At the Library 9/4/25

Community Calligraphy and Communty Crafternoon

Begin New Season!

by Tammy Valentine

Fall is coming and LeAnn and I are excited to tell you about the new schedule for Community Calligraphy and Crafternoon!

We had so much interest in both programsthat we decided to keep the fun going by having each program one time per month, from September to May. They will continue to be on a Tuesday, but we extended the time, from 2-4pm to 1-4pm, so that people will have more time to work on their projects. This will allow people to work on more complicated projects that take more time. Calligraphy will start from the beginning, with basic strokes videos, so people can get a refresher on them. We will begin each session with the review, which will take less than 1 hour. After the review we will work on specific writing assignments, such as writing a short poem. Each month we will have the review followed by the new assignment. This is a group effort, so all patrons are encouraged to ask for help if needed and also to share their writing practice.

Crafternoon has been lots of fun seeing people work on calligraphy, knitting, sewing, beadwork and embroidery. The structure of Crafternoon is such that patrons can bring their own project to work on in the company of other crafters. What’s new is that we will have mini lessons offered for patrons to try something new. Don’t worry, this is not a requirement. Our first mini lesson will be in the pottery studio making pinch pot pumpkins! Patrons do need to register for the mini lessons so the library staff can plan properly. We also hope to have artist demonstrations on acrylic painting and watercolor painting.

On to my favorite thing in the world, books! If you are a Stephen King fan you probably heard of the new movie based on his novel, The Long Walk. The book was published under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman, in 1979 as part of the novel, The Bachman Books. This book also included 3 other novels. Now The Long Walk has been published as a standalone, which means we have it! Calltoday to reserve it!

At the Library 8/28/25

Read & Rant @ Your Washington Public Library

By Alison Greiner

We are excited to announce that we have a new and exciting way to use our recording studio in the Make IT Place! LeAnn and Alison are now doing a Vodcast in addition to our current Podcast. A vodcast is similar to a podcast except that instead of just recording the interview with the audio equipment, we now record this interview with the video equipment.

Our vodcast is entitled "Read and Rant". We invite patrons to "rant" or share their thoughts about a recent book they have read. Sometimes, when we hear the word rant we assume it will be a person responding negatively about something. But a rant can also be positive, too. We want to listen to diverse opinions about the various books people are checking out.

Host LeAnn "reads & rants"
with guest Carol Ray on our new vodcast

Do you love to read? We would love to have volunteers who would like to be a part of our vodcast. Contact us. It's a straightforward process. Just stop in or call the library and let us know you are interested. We will plan a time for the interview and ensure the interviewee knows what to expect. It's so wonderful to hear the variety of books people are interested in, and this is such an excellent opportunity for our patrons to learn more about books they may not have heard about.

At the Library 8/21/25

WPL’s Early-Out Hangout Offers a Wide Variety of Fun

By Jenisa Harris

This summer at the library was jam-packed with so much fun and excitement! We read over 300,000 pages! Families got to meet the snakes and spiders, oh my! Enjoyed the foam zone, created in the MakeIT Place, and so much more! I don't know about you, but it's hard to believe school will start in a few short weeks. The library offers free programming for school-age kids every early out Friday during Early Out Hangout. I've revamped the programs I am offering, and I'm excited to start this September! Each Friday, we will rotate between Movie Madness, Craft and Construct, and Maker Mentor. Here are the programs we will offer in September during our Early Out Hangout:

Join us for Movie Madness Friday, September 5, from 1:45-3:10. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required. We will be watching the Minecraft Movie.

Join us on Friday, September 12, from 1:45-2:45. Craft & Construct is a fun, hands-on program where kids can use their creativity to build and design! Whether they love crafting with glue and paper or constructing cool creations with LEGOS, there's something for everyone. This group encourages imagination, problem-solving, and play through both art and engineering activities. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required.

Join us Friday, September 19, from 1:45-2:45. Maker Mentors is an exciting program where local professionals visit the library to share their jobs, skills, and stories. This program gives young makers a chance to learn from real-world experts. It's a great way to explore new careers, ask questions, and get inspired to invent, create, and dream big! Carol Wehr will join us for our first event on September 19 and teach us about bees and her honey farm. This is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required.

Finally in September, join us for Movie Madness Friday, September 26, from 1:45-3:10. This event is free and open to grades K-12th—no registration required. We will be watching
Moana 2.

I am excited to see you enjoy all the library has to offer this school year!

At the Library 8/14/25

A Big Thank You to Our Summer Reading Program Supporters!

Foam Zone Party in the Park for SRC 2025

by Cary Ann Siegfried

As our Summer Reading Program comes to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the amazing community partners who helped make it possible. Thanks to the generous support of corporate sponsors and the Washington Free Public Library Foundation we were able to offer exciting events, fun activities, and great prizes that kept readers of all ages turning pages all summer long. Together, our community read 307,151 pages this summer, far exceeding our goal of 200,000 pages!

Your contributions helped us create a summer filled with learning, laughter, and a love for reading. From sponsoring special performances to providing incentives that motivated our readers, you played an important role in encouraging literacy and building community connections. We appreciate the following businesses and organizations for contributing incentives or making cash donations:

Axis Vision Care

Blank Park Zoo

Earthly Blessings

Engineered Building and Design

Hills Bank

Iowa Bridge & Culvert

Iowa Children’s Museum

Washington Free Public Library Foundation

As always, we especially appreciate our collaboration with the Washington Community School District and the YMCA for helping extend our reach to youth throughout our community! We are so grateful for your commitment to our mission and for investing in our community’s future. Together, we’ve made this summer one to remember—and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

Thank you for believing in the power of reading!