Recap of Recaps: January 25–February 1

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here is a sampling of recaps from a few of the wonderful programs that took place across the system between January 25–February 1:

Beautiful Bobbin Lace attendees learn from staff and the
Atlanta Chapter of the International Organization of Lace

Patrons sewing together during Dungeons & Dragons DIY

Oaks at Hampton residents discuss Vietnam with
Katie LeDuc during a Golden Hour program

Dungeons and Dragons DIY - Crafting for Teens at Cumming Library 

11 children, 6 adults

"A small but enthusiastic group showed up on this rainy Saturday to craft! We had a mix of experienced and semi-experienced players, as well as a few DMs (Dungeon Masters who run the game). Teens could make a collapsible dice tray from felt, minis out of paper or glass pebbles, a paper dice tower, or a simple sew or no-sew dice pouch. I was able to jump around and help with all the different projects, answering questions as I went. Many of the kids in attendance learned how to

hand sew, machine sew, and iron for the first time. One girl exclaimed in amazement "This looks like a real pouch!" as she looked at the project she had just finished sewing.  It was awesome to see the teens working hard and being so proud of their end products. A few Moms in attendance helped with basic sewing skills for their own kids, so I was free to help the rest of the room. Many of the teens said ”thank you” for having a program like this, and asked what other events we had. I pointed out that you can check out D&D source books from the library, and they were very excited to learn that! Overall, I think everyone was pleased with the end results of the projects they picked, and some even took extra supplies and instructions to do more at home!" –hosted by Kaity Bowers

Case Investigation with the GBI at Hampton Park Library

2 children, 36 adults

"Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Dustin Hamby and Special Agent (SA) Elaina Honea from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Region 8 came out to talk about their duties with the GBI. Dustin informed attendees that as a requestor agency, they cannot just take a case on but have to be requested by the Chief of Police, Sheriff, District Attorney, etc. The GBI investigates everything from robberies to child and elder abuse. Each office has a child abuse specialist, elder abuse specialist, and a couple of crime scene specialists. ASAC Hamby took us through a case study of one of their cases - Drusilla Patrick in Ellijay. Apparently, her controlling husband told multiple stories to multiple people about the disappearance of his wife, and the GBI was asked to get involved. After multiple interviews, and catching the husband in a lie, the agents obtained a search warrant for his house and property. ASAC Hamby said he noticed a beautiful landscaped area with a tree visible from the bay window in the master bedroom, where he also found what appeared to be a shrine to Drusilla (wedding photos and their wedding rings) on top of the dresser. They brought in a cadaver dog that alerted them to the landscaped area. After digging, they uncovered her body. Case closed. We planned an hour for the program, but patrons enjoyed it so much I had to interrupt Q&A to let everyone know that the library would be closing.” –hosted by Jennifer Forbes

Beautiful Bobbin Lace at Post Road Library

14 adults

"Members of the Atlanta chapter of the International Organization of Lace, Inc. (IOLI) presented the program educating attendees on the history of lacemaking and a hands-on demonstration of the process. Nancy Baldwin and three other members of the IOLI started out with a brief history of lacemaking and a few interesting facts about the different ways to create lace (fishing nets and macramé are included in the different types of lace). The IOLI group was excited to use our ELMO and projector to do the demonstration. It made it much easier for the attendees to see the process. The group was paired up and were taught a simple pattern. The pairs took turns crossing and twisting the bobbins and had a wonderful time. Many of them expressed interest in learning more and some who are involved in other types of lacemaking were interested in the organization. After the group wrapped up their instruction, I pulled up the catalog on the projector screen and showed everyone how to search for books about lace. We only had one book for a different type of lace, but I walked them through how to change to WorldCat and place an Interlibrary Loan request. Everyone who attended was very positive about the program and the presenters would love to come back and do more classes.” –hosted by Alison Carling

An Afternoon of Jazz with Dwan Bosman - Celebrating Black Heritage at Sharon Forks Library

11 children, 43 adults

"Once again, Dwan Bosman entertained our patrons with live jazz music for our Celebrating Black Heritage series. Patrons were excited to hear him perform jazz music from Miles Davis, John Coltrane and others. I introduced Mr. Bosman and talked about our Black Heritage Month series, highlighting the Hip Hop and Black Radio programs. Mr. Bosman talked about the origins and history of jazz from 1940s BeeBop, Cool Jazz and Medium Jazz as well as Jazz Fusion, and the influence of Jazz on other music. He even included some jazzy Pop and Gospel music which were true crowd pleasers. Our diverse audience included all ages of patrons, some serious jazz fans who are now on the lookout for this program every year, and fans of Dwan Bosman who don't normally visit our library but enjoy hearing Mr. Bosman perform at different venues. I had jazz books and CDs on display along with some famous African American quotes that I made for my Black History Month display. After the program several patrons thanked Dwan Bosman for coming and thanked FCPL for hosting the program. Mr. Bosman told me he was very happy to be invited to perform for Forsyth County patrons at FCPL and wants to continue to play at this unique event.” –hosted by Alicia Cavitt

Outreach Golden Hour – Oaks at Hampton
12 adults
“This month the Golden Hour is a travel program that takes senior living residents to Vietnam. Katie, having visited the country, shared a brief history on Vietnam along with lovely engaging photos of the landscape and her travels. The residents were intrigued and curious as Katie shared stories of her experiences while in Vietnam. Some of her experiences were eating fish cooked on the beach that had just been caught by Vietnamese fisherman, cleaning rice picked from the fields and exploring the largest cave in the world, Han Song Doong. Katie also wore the traditional dress of Vietnamese women called an ao dai.” –contributed by Lorraine Lane