New Melodic Nature Sculptures

Did you know that the Calhoun County Library has a little garden right across the street by the front door? Did you know that we use this garden multiple times a year to teach about bees and other pollinators, pollination, and the importance of keeping our planet clean from litter? Well, now it has a TONE-tally fun upgrade to it!

The Calhoun County Library has created a new whimsical feel to the Gressette Children’s Garden by adding a musical caterpillar and four musical butterfly sculptures.

Each caterpillar body segment and butterfly wing makes its own individual melodious note as it is hit with the mallet. This means that children can create music all of their own in a combination of notes and rhythms. Play with the small one, two, or all seven segments on the caterpillar, and choose among the four butterflies. Just make it original and have fun with it while being outside at the same time! These five new additions are designed to improve motor skills and allow children of all ages to create beats in a natural environment. They can improve hand-eye coordination, teach young children to count, and even give small ears the chance to learn the difference between sounds.

Come take a look at our garden, play some notes, and learn all about the importance of pollinators and plants. With cooler weather coming, we wanted to give our garden a colorful upgrade while many of our native plants go dormant. We look forward to seeing you in the Gressette Children’s Garden to bring your own sense of fun!

There’s a Lot of Haunting Going On At The Library

            The Calhoun County Library has a very spooky last week of October, full of events and contests for everyone.

Tally Johnson, a local author from the Lancaster County Library, is visiting the library on Thursday, October 30, 2025, for Spirit Spooks and Local Lores. Johnson, author of the book Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands, will be telling ghost stories from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. Join us to hear about ghostly encounters that have happened right here in our very own backyards! Because the stories that Johnson will be telling are chilling and true, they are not suited for children under the age of 13. This event is for ages 13 and up.

On Halloween Night, our annual Halloween Boo Bash will take place here at the library from 5 PM - 7 PM. We will be playing games, winning prizes, giving away free children’s Halloween books and free freshly spun cotton candy by Twisted Sugar, and having fun together. Don’t miss the Boo Bash! We look forward to seeing everyone in their costumes and ready to have a good time with us again this year!

Also, don’t forget about our first-ever pumpkin book character contest! All you have to do is design an uncut pumpkin, real or fake, as your favorite book character using whatever you want. This can include markers, paint, foam, fabric, etc. This contest started on October 1, 2025, but it will continue until October 30, 2025. So, you still have some time! Get your creative juices flowing and then bring your pumpkin into the library to enter the contest. Patrons will be the ones voting on their favorites and the winner will receive an Amazon gift card! It’s not too late!

Make sure to stop by the library this week to enjoy both of these free programs and enter your pumpkin in the pumpkin character contest. All three will be fun and bring the spirit of Halloween alive in our small little town. We look forward to seeing you!

The Calhoun County Library’s October Outreach:

 A Health Fair and Two Fall Festivals

The Calhoun County Library had a very busy week last week with multiple opportunities to engage the community through outreach.

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, we were invited to attend Zeus’s Health Fair. We brought free books, flyers for all of our adult programs, and door prizes for special winners. We also offered promotional items such as pens and keychains. Everyone needs to take care of themselves and that includes taking a break and reading a book.

The next day, Friday, October 10, 2025, we attended the Council on Aging’s Fall Festival. While we were there, we painted ceramic pumpkins using a technique called decoupaging. Using Mod Podge and festive fall napkins, attendees painted their pumpkins and created unique designs that turned out beautifully. Council on Aging participants loved doing this project and we had the most perfect pumpkins in the end!

Saturday, October 11, 2025, brought the Sandy Run Fall Festival. The Bookmobile made its appearance and provided free giveaway books for all children. Community members received information about all of our programs for children and adults, and left the Bookmobile with books to read over the weekend! Everyone who attended had a fantastic time. Including us!

We’ve had a very busy October so far and are looking forward to the rest of the month’s activities. Don’t forget about our upcoming events:

Pumpkin Character Contest, from October 1 - 30, 2025 - Bring your uncut pumpkin decorated as your favorite book character.

Spirit Spooks and Local Lores: Tally Johnson Meet the Author Event, on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 5:30 PM - Come listen to local ghost story teller (ages 12 and up).

Boo Bash!, on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 5 PM - 7 PM - Come play games, win prizes, get free books, and eat fresh cotton candy.

There’s a tree in the Calhoun County Library!

            The Calhoun County Library has a designated room for children’s programs now and we’d like you to come by and see our changes.

            The Merle Govan Program Room is now only for children’s programs. To make it more child-friendly, we have a new dedicated children's storytime space with vibrant colors and a reading tree. We made it a bit more colorful and fun. A little paint and a little muscle have transformed the Program Room; each wall is a different color to inspire children’s imaginations. One blue, one green, one yellow, and one orange wall are better and brighter to enhance our young community’s bright future. 

            Speaking of decorations, that moves us on to the second big change in the now colorful room: a big ‘ole tree!  We have added a permanent reading tree! This large tree has cubbies all over that give plenty of space for the best books and toys of the week. These easily accessible shelves and bottom cubbies make it easy to grab the free book from the program and they are perfect for Mother Goose to store Buddy, Mrs. Perky Bird, and Puff the Magic Dragon. Vinyl seats encircle the base of the tree to allow for a relaxing reading area underneath the canopy of foam leaves on the top to mimic a real tree.  Aside from it being big, inviting, and useful, this brand new reading tree is simply just awesome!

            Come visit the library and join us for a children’s program to take a look at these new and improved changes.  Together let’s make this place as fun as possible because reading is FUN-damental and the earlier we can get children to agree, the better!