Catawba County News

This Week at Your Library [Feb 27-Mar 5]

Published: February 25, 2021

LIBRARY PROGRAMS
828.465.8665

Contribute to Our Seed Library
Ongoing
Help us build a seed library, where the community can exchange seeds for free! We'll accept viable seeds at all locations during their standard business hours, and heirlooms are especially welcome. Please package and label any donations you drop off. The seed swap collection will be available to the public in early March and will be housed at the Main Library in Newton. Seeds are subject to availability and cannot be reserved.

Your Art With Us: The Future 
Through March 8 
Take a trip to the future! Thomas Cole was a 19th-century American landscape painter who told stories through his work. Eighth-grade students at Maiden Middle School studied Cole’s series, The Course of Empire, and envisioned a sixth painting for the series, which the students titled The Future. Open to interpretation, this new painting could identify the future as a day in Cole's era in 1836, be set in the present day, or look well beyond. The exhibit of student art is on display at the Main Branch in Newton and virtually on the library's website.

Spring into Reading STEAM Program: Save Han Solo & Explore Degobah
Saturday, February 27 at 3 pm
Join us to learn about the chemistry involved in saving Han Solo, and explore physics in making your own Degobah Swamp. Participants must register at https://www.tinyurl.com/SpringIntoReading to receive the Zoom link and a materials list. Note: This is the fourth of seven STEAM programs connected to our youth-targeted Spring Into Reading challenge coordinated through Beanstack. Participants can use this same link to register for any of the weekly STEAM programs running from Feb 2-Mar 18.

Read Across America Day
Sunday, February 28-Saturday, March 6
Celebrated in conjunction with Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2, this annual observance celebrates the joys of reading. It also brings awareness to the importance of reading in education and motivates kids to develop a life-long love of reading. Check Facebook and YouTube for our new series of video read-alouds presented by familiar faces in Catawba County government. 

• Executive Assistant Elizabeth Krige: The Perfectly Perfect Wish
• Assistant County Manager Alison Alexander: Old Hat
• County Manager Mick Berry: The Berenstain Bears: We Love the Library 
• Library Director Siobhan Loendorf: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
• Deputy County Manager Mary Furtado: Not All Princesses Dress in Pink 
• Extension Director Dr. George Place: Ninja Bunny and That is Not a Good Idea! 
• County Attorney Debra Bechtel: The Perfect Hug 

Read to Me: An Old-Fashioned Storytime
Monday, March 1 at 4 pm
Calling all kid readers! Want to practice your reading and do something kind for others? On Mondays in March (1, 8, 15, 22, and 29), we'll be Zooming with senior citizens in local nursing homes, and we hope you'll join in and read to them. For more information, call 828.465.8665 and sign up to read at tinyurl.com/cclsread2me. 

Virtual Zumba with Honey & Jossiah
Monday, March 1 at 6 pm
This fun dance workout is appropriate for every skill and ability level and open to anyone 14+ (parental signature required for teens under 18). Access the session with this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87120563944?pwd=S09kaEVkd0dydm1VYW14WnVUZG9sUT09. Then enter the meeting ID: 871 2056 3944 and follow it with the passcode: Dance. [Please note that this word is case-sensitive. Enter it exactly as shown.] You can also visit www.facebook.com/ZumbaWithHmongSibs/. Meets every Monday.

ESL Class – Intermediate
Tuesday, March 2 at 6 pm
Practice speaking English with us on Tuesday evenings! We'll spend the first 20 minutes or so on grammar and then start our conversations. If you'd like to register for class or get more information about the weekly series that runs through May 2021, please call the Newton branch at 828.465.8664.

Introduction to Tinkercad
Wednesday, March 3 at 4 pm
This virtual program will introduce Tinkercad and demonstrate how to use the software to create 3-D print designs. The program will show new users how to create an account, complete tutorials, make basic designs, share and print, and learn about other Tinkercad tools. An email address is required to create a Tinkercad account, and parental consent and an email are required for participants under 13 years of age. Register at https://tinyurl.com/cclstinkercad. We'll send a Zoom link out the day before the program.

Mystery Mavens Book Club
Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 pm
This monthly book club focuses on mysteries of all types and is open to everyone. Join us via Zoom for a lively discussion of Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase, led by Amy McCauley, Catawba County's communications and marketing director. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/CCLS-MysteryMavens. You’ll receive the Zoom link in your email. Please feel free to attend even if you haven’t read this month’s selection.

LIVE Library to Go in Catawba
Thursday, March 4 from 10 am-2 pm
The Library to Go will be visiting the Town of Catawba on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at Redeemer Lutheran Church (200 South Main St). To ensure safety, we're asking visitors to make their stops brief, to sanitize their hands as they come in, and to wear a mask while in the building. We'll be taking temperatures at the door and will have extra masks and hand sanitizer for everyone to use.

Live Preschool Storytime via Zoom
Thursday, March 4 at 10 am
Gather the kids and join us for a live, interactive preschool storytime! This family-friendly virtual event will include singing, reading, finger plays, and lots of your favorite activities! This week, we'll be reading about colors! Please register at https://tinyurl.com/CatawbaThursdayStorytime. You’ll receive the registration confirmation and Zoom link in your email. 

Spring into Reading STEAM Program: Bug Out Robots
Thursday, March 4 at 4 pm
Join us to explore circuits by making a bug robot. Participants must register at https://www.tinyurl.com/SpringIntoReading to receive the Zoom link and a materials list. Note: This is the fifth of seven STEAM programs connected to our youth-targeted Spring Into Reading challenge coordinated through Beanstack. Participants can use this same link to register for any of the weekly STEAM programs running from Feb 2-Mar 18.

COMMUNITY
828.465.8665

Tai Chi & Hike at Riverbend Park
Saturday, February 27 from 9:30-11 am
Join us for light exercise at Riverbend Park (6700 NC Hwy 16, Conover)! At 9:30 am, Dr. George Place, director of the Catawba County Cooperative Extension, will lead a 30-minute tai chi warm-up, followed by a casual hike from 10-11 am. Everyone is invited, so join the fun and connect with other health-minded folks who can help you reach your healthy living goals. 

Winter Farmers' Market
Saturday, February 27 from 10 am-1 pm
Come see us at the Winter Farmers' Market in Hickory! We'll be set up in the First Presbyterian parking lot at 2nd Street and 3rd Avenue NW (street address: 237 2nd St NW). We'd love to chat with you about library resources while you pick up fresh foods and check out the wares of local vendors. We look forward to seeing you!

Virtual Tai Chi
Wednesday, March 3 at 12 noon
Join our lunchtime tai chi class, led by Cooperative Extension director Dr. George Place. This short virtual session is designed to help people relax in their offices or home environments during a quick 30 minutes. It also helps promote balance and alleviate the effects of arthritis. Check www.facebook.com/catawbacountylibrarysystem for the Zoom code the day of the class. 

REGISTER KIDS NOW!

Our Spring Into Reading challenge runs seven weeks, beginning on Groundhog Day (February 2) and ending on the first day of spring (March 20).

The challenge has two parts: 

1. Kids are asked to read a total of 120 minutes each of the 7 weeks.
2. They're encouraged to attend 5 of  the 7 virtual STEAM programs we're offering as well. 

If they complete the reading challenges and the STEAM program requirements, they'll be entered into a drawing to win a cool, 3-D-printed monster! 

To register for the virtual STEAM programs and get materials lists to participate, visit https://tinyurl.com/SpringIntoReading. To log reading time each week and to document STEAM programs a child has attended, register the child at https://catawbacountync.beanstack.org/reader365. Reading time can be entered under the 'logging badges' tab, and STEAM programs can be entered under the 'activity badges' tab.

The STEAM challenges are as follows:

• Week 1:  Shadow Puppets - Tuesday, February 2 at 4 pm
• Week 2:  Borax Crystal Snowflakes - Tuesday, February 9 at 4 pm
• Week 3:  Ski Challenge - Thursday, February 18 at 4 pm
• Week 4:  Save Han Solo - Saturday, February 27 at 3 pm
• Week 5:  Bug Out Robots - Thursday, March 4 at 4 pm
• Week 6:  Origami Rainbow Flowers - Friday, March 12 at 4 pm
• Week 7:  Pi Day - Thursday, March 18 at 4 pm

For more details, call 828.465.8665 or visit www.catawbacountync.gov/library.

DROP-IN HELP
828.465.8665

Homework Helpers
Begins March 1
The 4-H Youth Council is partnering with the library to offer 20-minute time slots for homework and reading assistance. Elementary and middle school-aged students may drop in on a first-come, first-served basis. Just check in at the circulation desk for guidance when you arrive. Parents must remain in the library during each session. Participating branches include: 

• Newton: Mon & Wed 4-6 pm
• Sherrills Ford-Terrell: Mon 4-6 pm
• Conover: Sat 10 am-12 noon