Funny Bunny Festival Featuring Grow with Me

            Mark your calendars!

            The Calhoun County Library is hosting the annual Funny Bunny Festival, but this year there will be a new concept introduced: Grow with Me.

            On Saturday, March 25, 2023, we will be having an event full of fun! From 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, there is going to be plenty to keep everyone of all ages busy. The Easter Bunny is going to be here to take pictures and there will be an Easter egg hunt taking place at 11:30 AM for children up to the age of 10.

            In addition to that, we are adding an element for kids’ nutrition and fitness. With spring just around the corner, there is no better time to promote healthy living in our community through Grow with Me. Join us on March 25 to learn to plant a take-home vegetable with master gardeners, get information from Clemson Extension and WIC, sample healthy snacks with the CCPS Director of Nutrition Whittaker Williams, do a hands-on STEM experiment, and exercise with Move with Celeste who instructs Music & Movement the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month. Each child will get free books and gardening goodies to continue taking care of their vegetable plant.

            We look forward to seeing everyone come together on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at 11:30 AM to take pictures with the Easter Bunny and get a vegetable plant to start your home garden. The Calhoun County Library can’t wait to have a great time with you!

Annual Meeting and Author Event

Friends of the Calhoun County Library

            The Friends of the Calhoun County Library is hosting its annual meeting in March with special speaker and author, Kathryn Smith.

            On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 6 PM, the Friends of the Calhoun County Library will gather together for their annual meeting. The public is welcome to attend. During this event, author Kathryn Smith will be speaking and talking about her books. 

            “Kathryn Smith is a journalist and writer with a life-long interest in FDR and his circle. She has lived all her life in Georgia and South Carolina, and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Georgia. She worked as a daily newspaper reporter and editor, and has been the book columnist for the Anderson Independent Mail for 20 years. Her specialization in health care reporting led to the establishment and management of a charity for cancer patients in her hometown of Anderson, S.C. She has been involved through Rotary International in the worldwide effort to eradicate polio, called PolioPlus, and she has lectured and spoken on FDR’s leadership in that arena. Smith is the author of an oral history of World War II told by living veterans and civilians called A NECESSARY WAR” (“https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Kathryn-Smith/506172937”).

            The three books that Smith will be discussing during The Friends of the Calhoun County Library annual meeting are Baptists & Bootleggers: A Prohibition Expedition Through the South…with Cocktail Recipes, The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR, and the Untold Story of the Partnership That Defined a Presidency, and Gertie: The Fabulous Life of Gertrude Sanford Legendre, Heiress, Explorer, Socialite, Spy.

            The Friends of the Calhoun County Library consistently supports the library in numerous ways. Without their support, we would not be able to offer as many of our programs and classes as we currently do, and we would not be able to engage with local teens through our job-training internships. Come and get involved by attending this event to learn everything they do behind the scenes and meet author Kathryn Smith on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 6 PM.

            This program is offered by the Friends of the Calhoun County Library and sponsored by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage.

20 things You Need to Know Before Leaving High School at the Calhoun County Library

 Part Four: Dining Etiquette

            “Can you please pass the butter?” “May I have more water please?” “Which fork do I use?” “Where do I put my napkin?”

            These are just some of the things you would have heard at the last Teen Night at the Calhoun County Library. We taught dining etiquette at Teen Night as part of the 20 Things You Need to Know Before Leaving High School series.

            We all get a little anxious when we sit down at a table set with multiple forks and several glasses. It’s confusing! On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, local teenagers who came for Teen Night were greeted by a maitre d’ with piano music playing in the background. They were preparing to enjoy a three-course meal. Before their meal, they learned the details of the table setting including which fork was the salad fork, which fork was the dinner fork, and where the dessert utensils were placed. They learned a few guidelines like how to properly cut meat, where to put your napkin, what the bread plate is for, and why you have two glasses. Along with that information, they learned not to put your elbows on the table, not to chew with your mouth open, and how to politely ask someone to pass items on the table. They also practiced introducing themselves before the meal.

            After introductions, they made their way to the table which had already been set, they took a seat and placed their napkins in their laps. Then they got the opportunity to practice everything they had just learned. They even had dinner table topics for appropriate conversation.

            So far our teens have learned:

            How to sew on a button How to make a quesadilla

            How to iron a shirt How to be safe on the internet

            How to do laundry What NOT to put on social media

            How to cook in a microwave How to confidently introduce themselves

            How to use formal table manners How to make pico de gallo

            Join us next week on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 5 PM for another Teen Night. Any teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 are welcome to join us and have fun!