At Gilmer County Library
While in-person educational programs are still on hold at the Gilmer County Library, several virtual online programs are planned for the coming months.
“Even if some of them aren’t open yet, all of our (Sequoyah Regional Library System) branches are participating in some kind of virtual presence,” noted Jessica Tibbetts, Gilmer County Library Public Services Specialist. “We started doing some virtual programs back in April and we did all of our Summer Reading Program virtually. It’s an ongoing process and I think we’re getting a little better and more comfortable with it.”
October will bring a virtual version of the library’s annual Halloween pumpkin decorating contest, Pumpkin Palooza. The event normally welcomes library patrons to view an array of decorated pumpkins and vote for their favorites.
This year’s “Picture Perfect Pumpkin Palooza” will be on online program. Contest entries will be posted on the Sequoyah Regional Library System’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/SequoyahRegionalLibrary) Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m.
You can still vote for your favorites and the voting process will run through Halloween.
Actual pumpkins will not be accepted this year, but library patrons can enter the contest by submitting a photo of their decorated pumpkins or gourds. They can be decorated like literary characters, but that is not a requirement.
Entries should be submitted no later than Tuesday, Oct. 20. The online entry address is: https://forms.gle/3Ut3z8CZihCgdaeu8. Winners in adult, cutest, family, kid, scariest, staff pick and teen categories will be announced Nov. 2.
“We’re excited because this has been a very popular event here at the library in the past and we really hope people will participate. We’ve got prizes to give away, as well,” Tibbetts said.
Virtual programming will continue through November starting with the first of several beginner-friendly knitting sessions for adults Monday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. A second session will follow Monday, Nov. 16.
In the multipart instructional series, participants will learn such knitting skills as casting on, knit stitch, binding off and mattress stitch. When the series is finished, they will have made their own super-bulky, hand-knitted baskets.
To make a basket, participants will need to supply their own materials including one ball of super-bulky yarn (size 7) and size U.S. 17 circular 24-inch needles. Advance registration is required.
Teens will learn how to make “candy sushi” Monday, Nov. 9, at 10:30 a.m. Susan Fox, the library’s youth program coordinator, will share an easy, no-bake recipe for designing colorful candy. The virtual event will be broadcast live on the Sequoyah Regional Library’s Facebook page.
An all-ages letter writing social will be held Monday, Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. The holiday-themed program will focus on repurposing holiday cards for new projects. A previous virtual letter-writing program was held in early October. Advance registration is required.
The same online form can be filled out for virtual events that require advance registration, including the super-bulky basket weaving and letter writing programs. The registration form can be accessed at: https://bit.ly/2SblFa8.
“We’ll be using Google Meet for those programs. To make sure that everybody has a chance to participate and have a link to the meeting is why we’re doing registration,” Tibbetts noted.
“We will also be having some virtual events that don’t require registration. Any patrons, but especially Gilmer patrons, can check our Facebook page, Gilmer County Library, to get updates. We update that everyday.”
Tibbetts said the library will also present its Winter Reading Program using a virtual platform this year.
“The winter program, which will start in December, is the mirror to our Summer Reading Program. We had the summer to kind of play with the platform, which is called Beanstack,” she added.
“It turned out that folks really liked the summer program because it helped with the summer slide. During winter, because the kids have so much time off, there’s a little bit of a slide there, too. Parents and educators asked if the libraries could put something together. We tried it out a few years back and it stuck. This winter, we will give away prizes and they will be actual physical prizes.”
The Gilmer County Library, located at 268 Calvin Jackson Drive, is now open to patrons Tuesday-Friday, from noon-6 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The branch is still offering its Sidewalk Service for curbside pickup the same days, as well as Monday.