Tea & Mystery Update

The Tea & Mystery event is rapidly approaching-- this Sunday, from 2-4 pm. One of the two featured authors, Deb Baker, will be on the TMJ's Morning Blend (Channel 4) tomorrow, Oct. 19 between 9 and 10 am. She'll be talking about her new book, and will also plug the event here at the library. Check it out!

Halloween Happenings

Wear your costume and

come trick-or-treating at the Library.

HALLOWEEN

BEDTIME BUDDIES

Tuesday, October 26, 6:30 PM

An evening storytime for families of all ages.

A SOMEWHAT SCARY

STORYTIME

Wednesday, October 27, 10:00 AM

A preschool storytime for ages 3-6 years.

BABY BOO

Thursday, October 28, 10:00 AM

A lapsit storytime for ages newborn to 36 months.

ORIGAMI WORKSHOP

Thursday, October 28, 2:00 PM

For grades 4-8.

Previous experience helpful but not required.

HALLOWEEN

CRAFTY STORIES

Friday, October 29, 2:00 PM

A story and a craft for grades K-3. Please register.

Night on the Town Event!

You may have seen it in the paper, or heard about it around town, but if not-- please mark your calendars for Sunday, Sept. 26. The Library is holding A Night on the Town, a fundraiser for the expansion project featuring John McGivern. All proceeds will benefit our expansion fund, and the night should be a lot of fun.

Some of the details:

• A pre-performance gathering at Heaven City. It will feature gourmet hors d'oeuvres and a wine tasting, with a separate cash bar available. This "opening act" kicks off at 5:45.
• Doors at the Mukwonago High School Auditorium open at 7:15, with material on the expansion available for viewing. The Blood Street Blues Band, a local jazz group, will provide entertainment until the curtain is ready to go up on the main event.
• 8:00-- the Main Event. Jim "Lips" LaBelle will be your host, and he will introduce the Premiere, an award-winning female quartet that are part of the Sweet Adelines.
• John McGivern, local storyteller, actor and radio personality will take the stage after Premiere is done to bring you some of his one-of-kind stories and reminiscences.

This will be an awesome night of entertainment, food, community spirit and most of all, fun. And all the money will go to the Library's expansion, helping to ensure that Mukwonago has a top-notch cultural center that is good for everyone.

Details on the event are available here. Details on the expansion, and how you can help us reach our goal, are available here. Please, call the library with any questions, or send an email to us.

The Super-Dooper, Splendid, Spectacular, Stupendous, Simply Sensational, End-of-Summer Scavenger Hunt is HERE!

The Library's Summer Reading Program ends on Saturday, Aug. 7, but there's still fun to be had at the Mukwonago Community Library before the summer is over. All families with school-age children are eligible to participate in the SDSSSSSEoS Scavenger Hunt. One lucky family will win a $100 Kohl's gift certificate, and every family that successfully completes the hunt will receive a special prize.

This contest ends Friday, August 27 at 4:00 pm, but don't wait to start until the last minute-- there are 50, yes five-zero, items on the list and all of them need to be brought into the library and verified to qualify for the drawing for the $100 gift card.

Full rules and the scavenger hunt list are available in the Library, but here's just a small taste of the things you and your family will be hunting for:

• #6: Fly Swatter
• #17: Stick of White Chalk
• #33: Steel Wool
• #39: Blue Crayon
• #47: Coin Purse

Not Just Nautical Knots-- TONIGHT!

Join us this evening at 5 bells (6:30 pm for landlubbers like me) for a presentation on knot tying and much more. Which side is port and which starboard? Come find out! Craig Grisham, technology support person here at the library, will be your host for an informative and fun evening of nautical terminology and knot tying techniques. He will also relate a few of his exploits on the open seas.

There will be prizes for sailors 12 and under and fun to be had by all. Make sure to find out why five bells is 6:30-- I'm sure there is a good reason, but I can't imagine what it might be.

Summer is Here!

School's out and summer has begun (okay, officially it is still four days off, but once school's out, summer is here). The place to be cool this summer is the Mukwonago Community Library. There is simply tons of cool, "wet" and "watery" things happening here during June, July and August-- the theme this year is "Make a Splash at the Mukwonago Library".

Next week alone we have a Pirate Pajama Party at 6:30 pm on Tuesday the 22nd. The next morning, join us at 10 am for "Silly Songs and Stories." Teens can play many of their favorite Wii games in the afternoon, 1:30-3:30 pm on Wed., June 23. That night, you can be a detective, or a suspect, in the Library's Murder Mystery Party: Hulas and Homicides, 6:00-8:30 pm. Thursday is lapsit storytime at 10 am, then Ocean Origami for grades 4-8 at 2:00 pm.

And those are just the one-time events. The weekly reading challenges are ongoing throughout the summer, with separate challenges for children, teens and adults. Join in the fun and you could win a cool prize in one of our raffles. Story and drawing challenges are also underway-- tell us about "The One That Got Away," or draw a sea monster. And we have a "Guess How Many Origami Frogs" contest open to children as well.

Later in the summer, we'll have our Second Annual Recipe Contest, a bunch of cool movies-- with water/fish themes, and a Hula dance troupe. Visit our Youth Services and Adult Services web pages for a full listing of what's going on. Or, stop in to the library and pick up our brochures that give a full listing of the special events and activities available throughout the summer.

Make Waves this summer-- at the Mukwonago Community Library!

Scoopie Night for the Library

Plan your dinner for Monday, May 24 at the Mukwonago Culver's, where 10% of your purchase will benefit the library's expansion and renovation project. In addition, library volunteers (myself and other staff members included) will be serving food during the promotion.

This event is only from 4:30 to 7:30 pm, so lunch at Culver's that day won't help the library (though the food will no doubt be tasty). You will need a flier for us to get credit, which you can print out here. Additional fliers will be available at Culver's that night.

Come out for butter burgers and frozen custard on Monday night and help the library out at the same time-- Win/Win!

Back in the Saddle Again

Sorry for the long pause in posting. April wound up being a very busy month. Lots of programming and events, coupled with a significant increase in expansion project activity. April saw Spring Break week, Earth Day activities and more.

May will be busy too, partly in preparation for our Summer Reading Program challenges and events, but also with its own fun events. Registration for the children's and adult's summer reading challenge begins June 1, with the kickoff date of Monday, June 14. Join in the fun! This year's theme is a beach/water-related one, with Make A Splash @ the Mukwonago Community Library for the kids and Ride the Title Wave @ the Mukwonago Community Library for our adult patrons.

Join us Monday, May 24 between 4:30 and 7:30 at the Mukwonago Culver's for Scoopie Night. Bring along a flier and 10% of your order will be donated to the library's expansion fund. Copies of the flier are available to be printed off of our website. Details on the expansion project and its progress are available here.

Several Rant and Rave segments to come, as I have been listening and reading during the past month, just not posting as much (okay, at all). For details on other summer events and programs, be sure to check out our Youth Services web page and our Adult Services web page. You can also follow us on Facebook.

Food For Fines

Coming in May: Our second Food For Fines drive. For each non-perishable food item received, we will reduce your fines by $1.00. The maximum reduction is $20, and the reduction does not apply to lost items or fines from other libraries.

Expired food will NOT be accepted.

The drive runs from Monday, May 10 through Saturday, May 15.

Food will be donated to the two Mukwonago Food Pantries.

Stuff this Week

A busy week, so my apologies for not posting more and providing more advanced notice-- remember, you can always check our online calendar to see what's happening as well. So, it the spirit of better late than never, here's a breakdown of the remaining Spring Break week at the library:

• Tonight, Tuesday April 6: Job Hunting Workshop; 6:30-7:45
• Tomorrow, Wednesday April 7: Pigeon Party-- fun and games for K-2nd graders; 2:00 pm
• Thursday, April 8: Mad Hatter Tea Party-- enjoy tea and crumpets while make a mad creation; grades 7-12, 2:00 pm
• Friday, April 9: Game day-- we'll have a Wii station (but only one), and a variety of board games.

Next Tuesday, April 13, LaBak the magician will be here for an evening of magic and fun, starting at 7:00 pm.

Join us at the library!

Family Film Night

Tonight we have a 6 pm showing of the recent animated movie about food raining from the sky and spaghetti tornados. Based on the well-loved children's book, the movie got good reviews and is a lot of fun, so stop in! Bring along a pillow and blanket, or sleeping bag, or even a bean bag chair if you wish.

Upcoming and Ongoing Events

A heads up on a few upcoming events, plus some ongoing activities:
Upcoming

• Family Film Night, Tuesday, Jan. 12 @ 6:00 pm. Strange, food-based weather is the center of this movie (which, because of licensing restrictions we can't actually name) based on a well-loved children's book. Bring a pillow, sleeping bag or bean bag chair and some snacks!
• Origami Workshops, Monday, Jan. 25 and Friday, March 5 @ 3 pm. These workshops are open to 4th-12th graders. Previous experience is helpful, but not necessary.
• Wacky Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 18 (Teens only, grades 7-12) and Friday, Feb. 19 (grades K-6), both at 3:00 pm. Not quite the bobsled or ice hockey, but we will have marshmallow shot put and potato hockey.
• Winter Wisconsin Winters with Books: Adult Reading Challenge. Enter each week starting January 18 and running through March 17. Weekly prizes. Full details here.
  

Ongoing

• Pop Open a Good Book: Winter Reading Challenge. Open to grades K-12, the challenge runs through February 13. It's not too late to come in and sign up.
• Magazine Title Scramble. Open to grades 7-12. Correctly unscramble a list of magazine titles for a chance to win a 1-year subcription to your favorite magazine (some exclusions apply. Value not to exceed $40).
• Guess How Many Kernels of Popcorn Contest. Guess how many kernels of popcorn are in a container in our display case and you could win the PASS THE POPCORN game. To be eligible, you must not go over the number of kernels. Open to students in grades K-12.

Upcoming Events

Tonight, Tuesday, December 15: Expansion Open House

At 6:30 this evening there will be an open house regarding the library's expansion plans at Village Hall. Please join us for an informative and exciting look at where we're heading. At 7:30 there will be a village board meeting which will include a further discussion of expansion.

Monday, December 21: Pop Open a Good Book

The start of our winter reading challenge "Pop Open a Good Book". Registration begins on the 21st and every reader who completes the reading challenge will receive an ice cream coupon and a raffle ticket for a chance to win the Grand Prize.

Tuesday, December 29: Harry Potter for the Holidays

Join us Tuesday, December 29 at 6 p.m. for a showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bring a pillow and blanket, sleeping bag or bean bag chair and snuggle in for the show. As a bonus, there's no school the next day! (Though there is Wii play at the Library)

Wednesday, December 30: Wii Play
No school—come play! Everyone is invited to Wii with us from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Some great new games will be available to “test drive” including New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Lego Rock Band.

Expansion Open House: Dec. 15

Join us in one week at village hall for a look at the preliminary plans for expansion! On Tuesday, December 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the village hall board room, the library and our architects will have drawings of what an expanded library might look like and how it might be arranged. Del Wilson, of Uihlein-Wilson Architects, will be available for questions, as will the Library Director and Library Board members.

Stick around at 7:30 for a Village Board meeting which will include a presentation about the expansion and a Q&A session with the Village Board members. As we head into a new year, it is time to get excited about all the terrific things an expanded and renovated library can offer the community!

Come on down to village hall, Tuesday, December 15 and see how our plans are progressing.

Mukwonago Community Library: Rooted in the Past, Growing for Tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a remarkable holiday—one dedicated to appreciating all of our blessings and good fortune! I mean, I like all of our holidays-- celebrating Christmas or Valentine's Day or our Presidents or brave soldiers is all good. And the candy and costumes on Halloween is cool. But Thanksgiving is one that really invites us to take a step back and take stock of all that is good and right and, yes, lucky in our lives. It is easy to get lost in the nitty gritty of daily life and lose track of the important things-- family, friends, helping others, appreciating life in all its joys and tragedies-- so having a day dedicated to appreciating all that we have is a tremendous day indeed.

The library is thankful for all of the wonderful volunteers and donors that help us year in and year out. We are lucky to have such wonderful and dedicated supporters, willing to give of their time, talent donors that help us year in and year out. Truly, the library would not be the wonderful, community jewel that it is without the help of the people and businesses that support us year ‘round.

As director, I am thankful for the wonderful staff here at the library—day in and day out they provide great service and do all they can to make the library the best it can possibly be. I am also thankful for the opportunity to serve the wonderful community of Mukwonago. Seeing the range of people who use the library for personal growth, family entertainment, interaction with friends and neighbors... well, it's a wonderful and satisfying feeling.

And there's more to be thankful coming up-- Midnight Magic is next week! Lots of fun family activities, including Applebell the Imp on Tuesday night, the annual Tree lighting on Wednesday night and a variety of great things to do on Saturday, December 5th. Watch the parade, then swing into the Library to do some Christmas shopping at the Friends of the Mukwonago Library bake sale and silent auction, then meet the local authors who will be joining us between 1 and 4.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tree Lighting: Wednesday, Dec. 2

The traditional kickoff to the Chamber of Commerce's Midnight Magic festivities is the lighting of the Village Christmas tree by Santa Claus. The Library is fortunate to have that very tree in our "front yard". Please join us on Wednesday, December 2nd at 6:30 for the tree lighting, followed by some caroling.

We will then move inside, to our meeting room, where Tracy Hein, principal at Prairie View Elementary School, will read A Visit From St. Nicholas, more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas. After that, the children will have a chance to sit on Santa's lap and tell him some of their Christmas wishes.

Last year, the weather was cold but the turnout was still very good and everyone had a great time. Hopefully this year the weather will be better, but regardless everyone will have a good time as we kickoff the holiday season in style. We hope you can join us on the 2nd!

Some photos from last year's tree lighting:

Remember Our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day, a day to remember and honor all of the brave men and women who have served in our country’s armed services. It is held on November 11 in remembrance of the ceasefire on November 11, 1918 that effectively ended World War I. Originally meant to honor the veterans of that war, the day has grown to include all who have served in our country’s armed services.

This year, the Library is honored to have a display of memorabilia from the Badger State Chapter of the 82^nd Airborne Division.

Currently in our lobby, the display features photographs, equipment, badges and more from Wisconsin 82^nd Airborne veterans of World War II.

The 82^nd Airborne was organized on March 25, 1917 and is an elite paratrooper unit of the U.S. Army. Members of the unit typically parachute behind enemy lines and work to disrupt enemy supply lines and communications. They were a vital component of D-Day during World War II, as they were dropped behind the German lines with a mission to destroy bridges and railroad lines in order to cut off the Germans ability to resupply their forces in Normandy.

Unlike most units, the 82nd Airborne drew recruits from across the country, rather than being geographically focused. It is truly an All-American force with a long and proud history of service to our country.

The display will remain at the library for the next three months.

When did Monopoly become a franchise? Even more peculiar, when did Scrabble? I stopped at Toys R Us with my son tonight, and I couldn't believe how many variations of Monopoly and Scrabble they had. No exaggeration: 16 versions of Monopoly and 10 versions of Scrabble. Star Wars Monopoly, Classic Monopoly, Monopoly Jr., Dog Monopoly, Travel Monopoly, New and Improved Monopoly with fully Irridiated Chance Cards (ok, maybe not, but sheeeesh).

Several versions of Operation, including a Hulk version. A new and improved Game of Life. Three or four different Risk variations, Disney Sorry, Simpsons Clue.

Apparently the major toy manufacturers have totally run out of ideas for games and are simply sticking other merchandising properties onto existing games. How pathetic.

Fortunately, there are some good games out there. They are more expensive, take longer to play and you have to go to a speciality game store or buy online to get them, but they are out there. I happened to like the Empire Builder series, but the Formula Deux racing games, Settlers of Catan and other Mayfair Games and Steve Jackson Games offerings are a lot of fun.

Actually, this fall or winter, I hope to start a game evening at the library to highlight some of these great games. They really are a lot of fun. Stay tuned!

Meet Dewey Renew

Dewey isn't real, but he is cute. He's joined the library for a short time to tell everyone about the importance of renewing their library materials. If your materials are due, please return them or renew them-- you can do it online, by calling us, or by stopping into the library. This is particularly important now because beginning Monday, October 5, the library will begin charging fines on overdue children's material.

The renewal periods and fines will be the same for children's materials as they are for adult materials. As Dewey says, "Don't delay, renew today!"

Last Day: Zuchinni Recipe Contest

Today is the last day for entry into our Zucchini Recipe Contest. You don't need to submit a sample today-- just the form and the recipe. Actual samples will be judged next Monday night. Remember there are three areas to enter recipes in: Breads & Muffins, Desserts, and Relishes & Other-- so give us your best! And while you're at it, submit the recipes to the Chamber of Commerce, too. They are looking for recipes for their cookbook.