Falling Forward into Fun for All
Every year I wonder where the summer goes? Why does it seem to last only a moment while winter drags on indeterminately? My dad always says "this country has two seasons - construction and winter" - as I type this it is cold, gray and rainy - IN AUGUST! So while we wrap up what has been a rather rainy season, I am not quite ready to put on a parka yet and hope we can squeeze out a little more summer still. Hope everyone had a chance to enjoy some downtime and read a book, magazine or back of a cereal box - whatever helps you relax!
This summer we had another very successful TD Summer Reading Club. 111 children and their families joined us for 7 weeks of special events and daily activities. In total, 1034 activities were completed and 479 people attended our programs! Way to go Belmont Community! None of this would have been possible without the financial support of local service clubs and businesses, as well as our four amazing student volunteers (Alexa, Claire, Jayla and Owen) who put in a total of 57 volunteer hours this summer. Of course, I can't be remiss by not giving a shout out to our Amazing Library Team who planned this program for several months and who made it the HUGE SUCCESS it was with their energy, enthusiasm and creativity. My heartfelt appreciation to this library team of Colleen, Maria, Rebecca, Vicki and of course, our Page, Alexa.
Now that summer programming is behind us, we are falling forward into activities designed for all ages - from EarlyOn weekly drop in for young families, to Chair Yoga and Creative Aging activities for our young at heart members. We have partnered with EarlyOn and YWCA to offer children's programming, our team has planned craft nights for youth and teens, and we have 2 very talented community members who will be offering their expertise in photography (Dean Archer) and Cookie Decorating (Kallie from Tulip Town Bakery) for Adults aged 16+. Bonnie Di Bernardo returns later in the Fall to offer the very popular Chair Yoga program. We love to support local and showcase the talents of community members while offering unique programming to our library community and hope you register to join us for one (or some) of our upcoming programs. More details inside this edition that Rebecca works tirelessly to create!
Special Announcement - SAVE THE DATE!
We are planning a system-wide Ontario Public Library Week Special Event that will showcase several different local authors across Elgin County. This event will take place Wednesday, October 18th at 1pm at the Port Stanley Theatre. Save the date to join us and hear several published authors speak about their books, have a chance to support local talent and enjoy some refreshments in the reception to follow. Our very own Belmont Author, Bev Irwin is one of the featured Authors. More details to follow in the coming weeks, so please check in with our Belmont Library team or follow Elgin County Library social media platforms to find out about this and other exciting events taking place across the County.
Happy Reading,
Leah the Librarian
Local Author Bev Irwin