Community (Page 6)

Kim Brawn, Thompson Free Library

Curbside pickup begins June 3. While it won’t bring order to the current chaos, it may bring some comfort as books and movies often do. Get new picture books to read to your kids, the next in a series you love, a comedy that makes you LOL or non-fiction resources to motivate and inspire.

If you miss deeper conversations and a sense of connection, join TFL’s Philosophy Circle via Zoom on Friday, June 5 (and Friday, June 19) at 3:30 p.m. Despite the virtual format, the discussion is still interesting and engaging. You never know quite where it will lead. Prior attendance is not required but curiosity and an open mind are definitely welcome. 

Youth Services Librarian Michelle Fagan is excited to introduce two story walks that will be up through August 31. The first is a partnership between TFL and SeDoMoCha School and literacy teacher Carolyn Clark that features the book “A Nest is Noisy” by Dianna Hutts Aston. The walk is located across the road from SeDoMoCha, around the picnic tables near the nature trail. 

TFL and the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District have teamed up to create a story walk at the Law Farm that starts Friday, June 5 and offers the chance to read “Because of an Acorn” by Adam and Lola Schaefer. Story walks make for great family fun time, combining reading and being outdoors. “They will be set up with easy to follow page numbers as well as activities for kids to try plus prompts to make them think about the books, nature and what is around them,” Michelle said. “We would love to see your story walk posts on social media. Use #D-Fstorywalk2020 or tag TFL and our partners.”

Like everything else, summer at TFL will not be the same. “Sadly, we will not be offering our Wednesday children’s programs this year and summer reading is going to look different as we host an online summer reading for all ages even adults — we want everyone to keep reading,” said Michelle. Plans in the works: using the Beanstack site and focusing on Maine’s Bicentennial. Have no fear, Ms. Michelle keeps finding inventive ways to connect kids and reading. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more info!

TFL’s regular reading group for adults convenes via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 to discuss “Campfires Rekindled: A Forester Recalls Life in the Maine Woods of the Twenties” by George S. Kephart. As this was scheduled as part of our Defining Wilderness series, we have 25 copies of the book thanks to Maine Humanities Council so contact the library if you’d like to borrow one. 

In this book, Kephart writes with clarity and humor about the many facets of life in the Maine backcountry he experienced as a young forester, including the rugged individuals who inhabited those woods. He paints a sensitive portrait of the beauties of nature and the sights and sounds of the changing seasons.

Since washing our hands is more important than ever, now is the perfect time to learn how to make soap. Brooke Isham, from Land of Milk and Honey Farmstead in Sangerville, will host Soap Making 101 via Zoom at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. She’ll teach us how to make beautiful, cold processed, natural soap from ingredients that can be found locally, using simple equipment. Brooke sells her soaps online and at various farmer’s markets, specializing in natural soaps free from synthetic fragrances and colorants. 

Thursday, June 18 at 6 p.m. via Zoom author Mark Allen Leslie presents “Maine Burning: The Ku Klux Klan Invasion” as part of TFL’s Maine Bicentennial Speaker Series. Leslie calls this invasion “an improbable antithesis, but not only did the KKK take root in Maine in the 1920s, the group’s first daylight parade in America was held Sept. 3, 1923, in nearby Milo. The parade made newspaper headlines across the country, heralding the possibility of ‘klaverns’ across the Northern states. This astonishing time in Maine’s history, left out of textbooks for nearly 100 years, will be explored.”  

Another virtual Voices from Home Oral History Project “Story Slam” is in the works, tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 26 at 6 p.m. Theme to be determined.  More details soon. Whether you share a story or just listen, the two previous virtual sessions have been affecting and entertaining and surprisingly satisfying ways to come together during this intense time. 

Rocking on the porch engrossed in a bestseller, driving to work as Michelle Obama reads “Becoming,” or finally binge watching “The X-Files.” It’s the simple things that can give us a sense of normalcy these days—in this hard to pin down “new normal.” 

We look forward to serving you safely as we progress on this phased path to reopening.