Thursday, October 28, 2010

Boo! Haunted Maze to benefit library

Who ever decided that “boo” is what ghosts say? I've watched quite a bit of television lately and I haven’t found one single paranormal investigator record a single “boo” on his or her EMF recorder. Not one. They seem to say lots of other stuff, but not “boo”.

As a cat, I find this interesting on a whole different level. I have known very few cats that say anything close to “meow”! But I digress.

Halloween is upon us and “boo” or not, our Pine River Public Library is hosting Haunted Maze at the Wildwedge Mystery Maze next to AmericInn in Jenkins on October 29th, 30th and 31st, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hours are 6:30PM to 8:30PM on Friday and Saturday. We’ll have a Special time on Sunday for the wee ones: 4:00 pm to 6:00pm. Then for the older kids: 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Entrance fee is $3.00 for all ages. All proceeds will go toward repaying the cost of the new library roof.

Halloween is not the end of the world, however, and on November 6th at 3:00PM at The Warehouse in Pine River, Kitchigami Regional Libraries and Pine River Public Library welcomes another renowned author through the Minnesota Legacy Authors program. Anton Treuer, on a reprise visit, “…explores the murder of the controversial Ojibwe chief who led his people through the first difficult years of dispossession by white invaders… “Chief Hole in the Day is a local historical figure. Don’t miss this talk. It is part of our local heritage.

I remain,

Browser, the library cat.

“Meow” to you.

Printed in part in the Pine River Journal 28th October 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Free genealogy program is Oct. 22

Welcome, friends all:

As a feline, unless one has a pedigree, a family tree is nonexistent. I, for one, consider Muriel my family. I have lived at the library and, on rare occasions, at the home of friends since I was very young. I was adopted by the library. I take this for granted. People, it seems, are much more interested in their roots.

One of my human friends was recently united with her birth family. This was a big deal for her. For me it wouldn’t matter at all. With all this in mind, and because our library, though my home, was put in place for humans, Pine River Public Library is presenting a program on Genealogy. Entitled “Beginning Genealogy at Your Library” This program will take place Friday, October 22nd at 3:30PM. It is Ancestry Detectives 101. Finding your family roots is the thrust of this program. The project is funded in part or whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Pre-registration is required, since there is limited computer seating. I tend to occupy one of the computer chairs but will give it up for this program.

Looking ahead to my favorite holiday, Halloween, our Friends of the Pine River Library has a rare treat this year. They are sponsoring a Haunted Maze at the Wildwedge Mystery Maze next to AmericInn in Jenkins. The dates for this fun time are October 29th, 30th and 31st, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hours are 6:30PM to 8:30PM. Entrance fee is $3.00. All proceeds will go toward repaying the cost of the new library roof.

If you need more information about the Haunted Maze, or if you need to sign up for the Genealogy session, please call the library at 218-587-4639.

I remain, your friend,

Browser, the library cat

Printed in the Pine River Journal 14th October 2010

Friday, October 01, 2010

A timeless treasure to be shared October 5th

Hello, my lovely readers all,

The State of Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy Grant has another terrific program for you coming up on Tuesday, Oct. 5th at 6:00 PM at The Warehouse in Pine River. This time it is a portrayal of Maud Hart Lovelace (1892-1980), a well know Minnesota author, as interpreted by Laurie Johnson from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Vera Neville, author of the “Princess Diary” series says of Ms. Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series, “Slipping into a Betsy book is like slipping into a favorite pair of well-worn slippers. It’s always a pleasure to live in Betsy’s world for a little while…” The Betsy-Tacy series of books begins with children’s books as Betsy enters school and continues on to the end of high school years. These books, written in the 1940’s, are timeless. [They’d better be. That’s a couple of generations back for most of you and a whole lot of generations for a lowly feline like myself. ] The books are loosely autobiographical. Here’s a quote from betsy-tacysociety.org:

“In 1938 Maud began writing Betsy-Tacy, inspired by the oft-repeated stories about her childhood that she told Merian [her daughter] at bedtime. The book was wildly successful, and the rest of the series followed at a steady pace. The only pause came after Betsy and Joe, when Maud wasn't sure what to do next. Having not completed college herself, she didn't feel comfortable sending Betsy—but she could send Carney! And then after writing Emily of Deep Valley, Maud came to believe that a trip to Europe was surely as educational as going to college, so the next two books followed without a hitch. For Betsy's Wedding, Maud was especially delighted to be writing about Delos [her husband] over a period of time when she actually knew him.”

“Google” Maud Hart Lovelace and learn all about this extraordinary woman and her times. Then, come live for a while in the not so distant past and “speak” with an author well loved and long remembered.

Happy Reading!

Browser, the library cat

Printed in the Pine River Journal 30 Sept 2010