Falconry Comes to the Augusta Public Library

Soon, imaginations won't be the only things soaring at the Augusta Public Library. Falconer Chris Karraker, along with his red-tailed hawk, will be demonstrating the art of falconry at the library on Saturday, June 14, at 1:00 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. Please contact the library at (715) 286-2070 or aulib@augustalibrary.org if you would like more information.

Traveling Plant Clinic

Are you a passionate gardener--or a lukewarm one with a sick plant? If so, the library's Traveling Plant Clinic might be for you.

Erin LaFaive, Horticulture Educator from UW-Extension Eau Claire County, will be available to answer garden-related questions at the library on June 13 and September 8 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. 

This event is free and open to the public. Please contact the library at (715) 286-2070 or aulib@augustalibrary.org if you would like more information.

The Library Reading Garden is Coming Soon!!!

"If you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need."  --Cicero

 

Soon, thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers, Augusta residents will be able to experience Cicero's library/garden dream. Even better, YOU can help make it come true.

 

The Reading Garden will be created in the current grassy area alongside the library. Volunteers will begin working on it this Saturday (May 31), and anyone who'd like to lend a hand (or a trowel) will be most welcome to join them.

 

The heavy dirt, sod, and rock moving will start around 9:00 a.m.  Hardscaping and garden bed design will begin around 10:30.  Granite, rocks, plants and mulch are being delivered throughout the week.  Miscellaneous supplies and the garden designers will arrive Saturday morning.   If you have shovels, gloves, garden rakes, or wheelbarrows, feel free to bring them so there are enough tools to go around.

 

We will be serving a hot dog/brat lunch around noon.  Gordy's is supplying water for the volunteers and a portion of the lunch.  We will set up a canopy to provide a little shade.  Please bring a camp chair for lunch. Planting will begin after lunch. 

 

Everyone is welcome to come for all or part of the day.  If you would like to bring cookies/bars for the volunteers, you are welcome to do so.  If you have any questions, please contact Mike or Andy at the number below. 

 

Mike

715-225-8768

 

 

Andy

715-644-8332

 

Fizz Boom Read at the Augusta Library

We all know that reading brings many spiritual rewards, but now young readers can score some literal ones as well through the library's Fizz Boom Read summer reading program.

Beginning on June 9, they can pick up summer reading logs at the Augusta Public Library. As they fill out and return reading logs throughout the summer, they'll gain the chance to win free books and other fabulous prizes.

Participants can pick up as many reading logs as they need until the program ends on August 4.

Please contact the library at (715) 286-2070 or aulib@augustalibrary.org if you would like more information.

The Augusta Public Library will be closed on Monday, May 26, in honor of Memorial Day

May Book Club Selection: The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore

The May selection for the Augusta Library Book Club was The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore. While a few members thought the book was hard to follow, the general consensus was that it was well worth making the effort. They particularly enjoyed the characters and the frequent comical situations into which the characters are plunged. (Two highlights include a spectacularly botched wedding and the fiasco that results when a newly reformed stripper gives a little too much detail about her sins at a Revival Meeting.) These and other scenes are so vividly written that Book Club members had a great time sharing and laughing about them.

The book also brought up an interesting discussion about the role of race in both the fictional world of the book and the real world of the readers. There was a thought-provoking debate about whether the author would have been accused of racism had he been white since many of the characters, almost all of whom are African-American, are heavily flawed. Most of the members felt, though, that Moore was using character flaws that are by no means specific to race, and that those flaws made the characters more believable and the story more interesting.

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat also generated an intense discussion of the roles of women as portrayed in the book, how these roles have changed over the years, why many of the book's women related to men as they did, and how the friendship between the three main protagonists affected their thoughts and actions.

Overall, the Book Club really enjoyed this book and were glad for its contrast to the previous month's selection, Gone Girl, with its highly unpleasant characters. (Although most had enjoyed Gone Girl, it made them especially appreciate the levity in The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat.)

The next Book Club meeting will take place in on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the library; the members will be discussing Dear Life by Alice Munro. Copies have already been ordered for current members, but the Book Club always welcomes new members. If you haven't previously been to a meeting but would like to participate in the next one, you can either request the book through the MORE website or contact the Augusta Public Library for help in requesting it. As always, Book Club meetings are free and open to the public.

EXTENDED SUMMER HOURS

We will be extending our summer hours! Starting June 2, each Monday we will be open from 11am to 5pm.  These hours will last through the end of August.  All other weekly hours will stay the same.

Preschool Storytime at the Augusta Public Library

Can you and/or your child not get enough Preschool Storytimes? Good news! Preschool Storytimes have just resumed and will be offered each Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the library's Storytime room. 

The current session goes from May 9 to August 8. Please note that there will NOT be a Storytime on June 6 or July 4. The library will celebrate the end of summer with a party at Lake Eau Claire at 9:30 a.m. on August 15.

Each Storytime features stories and activities ideal for 3 1/2 to 5 year olds. While pre-registrations aren't necessary, informing staff if your child is coming helps ensure that there are enough craft supplies available for all. 

Children attending Preschool Storytime must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Like other library events, Storytimes are free and open to the public. 

Please contact Cassie at banaszak@augustalibrary.org or call the library at (715) 286-2070 if you would like more information.