ARCANUM — The Arcanum Public Library ended its Summer Reading Program with a party for patrons on Aug. 5. There were many activities for attendees, including water games, decorating paper hats, painting rocks to add to the community rock snake “Slithers”, and more. Food and beverages were handed out, and door prizes added to the fun. The library thanks all of those who attended, and the volunteers who came to help with the party.
As summer fades, and thoughts turn to autumn, the library has plenty of things available for all ages to stay busy. In addition to books and movies, the library has STEM building kits and board games to check out and take home. Adults are able to also take home mobile hotspots and the library has a telescope available for checkout. Thanks in part to Casey’s the library now has several Playaway Launchpads, which are pre-loaded tablets filled with educational and fun activities that do not require Wi-Fi. There are tablets with content suitable for children, teens, and adults. They can be taken home, but need to be checked out using an adult library card.
Story Time starts back up for the school year on Thursday, August 31st. Each week, from 10 a.m.- 11 a.m., children up to preschool age can drop in with an adult to listen to stories, sing songs, and make crafts.
The library will be starting a weekly afterschool art program for children in grades K-5 thanks to a generous grant from the Darke County Endowment for the Arts. Classes will be held on Thursdays from 4-5 p.m., and begin on Sept. 7. There is no fee for the program, but signups are needed as space is limited. Children can sign up for individual or multiple classes. Drop in to sign up and view the weekly projects, or call the library at 937-692-8484 to add a name to the list.
On Monday, Sept. 11, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum will be presenting a Children’s Solar Eclipse program at 6 p.m. Drop in for a great introduction to eclipses and to get better prepared to view the two upcoming solar eclipses for our area. There will be a partial eclipse on Oct. 14 of this year, and Darke County we will be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse in May of next year. There is no charge for this program.
On Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m., the OSU Extension office will be presenting a program on backyard beekeeping. Drop in for some great information about bees and get answers to questions you may have about keeping bees or how to make your yard friendlier to bees and other pollinators.
The library can be reached at 937-692-8484 for questions or signups. Patrons can also find the library on Facebook or view the website at www.arcanumpubliclibrary.org. The library is open Monday – Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
