Your library staff loves Halloween! This year, we can’t have our usual party, so we’re coming up with new kinds of fun. One of those is a bracket for us to choose our favorite candy. You can vote in the library or online here. Vote once every week of October. We will announce the winner on November 2nd. Don’t let your favorite miss out!
Continue to follow us for more Halloween fun!
If this were a regular year, Oktoberfest would be finishing up soon in Munich and other cities around the globe that have chosen to adopt the festival for themselves. Sadly, in this unusual year, those parties have been cancelled. But you can enjoy some of the fun yourselves at home!
A good Oktoberfest must have authentic German food. You might want to try one of these yummy-sounding recipes. What’s your favorite?
Soft pretzels with honey mustard dipping sauce
Bratwurst with apples, onion and sauerkraut
There are many classic German beers to enjoy with your Oktoberfest. Or if you want to mix it up, we’ve had a blossoming of local breweries in recent years. Maybe now is a good time to check some out. (Note the limitations of each establishment in the COVID era.)
Montgomery Brewing in Montgomery
Giesenbräu Bier Co. in New Prague
Tanzenwald Brewing Company in Northfield
Imminent Brewing in Northfield
Turn on some traditional German music to make your home festival complete.
If you’ve been following us on Facebook or YouTube, hopefully you have seen that we are producing book chats of recommendations for what to read next. All of the videos are available on this playlist on our YouTube channel. New episodes are posted every Wednesday at 3:00 pm. What kind of books do we discuss? You name it, we will probably get around to it. If you have suggestions, let us know. The schedule so far is:
8/19: psychological thrillers
8/26: read alouds for the whole family
9/2: science-fiction
9/9: hot dish cookbooks
9/16: early chapter books
9/23: overcoming adversity memoirs
9/30: favorite elderly protagonists
The library will be closed on Monday, September 7th for Labor Day.
In our ongoing quest to provide you the best service possible, we are adding another four hours per week to our COVID-19 limited hours. Beginning September 14th, the new hours will be:
We continue to encourage you to keep your visits short and minimize contact.
We’ve got a new app that will allow you to take the catalog with you wherever you go via a mobile app on your smartphone. The app makes it simple to search for materials, place holds, manage your account and more.
The Lonsdale Public Library is part of the SELCO (Southeastern Libraries Cooperating) regional public library system, which spans 11 counties and includes 36 public libraries. SELCO worked with a developer to create the region-wide app that will function similarly to the desktop version of the catalog. Users will be able to search the regional catalog as well as their own library’s, manage their account, place holds, renew materials, download eBooks and eAudiobooks, and find libraries near them based on their location.
The app is free and available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store. You can find it by typing “SELCO Libraries” in the search bar. If you have questions or need help downloading the app, please contact the library for assistance. 
Hello storytimers! We have missed you! It’s not exactly the same, but Ms. Susan will be creating virtual storytime videos that will be shared on our Facebook page. Each weekly episode will premiere Monday at 6:30, starting August 31st. You don’t need a Facebook account to watch.
Our storytimes are designed for pre-schoolers, but feel free to watch at any age!
We’ve got some new activities in our window. You can do them without coming into the library. Just follow the arrows!
Jazz up your walk with this Lonsdale scavenger hunt. You can pick up a physical copy in the library if you prefer.
Book Chats:
Your library staff loves recommending books. We do it in person when we can, but since we’re seeing fewer of you and spending less time together when we do, we’ve decided to go digital. We will take a few minutes to share a few titles that we love and why we recommend them. The videos will be available on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. Up first, Marguerite talks psychological thrillers.
Because we can’t travel abroad, check out Get Your Guide for virtual tours and experiences. There’s never been a better time to be an armchair traveler.
Family Fun:
Did you know there’s a drive-in theater just up the road in Elko New Market? Check out the details on their website.
Take the kids camping in your backyard. Make s’mores, tell ghost stories, listen to the birds. You can even break out some scouting-style crafts like whittling, making lanyards, or making leaf rubbings. (Of course, not all activities are suitable for all ages.)
Want more ideas? The Mayo Clinic has a list of safe outdoor activities.
In accordance with Governor’s Executive Order 20-81:
UPDATE 7/22/2020: The meeting has been cancelled.
The Library Board meeting scheduled for July 15, 2020 has been rescheduled to July 22, 2020. The meeting will be held via Zoom. Any member of the public wishing to attend may contact the library for meeting information.