Recap of Recaps: February 7–February 13

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here are some of the recaps from great programming that took place systemwide between February 7–February 13. The Outreach team, through a partnership with The Place of Forsyth and Forsyth Community Clinic, has revived a sparsely attended bookmobile stop and helped turn it into a one-stop shop for our community–truly a testament to the power of partnership!

Colorful dancers perform at the 
Lunar New Year Celebration

Chattahoochee Elementary Bookmobile visitors enjoy a craft

and services from The Place of Forsyth and Forsyth Community Clinic

Outreach Bookmobile Visit to Chattahoochee Elementary School

14 children and teens, 14 adults

“The Outreach team visits Chattahoochee Elementary School the second Saturday of each month and has for some time. In December, The Place of Forsyth reached out to see if they could partner with us. We are so excited to be a part of this monthly event. Visitors have access to a food pantry offered by The Place, the Forsyth Community Clinic provides free medical consultations, and the FCPL Outreach team promotes literacy. A monthly craft and bookmobile scavenger hunt also brings families together for some fun. At least three of the families said they have never visited a library before. It's wonderful to work alongside organizations whose main goal is to make a difference in the community!” –contributed by Kandy de Martin

Teen Writers' Club at Cumming Library 

10 teens

“Since villains were the discussion topic this evening, everyone was asked to share their favorite literacy or cinematic villain. Mine was Mr. Wickham of Pride and Prejudice but the teens had a surprisingly difficult time coming up with an answer. A villain or antagonist is essential to your plot. They are the opposite of a hero with motivations and actions that oppose the protagonist and therefore drive the plot of your story. The teens said there are different flavors of villain depending on the story. I had to laugh when one teen labeled Voldemort, the nemesis of Harry Potter, as "baby's first villain" because they think Voldemort is a weak example of evil. The shared writing started with a romance in honor of the eve of Valentine's Day. The main character is a shapeshifter and the writer established a rule that this species only falls in love once in a lifetime and never falls out of love with that one person. Everyone groaned when I mentioned that this reminded me of the Twilight series and the imprinting that the wolves experience with a particular person. Another teen shared her next chapter, which takes place at a dragon school, and another shared a list of her fictional crushes. A teen showed us the drawings she made of her main character and everyone was very impressed. Three new teens attended and everyone participated in the discussion.” –hosted by Holly Raus

Adult Special Needs Craft & Story Hour at Hampton Park Library

33 adults

"Today we read Mr. Goat's Valentine and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose, which went over well and with several comments during the reading. Our craft was gluten-free pink salt dough hearts. Since one of our regulars has a sensitive gluten allergy, I used gluten-free flour, salt, and water to make the dough so he could participate, too. Each participant received a chunk and used a rolling pin to roll it out on wax paper. They used heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out their hearts. I also scattered some rubber stamps at each table so they could make an imprint in their heart to decorate it. Some participants didn't even want to cut out hearts, and were happy to roll out the dough and use the stamps to make images in it. This was a much bigger crowd than usual, with the addition of a new group from Creative Enterprises and a new individual with her caregiver. I had just enough supplies for everyone. LeAnne was a HUGE help as always, with handing out supplies and helping individuals with the different parts of the task, depending on their abilities.” –hosted by Jennifer Forbes

Saturday Family Storytime at Post Road Library

28 children, 16 adults

"We had a lively crowd for storytime today! I put together my favorite parts of the storytimes I presented Thursday for today's program: Hello song, the Tall Hat Rhyme, and The Learning Groove's version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", the Handy Pandy rhyme, Very Good Hats by Emma Straub, the "little Cat, Little Cat" rhyming game, Hat by Paul Hoppe, the mystery bag, Satoshi Kitamura's Hat Tricks (which absolutely thrilled this crowd!), and my short preview of the puppet show. As I was heading to the back to greet families after the program, I was stopped by a grandmother who held my hand and told me how much they loved the program and that "I explained things and told stories so well". I was very moved! I commented on a boy's fantastic dinosaur hat as he was leaving and his mom told me that he LOVES hats and they were so happy they came today.” –hosted by Jane Elizabeth Sewell

Lunar New Year Celebration at Sharon Forks Library

827 children, 413 adults

"This program was a great success and an important partnership with FCPL and OneForsyth. There were fourteen performances, including a Dragon Dance (it is the Year of the Dragon!), three craft stations, and educational displays throughout the branch. Attendees could learn about calligraphy, identify their Chinese zodiac animal, and visit with friends and family in the Hot Spot. The decorations provided by OneForsyth were amazing and enjoyed by all those who stopped in for the festivities. Each child received a red envelope with a small cash gift, sponsored by Pearl Cai and iSpring Water Systems. Snack packs were also distributed, containing traditional Lunar New Year treats. Several new cards were given, including one to a patron who said the Mandarin collection made his day!” –hosted by Sarah Reynolds