting day and invite the children from Story Hour to come and help me plant some of the seeds we have started this spring.

If there is anyone who would like to help with our garden, please let me know! Or if you have any plants, tools, topsoil, etc. that you would like to donate. We will not be using any pesticides or herbicides--everything will be as sustainable as possible. This would be a great opportunity for someone who is not able to have their own garden but would like to. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss Week!

I'm a little behind on my blaug-o-rama, so I'll have to play catch-up. For our fifth week of story hour, we celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday. In honor of the late children's author, we read the story of "The Sneetches" (some with stars, some without stars on thars) and another short story called "What Was I Scared Of?"
If you've never read either of these stories, I highly recommend them. "The Sneetches" teaches a great lesson about acceptance and "What Was I Scared Of?" tells a story about fearing the unknown...(see comment). Plus, they're both just plain silly. Any story that features a character known as "the pale green pants with nobody inside 'em" has to be great.
We celebrated with a balloon hunt and then made our very own creative balloon creatures. Dr. Seuss, you were one crazy dude. Thank you!