It's August!
Here's what's happening at the 
Lopez Library!
Avid young readers at the library's display for the Burke Museum's
"Living Traditions: Native Peoples of the Pacific Northwest"
AUGUST PROGRAMS
 
 
Beyond the physical benefits, "The Plunging" fosters a deep sense of community. Participants support and encourage one another, sharing not only the cold but also a collective spirit of perseverance. The repeated ritual creates bonds that extend beyond the water, strengthening connections between people and reinforcing their relationship with nature. Pedro’s documentary captures this intersection of endurance, connection, and beauty.
 
This small documentary is part of the Artist in Residence program at the library, further rooting the project in the local community. Ultimately, Pedro Augusto Leite Costa’s story mirrors the essence of "Braving the Chill" itself: stepping into discomfort, discovering inner strength, and emerging with a renewed perspective on life.
 
 (Barbie will be here on 8/5 and 8/12 only)
 
 
“New” to the island? Welcome! Whether you've been here for a month or a few years, part-time or full-time, we hope you’ll join us for this all-ages evening of fun and connection. The Welcome Basket Social is a chance to meet people, make connections, and discover more of what island life has to offer. We’ll have social games, refreshments, a chance to learn more about Lopez and the Library, and a welcome basket raffle. Been on the island for a while? Come share your tips and welcome fresh faces! All are welcome.
Procrastination Station - August 6, 13, 20, 27
 
The Procrastination Station is a weekly co-working space for anyone who could use a dedicated time and a friendly atmosphere to focus, create, and get things done. Drop in with your laptop, paperwork, mending, writing, artwork, or that email you've been avoiding, and enjoy some shared productivity.
Lopez Taskmaster: Big Laughs for a Good Cause
Sunday, August 9 @ 2-3:30pm
 
 
Get ready for clever challenges, ridiculous solutions, and plenty of local laughs! Inspired by the popular British show, Lopez Taskmaster features Lopezians competing in creative and absurd tasks.
 
See the challenges taped over the Winter, hear live commentary from contestants and Taskmaster, and watch a final live task to determine the winner.
 
Brought to you by the Friends of the Lopez Island Library, this fun community event raises funds to support the library.
 
When:                 Sunday, August 9 | 2–3:30 p.m.
Where:                Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
Tickets:               $20 at the door
 
P.S. - Be sure to check out their silent auction, too, at the event.
 
An Interactive Archiving Workshop
 
 
Why do archiving practices matter for communities like Lopez, and what role can they play in passing knowledge between generations and places? Archives are increasingly under threat, yet they remain powerful tools for protecting what matters. This interactive workshop, facilitated by Clara Ewert and Breton Carter, archivists who both grew up on Lopez, moves from theory to community practice.
 
Open to everyone, the workshop is designed for those interested in starting a personal archive, learning about the archiving process, or getting involved with local archival projects like those at
the Lopez Island Museum.
 
A Coastal Living Libraries Initiative by Glory of the Seas Foundation in partnership with Maritime Washington.
 
Julia Mira: A Second Wind - Wednesday, August 12 @ 6pm
 

A new exhibition of paintings by local artist Julia Mira will be presented at the library through September 1.
 
“What you can see is always more than what you do see. For years I lived off the grid in the San Juan Islands, surrounded by sheep, cedar, apple trees, salmon, tanagers, pillbugs, copepods, eagles, children, ducks, pie cherries, and other rural marvels. Sometimes I paint.”
Samuel Kim music presentation in the back orchard
Saturday, August 15 @ 3-4pm
Samuel Kim is a classically trained pop/hip-hop musician based in NYC. He will present a short concert of finished work and works in progress.
 
Amir Akram music presentation in the back orchard
Saturday, August 15 @ 4-5pm
Amir Akram was born in Atlantic City on September 6, 2000 and had a childhood that involved frequently bouncing between New York and Atlantic City, eventually settling in Harlem in 2014. He is deeply influenced by the lyrics of his grandmother's favorite music and developed a love for the calm, yet critically intelligent demeanors of personalties like Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt, and Angela Davis. He will present a short concert of finished work and works in progress.
 
 
From Executive Producer Malala Yousafzai, Champions of the Golden Valley is an Emmy Award-winning documentary that captures the emergence of a homegrown ski culture in the snow-capped mountains of Afghanistan. The film reveals a breathtaking and seldom-seen side of the country — a remote region where joy, resilience, and community are forged in the peaks. Equipped with handmade wooden skis and secondhand gear, young athletes from rival villages come together to compete in a ski mountaineering race like no other. The event becomes a powerful catalyst for unity and hope, showcasing the transformative power of sport to bridge deep divides. Riveting, uplifting and deeply human, this is a story about how champions can be made by more than medals. Presented by Friday Harbor Film Festival's "Best of the Fest" and the Lopez Library. 
This film will be screened at the Library.
Yarely Torres Reynoso: "The World Swallows Whole"
Saturday, August 29 @ 2-4pm
 
 
Book Bingo for Adults & Teens
Pick up your bingo card at the Front Desk
Save the Date!
 

 
YOUTH PROGRAMS
Pick up your Reading & Activity Tracker at the Front Desk!
 
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Project Little Red has reached an exciting milestone, thanks to the incredible generosity of the community.
 
Representatives from Friends of the Lopez Island Library recently presented the library with a ceremonial “big check” for $227,000. The funds complete the community match needed to qualify for a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
 
Together with the state grant and funding from San Juan County’s Public Facilities Financing Assistance Program, this support will make Phase 1 of Project Little Red possible: replacing the library’s aging roof and failing windows. These essential improvements will help protect the building, improve energy efficiency, and ensure this much-loved community space remains safe, sound, and ready to provide enrichment, education, and enjoyment for generations to come.
 
Nearly 300 individuals and families contributed to the campaign. Every donation, large or small, helped us reach the match and unlock significant public funding.
 
We are deeply grateful to the Friends and to everyone who contributed. This milestone is a wonderful example of what Lopez can accomplish when people come together around something they value. The library belongs to this community, and the community has truly stepped up to protect its future.
 
With Phase 1 fundraising complete, the library is moving ahead with the architectural and planning work needed to guide the roof and window project through design, permitting, bidding, and construction.
 
The big check is worth celebrating, but Project Little Red is not finished. The Friends are already raising funds for Phase 2, the final phase, which will address additional building and infrastructure needs and help keep the library welcoming, accessible, resilient, and functional well into the future.
 
Our heartfelt thanks go to the Friends for their remarkable partnership and year-round fundraising efforts, and to every individual, family, business, and organization that helped make this milestone possible.
 
Learn more about Project Little Red and the Friends’ continuing campaign at friendsoflopezlibrary.org.

AROUND THE LIBRARY & ON DISPLAY
 Book Displays
Something for every age throughout the library!  
   
Book Bingo: SOOTHING & COZY
 
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch  Monk and Robot: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and a Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers  The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst  
 
 
Book Bingo: WATER
 
Is a River Alive? by Robert MacFarlane  The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi  My Oceans: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women by Christina Rivera
 
BOOK CLUBS
Wednesday, August 5th @ 4:30pm
 
The Thing About Jellyfish, Ali Benjamin
"Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced was responsible for her friend's death."
Wed, August 12th @ 4:30pm

Literary Salon is a no-rules book club where you bring whatever you're reading to a round of interested listeners. You are welcome to come and be a listener, too.
NOTE date change for March only.
To sign up for any of our informative Book Club newsletters, 
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
This section highlights a few events which are managed and hosted by community members and other organizations.
 
 

Thursday, August 20 @ 7-9pm
 
 


HAPPY SUMMER