Autumn 2021
It's that time of year again! We are starting to look forward to our One Book One Valley author event with Maine author Paul Doiron. It will take place at the Majestic Theater in Conway at 7pm on Thursday, October 28th.

We have just been notified that the Majestic Theater requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours in order to gain entry. Mr. Doiron has expressed a preference for masks, especially for anyone getting a book signed. If attending in-person is not possible for you, we are pleased to offer a streaming option as well. Register at onebookonevalley.org to get the link.

We have several copies of the latest in his Mike Bowditch, Game Warden series to loan. These are fast-paced thrillers set in Maine and I would recommend any or all of the books in the series. There are some relationships that develop across the books so reading them in order will provide a bit more context, but you would still enjoy them if you just dipped in anywhere in the series.

A favorite feature of mine is that every book takes place in a different part of Maine and it's fun to read about familiar places. One is set on the Saco River in our own Fryeburg. One involves Sugarloaf. Another is in Monson, near Moosehead Lake where I've spent 20 summers.

If you have participated in One Book One Valley before, you know that the night with the author is the grand finale after several smaller, related events all around town. I contacted the gentlemen who appear on North Woods Law, hoping they would come talk to us. I emailed Tim Cotton, a police officer in Bangor and author of The Detective in the Dooryard, he was not available. I even tried to talk my dad into telling us stories.

He has some great ones. He grew up in the woods and worked as a forester for... well, a long time. His former partner is the town forester right here in Jackson. I was raised on stories of the local woods. Dad tells one about riding his snowmobile in the spring and watching a sleepy bear rise out of the snow. There's another when a bear he had just shot for our winter meat, turned and ran toward him! He has several with a paranormal slant too. We suspect a bit of embellishment goes into his stories, but we keep quiet because, well, a good story is just that, isn't it?

I begged and pleaded and offered to ply him with adult beverages for courage - he still declined... but gave me an idea. We live here, don't we? We know the woods better than most. We know how to spot poison ivy and what to do if we encounter a moose on the trail. Why not collect our stories?

I would like to invite you to send me any story you are moved to tell in any format... as long as it involves the woods. You could put on your best NPR voice and use your phone to make an mp3. You could make a video showing props or photos. You could write it down and email me. Or *drum roll* you could offer to come and tell it to a live audience during a program.

I'm hoping to collect enough stories to make some kind of program. Maybe written ones in a photocopied book to check out. Maybe a bunch of videos and audio files edited together. Or maybe we'll find we have enough storytellers to host a Zoom event. Please email me your story in any format or your interest in participating in a storytelling event.
Upcoming Events
STORY TIMES are the 1st & 3rd THURSDAY of every month.
Story times will continue to be outside as long as we can.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15 @ 4:30PM
Friends of the Library meeting. (see below)

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16 @ 7PM
The Heirloom Gardener with John Forti on Zoom

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19 @ 4PM
Banjos, Bones, and Ballads with Jeff Warner

TUESDAY OCTOBER 12 @ 4:30PM
Book Discussion - Paul Doiron and book series. One Book One Valley!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 28 @ 7PM
An Evening with Paul Doiron at The Majestic Theater. One Book One Valley
Goodbye summer party tent! We hardly knew you. Thanks for hosting so many fun events for us.
Friends of the Jackson Library
Next meeting is Wednesday, September 15 at 4:30pm.
Secretary needed
Anyone can join the Friends of the Library - there's no membership fee. The governance, though, is by a Board of Directors. Those are the folks who make the important decisions about where energy is placed and how money is spent. We had annual elections in the spring to choose that Board and our ballot was shy any candidates for the position of Recording Secretary. Responsibilities are simply to attend the three meetings per year and keep the minutes from those meetings. If interested, attend the meeting on Wednesday 9/15 or contact Dan Weir, Friends President.

The Friends of the Library provides essential support to the Jackson Public Library. I like to say that they bring the magic to this special place through supplementing our town budget to buy books, technologies, museum passes, kids events and more. The Friends programming committee plans and underwrites almost all our events.
With the Delta variant we continue to be cautious about hosting large indoor events. We are looking for programs we can host as small gatherings or on Zoom. If you have any ideas or requests, send them along.
Jackson Public Library
603.383.9731
staff@jacksonlibrary.org
jacksonlibrary.org
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