Artists’ reception and open house, Nov. 1, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

An artists’ reception and open house will be held at the Cloquet Public Library, Tuesday, November 1, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., celebrating the completion of a sculpture by Sean Elmquist, commissioned by the Cloquet Public Library with a grant from the Minnesota Legacy Amendment funds appropriated to the Arrowhead Library System. In addition to the sculpture, the library has also received a donation of rock art from local artist, Bryan Schaap.

The sculpture evokes the power of reading and its ability to transform words into material reality- with a connection to the location. The iconography used in the sculpture: the pages of a book, a tree, a fish, a cloud, the St. Louis River- represent Cloquet, the region, and its ties to reading. The scroll-like forms extend from the Library’s sign as pages of a book, representing the act of reading and the texts contained in the library, and also the area’s ties to paper-making. The “pages” support and present the symbols, evoking the written word’s ability to manifest itself in reality- and to conjure images.

The tree, fish, river and cloud represent the natural beauty of the area, but each symbol contains its own meaning. The tree reflects the area’s forests, as well as its forestry traditions- the tree is also what books are made of. The cloud evokes nature while simultaneously representing thought and imagination. The river spanning the pages is the St. Louis, the main artery of Cloquet, but can also be seen as a “river of knowledge”- with the fish swimming in it a metaphor for the reader.

The sculpture is made from acrylic sheets that are bent, cut, and painted, and then attached to the site by a welded steel framework. Acrylic was chosen for its translucency, and will lend a more nuanced, visually interesting experience than opaque materials such as steel or wood might. Acrylic is also incredibly strong and lightweight, so it will still be structurally sound and long-lasting, but will also be moveable if any construction or expansion of the library is needed.

Bryan Schaap has etched designs into a couple of boulders that greet people as they enter the library. Bryan came up with the idea as a way to help divert the water runoff from the roof and make something attractive in that place. One boulder has a set of children’s hands and the other is a turtle.

Ghost Hunters at the Library

The Minnesota Paranormal Study Group (MinnesotaGhosts.com) will appear at the library on Tuesday, October 25, at 6:30 p.m. These real-life ghost hunters will tell about their investigations of hauntings in northern Minnesota. A slide show documenting some of their eeriest experiences will be followed by questions and answers from the audience. The group explains the reason behind hauntings and how paranormal events can be evaluated.

We're hearing that a number of locations around Cloquet may be haunted--maybe even the library! Come and find out what's really going bump in the night.

Author Connie Claire Szarke

Connie Claire Szarke will read from her novel Delicate Armor (North Star Press of St. Cloud) on Thursday, October 20, at noon. A question-and-answer session and book signing will follow. The event is co-sponsored by Our Savior's Lutheran Church's Cover to Cover Book Club and the library. Refreshments will be provided.

Szarke grew up in southwestern Minnesota, amid small towns, farms,lakes, and prairies. She graduated from St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota and was a teacher at Chaska Senior High School for 30 years. Delicate Armor is her debut novel. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including Stories Teachers Tell, Lake Country Journal Magazine, Community Connections, and The Minnesota Project.

Set in the Upper Midwest, Delicate Armor is the coming-of-age story of Callie Lindstrom, a cheeky eight-year old who shares a special bond with her father after the loss of his infant son. Delicate Armor is about lost time, the tenacity of the human spirit, a father-daughter relationship, and the feisty narrator’s emerging consciousness as she passes from young girl to self-possessed woman.

Vampires, Witches & Ghosts

Our haunting series of Halloween-themed programs begins Tuesday, October 11, at 6:30 p.m., with Robert and Lynn Halbrook's interactive theater presentation "Vampires, Witches and Ghosts." The program combines several forms of theater: illusion, hypnosis, and spook show, creating an evening of eeriness and chills.

Strange phenomena and manifestations occur as tales of mediums, murderers, and mayhem are recounted. Do the dead actually return? Classic and contemporary books on the supernatural are examined, from the Minnesota Road Guide to Haunted Locations to Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. Can the characters that populate these books come back to "life"?

The program also features a display of artifacts gathered from around the world. A mummified finger bearing a very special ring, a Ouija board said to be possessed by its original owners, and an "Inquisitor’s Box" used to detect the blood of a witch are just a few of the relics haunting this show. Relics that may be touched by audience members … and, just maybe, audience members will be touched by these relics!

Audience level: Not for children under 12 years of age.

Many Faces of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is one of the most insidious infections around, sometimes mimicking other illnesses and resisting treatment. Lyme disease can mimic the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and may be a hidden cause of MS. Microbiologist Thomas Grier will be speaking about the complexities of Lyme disease and why this bacterium is so unique among the microbes on Saturday, September 17, at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. Grier comes from a research background of vaccine development and immunological methods of detecting infections. He will explain how the Lyme bacterium can enter the brain quickly and easily. Join us as we look at evidence of sequestered brain infections and Lyme disease.

French Comedy "My Best Friend" Screens Tuesday Night

"My Best Friend" ("Mon Meilleur Ami"), a 2006 comedy from France, will be shown as part of the library's international film series on Tuesday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. The film begins as a lighthearted comedy as François, an antiques dealer who is disliked by everyone, enters into a bet with one of his colleagues that he can come up with someone who calls him his best friend within a week. At stake is a priceless antique vase he prizes. In the meantime, Bruno, a taxi driver whose goal is to be a contestant on a television quiz show, crosses his path. It's a movie with flair and charm and also a bittersweet comment on the true meaning of friendship. Coffee and French biscuits (cookies) will be served.

Fall book sale set for September 24

Find the book of your dreams at the Cloquet Public Library’s Fall Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sat., Sept. 24, 2011.

Browse through hundreds of books gathered through donations or discards from the library. Conditions range from next-to-new to fair. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. For more information, call 879-1531.