Spooky Season continues... | |
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The first half of October was a busy one for us, with a great turnout for our conversation with author Wendy Webb, about 12 pallet loads of old stuff collected at our electronics recycling event, and some solar fun with the Northwoods Explorers of Space and Astronomy before our annual eclipse viewing event. Thanks to everyone who made these events so successful!
We still have a lot of fun opportunities for you this month at the library. Read on to hear about our new StoryWalk®, Halloween plans, and much more.
Have a spooktacular October,
Teresa Schmidt
director@mercerpubliclibrary.org | 715-476-2366
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StoryWalk® at MECCA Trail
We invite you to enjoy reading and the outdoors through our first StoryWalk®, recently installed at MECCA Trails in Mercer thanks to funding from the Friends of the Library.
A StoryWalk® places pages from a picture book in signs along a path, so participants can have fun reading aloud together as they walk. It’s a family-friendly activity that encourages building literacy skills and physical activity.
We've installed our StoryWalk® on the quarter mile “Warm-Up Loop” trail, which begins directly behind the MECCA Chalet at 4686N Fierick Road, Mercer. The children’s book Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman is the featured story this fall, and we plan to keep the StoryWalk® on the Warm-up Loop trail until snow flies. Get outdoors and enjoy a story and a lovely walk on the MECCA trail!
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Halloween 2023
Mercer's Halloween celebration will be on October 31st, with indoor activities at the library from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and trick-or-treating at downtown businesses from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
If you, your business, or your organization would like to set up a table inside the library to hand out candy or offer a Halloween activity for kids, please call the library at 715-476-2366 so we can save a space for you. Last year we had a great turnout and a fantastic time with games, food, costumes, trick-or-treats, and more. Come join the fun!
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Mark Your Calendar for some Moonshine on October 23
Join local historian Jim Bokern to learn about clever moonshine production, extorsion plots, kidnapping, hideouts, and a new historical collection on Al Capone and his ties to the Northwoods. Moonshine in the Northwoods will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 23, 2023 at the Mercer Public Library.
Many Wisconsin communities boast that the Capones were visitors, but none have the correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia to match a newly-discovered Capone collection detailing the famous crime family’s connections and activities in the Iron and Vilas County region. Join us to celebrate a great chapter in our amazing Northwoods heritage, and bring your own family stories and local legends about moonshine: Jim would love to hear them!
The program is free and open to everyone, thanks to support from the Friends of the Mercer Public Library.
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Elder Benefits assistance at the library
Have questions about Medicare, housing, Food Share, Senior Care prescription drug coverage, or other Elder Benefits? Jerri Sokol, Elder Benefit Specialist with the ADRC of the North, will be holding weekly outreach hours at the Mercer Public Library beginning on October 18th, just in time for the Medicare open enrollment period.
Jerri can assist you directly with many elder benefits, and can direct you to others that might help with topics outside her expertise. Drop in on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. through December, or schedule an appointment by calling 715-561-2108 ext. 5.
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Book Club returns!
All are welcome to join us for our rebooted book club later this week! The new group will meet on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m. beginning on October 19.
This month we're reading Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here. Stop by the library to get a copy of the book, or visit our online catalog to request a copy. All are welcome to join us! Please bring your ideas for future titles for the book club, as we'll be discussing our upcoming reading schedule at the meeting.
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Artist in Residence
Visit the library any time to view an exhibit by our current Artist in Residence, oil painter Sandra Cashman. Sandy will also be teaching two workshops this fall:
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Introduction to Landscape Oil Painting on Tuesday, October 17th - Learn the basics of landscape painting using a limited color palette and basic techniques. This class is full, but you could call and ask to be placed on the waiting list in case of a cancellation.
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Miniature Paintings in Acrylic, a free child/adult workshop on Saturday, November 4. Each child (ages 7 and older) and their accompanying adult will complete a miniature painting to take home, while learning the basics of using a color wheel, mixing colors, and using a limited color palette. Space is limited, so call 715-476-3366 to register in advance.
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Did you know?
Your library card gives you access to Wisconsin's Digital Library and the Libby app (iOS | Android) for ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines. Libby has a new Magazine Rack feature: just check out a digital magazine, and you'll see a Magazine Rack on your in-app shelf. You can download issues of magazines for 7 days and even subscribe to be notified when new issues are available.
Digital magazines are great: the digital library includes hundreds of magazine titles, they're easy to take with you on your smartphone or tablet, and with the article reading feature, you can read a magazine even on your small phone screen. Best of all... there's no waiting for the latest issues! Check it out or stop in and ask us to show you how.
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