Activities still brewing at Fort Madison library

Posted

BY SARAH CLENDINENG
Fort Madison Public Library Director

FORT MADISON - There haven’t been many programs at the library in August, but we have been busy getting ready for everything starting in September.

Most of our children’s programs from last year will be returning and we have a couple of new, or expanded, programs. Wearing masks is strongly encouraged for everyone participating in library programs and, due to the nature of the activities, two of our programs will require the wearing of face masks.

Minecraft is back on Monday afternoons from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for ages 9 through 18. Space is limited for this program based on the number of laptops available, and we do not take reservations.

Teens will find a place to hang out at the library on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.. This is an opportunity to read, chat with friend and work on small crafts, or watch movies, especially anime and manga. Masks will be required to attend this program.

On early out days we will have our Wacky Wednesday programs for ages 5 through 12. These programs begin at 2 p.m. the length of the program depends on that day’s activities.

We have some STEM programs planned for the upcoming months and those programs will begin at 2 p.m. and last about 45 minutes. For craft days, you can drop in anytime between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.. We will be limiting the number of people in the room to allow for social distancing so you may need to wait for a spot to open up. We will be offering take-and-make kits for families that don’t want to stay in the library to complete the project. We will also be offering a couple of Wacky Wednesday encores on select Saturday mornings if you can’t make it on Wednesday after school. Check the library’s monthly program of events for specific dates and times.

Story hour is back on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 a.m -11:30 a.m. for toddlers and pre-school age children. Kids need to be able to sit and listen to stories being read aloud in order to attend. Though, if they can only sit still for one book and then you need to take them out of the room for a little bit to get the wiggles out, that’s okay, too. Sitting and listening to someone else is a learned skill. We will not be having Rhythm and Music story hour currently because we don’t want to be singing inside and the activities are hard to socially distance.

Another new program is our expanded Thursday Crafternoon. This program is open to anyone at least 14 years old, including adults. This is a chance to spend a month on an in-depth creative project, really taking your time and make something wonderfully elaborate. Our first month begins September 3.

The library’s book discussion group, All Booked Up!, meets on the 1st Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. We always have extra copies of the book for people to read and welcome newcomers at any time. In September, we will be discussing the speculative fiction book “Into the Forest” by Jean Hegland and in October, we will be talking about “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout. Don’t forget, the 1st Thursday of the month is also a great day to bring back those library materials that might be just a little past their due date. Fines will be waived on all library materials returned on the 1st Thursday of the month, with the exception of lost or damaged items.

While this is what we plan to be doing, we appreciate your understanding that we may need to be flexible depending on circumstances with Covid-19 in our county, our state and across the country. Please check the library’s Facebook page for the latest information on programs or call us if you have questions. We do have alternative plans to deliver some of these programs if needed.

What was Fort Madison Reading over the Summer?
Daddy's Girls by Danielle Steel (F STE)
The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin (F GIF)
Hideaway by Nora Roberts (F ROB)
Credible Threat: An Ali Reynolds Mystery by J. A. Jance (MYS JAN)
Camino Winds by John Grisham (F GRI)
Dance Away With Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (F PHI)
Masked Prey by John Sandford (MYS SAN)
Bombshell by Catherine Coulter (F COU)
Birds of Prey by Wilbur A. Smith (F SMI)
Killer Calories: A Savannah Reid mystery by G. A. McKevett (MYS F MCK)
Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Farmhouse Favorites Cookbook by Wanda E. Brunstetter (641.567 BRU)
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump (973.933 TRU)
John Adams by David McCullough (B Adams MCC)

Upcoming Events at the Fort Madison Public Library –
Library Closed – The Library will closed on Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day holiday. Thank you, worker’s, for what you do for our community and our country
Minecraft – 4 p.m. -5:30 p.m. on Mondays. Space is limited and we are not taking reservations
Hang Teen – Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. -5 p.m., for ages 12-18.
Pre-School/Toddler Story Hour –Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. for toddlers and pre-school age children.
Wacky Wednesday – Craft day September 2 and September 16, 2 p.m. -4 p.m. pm. STEM with Lee County Extension Shape-a-Saurus from 2 p.m. -2:45 p.m. September 23. Wacky Wednesday Encore from 11 a.m.- noon on Saturday September 5 and September 19.
Thursday Crafternoon –Thursday, 3:30 p.m. -5 p.m., for ages 12 and older, including adults. This program involves a month long activity so we recommend joining at the beginning of the month in order to have time to finish the project.
All Booked Up! - The library's book discussion group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. On Thursday, September 3, we will be discussing "Into the Forest” by Jean Hegland. Copies of the book are available at the library for check out. Join us for a lively discussion. On October 1, we will be discussing “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout.

activities, arts, books, crafts, director, fort madison, Library, Pen City Current, Reading

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