It’s cold outside and perfect weather for snuggling up with a good book and taking on the Winter Reading Challenge! PreK-4th graders are eligible for the following snowball challenge which ends February 1st. 5th graders through adults are welcome to take part in the Snow Many Great Books challenge ending February 28th with prizes rewarded on the state and local level.. Get started today!
Follow the link below to preorder a Make a Fairy Tale Pal take home kit. Your kit will be available for pick up on Saturday August 8th from 10-2 and then any time during our normal hours. Each kit is $13 and will include everything you need to stuff your own fairy tale pal! Supplies are somewhat limited so preorder ASAP. Thanks!
https://forms.gle/16H9BNqfY7pS83gR8
Keep reading this summer! You can earn entries to win some fun prizes if you just pick up a book and read! The reading challenge is for preschoolers through adults. Stop by the library to pick up tracking sheets, follow the links below, or use the ReaderZone app.
Preschool-2nd grade sheet https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R7OrvHcNU2fWEhu5-8SY-NFHHak5uUSo/view?usp=sharing
Elementary 2nd-6th grade sheet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t0QeXIlgSfy8ImH0wCeSZZvNhu-cBHPO/view?usp=sharing
7th grade through High School Sheet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d7KSHLyvTGXOih0gc5AR6nvjFtLYZkAv/view?usp=sharing
Adult Sheet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NuPKvgkiYd33um3j_visAcj8eIqQf9KQ/view?usp=sharing
Sign ups for summer reading 2020 are open for all ages! Fill out the Google form with the link below and you’ll receive codes to track books or minutes on the Reader Zone app or you can print out paper logs as well. You can also sign up to pick up Fun Kits in June for kids Preschool through 6th grade. We’re hoping to have Fun Shops in July so let us know on the form if your child maybe interested! Once you’re signed up you’re ready for a summer filled with imagination!
We will not be offering curbside pick up or door to door service on Saturdays until the Directed Health Measure is lifted. We apologize for any inconvenience!
Come Friday, March 13th at 2:00 to see the newest Frozen movie. Popcorn will be provided. Bring your own drink if you want one as well as a comfy blanket or chair. Everyone is welcome!
April is here and there is so much going on this month at the library and in the community! We have an exciting living history program presented by Darrel Draper where he will perform in character as President Theodore Roosevelt. This educational and entertaining program is for people of all ages and will be held at the Community Pride Care Center at 2:00 Sunday, April 7th. The next Saturday the library will be stuffed with children and families as they get to make their own stuffed animal at our Make a Pal Stuffing Party. Ms. Cherie Werner will read a heart-warming story about the wonderful role our stuffed friends make in our lives then the stuffing will begin! If you missed the pre-order date there are extra “pals” available for the cost of $12 each. Inquire at the library for more information.
Do you love pancakes? If you do April in Battle Creek is going to be a lip-smacking month for you! On April 7th the youth group at St. Johns will be having a pancake feed from 10:30 to 12:30 with Grubbs providing their delicious pancakes. Then on Saturday, April 13th the Battle Creek Lions Club will take to the griddle to flip up some mouth-watering pancakes at the community clubhouse in the city park. They will begin serving at 10:00 and continue till 1:00.
While are mouths are watering over pancakes, don’t forget there’s also a few more Friday night Knights of Columbus Fish Fries at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall. They serve from 5:30-8:00pm and carryouts are available!
Our schools have book fairs, plays, and sporting events as well this month. One event to note is the Battle Creek Scholarship Banquet on Friday, April 5th. The speaker will be alum, Angie Klein. Make sure you call the high school for your reservations!
Is that music you hear? Well, not yet, but there will soon be music and dancing at the Fire Hall for the Annual Fireman’s Ball on April 13th from 8:00pm to 1:00am. Ask your favorite fireman for tickets!
That’s not the end to the Battle Creek events! Easter is coming! That means worship services at St. Patricks and St. Johns but also a special visit from the Easter Bunny. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 0-8 at the city park on April 13th at 11am. So on April 13th, you and your child can come to the library at 9 make a stuffed pal, head to the park for some pancakes from the Lions Club, have the children find eggs at 11 and then go home take a nap and find a babysitter and come back into town for a night of music and dancing. Sounds like a hopping fun day and a wonderful month to be in Battle Creek!
PS… If we’ve missed any community events, we apologize!
It is almost t
ime to bid a fond farewell to our library director of 17 years, Kathy Bretschneider. Kathy has served the community of Battle Creek faithfully with her wit and knowledge of all things English. The City of Battle Creek will host an open house for Kathy on Friday, November 30th from 3pm to 5pm in the library meeting room. Come wish this special lady a very happy retirement!
The current month is justifiably important to Americans. Three holidays present a real picture of the devotion of our people to ‘life, liberty and the American way’. Most citizens of this world love their home country and its celebrations of life, to be sure. But the month of May in the USA represents some of our deepest, emotional ties to each other as citizens.
Mother’s Day (this year May 13) reconnects families in so many ways. American families rely so much on their mothers for family history, traditions, and what’s cooking on special occasions. Togetherness is represented on this day in May as a tradition. Without Mom there would be no family. Dad, of course, gets his due on Father’s Day in somewhat the same way. He’s the head of the household, its leader and guide. Yet Mother is the glue, the emotional center of the family. Both are needed and respected.
Armed Forces Day on May 19 is a tradition in the USA evolving over the years of conflict and struggle to maintain our way of life, and protect our citizens. Celebrating and honoring the American soldier, who fought and sometimes died in defense of this land, is an honor we cannot forgo. As time has a way of changing things, our Armed Forces are not just men, but also women these days. We salute those who face great struggles and desperate times on behalf of our country. And we admire those who come through the strife with a quiet pride at our country’s progress.
Last, but not least, Memorial Day is an honor and duty Americans serve with gratefulness. Memorial Day represents the Americans who fought and died, or served and survived, perhaps. But it is also a time to remember fellow citizens who pass away and are remembered for their part in our way of life. Truly, this month gives us much to reflect on and to talk proudly about.
Oh, there are many times in a year Americans celebrate their fellow citizens and their country. And it’s good to think about how lucky we are to work here together–to challenge each other and congratulate our country on its ability to move ahead and to glance back in time somehow.