Recap of Recaps: May 7–May 16

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here are just a few recaps from some great programs that took place across the system between May 7–May 16. Big kudos to all the staff who put in the time, creativity, and effort to make these programs possible!

Patrons created beautiful Japanese Herbarium Bottles in celebration of 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

This Bridgetown patron found his favorite book on the bookmobile
and is ready for a summer reading adventure!

DIY Japanese Herbarium at Cumming Library

”Our regular adult craft program theme tied into the Asian Pacific American Heritage series quite nicely with 23 people joining us to make Japanese Herbarium Bottles. I displayed books about Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and set up a Haiku poetry station with Haiku books and blank bookmarks. Most people took nearly the entire time allotted to carefully arrange dried flowers in the jar, then decorate with ribbon or twine. Patrons used coffee stirrers to position the flowers in the bottle and then used hot glue to seal the cork when the arrangement was complete. I received a number of compliments on the craft, particularly on the quality of the lovely dried flowers that we used. Two ladies took inspiration from their crafts and wrote poems about the flowers.” –hosted by Melissa Gunter

Hampton Park Poetry Writers' Group at Hampton Park Library

"We had seven original poems submitted this week! We talked about structuring villanova poems, opossums, symmetry in the story arc of poems, juxtaposing human and natural world phenomena, "putrid whalefall", meter and the golden standard of English iambic pentameter, breaking sonnets, whether or not the word 'chintzy' sounded good within a more lyrical poem, writing poetry from an extremely personal point of view, and listened to one attendee's slam rendition of their poem. We discussed the poetry writing process and technology's effect on poetry and our brains in general. Once we have the meeting room back, our slam poet will bring his guitar so he can accompany himself for a slam poetry/music rendition of his work.” –hosted by Brooke West

Bookmobile Visit to Bridgetown

“Longer days and cooler weather made for the perfect bookmobile day at this large multicultural neighborhood located off Browns Bridge Road. As soon as we arrived at Bridgetown we were greeted by Grace, who shared that she was so excited that she had run to the bookmobile. Grace is homeschooled along with her four brothers and sisters, so having the bookmobile visit her neighborhood is a time saver for their family. We also enjoyed the company of three-year-old Daiwik (see photo) with his favorite book wearing his favorite shirt. Notice that his shirt falls in line with our summer reading theme. This little fella had so much to share with Jeanine and me during his visit. We learned about his favorite books, his little sister's birthday and the fact that grandma was at home cooking a delicious meal of savory pancakes. The Outreach team often has the pleasure of meeting the most wonderful people!” –contributed by Lorraine Lane

Dam Safety for North Georgia at Post Road Library

”Amanda McPherson with Forsyth County Soil Conservation started off by defining dams and sharing statistics about dams. Next, she showed an illustration of a dam and the various components. Some common issues with dams in North Georgia include trees/vegetation causing erosion, cracks, animal interference, and seepage. All of these issues can arise from improper dam building, lack of maintenance, and lack of knowledge about dams. Now, there are many regulations in place that ensure dams are built and maintained. One of the main reasons is because of the 1977 Toccoa Flood, which killed 39 people after a catastrophic dam failure. Homeowners need to be aware of the dams in their area, as we have 44 on the Safe Dam Program Inventory in Forsyth County. Houses may be built in an area that could flood or be at risk if there is a catastrophic dam failure, and many people are unaware of the number of dams in the county. Amanda shared the two resources with the group, https://damsafety.org/ and the Warnell Pond Consultants List. There were many questions about dams, dam maintenance, and the role of HOAs in relation to dams in their area.” –hosted by Brooke Richards

Paws to Read at Sharon Forks Library

"Today we were joined by our therapy dogs Milo, Ryder and Teddy. The children enjoyed reading to the therapy dogs. The rotation went smoothly and everyone got plenty of time to read to the dogs. When there was a light traffic moment, Milo and Ryder went to the teen room with their handlers just to help with study stress. I took the opportunity to talk to the caregivers about the summer reading program for the children while they waited for their turn.” –hosted by Anuradha Murari