Library welcomes musician Hans Mayer

Singer/musician Hans Mayer will present a captivating performance of original music for children of all ages at 1 p.m., Mon., June 8, at the Cloquet Public Library.

The program is free of charge and open to the public.

Mayer’s song lyrics, sprinkled with his great sense of humor, have amused audiences nationwide. He sings and plays the guitar, the mandolin, and the Native American flute, entertaining audiences in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Mayer's appearance is part of “Kids' Stuff” programming sponsored by the Arrowhead Library System and your local public library. A signing interpreter for children with hearing difficulties is available if requested one week prior to the performance. For further information, contact the Cloquet Public Library at 879-1531 or the Arrowhead Library System in Mountain Iron at 218-741-3840.

Be creative @ your library this summer

Studies show that children who read over the summer are more prepared for school success in the fall. The same is true about children who have opportunities to use their imaginations in new and exciting ways. This summer the Cloquet Public Library’s “Be Creative @ Your Library” Summer Reading Challenge promises to spark the imagination as well as a love of reading for all involved. Events will include a number of special activities, reading incentives, and extra surprises all summer long.

Be Creative @ Your Library kicks off Mon., June 1, the first official day of summer vacation. Register for the Summer Reading Challenge, and stay for a library scavenger hunt, coloring contest, and additional fun.

Throughout the summer, the Library will host special programs for children. Performances will include musician Hans Mayer, Jugglers Cheney and Mills, and colorist Linnea Caldeen. Activities will feature fun art projects, open stage for puppets, music, and creative play.

Summer story times for preschoolers (ages 3-5) will be at 10 a.m., Wednesdays, June 16 through July 29. LapSit Story Times (ages 0-2) will be at 10 a.m., Thursdays, June 4 through July 30.

For tweens and teens, the Library will also host a collage workshop based on the Soulcollage process, a creative way of expressing yourself by creating a decorative deck of cards with special meanings just for you. Ages 11 and up can register for the workshop which will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, June 16, 23, and 30.

For more information on the Library’s summer reading challenge and schedule of fun activities, call 879-1531.

Library earns Humanities honor

The National Endowment for the Humanities has selected the Cloquet Public Library to receive the 2009 We the People “Picturing America” Bookshelf. Cloquet was one of 4,000 libraries across the country to receive this year’s Bookshelf, a set of 17 classic books on the theme of “Picturing America." Three of the books are in Spanish translation.

The Library also received two bonus hardcover books, Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out by the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, and 1776: The Illustrated Edition by David McCullough. Supplementary materials include bookplates, bookmarks and posters. The Bookshelf program is part of the Endowment’s “We the People” initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture.


The “Picturing America” Bookshelf theme is inspired by the premise that a nation’s literature, as well as its visual art, can be a window into its history, aspirations and ideals. The 2009 Bookshelf is a literary complement to NEH’s Picturing America program, a free education resource that provides reproductions of 40 works of great American art to schools and public libraries to help educators teach American history and culture through our nation’s art. Last year the Library also earned the NEH’s Picturing America resource, which is currently on display throughout the building.

Songs and stories about the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Michigan author, Bill Jamerson, will present a program of songs and stories about the CCC, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20 at the Cloquet Public Library. Bill will read excerpts from his novel, Big Shoulders, a coming-of-age story about a youth from Detroit who is sent to a CCC camp in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Bring Nature's Beauty into your Shade Garden

Local author, Clayton Oslund, will give a presentation on shade gardening at the Cloquet Public Library on Monday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Once upon a time there was a bead ...

Children learned that “every story has a bead” during a recent afterschool program at the library. Participants were able to make their own story bracelets using memory wire and a variety of attractive beads. The beads, in turn, helped the children tell original stories. For example, a striped orange bead may have introduced a tiger while a deep blue bead represented a river. Selecting beads and stringing them into a story or two proved both challenging and fun.

Library seeks input on adult programming

There will be a brainstorming session on Tuesday, April 21 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to generate ideas for programs at the library throughout the next year. If there is a program you would like the library to provide, please attend and share your thoughts.