Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. We all made it out with all 10 fingers and toes, and both eyebrows intact, right? Fun fact: did you know that Independence Day is one of the worst times you can have an emergency? This is the time of year when freshly graduated doctors are released into the medical field all over the United States. Maybe we should pick a better time of the year to be shooting off hand cannons; we could make it a new Christmas tradition. New doctors will have several months under their belts, and as a bonus, it won’t be the time of year when everything is dry and flammable.
I personally had a quiet, flame-free weekend with my dogs, but unfortunately didn’t make it out with all my eyebrows intact due to an unfortunate, non-firework-related incident. Just kidding, but wouldn’t that have been ironic?
But enough about the past, you’re here to learn about what’s coming up this week at the library. We’ve got just over one week left of our summer library program, and we have packed it full, starting with today, July 10. In addition to our regular Genealogy Thursday at 11 a.m., check out this month’s Adult Craft at 6 p.m. Try out the latest craze, diamond painting, and make your own mini bedazzled keychain.
Tomorrow (Friday), put on that Nintendo-branded hard hat and get ready for Super Mario Maker 2. Teens will get the chance to play levels made by other Mario fans from 3:15-4:45 p.m. Then that evening it’s time for this month’s Adults’ Night Out Movie. We will be showing Peter Jackson’s latest delve into Middle-earth, set 183 years before the events of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. This film follows the King of Rohan and his people in a daring last stand against Wulf, a clever and traitorous lord of Rohan seeking vengeance for the death of his father. Doors will open at 6:45 pm and close at 7:15 pm. The movie starts at 7 pm.
Monday is your first chance to try out our limited-time VR experience, “The Journey Back.” Discover the power of virtual reality as it enhances Holocaust education through 360-degree immersive technology. “Walk” with Holocaust survivors through childhood hometowns and concentration camps as they share their stories of survival, creating an unforgettable experience. Headset use will be available upon request for teens and adults from July 14 to July 24. If you have never tried VR before, this is a unique opportunity to walk through history firsthand that you won’t want to miss.
Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., join us for our last Story Time of the summer. For those a bit too old for Story Time but not old enough to attend teen events, we also have Tween Scene Studio from 10:30-11:15 a.m. For our final summer gathering, it’s Art Attack! Tweens going into grades 3-5 will get to add to existing art pieces to make their own unique masterpieces. We also have Tech Tuesday at 11 a.m., followed by Teen Café at 3:30 p.m. and Open Book Club at 7 p.m. At this month’s Teen Café, baristas from Starbucks will be here for a teen-exclusive coffee tasting! Learn how to pair pastries** with your favorite caffeinated beverage and enjoy a drink from their cold bar setup. (**ALLERGY WARNING: May contain traces of dairy and/or nuts.) As for the book club, we are reading something new this month to fit with our art theme this summer. “Sheets” is a graphic novel by Brenna Thrummler, and copies are available at the front desk.
For this week’s Wonder-Filled Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., we will be enjoying a special movie about four misfits who suddenly find themselves in a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to embark on a quest with an unexpected expert crafter who goes by Steve.
In addition to our regular Genealogy Thursday at 11 a.m., check out this month’s Teen Manga & Anime Club at 5:30 p.m. For July’s club meeting, we’ll be covering “Welcome to the Ballroom” by Tomo Takeuchi. “It tells the story of an aimless Japanese youth named Tatara Fujita, who, after a chance encounter, is plunged into the world of competitive dancing (Wikipedia).” After the discussion, it’s dance party time! Get your groove on and see if you can keep up the rhythm to a variety of songs from chart-topping hits to classic tracks in the Just Dance series.
Hannah Grippin is outreach manager at the Great Bend Public Library. Stop by and grab the summer newsletter so you can stay up to date on all the artful fun happening at the library through August. Find GBPL on social media @greatbendpl and visit the website, greatbendpl.info. You can also message the library on Facebook and Instagram, email gbcirc@gmail.com, or call 620-792-2409 with any questions about our programming or services.
