Bee-utiful Bee Field Trips

            Do you know what the biggest pollinator in the world is?

HINT:  We have them right here inside the Calhoun County Library!

The Calhoun County Library held special field trips for 4^th graders in the county to come visit our bees the last week of April. Due to spring blooming and summer around the corner, we had a lot to talk about which resulted in hour-long visits for the students. They rotated through four stations, each for 15 minutes, and they danced, sang, crafted, and learned so much about bees.

1^st Station: Each group made a bee-related craft. We made bee antennae headbands and a queen bee on a stick. While doing this, we taught the bee anatomy of antennae, wings, thorax, abdomen, etc.

2^nd Station: Each group went outside to our pollinator garden located right next to the library. We learned about what colors bees are attracted to and even learned a fun fact that bees cannot see the color red. While in the garden, we held a small scavenger hunt, looking for pollinators that were “hiding” in the garden.

3^rd Station: Each group watched two videos about the Waggle Dance that honey bees do to communicate with each other. A waggle dance is what a bee does with their abdomen to let the other bees know what direction and how far to go for the best flowers and pollen. During the last video, we taught them how to do the waggle dance themselves.

4^th Station: Each group got to visit our real-life bees! We taught the students about how a beehive functions and the stages that they go through from start to finish. Beehives are where bees take the pollen to make the honey, protect the queen, and also lay eggs. Beehives are their homes. Through the clear glass on our hive, we had a sneak peek inside and the students absolutely loved it. Some were a little scared, but after they realized that the bees could not get out or harm them, they were fully engaged.

Once every group visited all four stations, we gave the students a gift. Every child got a bee book and a goodie bag with many bee-related gifts, including a honey stick, a bee bracelet, bee stickers and tattoos, and honey candy. We had so much fun celebrating our bees and introducing them to the students.

Guess what? You do not need to be in school to come visit these bees. You can have your very own field trip and see what the buzz is all about!

Color Run to Color Our World: Summer Reading Kickoff

            The Calhoun County Library is getting ready to start celebrating the Summer Reading Program this year and that means we are having a giant kickoff event!

The Summer Reading Program theme this year is: Color Our World. For our Kickoff, we are making it big. We are going to have a blast of color for our kickoff with a Color Run on Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. This event will be held at the Calhoun County Sports Complex, located at 600 Chestnut Street in St. Matthews. We will have complimentary kids’ white tee shirts while supplies last, so make sure to bring your own shirt just in case. After having fun in the Color Run, cool down with some cold, FREE Randolph’s Italian Ice, while supplies last!

Mark your calendars for splatters of color for the Summer Reading Program Kickoff on June 5, 2025, at 10:30 AM! Come run or walk through clouds of reds, blues, and yellows.

This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library.

A Day of Purple Martin

            The Calhoun County Library had a successful, fun time at all of the Purple Martin festivities last weekend, despite the rain.

Somewhat bright and early, our Bookmobile made an appearance during the Purple Martin Parade at 10 AM. We traveled a few miles, throwing purple skittles for your enjoyment. Through little and big spurts of rain, we had a few dedicated people stand tall watching the parade and getting a sugar-filled snack.

Then, from 11 AM - 3 PM, we painted purple martins at our tent between the library and the courthouse at the Purple Martin Festival. Calhoun County High School students of Mr. Sawvell drew outlines for our painters to guide them on how to get the best angle of the beautiful purple martin birds. We had many visitors who wanted to paint, grab a free book, and learn about all our programs, services, and materials. Sadly, we also ran into a few bands of rain. Practicing quick decision-making by our interns, they moved as many patrons under the tent as they could to ensure their paintings did not get ruined and then draped the rest with bright purple table cloths until the storm passed. We did not let the rain dampen our mood though!

In addition to painting purple martins, we had a very special program: the Birds of Prey Program from the Avian Conservation Center. This program focuses on history, conservation, and preservation and keeping animals safe. During the two showings we had of this event, the first at 12:30 PM and the second at 2 PM, we had live birds in the library! A Mississippi kite, northern white-faced owl, and a red-tailed hawk were in the library flying around. Each bird had an important message for us. One of them was about not littering because the red-tailed hawk came to their care facility full of BB pellets, a broken wing, and an infected eye. Now the bird only has one eye, which means they can never be released back into the wild. We even got to witness how this affected his flying because he tried to land and ended up crashing. This program is presented by The Avian Conversation Center located in Awendaw, South Carolina and we would like to thank them for such an informative and enlightening program.

While all of this was happening, the Friends of the Calhoun County Library were having a fantastic book sale where everything was only 50 cents! This included books, puzzles, and movies. We had many browsers and customers who purchased a lot of materials. Be on the lookout for more information about our next big Friends Book Sale coming soon!

Thank you to everyone who watched us in the parade and stopped by the library or our tent for some fun. This is another successful, yet rainy, Purple Martin Parade and Festival in the books!

Little Purple Martin, West Rucker

Librarians at a Career Fair

            The Calhoun County Library was invited to celebrate two career fairs last week. Most people think that working in a library means reading and organizing books all day, but local students learned what really goes on at the library.

On Thursday, April 17, 2025, St. Matthews K - 8 and Sandy Run K - 8 held Career Fairs for their classes. The Calhoun County Library was invited to participate and during these two events, we informed the students of what it’s like to work at a library and what the library has to offer to the public. Students learned about items that circulate (or are checked out) like books, Wonderbooks, Playaways, Launchpads, movies, graphic novels, and even Nintendo Switch games. We showed them that we have resources for them for both school and entertainment such as DISCUS and Magic Desktop for kids. In addition, the Calhoun County Library has a special Teen Night program for ages 12 - 17 and our Summer Reading Program is coming up soon. We gave those students an early look into what we have in store for this summer. The Summer Reading Program is for all ages! Students learned how we plan for events and programs, what programs are upcoming, and how to get involved with the library whether it’s through attending events or volunteering at programs.

The Calhoun County Library has materials to check out, but we have so much more to offer including classes, assistance, services, contacts, and information. During this event, the students learned all about being a librarian and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Purple Birdies at the Library

            The Calhoun County Library is going to be very busy at the Purple Martin Parade and Festival and we invite everyone to stop by to check us out!

            Starting bright and early, the Calhoun County Library will be in the Purple Martin Parade on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Catch us in the Bookmobile throwing candies your way at 10 AM. After that, head over to the festival. There will be dozens of vendors ranging from foods to services to arts. As a matter of fact, we will be doing some artsy fun! Between the library and the courthouse, we will be painting purple martins. For free! This will be from 11 AM - 2 PM. Then we are having a very special program called Birds of Prey. This program is all about conservation and history. Live animals will be in the library for two shows at 12:30 PM and 2 PM. It is also free! During the Purple Martin Festival, the Friends of the Calhoun County Library will be having a book sale in the library. Come buy a book or movie to show your support.

            Make sure to stop by the library to have a great day of fun with us during the Purple Martin festivities!

A Very Special Book Club Schedule

The Calhoun County Library has their very own book club every month and the books for 2025 have been chosen. There is a mix of genres so there is something for everyone.

Take a gander at the below schedule for the Calhoun County Library Book Club:

April 17, 2025 – The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

May 15, 2025 – Go As a River by Shelley Read

June 26, 2025 – The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

July 17, 2025 – The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Martin

August 21, 2025 – Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

September 18, 2025 – The Women by Kristin Hannah

October 16, 2025 – Spare by Prince Harry

November 20, 2025 – The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyers

December 18, 2025 – Reader’s Choice of a Christmas Book and Cookie Exchange

Join us on the third Thursday of every month, except for June, at 1 PM to discuss these books with a very active reading group. We get copies of the books in the beginning of the month so if you would like to join, grab a book for the respective month and give it a deep read. We love having a varying group of opinions and questions. Be sure to clear your schedule, pick up the book of the month, and join us for Book Club!

Growing with Peter Rabbit

            Spring is here and everything is in bloom. To stay healthy, busy, and get growing, the Calhoun County Library hosted Grow with Me at the end of March.

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, we had around 200 people come through the doors from 10 AM - 12 PM for Grow with Me. We built a homemade pine cone birdfeeder, planted a windowsill herb garden, made a “Hairy Harry” plant craft, and learned about the parts of a flower. We even had a cute little petting area complete with a little white bunny named Daisy, two baby ducks, and two baby turkeys. Children enjoyed feeling how soft they were and listening to the chirps and squeaks!

So many children had their faces painted; we saw everything from a butterfly to a tiger! One of the best experiences of Grow with Me was planting a tomato plant! Each child got a big pot, filled it with soil, and picked a tomato plant. We helped them break up the roots, place the tomato plant in the pot, pat down all the top soil, and water it. Of course, we had to give information about how to care for this plant so that each child has the joy of being able to pick off a tomato plant they grew themselves!

There was a special appearance during Grow with Me too: Peter Rabbit came hopping down the bunny trail to take pictures with everyone to celebrate the changing season! We had healthy snacks and refreshments available during the event, supporting heart-healthy meat and fruits. In addition to all of the plants, we also gave out books to all of the children to keep learning about growing. We hope to see pictures of the kids with the Peter Rabbit and all the plants in bloom from Grow with Me at the Calhoun County Library.

Teen Night Martial Arts Protection

            As a teen, do you ever find yourself in a confrontational situation? A lot of people go straight to getting angry or fighting, but there is always a way to avoid that. The Calhoun County Library wants to make sure everyone knows how to de-escalate an unpleasant situation.

The Calhoun County Library had an interesting Teen Night on Tuesday, March 4, 2024, at 5 PM - 6:30 PM. We held a Jiu Jitsu class for the first time ever. Kevin Hess and Cameron Rast taught this grappling-based martial art which emphasizes strategic techniques and positioning to subdue an opponent. Instead of starting or continuing a physical altercation, we started this class by educating teens on how to de-escalate a potentially contentious situation.  The two instructors taught the teenagers how to protect themselves by using self-defense to disarm their attacker. One of these techniques demonstrated how to escape from an aggressor if you are pinned against a wall, and another tactic demonstrated how to avoid being pushed or backed up against a wall. Our teens learned how to avoid a confrontation and walk away from a physical altercation which is a win/win for everyone! Thank you to Mr. Hess and Mr. Rast for their demonstration and for teaching our teens an important life skill.

Teen Night is all about having fun and learning life skills. We are glad that we were able to teach our teens self-defense this year and look forward to continuing this. If you are between the ages of 12 - 17, we would love for you to join us on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 5 PM - 6:30 PM!

Grow with Me at the Calhoun County Library

            Children grow up so fast. They say their first words, try their first solid foods, and before you know it, they have gotten their first growth spurt. Reading is a big part of your child’s growth, and the Calhoun County Library is getting ready for the upcoming Grow with Me program to celebrate children in our area.

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, we are having our annual spring program, Grow with Me. This event is going to be from 10 AM - 12 PM. Children will enjoy planting their very own tomato plant to take home while local garden club members teach them about the necessities for a plant to survive. Children can also make a pine cone bird feeder and then plant a “Hairy Harry” cup which will grow hair in the coming days. They’ll also leave with a windowsill garden, a bean-in-a-bag to sprout at home, and a free book. While they’re here, they can learn about the parts of a flower, pet baby animals, and enjoy a healthy snack. They can even take a picture with Peter Rabbit! This program highlights how important it is to care for things that grow, including the children themselves!

Spring is when everything starts to bloom and the Calhoun County Library wants to make sure that every child has what they need to grow including books, so mark your calendars and get ready to Grow with Me!

Local Outdoorsman Author Event

            The Calhoun County Library held an author event last week to support a local, well-known outdoorsman and author who has published several books, the latest of which being Local Signs & Wonders: Essays About Belonging to a Place.

Dr. Richard Rankin visited the library on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 5:30 PM. He writes books and articles on cultural history, nature, and hunting. After a long career as a college professor and administrator and an independent school headmaster, Rankin is now serving as the director of the Interlaken Wildlife Center in Cameron, South Carolina. The Interlaken Wildlife Center’s mission is outdoor education and recreation, the promotion of hunting and shooting sports, and wildlife conservation.

An outdoorsman, conservationist, and Presbyterian layman, Dr. Rankin and his family are the sixth generation living on family land in the North Carolina Piedmont. This property was once known as Rankintown. It is a shrinking countryside about twenty miles west of fast-growing Charlotte, North Carolina. Several days a week, Dr. Rankin travels back and forth to his family home in North Carolina and the Interlaken Wildlife Center in Calhoun County to assist with hunts.

Dr. Rankin spoke to a large crowd about his most recent work, Local Signs & Wonders: Essays about Belonging to a Place. This book is a collection of essays describing how attachment to a family homestead creates a sense of wellbeing, fulfillment, and belonging. Within the book, there are stories that represent personal experiences for him. He discussed one of these essays with us: “Wondering about the Wart Doctor,” and its topic was exactly that! The essay told about a mysterious wart healer who went to. Dr. Rankin’s father, a highly respected family doctor in their hometown. Back then, when people came in with a wart, his father gave them two options: have him cut it open, get a scar, and pay a fee or go to this magic wart doctor for the removal.

Once, Rankin got a wart himself, and his father refused to remove it. He was sent to this mysterious wart healer, and the essay tells the rest of the story. We are not going to give away the ending, so you will have to come to the library and check out your own copy of Local Signs and Wonders: Essays about Belonging to a Place.

We would like to thank everyone who came to meet Dr. Richard Rankin. We had a great crowd of people who knew him, knew the Interlaken Wildlife Center, and knew that Southern stories are some of the best. We are happy that we came together and supported this local author!

Crafty, Busy Bees

            Calhoun County is the home of many talented, crafty people and the Calhoun County Library has dedicated a program to bring them together twice a month.

Bee Creative is a program where you can come and enjoy practicing your craft. We make quilts, create felt plushies, design custom fabric wallets, and much more. However, if these projects aren’t your style, bring what you would like to do! We have had patrons make jewelry, paint, and even work on their writing skills. Bee Creative is about practicing any fun hobby in a social setting along with other crafters. If you’ve never been to a Bee Creative program, imagine walking into a friend’s house, sitting down, working with your hands, and talking about whatever is on your mind. How relaxing and productive does that sound?

Bee Creative meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month from 5 PM to 7 PM. This is an all-ages program, so don’t think it’s only for grandmas who want to knit scarves (even though we might be knitting scarves!). We have a variety of regulars and we would love to have more regulars join us.

Check out our schedule for upcoming group projects:

March 11 -  Sewing Irish chain quilts

March 25 - Painting Easter eggs

*April 8 - Creating sun clocks (see information below)

April 22 - Designing fabric coasters

May 13 and 27 - Making reusable heating pads with slipcovers

*We will make a sun clock in Bee Creative on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 5 PM. Lesa Rice-Jackson will lead this interactive STEM program. You must register for this program. Call us at 803-874-3389 to reserve a seat in this class by 8 PM on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

Depending on necessary supplies, we will occasionally have classes that require registration, but we will always give you time and opportunities to register for a seat. Most of our classes, however, do not require registration. Just come and enjoy crafting, sewing, and spending time together!

If you have a project in the works and would like some advice, or just fellowship, come join us. We would love to have you become crafty with us. We hope to see you soon!

Teen Outreach Programs

            The Calhoun County Library has many outreach programs available to children and we would like to highlight two of them.

            STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. We like to take this program to the afterschool centers around our community. This allows us to keep those students busy while also allowing them to learn through hands-on experiments. One of the last projects we took to the schools was making their own catapults with rubber bands, popsicle sticks, and cotton balls. We don’t want to give too much away about this project because we would love for the kids to show you what they have learned with us. We do want to give a huge shout out to Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson and Laura Hair, from 4-H, for helping out. They each attend a STEM program to assist with making sure these kids get a fun way of learning after school and get to see some cool, messy, and sometimes tasty experiments. So, if your child goes to an afterschool program in Calhoun County, ask them about STEM with the library ladies.

            In addition to STEM, we also hold an age-exclusive program for teenagers, called Teen Night. This program takes place on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month, from 5 PM to 6:30 PM, and is only for 12 - 17-year-olds. This program gives teenagers from all different backgrounds and school systems a chance to mingle and come together for some fun and engagement. Sometimes, we play games, watch movies, do crafts, and learn life skills, and we are even entertaining the idea of having a Jiu Jitsu night for Teen Night. We always have good food - brownies and milk, pizza, hot dogs, pancakes - so come join us for a good time at Teen Night!

            The Calhoun County Library realizes how important it is to keep children and teenagers interested in the library and we want everyone to have fun with us. We surely have fun with our community kids every month.

Local Author Dr. Richard Rankin Speaks

            Calhoun County has many local authors and the Calhoun County Library is hosting one such author for an event at the end of February.

            Dr. Richard Rankin has a long career as a college professor, administrator, and headmaster. He is the sixth generation living on family land in the North Carolina Piedmont and serves as the director of the Interlaken Wildlife Center in Cameron, South Carolina. Dr. Rankin specializes in cultural history, nature, and hunting. With an interest in those areas, it comes as no surprise that Dr. Rankin is also an outdoorsman and conservationist. That is just one reason why he has written a book about his experiences and thoughts concerning the outdoors. Local Signs & Wonders: Essays about Belonging to a Place is his newest work and Dr. Rankin will be talking about it, entertaining questions, and also giving audience members an opportunity to purchase the book during our “Meet the Author” event. The book is an “essay collection describing how attachment to a family homestead creates a sense of wellbeing, fulfillment, and belonging. As a whole, the pieces reveal how a settled inhabitant's personal identity grows from a local landscape and its history and culture” (taken from Mercer University Press summary).

            This event will take place on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. We invite everyone to come show your support for a local author. Come listen to Dr. Richard Rankin speak about his book, buy a copy for yourself, and get inspired reading the words of someone from our community. Join us on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, beginning at 5:30 PM!