By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette
Summer is here, and most of us are looking forward to more family time and fun summer activities. However, when the cost of living has increased 3.8% in the past year, and gas is hovering around $4.28 per gallon in Iowa this week, it is a little overwhelming to figure out how to have summer fun on a budget. MJB Library has a wealth of possibilities available to help you have fun at very little expense.
June is the Summer Reading Program, so there are activities and events scheduled for youth nearly every day of the month. The kick-off for the program takes place on June 1 at Riverside Park on School Street. Youth of all ages are invited to spend some time engaging in games and activities to get the Summer Reading Program going. The start time for this is 4 p.m.
“Plant a Seed, Read” is our theme, so many of the activities focus on nature and growth. Check the library website for events and times. Kids who track their reading time can enter prize drawings for the SRP prizes; they also get prize entries for attending SRP events at the library.
Preschool Story Hour continues through the summer with stories and a craft each Friday at 10 a.m.
Books and Bikes is a program that takes place during the months of June and July. Open to youth preschool through grade six, MJB Library is partnering with Masonic Lodge, Orange Lodge No. 123, to promote academic success through this reading program. See our website or call the library to register. For each book a child reads between June 1 and July 31, they will get an entry for the drawing for a bike donated by the Masonic Orange Lodge No. 123. Each student at the Guthrie Center Elementary School should have received a reading log for this program and a schedule for the SRP in the end-of-year packet that the library sent home. Contact the library for questions or additional reading logs.
Patrons 18 years old and older with a Guthrie Center address are eligible to reserve an Iowa Adventure Pass to go to several venues in central Iowa. Provided by the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library, the Iowa Adventure Pass allows families free admission to the Blank Park Zoo, the Science Center of Iowa, and the Museum of Danish America. Check the library website for details and to make reservations.
For stargazers, the library has a telescope available for check out as well as several books about astronomy, the planets and the night sky.
MJB Library has an extensive collection of children’s books, popular adult fiction, inspirational books, audiobooks, and large print books. Our youth section also has a growing collection of read-along books and audiobooks that are an excellent way to improve reading and are great for family car trips or to share as a family.
The library has DVDs and board games available for checkout. Have a family game night or a movie night at no cost.
The library is a great place to spend a rainy afternoon. There are books, magazines, toys, a Wii, a Nintendo Switch, tablets and computers to use in the library. A community puzzle is always available.
The memory lab is available for patrons who would like to digitize photos or home movies. The equipment is available to use in the library or to check out.
The library offers three card clubs — cribbage on Monday from 9-11 a.m., bridge from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesdays, and canasta on the first and third Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Craft and Connect offers a space for crafters to work on projects while socializing with others each Monday from 4-6 p.m.
Two book clubs are available. Between the Covers afternoon book club meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 3 p.m., while Reads Well With Others evening book club meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m. Books are provided, so there is no cost for participants.
The card-making club is open to everyone from 9-11 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month. All equipment and materials are provided for only a $5 fee to cover materials. Cookbook Club is also on the third Thursday at 6 p.m. Members just need to stop by the library to select a recipe and then prepare it and bring it to share with the group the night of the meeting.
Let the library help you have a great summer on a shoestring budget. In fiscal year 2026, our patrons have saved $540,942 so far by checking out library materials instead of purchasing those items. Stop by and check us out.
Card players are learning the game of canasta on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. Anyone with an interest is welcome to join.
So many books, so little time!
Third-graders explored the library to see what was available.
Mrs. Hoover’s third-grade class came to the library for an end-of-the-year field trip last week. Director Jerri Hawkins answered questions about the youth programs.
The third-graders found a lot of places to read.
Third-grade students found places to read and discuss books at the library.
The STEM table activities were popular with the third-grade class.
Who knew there were so many spaces to read in the library?