Tag Archive for: #perrymemoriallibrary

N.C. Rep. Sossamon To Sponsor Sept. 18 Meeting To Learn About Broadband Progress In The Area

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Want to learn more about the state of broadband internet access in your area?

Rep. Frank Sossamon has organized a community forum to share information about what may be in store for the area with regard to broaband internet access.

The meeting will take place on Monday, Sept. 18 at Perry Memorial Library, 205 Breckenridge St. and will begin at 6 p.m.

Staff from the N.C. Department of Information Technology are scheduled to be present to provide residents with the most up-to-date information about this issue.

 

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library

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The official first day of autumn is still a few weeks away, but fall programs at Perry Memorial Library are getting started this week.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters said things are shaping up for a wonderful fall at the library – come on in and have some fun!

Mother Goose story time is starting back up after a short end-of-summer break, Children 0-5 are welcome to come hear a few stories, sing a few songs and get some wiggles out, Peters said Tuesday on The Local Skinny!

Before children can read the words on a page, Peters said, they really need to hear the stories read to them.

Children pay attention to the voices as the stories are read aloud, she noted. All the senses are firing in a child’s first two years, so she takes care to choose books that are visually appealing written by diverse authors.

“It’s a fast, full 30 minutes,” Peters said of the weekly story time. “We’re not sitting still for this…we’re goint to have that song and move their bodies,” she said. They “practice” sitting while the stories are being read, but other than that, there’s a good bit of activity.

The story time uses themes and the first one is “On the Farm,” followed by “Apples” and “Fall.”

Story Time is all about “quality, not necessarily quantity,” she said. “You want to leave them wanting more.”

Speaking of more, that’s exactly what teens in grades 6-12 are getting in this season’s Life Hack series, Peters said. To kick things off, there’s STEM gaming fun in the Maker Space in September. From using the popular Wii system to learning about robots, tweens and teens can come together and just get used to coming to the library and using the creative space.

In October, they’ll have a chance to learn about electricity and actually have some hands-on learning by making electric circuits. Peters found a grant to purchase some kits filled with dozens of projects for the teens to learn with.

In November, a local bank representative is going to navigate youth through the ins and outs of personal finance. Although it’s pretty simple to wave your phone in front of a device to pay for something, the time will come when young people will need to be a little more tuned in to paycheck information, bank deposits and checking accounts.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn about all the programs and services available for children and grownups alike.

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Summer Success And Fall Events At Perry Memorial Library

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Libraries are usually associated with books – words on pages. But if you’re Melody Peters, you also gotta look at the numbers.

The number 8 – that’s how many weeks of summer programming is in the books (no pun intended) at Perry Memorial Library. The number 38 – that’s how many programs were held. And 1,500-plus? That’s how many participants took part.

“We were busy,” Peters, Youth Services Director at the library, told WIZS co-host Bill Harris during Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! “It was a GREAT summer!” she proclaimed.

In addition to all the different programs held at the library, Peters said a lot of new patrons got library cards, and there were other families who returned after a long hiatus, thanks largely to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were groups of day campers who got to visit the library, too, which Peters said was good for the library AND for the youngsters whose parents work and didn’t have the time to bring them to check out books or enjoy the programming.

There’s a lot of planning that goes in to creating a successful summer program, but as the saying goes, it isn’t work if you love what you do.

And that is true for Peters. “I love what I do,” she said. “I love talking to people and working with kids of all ages.”

When she can help a young person find a book that brings a smile to their face, it’s a gift.

“I think it’s the best gift in the world,” she said.

But she’s not resting on her laurels, just taking a slight breather during August before fall programming cranks back up.

Thanks to input from the community, there will be a few adjustments to the fall schedule, along with some additional programs for young people to enjoy.

The Maker Space is opening up for a gaming and robotics club on Thursdays, she noted.

And the popular Lego Club, Life Hacks, Survival Skills and Kids Connect will continue.

“It’s kind of the same model…then things will expand a little bit,” she said.

One add-on comes from a suggestion Peters got on a sticky note, on which a young person wrote “electricity.”

She contacted Vance Granville Community College, got some ideas and then got a grant for all the materials needed to teach the nuts and bolts of electricity to youngsters.

“That’s what I love,” Peters said, of the responsive collaboration to create new programs.

It’s planned for Oct. 10, which coincidentally is a teacher workday.

She’s got the equipment, the contact and the space, she said, to present the program.

Considering the interest from the summer program, getting the kids to participate shouldn’t be too difficult.

Find out about all the services and programs offered at Perry Memorial Library at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.

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TownTalk: Author Michael Bean Will Have Book Signing At Perry Memorial Library

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Local author Michael Bean has a unique insight on the trials that middle schoolers face.  Not only was he once a middle schooler himself, but he also teaches middle school students at Vance Charter School.  That insight has contributed to Bean writing a book simply called “Jazz.”  The book follows the character Mitchell Williams as he navigates the intricacies of middle school at fictional King’s Hollow.

The coming of age story is told through two intersecting yet different timelines, one as a middle schooler and one as a high schooler.  Mitchell has to deal with bullies, preparing for band competition with the school’s jazz group as they raise money for a trip to New York and with meeting a girl.

Bean says the book started off as a story about himself.  “After I started writing it, I realized I was not all that interesting,” Bean said on Tuesday’s TownTalk with Bill Harris.  “That’s when I changed the characters name from Michael to Mitchell and realized I could throw everything at a fictional character,” Bean continued.

The beginnings of the book date back to 2020 and was written in about a year, according to Bean. “I edited it eight times,” Bean added.  The book is self published, and his son designed the cover. The book is available through Walmart and Barnes & Noble.  An e-book is available through Amazon.

To help draw attention to the writer’s efforts, Bean will host a book signing in the Farm Bureau Room at Perry Memorial Library on Breckinridge Street in Henderson on Saturday, August 12th from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.  Bean said he initially ordered 75 books for the signing, but interest has been so good he ordered an additional 100 books for the event.

While this is Bean’s first novel, he has more writing on the horizon he said. “I have two other books I’m working on and a graphic novel,” Bean said.  It’s a slower process Bean said with these projects.  “Jazz” was written during the pandemic, but now Bean is back to teaching, attending Vance Charter athletic events and he and his wife have three children of their own so there isn’t as much time to write as before.

With “Jazz” Bean hopes that not only teenagers but everyone will find something to identify with and see something of themselves in the pages he has written.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Children’s Events At Perry Memorial Library

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Perry Memorial Library’s summer programs continue this week with a variety of fun and games, according to Children’s Service Director Melody Peters.

Bring the kids and enjoy a movie Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., then stay for a game of BINGO, Peters said during a conversation recorded with WIZS co-host Bill Harris that was played on-air Monday during The Local Skinny!

The movie, Big Hero 6, is a 2014 animated movie that includes robots, good guys and bad guys.

Stay for BINGO at 4:30 p.m. and kids might just learn a little math, Peters said, because this BINGO is all about money.

In these days of debit cards and online payments, Peters said children often miss out on learning about money, specifically coins.

This program is for children in grades K-12, and there will be more difficult BINGO cards for the older players, she said.

Then, on Thursday, the weekly storytime will have a summertime theme.

The Lego club continues to meet on Thursday afternoons as well. The fun begins at 4 p.m.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

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Perry Memorial Library

West End Community Watch Gets History Lesson At Library

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The June meeting of West End Community Watch was held at Perry Memorial Library, where local historian Tem Blackburn gave a brief account of the beginnings of Vance County and the City of Henderson with displays of interesting artifacts and mementoes serving as a backdrop.

Displays in the History Room include a timeline, beginning with the original Native Americans living in the area and ending with current-day information.  A major display depicts the Loughlin Circus performers, including beautiful original posters.  There are new displays about the Vance Hotel and John T. Church.  Nannie Crowder’s showcase includes her childhood toys.  Bennett Perry’s extensive arrowhead collection also is on view and housed in a display case.  There is a lovely mural of old Garnett Street as seen from the inside of what used to be Parker’s Drug Store.

If you did not come to the meeting, you missed learning a lot about the area, stated Claire Catherwood, community watch member.

The next West End Community Watch will take place in August. A speaker will be announced closer to the meeting date.

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

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Walk into Perry Memorial Library in the coming days and weeks and you just may find something more than reading material, thanks to a craft workshop that is taking place today afternoon.

Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters joined WIZS co-host Bill Harris on Tuesday segment of The Local Skinny! to let families know about some interesting upcoming programs at the library.

Kindness Rocks! Is a program that has just a few simple ingredients: Young people, paint and rocks, Peters said.

The young artists will paint a simple inspirational word or picture on the rock, then place it somewhere for it to be discovered by someone walking by.

The idea is “to leave messages around the community where you live,” she said. Participants will find spots inside and outside the library to place their “kindness rocks,” with the hope that it brightens the day for the person who finds it.

Next Tuesday, June 27, at 11 a.m., the Farm Bureau Room will become a concert venue as the band “Big Bang Boom!” takes the stage. The group plays kid-friendly music, Peters said, and invites all to come enjoy.

Later that day, beginning at 4:30 p.m., representatives from the local animal shelter are going to bring along some adoptable pets for children to interact with and maybe even read a story to, Peters said. Kids will get a chance to make toys for dogs out of old t-shirts.

And on Thursdays, don’t forget the Mother Goose story time and Lego Fun Club. The story time is at 11 a.m. and the Lego group kicks off at 4 p.m. Last week, there were 35 kids enjoying their time creating with the classic plastic bricks.

Visit  https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

 

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Library Closed Monday, June 19; Juneteenth Celebration Downtown Saturday, June 17

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Monday is June 19 and Perry Memorial Library will be closed that day in observance of Juneteenth, when enslaved people in Texas received word of their emancipation.

The Civil War had ended, the Emancipation Proclamation issued and Union troops traveled widely throughout the Confederacy spreading the word that slavery was over and enslaved people were free.

But that news didn’t make it to Texas until June 19, 1865 – hence the name Juneteenth.

The Juneteenth festival will take place in Henderson in the area around the county courthouse on Saturday between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.  Enjoy all the activities, from live music to food trucks, children’s events and vendors of all types.

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TownTalk: VGCC Hosts Off-Campus Enrollment Event

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Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled an Enrollment Day

Enrollment Day is set for Thursday, June 22 in Henderson and rather than having prospective students come to the college’s Main Campus, staff from Main Campus will be set up at Perry Memorial Library to assist individuals with registering for Fall 2023 classes, according to VGCC Director of Admissions Sherry Alston.

Taking the enrollment show on the road is just one way that VGCC officials are thinking outside the box to get the information out about the various programs and services that VGCC offers.

“Knowing that transportation can sometimes be a barrier, we wanted to go where the people are,” Alston said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

VGCC representatives will be at the library from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to provide information on the enrollment process, as well as the academic programs and student support services available – including financial aid. Advisors will be ready to help with registration for the fall semester, which begins Monday, Aug. 14.

Both 8-week and the traditional 16-week classes will be available.

Unsure about whether this Enrollment Day is for you? No matter how far along in the enrollment and registration process you are, Alston said there will be VGCC staff on hand at the library to help. Linda Fletcher with Career Services has an interest assessment for prospective students who may not have a career path in mind.

The interest assessment helps individuals learn more about their likes and dislikes, and helps to match them with possible career paths.

“We interact with individuals who may not know or understand what their next step is – they know they want to go to school, but not much more,” Alston said.

An orientation for new students will be held at 10 a.m. on June 22 as part of Enrollment Day. Orientations can be completed online on June 22 or students can arrange for an in-person orientation at a later date.

Alston said participants will get a chance to learn more about all the academic programs available at VGCC, whether that’s a certificate or degree program or a college-transfer program.

“We want to make it a productive day,” Alston said.

For more information about Enrollment Day, or to sign up for orientation, visit www.vgcc.edu/enrollment-day.