June 2024

LIBRARY NEWS

Youth Summer Reading Program

Read, write, and discover with Captain Owliver and his owlie divers during our summer reading program for kids, a collaboration between Stillwater and Bayport public libraries.

Start the Voyage

Young adventurers can embark on a reading journey with our Summer Ocean Explorers program. Drop by either Stillwater or Bayport library to sign up and pick out a free book to keep and a Voyage Guide (with an ocean tracker gameboard inside) to chart progress on reading and learning activities. Activities can also be tracked virtually on Beanstack.

Set a Destination

With Summer Ocean Explorers, kids can set personal reading goals, take on challenges, and uncover a trove of fantastic books. Dive deep into discovery by completing suggested explorations such as attending a library program, writing a poem, making something from a recipe, borrowing a Nature Backpack, or conducting a science experiment.

Be recognized as a Gold Star Reader by bringing your completed tracker back to the library or showing us your 10 Beanstack badges. Capture the moment on our summer reading stage. Strike a pose and snap a picture with your gold star, your completed tracker, or a favorite book.

Dive Into Programs and Events

We have a great lineup of summer programming. Each Wednesday through early August, enjoy special performances on the library’s lawn featuring favorite acts such as Brodini Comedy Magic, Dazzling Dave Yo-Yo Master, and Bill the Juggler, as well as new programs from Hunter Marionettes and Will Sings Songs. And don’t miss the grand finale – a puppet rendition of The Three Little Pigs, crafted and presented by our talented staff.

Keep an eye on our calendar for additional special events like Drop-in Clay City and Under the Sea Science. Additionally, don't miss the chance to register for art and STEM classes tailored for different age groups. For further details and registration, visit our calendar.

And, especially for teens and tweens, try out Crochet Camp or Craft Camp in June and July. Teens and tweens are also invited to join Chess Club (for ages 8 - adult) on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Thank You to Donors

Youth Summer Ocean Explorers is made possible by donors to Stillwater Public Library Foundation, the Friends of the Stillwater Public Library, and the Foundation for Bayport Public Library. Strong community support allows us to offer a breadth of programming and services that would not otherwise be possible.

Adult Summer Reading

Discover adult classes, programs, and events developed to ignite curiosity and enrich your summer!

Read & Win (Just for Adults)

Summer reading isn't just for kids in Stillwater – adults can join in on the fun too. The ever-popular Read & Win returns with the chance to win a gift card to a local business for each book review logged. Every week winners will be drawn from submitted entries, and you could win a gift card for dining out, shopping, or an adventure experience. Registration for summer reading and the prize drawing entry is easy. Stop in at the library or register on Beanstack. 

Adult Classes & Events

Adults can also enjoy a wide range of free programs. Explore the life and work of influential American musician Leonard Bernstein with MacPhail, discover the world of ornamental and native grasses with a Washington County Master Gardener, or unleash your creativity with painting workshops led by Karen Chan. Concerts include the Roe Family Singers outside on the library’s terrace, Flamenco guitar with Gabriel Hilmar, and folk musician Charlie Maguire.

Learn a new skill with classes in cross stitch, embroidery, and pastels. Focus on your wellness with tai chi, meditation, and yoga. Plus, get your antiques appraised with Mark Moran. Chess Club, Mystery Book Club, and Romance Book Club continue through the summer.

Some programs require registration. To learn more or to register for programs, stop in or visit library.stillwatermn.gov/calendar and click on the event you’d like to attend.

We live in a community of readers. Join your neighbors by celebrating summer reading at Stillwater Public Library.

Library Closed

Stillwater Public Library will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 for Juneteenth and Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day. The library is also closed on Sundays during the summer. Sunday Hours return on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

From Our Archives

Spring Storms (1894)

130 years ago on May 9, 1894 at 5:15 PM, a spring storm arrived in Stillwater bringing hail and heavy rain. It soon flooded the town. That first storm caused significant street and building damage, and even resulted in a death, but was only the first of four storms that assailed Stillwater over the following five days.

In this photograph, townsfolk view two collapsed buildings at north Fourth Street and Hickory Street, victims of a washout following the storms. As the May 16, 1894 edition of the Stillwater Daily Gazette described, 100 feet of the street was washed out to a depth of 25 or 30 feet into the ravine between Fourth and Third streets. Both buildings were owned by Erik Walquist. One building was apparently used by Walquist while the other was operated as a general store by August Wennerberg. Mr. Wennerberg’s losses were said to be $1,000, over $30,000 in 2024 dollars. Walquist’s house, the smaller building left standing to the north of the washout, was said to be “in considerable danger.” Properties on the east side of the ravine (on the Third Street side) were also damaged.

This photograph is one of several photographs in the Holcombe Family Photograph Collection that document the aftermath of the flood. The collection can be viewed in the library’s St. Croix Collection or online at the Minnesota Digital Library. Thanks to the Stillwater Area Historic Newspaper Initiative for making digitized copies of Stillwater newspapers available that help us understand the events and stories behind these photographs!

UPCOMING EVENTS

READ BAGS

Read Bags Are Back!

Sometimes we need a little extra reading inspiration. You can find your next favorite read or author in one of our Read Bags. Read Bags are bags of three books within the same genre or theme carefully chosen by our staff members. They’re a great way to experience books and authors you might not have on your lists.

Here’s how it works: Visit the Read Bags cart on the lower level outside of the St. Croix Collection Room. Choose a genre or theme listed on tags attached to the bags. Grab a bag and check out each of the three books individually. Read all or some of the books and return the books and bag to the public service desk. The books are due in three weeks and will automatically renew if there isn’t a hold on them. Your library account will show each of the three books individually.

IN THE GALLERY THROUGH JUNE

Artist Charlotte Schuld

Charlotte Schuld's show, "A Brush with Nature", showcases her painting as an environmentally focused artist with large format landscapes and vignettes.

Charlotte has spent all of her life paying attention to nature. First as the daughter of North Dakota farmers where the unique flow of colors in the sky and surrounding natural details were not only beautiful but could signal important information. When she moved to Minnesota in her early 20s she was struck by the joy of forested lands, lakes, and big rivers. She travels the valley and the world for inspiration; sometimes taking photographs for later painting and sometimes pulling out an easel for en plein air painting.

In painting landscapes, Charlotte’s goal is to recreate and share the experience of a place. Painting in large format invites viewers to visually and mentally step into them, stay awhile, and absorb the details in nature.

Charlotte’s love of nature is evident in more than just the subject of her paintings. She incorporates sustainable practice and materials in her studio and with her art stating, “I hope my work inspires an increased appreciation of our earth; a desire to protect it; and a call to action to participate in some way to preserve it for future generations.”

Artist Trudi Schaefer

“The Smallest Show on Earth” features assemblage art works, in miniature, focused on the history and spirit of the circus. Some of Trudi’s pieces are the size of a sardine can. They are always colorful and often light-hearted. She has also included some pieces about women throughout the history of the circus whom she has found to have remarkable talents and courage. Her artwork honors them and their combined spirit.

As an assemblage artist, Trudi collects things, lots of things. Be it beads, bones, clockworks or chandelier parts. She collects old wooden cheese boxes and sewing machine drawers. She also collects words and phrases. When one inspires her, she begins sifting through all of her treasures, finding things that connect with those words and with each other as an “interpretation.” She loves getting lost in the treasure hunt and fine-tuning all the parts until they speak as one.