Submitted by Sarah Brubaker
Check out these highlights from some of the unique offerings patrons enjoyed systemwide April 24–April 30, 2025.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day Outreach Visit (4/26)
120 children, 6 teens, 96 adults
“What an exciting day we had at the YMCA! Patrons began flooding the bookmobile almost as soon as we got there. Their enthusiasm for Loanie was palpable, and the questions ranged from, ‘You mean we can check out the books for free?!’ to ‘Can you come to our neighborhood?’ Many of the visitors had never seen a bookmobile, while a few reminisced about growing up with a bookmobile (they were from Illinois). As usual, we heard over and over how much the library and all of our programs mean to the community.” - hosted by Brooke West and Jeanine Thompson
120 children, 6 teens, 96 adults
“What an exciting day we had at the YMCA! Patrons began flooding the bookmobile almost as soon as we got there. Their enthusiasm for Loanie was palpable, and the questions ranged from, ‘You mean we can check out the books for free?!’ to ‘Can you come to our neighborhood?’ Many of the visitors had never seen a bookmobile, while a few reminisced about growing up with a bookmobile (they were from Illinois). As usual, we heard over and over how much the library and all of our programs mean to the community.” - hosted by Brooke West and Jeanine Thompson
Astrophotography for Smartphones at the Cumming Library (4/26)
12 adults, 6 teens
“This program was a dream come true! We had 18 patrons (a good mix of teens and adults) come after hours to the library to learn all about astrophotography from Heath Dobson and Brandon Hall, two UNG students who work at the UNG Observatory. They set up a number of tripods and telescopes to show everyone and prepared a very thorough talk that covered the basics of astrophotography, including recommendations for beginner equipment, where to go for good photography conditions, and apps and resources to use to check conditions and identify space objects. Heath brought his personal rig and showed us different telescopes and tripods. He and Brandon covered camera settings and reviewed using smartphones, digital cameras and lenses, smart telescopes, and astro imaging using a telescope, astronomy camera, and a mount. After the presentation, we all went outside behind the library, where Heath and Brandon set up their largest telescope and demonstrated how to find specific objects to look at. Heath took a picture of Jupiter with his smartphone, which attached to the telescope viewer. He also helped a couple other attendees take pictures with their phones. They told us about the UNG observatory, which is open to the public every Friday night.” - hosted by Melissa Gunter
12 adults, 6 teens
“This program was a dream come true! We had 18 patrons (a good mix of teens and adults) come after hours to the library to learn all about astrophotography from Heath Dobson and Brandon Hall, two UNG students who work at the UNG Observatory. They set up a number of tripods and telescopes to show everyone and prepared a very thorough talk that covered the basics of astrophotography, including recommendations for beginner equipment, where to go for good photography conditions, and apps and resources to use to check conditions and identify space objects. Heath brought his personal rig and showed us different telescopes and tripods. He and Brandon covered camera settings and reviewed using smartphones, digital cameras and lenses, smart telescopes, and astro imaging using a telescope, astronomy camera, and a mount. After the presentation, we all went outside behind the library, where Heath and Brandon set up their largest telescope and demonstrated how to find specific objects to look at. Heath took a picture of Jupiter with his smartphone, which attached to the telescope viewer. He also helped a couple other attendees take pictures with their phones. They told us about the UNG observatory, which is open to the public every Friday night.” - hosted by Melissa Gunter
Living Sustainably: Make Your Own Beeswax Wrap at the Post Road Library (4/27)
13 adults
“Everyone had a fantastic time at our Make You Own Beeswax Wrap program! We had a mix of familiar faces (from our Forsyth Creates events) and some newcomers. I began the session with a short breakdown on the benefits of beeswax wraps, including their reusability, long-term cost effectiveness, and their environmental impact when compared to single-use plastics. I then did a brief demonstration of the process, discussed maintenance for their wraps, and answered some questions before we got started. Attendees started by choosing their fabric. They then moved on to an ironing station where they placed beeswax pellets and drops of jojoba oil on their fabric squares and proceeded to iron over the fabric to melt the wax. This was a quick craft; some folks were done within half an hour, but an hour and a half was the perfect time since we were limited with only four irons. Everyone was surprised how easy the process was and how simple it would be to create their own beeswax wraps at home. I even had someone ask if we could do the same program again for next year's Nature on My Mind series! Overall, everyone had a great time and some of our new attendees expressed interest in upcoming Forsyth Creates programs.” - hosted by Morgan Shaffer
13 adults
“Everyone had a fantastic time at our Make You Own Beeswax Wrap program! We had a mix of familiar faces (from our Forsyth Creates events) and some newcomers. I began the session with a short breakdown on the benefits of beeswax wraps, including their reusability, long-term cost effectiveness, and their environmental impact when compared to single-use plastics. I then did a brief demonstration of the process, discussed maintenance for their wraps, and answered some questions before we got started. Attendees started by choosing their fabric. They then moved on to an ironing station where they placed beeswax pellets and drops of jojoba oil on their fabric squares and proceeded to iron over the fabric to melt the wax. This was a quick craft; some folks were done within half an hour, but an hour and a half was the perfect time since we were limited with only four irons. Everyone was surprised how easy the process was and how simple it would be to create their own beeswax wraps at home. I even had someone ask if we could do the same program again for next year's Nature on My Mind series! Overall, everyone had a great time and some of our new attendees expressed interest in upcoming Forsyth Creates programs.” - hosted by Morgan Shaffer
Mushroom Crafting at the Cumming Library (4/29)
9 teens
“Mushroom Crafting was a success! Teens had three tables to choose from: sewing a mushroom, painting a wooden mushroom, or sculpting a mushroom. We had a wonderful group of teens show up! Some were there just for crafting, and many were our regular Tuesday attendees of TAB or Teen Writers. One girl painted a fleet of mushrooms, one for each family member in their favorite color. One boy who had previously come to Teen Clay Days showed off his sculpting skills with a whole pack of little mushroom guys, including one with different mushroom hat options that could be interchanged with the aid of embedded magnets. One girl sculpted a jewelery tray with a mushroom lid. One girl tried out simple sewing for the first time, and took home her mushroom pattern pieces to finish later. Some teens stuck to one table the whole time, while others rotated around to try all three stations. Overall, it was a well-received program, and I encouraged all attendees to keep coming back every Tuesday in the summer for all the fun programs we have coming up. Teens came, learned new skills, learned about more library programs, socialized, crafted, and enjoyed a nice break from this exam season.” - hosted by Kaity Bowers
9 teens
“Mushroom Crafting was a success! Teens had three tables to choose from: sewing a mushroom, painting a wooden mushroom, or sculpting a mushroom. We had a wonderful group of teens show up! Some were there just for crafting, and many were our regular Tuesday attendees of TAB or Teen Writers. One girl painted a fleet of mushrooms, one for each family member in their favorite color. One boy who had previously come to Teen Clay Days showed off his sculpting skills with a whole pack of little mushroom guys, including one with different mushroom hat options that could be interchanged with the aid of embedded magnets. One girl sculpted a jewelery tray with a mushroom lid. One girl tried out simple sewing for the first time, and took home her mushroom pattern pieces to finish later. Some teens stuck to one table the whole time, while others rotated around to try all three stations. Overall, it was a well-received program, and I encouraged all attendees to keep coming back every Tuesday in the summer for all the fun programs we have coming up. Teens came, learned new skills, learned about more library programs, socialized, crafted, and enjoyed a nice break from this exam season.” - hosted by Kaity Bowers
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