Santa will be at the library to visit with the kids on Thursday, December 4, at 10:30 a.m. Bring your camera to record the memory, or get a good shot for the Christmas cards. The Southwestern University Chamber Group is looking forward to providing special music for the event and inspiration for everyone to sing along. Cookies to share will be appreciated.

Art that will make you smile! The entries in the children’s library card design contest are on display in the lobby and in the children’s room. Professional artists will choose the winning design. The winner of the $50 gift card will be announced on December 4.

But what you build doesn’t have to be gingerbread and it doesn’t have to be a house!

Rules and information:

You may make any structure you choose.

All building materials should be edible.

“Enhanced” or “embellished” kits will compete in the kit category

Winners will be announced December 17

A $25 gift card will be awarded in each category.

Entries will be displayed until December 20.

Categories for entries:

Design built from a kit (including enhanced or modified kits)

Original design built by one person, age 8 or younger

Original design built by one person, ages 9–12

Original design built by one person, ages 13-17

Original design built by one person, ages 18 and older (the winner of this category will be selected by a panel of judges)

Original design built by two or more persons

Entries accepted December 5-8, from library opening until 1/2 hour before closing.

Voting by the public takes place December 9 – 15; winners will be announced December 17.

The Crain family won in the 'built by two or more persons' category in 2007.

The Mad Hatters, a readers theater group from Sun City, make one or two visits to the library each year to perform for our storytime audiences. This year they will be here on Wednesday, November 5, to read and perform The Three Little Pigs. The performance, which starts at 10:30 a.m., lasts about half an hour and is suitable for all ages.

The Mad Hatters after their performance of Goldilocks

The Wobbles and Story Pals will meet together at 10:30 on Wednesday, October 8, at Fire Station #1, 301 Industrial Avenue. The group will take a guided tour of this new fire station, located at the corner of Leander Road and Industrial Avenue, about one-quarter mile east of the stoplight at Austin Avenue and Leander Road.

The first Hill Country Book Festival will be held at the library on Saturday, October 11, from 9:00 - 4:00. To celebrate, Ms. Rosa has planned entertainment by the Biscuit Brothers from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., along with snacks, crafts, and face painting all day long. Children’s authors who will be speaking and reading from their works during the day will be:

• Elizabeth Scanlon, author of A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toes, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Santa Knows, and Tantalize, and her illustrator husband, Greg Leitich Smith, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
• Don Tate, author of Black All Around, 11:30 - 12:30 p.m.
• P. J. Hoover, author of The Emerald Tablet, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
• Deborah Frontiera, author of Eric and the Enchanted Leaf, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Wendy Demarest wants to help you learn to sign! Whether you are interested in communicating with someone who cannot hear, or you want to explore sign language as a way to communicate with your infant or toddler, join Ms. Wendy each fourth Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m., in the children’s room. Although her presentations are geared for the younger crowd, what easier, less threatening way could you learn the basics of signing than with an engaged bunch of children? Join Ms. Wendy on September 23. For more information call Rosa Garcia, 930-3623, or contact her by email at rxg@georgetowntx.org.

On Thursday, September 11, the Wobbles and Story Pals will meet together at 10:30 a.m. Puppy trainer Marilyn Nichols will bring two of her “demonstration dogs” to the library to share with the storytime audience some of the secrets of teaching dogs how to do tricks. Ms. Nichols is a professional dog trainer who specializes in training puppies and their persons how to coexist happily. This storytime session will be focused on fun, but also will help children understand how dogs and humans can interact.

The Georgetown Public Library’s children’s and teen summer reading programs ended August 2, and as usual, the good times that were had by all would not have been possible without the financial support of friends from the community. This year we extend sincere thanks to the Friends of the Georgetown Library, the Sun City Kiwanis, and James and Duane Bolton, who sponsored the special events that the children enjoyed. More than 500 kids registered for the summer program for children and total attendance at the special events topped 5,000. On the teen side, 50 young adults registered for the summer program and a total of 250 attended the weekly events, for which the Friends of the Library gave generous support.

Although Ms. Rosa does all of the planning of events and contracting with performers, at her side much of the time, and always when there is an event, is Ms. Kathleen, that is, Kathleen Burnop, who has worked with children’s programs for thirteen years. These two members of the library staff provide the children’s programs all year long and, with help from Bethni King, the young adult librarian, and others from the public services staff, provide customer service at the circulation desk in the children’s room. Ms. Rosa and Ms. Kathleen are two very busy women and that’s where the volunteers come in.

Two special friends gave us the invaluable gifts of their time and talent to make the summer programs successful. For the eleventh year Laura Snyder drove from Belton to donate her creative services, offering nine weekly craft programs for the 7-12 year olds. This year, to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of children’s summer reading programs in Texas, she chose nine of her favorite projects from years past.

Mary Beth Huba, who supposedly retired several years ago from her position as chief summertime storyteller, just can’t stay away. This was the twenty-fourth year she has delighted the kids with her special summer storytimes. It wouldn’t be the Georgetown Public Library’s summer reading program without Ms. Huba–she doesn’t just read stories, she brings them to life!

John Miller and the students from his Kuk Sool Won school provided demonstrations of martial arts for both the children’s and the teens’ programs. Their programs never fail to draw large crowds and the number of martial arts books we check out always increases afterward.

Even scientists came to the library’s aid this summer. Dr. Willis Weigand brought his knowledge of chemistry to the teens one afternoon when he helped them make slime concoctions and showed them the wonders of liquid nitrogen.

And finally there are the dedicated helpers who smoothed logistics for the big crowds at the kick-off, the petting zoo, the grande finale, and the recent sleepover. Families whom we have been recognizing for years keep returning, even when the tots have become teenagers: the Abes (Debbie, Elizabeth, Caroline and Stephanie), the Clays (Robyn, Collin and Charys), the Carpenters (Chris, CJ, and Cassidy), and the Rafiques (Sarah, Sadaf, and Noreen). Add to those Elliot Wilde, Martha Paul, Jason Kirkpatrick, Marla Brown, the Wades (Virginia, Danielle, and Ashlyn), Rachel Mahagan, and face painters Caitlin Bagwell and Kaitlyn Phelps. Jerrod Baker did yeoman’s work at the sleepover, for which Ms. Rosa, in her sleep-deprived state, was especially grateful.

Finally, we are always grateful to businesses who make gifts of food or drink. This year McDonald’s provided a cooler of orange juice and 200 cups for the kick-off.

The Georgetown Public Library needs a new design for its children’s library card. The last contest, in 2004, brought in hundreds of entries and yielded two delightful winning designs. Now those cards are nearly gone (hang on to yours, it may become a collector’s item) so a new contest is in order. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade are eligible to enter.

Submit your entry on a sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 white copy paper, along with a completed and signed entry form, which may be picked up at the circulation desk in the children’s room.

Entries must be received at the library by October 10. All entries will become the property of the Georgetown Public Library and will be displayed for two weeks after the deadline.

Entries will be judged by a panel of jurors from the City of Georgetown. Originality is what they’ll be looking for! The winning design will be reproduced on our children’s library cards.
The winning design will be announced November 1 and the artist will receive a $100 gift card.

For more information contact Rosa Garcia at 512-930-3623 or rxg@georgetowntx.org.