The public library is a hub of activity this month, providing a cornucopia of opportunities for inspiration, education, and entertainment! We hope you’re able to join us for these great events!
Meet Author Katie McGarry: Sunday, November 3, at 3pm
This fall, the library has hosted an eclectic and electric group of talented authors, and we are excited to host another at the beginning of this month at the Bob Kirby Branch. Katie McGarry is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed novelist of the Witches of the Island series (A Wicked and Beautiful Garden), the Pushing the Limits, Thunder Road, and Only a Breath Apart series, plus the standalone novel, Say You’ll Remember Me. A lover of music, love stories, and reality television, McGarry is currently living out her own love story with her husband, children, and pets. Find out more about her work at www.katielmcgarry.com, then sign up for a free ticket to her presentation via the library’s calendar of events (warrenpl.org).
Chill Out at the Winter Reading Program: Beginning November 18
Winter Reading IS coming! Coordinated for the first year by our new Youth Services Manager, Alexis Erskine, the program officially begins Monday, November 18! “With winter rolling in and the weather getting cooler, we want to support our patrons with opportunities to read, gather, play, and have fun all winter long!” encourages Erskine. To that end, from the middle of this month through the end of January, patrons are invited to participate in the library’s Winter Reading Program. A host of winter-themed library activities have been scheduled, including Snowdome Storytimes at the SoKY Ice Rink, Santa visits, and a Narnia Party finale in January! All patrons who fill out an activity log with 10 completed library activities will receive an incentive prize and can enter to win one of three grand prizes: a family fun activity basket, a winter fun activity basket, or a Squishmallow. The grand prizes feature activities and opportunities for local fun from the BG Rock Band Academy, Paradise Point Marketplace, Meltdown Ice Cream & Soda Fountain, BG Art Class, BG Skate, and more! Activities can include any combination of the following: reading/listening to a book, attending a library program or activity, skating at SoKY Ice Rink; finding a resource (movie, music, book, or article) through a library database. For more details and links to programs, go to warrenpl.org/winter.
Get Inspired at the World Peace Sand Mandala Demonstration: November 18-22
In 2018, a group of Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery visited Bowling Green to demonstrate a centuries-old tradition of creating an intricate “world peace” sand mandala at the Bob Kirby Branch Library. We are thrilled to announce they will be returning for a visit November 18 through 22 to do a similar demonstration!
Sand painting is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice, an intricate, meditative process. Created from meticulously arranged colored sand, the mandala symbolizes the universe’s interconnectedness. At the conclusion of the mandala’s creation, sands are swept up and poured into a body of water to symbolically carry “healing energies” throughout the world.
Activities begin Monday, November 18 at 6pm at a cultural pageant at the Capitol, when they will share information about Tibetan culture during a showcase of traditional dances, chants, and prayers. An opening ceremony will take place at the Bob Kirby Branch on Tuesday at noon, and come-and-go hours for observing the creation of the sand mandala at Kirby will be as follows:
•Tuesday, November 19: 12pm to 7pm
•Wednesday, November 20: 12pm to 7pm
•Thursday, November 21: 12pm to 7pm
•Friday, November 22: 9am to 4pm
•Saturday, November 23: 10am: The closing ceremony will begin at the Bob Kirby Branch, and it will end when the sand is driven to the RiverWalk to be poured into the river.
While you don’t have to register to come view the sand mandala creation, we are asking folks to register for the cultural pageant, the opening ceremony, and the closing ceremony through the online calendar of events.
Shop Local at the Small Business Saturday Holiday Market: November 30, 10am to 3pm
What better way to end the month than by attending a Small Business Saturday event and shopping at a local Holiday Market, one with plenty of space and plenty of parking? 50 local makers will be on hand Saturday, November 30, at the Bob Kirby Branch between 10am and 3pm to sell their one-of-a-kind wares. You can browse for hand-made holiday gifts, enjoy craft demonstrations, snack from the food trucks outside, and even check out some books before you leave! This is the library’s third time to host this seasonal event, one which has grown in popularity each year. To let us know you’re coming, register through WCPL’s online calendar of events.
Keep up with all the library’s activities by following us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X) or by signing up for our email newsletter (see the link on our home page: warrenpl.org). Hope to see you soon!
-by Ashley Fowlkes
Digital Content Manager, Warren County Public Library
