By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

In a few days, families will be gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. We look forward to family time, and while we are thankful for the chance to all be together, sometimes all that togetherness can be a lot. Here is a reason for gratitude. In the event that all that family time becomes overwhelming, the library has everything you need to keep your family entertained. 

In case you need family activities to keep everyone engaged and off their phones, consider checking out a jigsaw puzzle. We have a large selection of different sizes and difficulty levels. A wide variety of board games are available to check out for your family game time. We have games that are appropriate for all ages and interest levels.  

If you are hosting a lot of small children, stop in and get some picture books. Older kids can read to the younger children or to the entire family. We have read along books and playaways for screen-free entertainment. Our read-along books range from picture books to beginning readers to chapter books. Playaways are audiobooks that can be used with standard headphones. These are also great for long car trips; the audiobook can be used in the car with an auxiliary cord so the entire family can listen. 

We have a large selection of family movies, holiday favorites and TV series that you could check out to have on hand in case your family gets tired of watching football or the Westminster Dog Show.

Plan ahead because the library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27, and Friday, Nov. 28. We will have our regular hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. We will also be closed for Christmas on Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Thursday, Dec. 25. On Wednesday, Dec. 31, the library will close at 3 p.m. for New Year’s Eve and will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 1.  

After the Thanksgiving holiday, be sure to plan to stop in the library to take a look at the Festival of Trees decorated to complement the theme of Silver and Gold. Groups, businesses and families who want to participate in the Festival of Trees can still sign up on the MJB Library website and set up trees for the event.  

Beginning on Monday, Dec. 1, the library will launch a new program, Craft and Connect, which will meet in the Taylor Meeting Room from 4-6 p.m. This program is geared toward adults who would like to bring their craft projects to work and socialize with other craft enthusiasts. Bring your coffee and whatever project you are working on, from crochet to coloring, and spend some time with friends and hobbies.

On Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., the library will have LEGO Mania Day. The LEGO challenge will be to make a Christmas tree.  

On Dec. 13, the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library will be having a bake sale and craft time for kids from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stop by during our regular Saturday hours to buy holiday goodies. Kids will have a special project to create in the Taylor Meeting Room. Friends of the Library who are willing to donate baked goods should contact the library to sign up. 

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

Card making class will meet on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 9-11 a.m. to make handmade greeting cards. All supplies for the class are provided. The $5 fee for the class pays for materials. 

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, Cookbook club will gather to share food made with recipes from the “Taste of Home Soups and Breads Cookbook.” If you’d like to join the group, stop by the library to choose a recipe from this month’s cookbook to make and take to share at the meeting on Thursday evening. 

Story Hour on Friday, Nov. 21, will be all about turkeys. Story Hour is on Friday mornings at 10 a.m. Preschoolers of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to join for books and a craft. There will not be a story hour on Nov. 28 due to the library being closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Reads Well With Others Book Club will meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The group will be discussing “Listen for the Lie” by Amy Tintera and decorating the tree for the Festival of Trees. The December book will be “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach. 

The library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, to allow staff to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. With winter weather on the way, library patrons are reminded that if ACGC Schools are closed because of inclement weather, the library will also be closed.  

Local businesses and organizations are reminded that the Festival of Trees will be here soon. Those wanting to display a tree at the Festival of Trees can sign up on the library website. This year’s theme is Silver and Gold. Set-up begins on Nov. 20.  

Friends of the Guthrie Center Library will be having a Bake Sale and a Children’s Craft on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members of the Friends group are asked to sign up to bring baked goods. 

LEGO Day participants were tasked with creating a catapult with LEGOs.

This young engineer is deeply concentrating as she designs her catapult.

Some of the LEGO Day participants pose with their finished catapults, loaded with marshmallows and ready to test.

The MJB Library hosted LEGO Day on Nov. 12.

This project is a challenge but one that the LEGO builders enjoyed.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette 

With colder weather coming, remember that the MJB Library has plenty for you to do inside where it’s warm. Stop by to browse our new books, check out a board game or movie, or just get a cup of coffee and work on the communal jigsaw puzzle.  

Parents, remember to sign up your kids for LEGO Mania Day at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Preschool Story Hour will be on Friday, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. 

Card-making Class is Thursday, Nov. 20, from 9-11 a.m. For a $5 material fee, participants can create unique, handmade cards. At 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, Cookbook Club will meet to discuss the recipes they are sharing from the “Taste of Home Soups and Breads” cookbook.

Reads Well with Others evening book club will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 25 to discuss Amy Tintera’s thriller “Listen for the Lie.” Lucy and Savvy were the “it” girls of their small Texas town. Lucy married a dreamy guy, and Savvy was a social butterfly loved by everyone. After the night Lucy was discovered wandering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood, the town assumed Lucy killed her best friend. Lucy moved to L.A. to start a new life but still can’t remember anything about that night eight years earlier. 

However, the popular true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie” with the good-looking host has decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for their second season. Now, Lucy finds herself forced to return to a place she never wanted to see again to solve her friend’s murder. The truth is out there, if we just listen. Stop by the MJB Library to check out a copy and join us for the book club.

The sign-up for Festival of Trees is on the MJB website. This year’s theme is silver and gold. The setup begins on Nov. 20.  

Participants in the Chunky Blanket Class at the MJB created hand-crafted blankets.

Art on the Fly from Jefferson led a class on making chunky blankets at the MJB Library on Nov. 1.

At the end of the chunky blanket class, participants had finished blankets, ready to give as Christmas gifts or to take home to snuggle up in.

The story hour audience joined in the singing and actions during the Overall Buddies Program.

Part of Rich Monthei’s collection of Jewel Tea Autumn Leaves dishware will be on display in our case during November.

Members of the evening book club, Reads Well with Others, met to make handmade decorations for the tree they are decorating for the Festival of Trees.

The evening book club met to discuss their book of the month while working on crafting decorations for their tree for the Festival of Trees.

Author, singer, songwriter and educator Lori Lynn presented a program during the Nov. 7 preschool story hour.

During November, Good Vibrations, a king-sized quilt created by Cindy Steensen, will be on display.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

The MJB Library Preschool Story Hour will have a special guest this week. Overall, Buddies will be entertaining our group on Friday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. Lori Lynn will have her guitar and puppets and will entertain with books and songs. Lynn, an early childhood educator, will not only engage the preschoolers but will also offer tips to parents and caretakers to help the young people in their lives with reading readiness. 

Our Nov. 14 story hour will have the theme of foxes, while turkeys will be the subject of the Nov. 21 story hour.  Story hours begin at 10 a.m.

Card players, we offer Cribbage each Monday from 9-11 a.m. and Bridge Class on Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. Everyone is welcome, regardless of your skill level. 

Youth are invited to preregister for our events this month. Lego Mania Day will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Guthrie STEM Lab will be on Monday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. 

Reads Well with Others Evening Book Club will meet to discuss the thriller “Listen for the Lie” by Amy Tintera on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. Interested participants are encouraged to stop by the library and check out a copy to read before the meeting. 

Businesses and Organizations that are interested in decorating a tree for the library’s Festival of Trees can sign up on the MJB Library Website. This year’s theme is Silver and Gold. Tree setup begins Nov. 20. We would encourage groups to get trees up before Thanksgiving. 

The MJB Library will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans’ Day. Additionally, the library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28 to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will open again at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. 

The MJB Library Boo Bash welcomed 330 guests this year.

Trick-or-Treaters enjoyed a little bit of putt-putt golf.

The Limb-Boo was a popular game at the library.

Boo Bash Trick or Treaters left with a book of their own.

This little flamingo is excited to be at the Boo Bash!

This little duck was so excited to have a new book.

This cowboy got his own Curious George book!

There were books for all ages of trick-or-treaters.

Each trick-or-treater got some candy, too.

The little fireman had trouble deciding which book to take.

Again this year, the MJB Library celebrated Halloween with our annual Li-BOO-ary Bash. This year, we welcomed 330 guests. Pictured is the MJB Boo Crew: Cass Fronapfel, Director Jerri Hawkins, Karen Kelly and Lynda Menefee.

Saturdays at the MJB Library are filled with young patrons who like to hang out. These guys are busy coloring some Halloween pages.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

Guthrie Center residents with a library card, have you been utilizing your Iowa Adventure Pass (IAP)? As many of you are aware, due to the financial commitment of the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library, which sponsors the IAP, patrons with a Guthrie Center address are currently able to use their library cards to obtain Iowa Adventure Passes for two central Iowa destinations. 

The Iowa Adventure Pass will still allow two adults and two children to have admission to the Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center of Iowa, but it also offers new perks. Blue Zoo Aquarium in West Des Moines will have a Buy One, Get Two Free offer: Buy one adult admission and get two free child admissions. This feature should be active at the IAP link on our library website.  

Located on Mills Civic Parkway, The Blue Zoo Aquarium offers many things to see as well as touch and feed opportunities. Programs change daily and include touch and feed stingrays and reptiles, opportunities to feed birds as well as sharks, clown fish, seahorses, birds and lizards. Visitors can watch mermaid shows and pirate ships, as well as enjoy the freshwater center and the saltwater center. Water play tables and opportunities for interactive play are available as well.

The final addition to the Iowa Adventure Pass is available only to students aged 7-18 years of age. In conjunction with the Des Moines Performing Arts, the IAP is offering admission to the Wellmark Family Series shows this year to students. Ticket passes are reserved on the IAP website and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The pass confirmation will need to be reserved in person up to 60 days before the event. These reservations must be made in person at the box office of the Civic Center or Hoyt Sherman Place. Students present their library card and proof of reservation at the box office of the appropriate venue, select their seat, and leave with either a paper or electronic ticket to the shows. For more information, contact the venues directly. 

The first show is “Sugar Skull! A Dia de Muertos Musical Adventure” on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m.  Other shows in the series include “Forward,” Sept. 3-19; “The Nutcracker,” Oct. 27 – Dec. 5; “Nothing Holds Still,” Jan. 13 – Feb. 20; and “Cinderella,” April 3 – May 8. 

Remember that our annual Li-BOO-ary Bash will be Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5-7:15 p.m. at the MJB Library. The event will feature plenty of not-so-scary fun and a treat.  

Story hour for preschoolers and their caretakers is each Friday at 11 a.m. The final story hour of October will be all about witches. On Nov. 7, the library will have a special guest, as Lori with Overall Buddies will be here. Lori will have her guitar and puppet friends to entertain our young guests. For adults attending, she will offer tips for improving reading readiness in preschoolers. 

For our patrons who are looking for the latest releases in our new book section, thank you for being patient with us. Baker and Taylor, the main book vendor for public libraries, is in the process of closing following financial difficulties. This unexpected situation has created a difficulty in our supply chain, as some of our other vendors were not prepared to meet the increased demand that Baker and Taylor’s closing has caused. Consequently, we are dealing with severe back orders and delays. If there’s a specific book you thought we would have, be sure to mention it to us, and we will do our best to get it in.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Tmes Vedette

This week is National Friends of Libraries Week. We here at MJB Library wish to thank all of the members of our Friends of the Guthrie Center Library for their tireless support of the Mary J. Barnett Library. Our volunteers invest time to plan and work fundraisers, attend meetings and think of ways to enhance our library. We appreciate all who are members of our organization, and all of you who are not, we invite you to join. The next meeting will be at 6:15 p.m. on Jan. 5. 

We have some exciting events coming up. The annual Boo Bash will be on Thursday, Oct. 30. Trick-or-Treaters are invited to stop by the library in their costumes to enjoy some family-friendly activities and get a treat. We will have places where you can take photos of your littles in their costumes. Boo Bash will run from 5-7:15 p.m.

On Mondays, Cribbage will meet from 9-11 a.m. in the Taylor meeting room. Bridge meets on Wednesday mornings, same place and same time. Both of these groups welcome all new players, regardless of skill level. 

The Creation Corner will be busy with a new craft at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22. This activity is a coffee filter owl, suitable for all ages. Pre-registration is preferred. Other upcoming children’s programs include our Friday preschool story hour, which begins at 10 a.m. each Friday. The subject for the next story hour will be monsters.

The evening book club, Reads Well with Others, will be meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m. to discuss “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.” In addition to discussing this exceptional novel, club members will be choosing books for the upcoming year, as well as doing a craft project. Consequently, the group will meet in the Taylor Meeting Room this month.

For people who would like to learn a new craft or find a unique way to make home-crafted gifts, the library is offering an adult class that might be of interest. Join us at the Taylor Meeting Room on Saturday, Nov. 1, for an exciting and fun adult library program presented by Art on the Fly. Learn how to make a warm and cozy lap blanket approximately 40 inches by 50 inches. It’s so simple, and the blanket makes a great gift for yourself or someone special. The cost for the class is $80, which covers the cost of supplies, which are all included. Class time is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The registration deadline is Sunday, Oct. 26. Class size is limited. Pre-registration and prepayment are required. You can pre-register for the Art on the Fly class by visiting the library’s website calendar. Just go to the November community calendar, click on the Art on the Fly event for more details, and then click on the tickets section to complete your registration. Call the library if you need help registering for this fun event.

Festival of Trees at MJB Library

The Festival of Trees is just around the corner, and this year’s theme is “Silver and Gold.” Trees may begin to be set up on Thursday, Nov. 20. Please note that the library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. It is preferred that trees be picked up by Jan. 10. If you have any questions or need assistance in scheduling a time to set up your tree, feel free to call the library.

The Friends of the GC Library will host a Festival of Trees Showcase featuring a bake sale, music, and kids’ crafts on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon. If you would like to donate baked goods or pies for this fundraiser, please call us at the library.  

Firefighter Chuck Cleveland and First Assistant Chief Brady Langgaard took time out of their day to bring the firetruck to the library and speak with our youngest patrons about firetrucks and the equipment firefighters use during our weekly story hour.

Guthrie Center Fireman Brady Langgaard demonstrates how firefighters use safety equipment while fighting fires.