A Pattern Story: August Book Club

 "...every story is a pattern story."  ~~ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders

According to George Saunders, no writer begins his or her great work of fiction with the idea, "I think I'll write a pattern story" or "What this story needs is pattern." And yet, no matter how funny, beautiful, complicated, or bizarre, every story is a pattern story.

Life, in itself, is a pattern story, though we rarely recognize repetition as part of the process. The same is true with stories. For example, all rags to riches stories follow the same pattern. The protagonist starts out with hard times, then an opportunity presents itself which leads to a change of fortune or the ability to overcome the original adversity. The characters and/or circumstances might be different, but the pattern is the same. The same is true for rebirth. The lead in the story is experiencing darkness - physical, spiritual, or maybe even other-worldly. He succumbs to the torture that is his life until an unexpected intervention breaks through the bondage. Once free, the main character begins to live life with peace and happiness. 

A pattern story can also be compared to the acts of a play. In comedy, the protagonist is characterized as pretty normal - the pizza guy, the beat cop, the lawyer, the dogwalker, or the loafer. Their life is upended by an unusual and unexpected conflict, which is perpetuated by their self-deluded desire to find a solution. The involvement of the main character usually results in even greater chaos, until he or she returns to normal life. In drama, the story follows an opposite pattern. Maybe everything is okay or great or even perfect in the beginning. Then a problem arises that usually descends from bad to worse. Finally, the story hits rock bottom. All hope is lost - or maybe not! Could there be a way out? A way to rise above the waves and make it to the shore? At the very end, once the main character finds salvation, he learns a lesson he never forgets - a gift that came out of the darkness.

As with the other exercises, once a reader begins to recognize pattern, it becomes difficult to overlook. Tragedy, mystery, adventure, romance - every story is a pattern story. If the main character is overcoming a monster (real or imagined), he restores peace and calm by facing down the foe that seeks to wreak havoc upon his society, his family, or himself. If the protagonist is beginning a quest, he answers a call to act, sets out on a journey, encounters troubles that threaten and overwhelm, and finally, by whatever means necessary, finds the inner strength or outside help to restore peace - usually accompanied by a new perspective of life or greater responsibility. 

When you strip a story down to its barest bones, similarities of pattern exist. Even the most original ideas for fiction follow a pattern, which is sometimes described as formulaic or predictable; however, readers are often creatures of habit when it comes to genre fiction. If readers prefer romance, they have general expectations of pattern. The protagonists meet, experience an attraction, reject the relationship on one or both sides, face a midpoint crisis, confess their deepest secrets and fears, break up completely, recognize their misery and loss, and complete the pattern with a declaration of love and a happy ending.

Pattern is expected in all genres; it is why readers read what they do. In fantasy, the pattern involves a hero's journey. In horror, the reader waits for the unexpected horrifying twist that is totally expected. If the reader is bored, he or she might choose adventure which provides an adrenaline high. Or maybe they want to read fiction that shocks the senses with its graphic realism. These novels still follow a definite arc with internal struggles laid bare for all to see. Armed with preexisting prejudices and judgments, realistic fiction combines the main characters' layers of motivations, fears, and desires with adverse external circumstances and internal conflict - creating what is known as the framed narrative, or the story within the story.

Saunders is correct in his statement: "every story is a pattern story." The best writers master the art of a pattern story, and readers return to their favorite genres and authors time and again to find that formula they crave. From Agatha Christie's crime fiction to Julia Quinn's regency romance to Michael Farris Smith's gothic Southern realism, pattern is what readers expect. The difficult task for the writer is to create an addiction to pattern from which the reader never recovers.

Please make plans to attend the Forest Public Library adult book club on Tuesday, August 24, at 6:00 p.m. as members discuss pattern in the books they are currently reading and in their favorite genres. Pre-packaged snacks, bottled water, and canned drinks will be provided.

The Heart of a Story

The July adult book club at the Forest Public Library focuses on the second exercise of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders, entitled The Heart of a Story. According to Saunders, great writers use elements of structure and form to carry the reader to a pivotal point where they can't go any further without being fully engaged, wholly committed, and forever changed. He describes this place as the heart of the story, and he uses the example of a literal cart to reach that destination.

In the exercise, Saunders loads the cart with TICHN (Things I Couldn't Help Noticing). He explains that if readers pay special attention, they "enter into a transactional relationship with the writer." The reader begins to fill his TICHN cart with observations. These observations take the reader beyond the summary inside the front cover of the book.

In the beginning, the heart of the story is very much like a human heart. The reader knows that it is beating with a pulse, "What next...what next...what next," but it remains hidden from view. Sometimes it is buried within a file or dossier of information that the writer deems important to respect the reader; however, carrying the weight of too much information can cause the reading energy to drop.

At this point, the writer must shed the excess to protect the heart. How much of the back story is necessary? When is digression allowed? How much repetition is acceptable? What about causation - investigating the role, impact, or association of specific occurrences within the story? Is it important to present pages and pages of detailed descriptions about certain characters to fully introduce them to the reader? Does the reader need to know the tiniest details of each interaction or decision in order to be informed? How does this process apply to the more modern reader who prefers minimal descriptions - showing versus telling - the Ruthless Efficiency Principle or the Hollywood Version?  According to Saunders, "The writer revises, the painter touches up, the director edits, the musician overdubs."

And the heart of the story continues to beat...pounding, fluttering, racing. Over and over, the reader reviews his cart of TICHN. The writer and reader are moving closer towards the life force of the story. A bond is strengthened; all parties are engaged. No matter what happens at this point, the writer-reader agreement is solid - the heart of the story is opening. Even as the cavity is revealed, every layer is removed, and every consideration is critical, the reader trusts the writer to bring closure.

Finally, the reader reaches the final page. The contents of his TICHN cart have brought him to this place - the stopping place. If the writer has been successful, the book has become a thing of movement, of fear, of change, of love, of life. And that life is claimed by the heart of the story.

Be sure to register for either one of the July adult book clubs scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, at 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday, July 27, at 6:00 p.m. Both meetings are held in the Forest Public Library conference room and prepackaged snacks are provided. 

A Page at a Time

American author and epic fantasy writer Terry Goodkind said, "A book is read one page at a time. A shelf is read one book at a time. A library is read one shelf at a time." 

The most amazing journey of a reader begins a page at a time. Even as a small child, the act of turning the page is one of deliberate movement. Teachers witness the phenomenon all the time. As a child learns to read, he/she develops decision-making skills with each positive or negative reaction to a single page. A child cannot always identify where a story is headed, but they know almost immediately if they want to find out. If they are not interested by page one, they might not even make it to page two.

Adults are the same, even though our power of deductive reasoning has been strengthened over time with practice and repetition. In the book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders gives an example of how this process is so critical to the response of the reader: "In the first pulse of the story, the writer is like a juggler, throwing pins into the air. The rest of the story is the catching of those pins. At any point in the story, certain pins are up there and we can feel them. We'd better feel them. If not, the story has nothing out of which to make its meaning."

Each page presents the possibility of a pivotal moment for the writer and reader. The writer decides what will happen next, and the reader decides if he wants to know. Children understand this concept with their first bedtime stories. One page can introduce a warning, and they anticipate a pin drop. One page can create specific curiosity about a setting like a beautiful castle, or a dark wood, or a candy-coated cottage. One page can initiate a conflict that even the youngest listener recognizes as trouble. Saunders calls this "a linear temporal phenomenon."

In classic logic, formulas are fixed. Monday comes before Tuesday. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Everything is absolute - true or false. The simplest definition of linear temporal logic is that a condition is true until another fact becomes true or an expected condition will eventually be true if the path continues. However...if a subsequent path appears in time, one questions if the expected condition will remain true forever or never be true at all. Isn't that the very definition of reading?

That scientific formula is supported by the bowling pins example. We know they are up there - in the air - and we feel that we understand their trajectory. But, once again, what might happen, what needs to happen, or what will happen remains in the air until we turn the page.

If you are not able to attend the Forest Public Library book club in person, please enjoy the exercise presented in the book: Read one page and answer the following questions: Without looking at the page, 1) What do you know so far? 2) What are you curious about? 3) Where do you think the story is headed?

Consider this final quote from the book as we complete the first exercise. "It's kind of exciting to pause here and admit that, as things stand, it's not yet a story. Not yet. And I'm going to claim, right now, that by the end, it's going to be a great story. So, there's something essential to learn here about the form itself: whatever converts not yet a story into great story is going to happen any minute now, over this next (last) page."

What I Learned from Four Russians and a Syracuse Professor

Librarians love to learn. If they say they don't, then their career choice is questionable. Most times, the pendulum swing from learning too much to never learning enough can be overwhelming, but one thing is for sure - the quest never stops. Such is the case of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders and the idea for an adult book club.

The responsibility of planning and hosting a monthly adult book club at a CMRLS branch can be challenging. Book clubs take many forms, such as each member reading the same book and sharing insights, or selecting books following a certain theme or genre, or choosing books by a specific author or about famous (and infamous) people. The one common denominator is that each participant should learn something, so librarians do their best to make book clubs interesting, engaging, thought-provoking, and memorable.

As the branch manager of the Forest Public Library, I know the process well. When I started reading A Swim in a Pond in the Rain at the same time the Covid restrictions eased for resuming adult book clubs, I knew I had been given a fresh perspective. What could I learn about MYSELF in a book club? Could a book club answer the small questions, such as, what makes a reader keep reading or what makes the reading experience satisfying and what doesn't? What do the answers to those questions say about me as the reader? Could a book club answer the big questions? Consider this quote from the author in the book's introduction:

"We are going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn't specifically endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art - namely to ask the big questions: How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it? How can we feel any peace when some people have everything and others have nothing? How are we supposed to live with joy in a world that seems to want us to love other people but then roughly separates us from them in the end, no matter what?

(You know, those cheerful, Russian kinds of big questions.)

He follows that paragraph with another question: If a story drew us in, kept us reading, made us feel respected, how did it do that? That is the question we want to answer during the next six months. The first chapter is entitled "A Page at a Time," and consists of a story, discussion, and afterthoughts. During the month of June, book club participants are asked to share one page from any book they have read or are currently reading, tell the group why they selected the page, and comment on what curiosity the page creates. Using the book as an impromptu guide, the book club format will follow the accompanying reading exercise of each chapter. Sharing only one pre-selected page, "we'll take stock of where we find ourselves. What has that page done to us? What do we know, having read the page, that we didn't know before? How has our understanding of the story changed? What are we expecting to happen next? If we want to keep reading, why do we?

According to Saunders, that's the million-dollar question: What makes a reader keep reading? We can answer because we want to, but why do we want to? Each month's book club discussion will be followed with afterthoughts on the CMRLS news blog, along with an introduction to the next month's reading exercise. Registration for the Forest Public Library book club is required. Space is limited to 12 participants for each Tuesday time slot. Prepackaged snacks, canned drinks, and bottled water will be provided. 

The more we learn, the more we connect with others. One final quote from the book as we embark on this six-month learning experience:

"These days, it's easy to feel that we've fallen out of connection with one another and with the earth and with reason and with love. I mean: we have. But to read, to write, is to say that we still believe in, at least, the possibility of connection."

Everyone Saves Money at the Library!

If you haven't paid a visit to your local library lately, then you probably paid too much. Because libraries are such great savings places, the Forest Public Library is celebrating National Library Week and Money Smart Week with a special checkout incentive during the month of April. Every time patrons borrow materials from the library, they receive a printed receipt with the due date and renewal information, website and telephone contact, and at the very bottom of the receipt - right underneath the total number of checkouts for the session - the dollar amount saved by using your library. The information is displayed on the receipt in the same way that membership cardholders save money at local retail stores, drug store chains, club member companies, and online shopping venues.

The savings to the library user is often significant. Patrons check out a variety of items at the library, including DVDs, books, audiobooks, CDs, fitness equipment, and even cake pans! These items can be expensive to purchase, especially if only used one time. Libraries often compare to bookstores with the most recent bestsellers and just-released DVDs of the newest movies and television series. To buy, rent and/or stream these items can cost hundreds of dollars per year. The library staff had the idea to total how much money local patrons save during a one-month period.

The promotion also has an additional money incentive - a $100 VISA card! Each time patrons check out items, they will receive an entry for the drawing. The entry will include the patron's card number and the amount saved on the receipt. The drawing will be held on Friday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m., and the winner will be notified on Monday, May 3rd. The $100 VISA card is provided by the Friends of the Forest Public Library.

National Library Week (April 4-10, 2021) is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries, library workers, contributions, and promote library use and support. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association and all types of libraries across the country participate. During the pandemic, libraries have learned to adapt resources and services to meet patrons' needs. The theme for National Library Week 2021 is "Welcome to YOUR Library." The Forest Public Library staff welcomes patrons to visit the library in person, use our continued curbside service or see what is available online with our free virtual programs, online databases, and library apps. 

The American Library Association is also a supporter organization for Money Smart Week, which is held April 10-17, 2021. Money Smart Week is a national public education program coordinated by a network of supporters that provides people of all ages the knowledge and skills to make better informed financial decisions focusing on the key financial pillars of saving, spending, borrowing, and planning.

Combining the two important weeks with a month-long promotion is the best way to celebrate both events. Welcome to your library, save money, and enter a drawing to win a $100 VISA card! Everyone saves money at the library -- how much will you save?

F is for February...Fables, Fantasy, Folk Tales, and Fiction

During the month of February, the Forest Public Library offers a literary lesson that focuses on the letter F. With all the current talk of fake news, what is the true definition of Fiction? Is it just another word for a fib or falsehood? What is the difference between a Fish Tale and a Folk Tale? Are Fairy Tales the same as Fantasy? And what about Fables...especially Aesop's and his talking animals?

All of the above are great reference questions, and librarians love finding answers! The first F-word that encompasses them all is Fiction. Or maybe not...after all, Fables, Folk Tales, and Fairy Tales are found in nonfiction - a conundrum that we will address later in the lesson.

According to the dictionary, Fiction has three definitions: 1) It is literary in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people. 2) It is invention or fabrication as opposed to fact. 3) It is a belief or statement that is false, but that is often held to be true because it is expedient to do so. The Latin word fictus means "to form," thus Fiction is formed in the imagination. There is also a distinction between Fiction and its literary friends, Folk Tales and Fairy Tales, as they add a little fun and frolic to their fascinating stories. Fiction can sometimes be foreboding and frightful, but it is always deliberately formed or fabricated.

If one searches Fiction as a subject in the CMRLS card catalog, there are tens of thousands of records. That is not a whopping Fish Tale, which is defined as an over-exaggeration. There are Fiction books about feast and famine, fashion and food, feminists and fascists, fortune tellers and fortune hunters, fathers and fosters, friendships and foes, and foxes and ferrets -- and that is only the F's! Somebody has been busy fabricating, for sure!

With that much Fiction in one library system, how do Fables, Folk Tales, and Fairy Tales (which are clearly Fiction) find their way to nonfiction? When most people hear the word nonfiction, they think of facts and figures; however, that is false. (I know, it's all a bit flummoxing.) Not every book in the nonfiction section of the library is factual. Fables, Folk Tales, and Fairy Tales have their own address - 398 Dewey Lane - and everyone who lives there is a fraud.

A Fable is defined as a short story that is usually about animals and is intended to teach a lesson, which is a bit faulty because a Fable is also defined as not true. Aesop's Fables are still popular today because children (and adults) love animals who are clever enough to outfox a fox or outrun a rabbit or outsmart a trickster, especially when they use human characteristics to do so. A Folk Tale is a story or legend that is passed down as a tradition among certain "folk." Most Folk Tales belong to a particular demographic, and the stories are often embellished, superstitious, and false. Because Folk Tales began as an oral tradition, they have much in common with Fish Tales - the tendency of a fisherman to exaggerate the one that got away or the one that can't be caught. The tales get more far-fetched as the story goes and grows.

A Fairy Tale is another fake in nonfiction - probably the biggest fake of all. Fairy Tales have a common pick-up line that identifies them immediately, "Once upon a time." Then they always leave the faithful reader believing the same falsehood, "and they lived happily ever after." These tales are formed in magical lands with imaginary beings or imaginary lands with magical beings. Unfortunately for everyone who resides on 398 Dewey Lane, nothing is ever as it seems. 

Fantasy, on the other hand, just flaunts in front of everyone and tells it like it isn't. This story is not happening in the real world. Period. Fantasy lives in an imaginary universe with its fantastical characters and far-reaching stories, and readers of all ages find themselves lost in these worlds forever. Fantasy welcomes the fanatics who fixate on big, fat epics and opens its doors to the past and future. Fantasy knows that once a reader enters the fictitious portal, the fateful destination is the only exit.

This brings the February library lesson to a close with one final question. Why is Fiction so popular and important in the literary world? Is it because wishes are only granted in Fairy Tales, or because good and evil are so easily recognized, or is it because one's own reality is sometimes a bit too true? Author Ernest Hemingway said, "All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you, and afterwards it all belongs to you."

Fiction is best compared to the good fortune of having a famous friend that one might occasionally be required to forgive but never forgets - no matter what he tells you, where he takes you, or where he leaves you in the end. 

This month's blog post has been brought to you by the Letter F. 

From Public to Personal: The Importance of an Excellent Library

Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, said, "When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."

Public librarians understand one thing above all else - the unexaggerated importance of an excellent library. During these technologically-advanced times of electronic books and audiobooks, virtual programs and databases, and digital media, an entire generation has moved towards the ephemeral and away from the enduring. And yet, without an excellent library, Jane Austen herself would have been miserable. 

So how does one create or curate an excellent library? If you want to build an excellent home, you seek out excellent contractors. If you want to serve excellent food at a party, you secure excellent caterers. And if you want to create an excellent library, you start with the advice of excellent librarians. Thus, the purpose of this blog is to help the reader create an excellent personal library by following the guidelines that librarians use on a daily basis to create excellent public libraries. 

The first consideration is the ability to view the library as a reflection of the community of readers. Library patrons possess different interests, passions, hobbies, and concerns, so the excellent librarian must know and understand the public he or she serves. The same application is true when creating a personal library. One must know and understand their own unique likes and dislikes. Whether the library is two small shelves at a reading nook or a room of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, the collection of books should reflect the personality of the individual. Dr. Neil Aitken, author and poet, stated the following: "A personal library not only reveals what types of narratives, knowledge, and beauty we think are worth investing in and holding onto, it also serves as a way in which we build a model of the universe as we understand it. A library's very arrangement can be used to affirm certain hierarchies and relationships to privilege some texts over others and to position ourselves in relation to all these different voices. Our personal library is a type of argument - a case we're making about ourselves in our own eyes and in the eyes of those we expect will encounter it. With every purchase and acquisition, we are saying to others (and to ourselves), 'I am the type of person who owns this type of book.'"

Just recently, a long-time CMRLS librarian began the process of creating a personal home library. She recognized the similarities between her work as a public librarian and her efforts to stock her home bookshelves. "I began to learn things about myself as I organized my personal collection of books. I knew that I was a devoted reader of romance, but I was surprised by how interested I was in history, travel, folklore, and personal memoirs. My collection of books helped me to understand more about my preferences, just as I have done for library patrons over the years."

As with the public library, the personal library uncovers what's missing or the gaps in our collections. According to Aitken's article, "the gaps in a collection also reveal what we do not know or have not made a priority in our lives." His father, who was a professional librarian, admonished that when visiting someone at their home, you should "always check out their bookcases" - not only for what's represented but also for what's missing.

The second consideration is the budget size when it comes to developing a collection. Public librarians face this dilemma on a monthly basis as they select books for their patronage. English author Neil Gaiman stated, "Don't ever apologize to an author for buying something in paperback, or taking it out from a library (that's what they're there for. Use your library.) Don't apologize to this author for buying books second hand, or getting them from bookcrossing or borrowing a friend's copy. What's important to me is that people read the books and enjoy them, and that, at some point in there, the book was bought by someone."

Some private libraries consist of signed first editions, while others are made up of books from library book sales, second-hand thrift stores, and discounted displays at independent bookstores or big-box retailers. Personal library collections range from rare to bestseller, hardcover to paperback, oversized to miniatures, and baby board books to scholarly tomes. As compared to the public library, the personal collection also requires occasional weeding (or removing) a book to make room for a new addition.

A final consideration is the atmosphere of the personal library. Excellent public librarians understand the significance of creating a place for patrons that feels welcoming, safe, and connected. The same is true when creating a private home library. Aitken calls it a "chosen literary refuge" and within it, we can "find the tools we need to survive and thrive in a sometimes hostile world." Excellent public libraries provide us with curated collections that educate, inspire, entertain, and inform, but more importantly, they provide the sanctuary to immerse ourselves in what is most important  - our sanity. No matter our struggles, we can find solace within the walls of an excellent library - public or private.

Author James Baldwin said, "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive." Aphra Behn called it, "that perfect tranquility of life, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, a faithful friend, and a good library." And Susan Sontag described her library as an "archive of longings."

One final quote from Dr. Aitken (and maybe the most important consideration) emphasizes the transforming power of the library, both public and private. "But each library...is vital in the same way that it asserts the importance of what we choose to keep, of what endures move after move, of what we hold sacred. Our libraries sustain us - and in time, we hope, will sustain those who come after us."

To read the article, A Library of One's Own by Dr. Neil Aitken, please follow this link: https://www.de-canon.com/blog/2018/1/24/the-need-for-a-library-of-ones-own

Also, check out the CMRLS libraries for the following list of books about creating an excellent library:

• At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for their Libraries - Ellis, Estelle.
• Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany - Mount, Jane
• Library: An Unquiet History - Battles, Matthew
• House Beautiful: Decorating with Books - Proeller Hueston, Marie
• Remarkable Books: The World's Most Beautiful and Historic Works - Collins, Michael

Christmas Trees Throughout the Years

 O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How lovely are thy branches! ~~ Ernst Anschutz

In 1824, a German composer and teacher named Ernst Anschutz paid homage to the fir tree when he penned the modern lyrics to "O Tannebaum." The original folk song was written in the 16th century by Melchior Franck and was rewritten again in 1819 as a tragic love song by August Zarnack. However, it was not until the custom of the Christmas tree developed in the 19th century, that Anshutz's version morphed into the beloved English Christmas carol. The song tells the story of the faithful fir tree with its evergreen branches that bear the joyful message of the Christmas story. According to the various lyric changes, the tree gives us pleasure and delight, fills our hearts with music, and brings us light in winter's gloom.

The Forest Public Library agrees that nothing brightens the holidays like the first sight of Christmas trees. As part of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce's Stationary Christmas Parade, the library staff created a display of 12 Christmas trees throughout the years, beginning with the Pioneer tree. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of Christmas celebrations during the pioneer days; however, it is doubtful that she had a Christmas tree in her "little house." Most pioneer homes were too small to make room for a tree, or wood was too scarce to "waste" on a tree. Christmas gatherings happened by the fireplace or around the traditional meal. Children might be fortunate to find a new penny in a knitted stocking, but most children delighted in a homemade gift, such as a carved wooden toy or a cornhusk doll. If a pioneer home was large enough for a tree, the decorations included pinecones, yarn or straw figures, bits of ribbon, and flour ornaments.

The Victorians took quite a different attitude toward the Christmas tree. In the 1870s, store-bought ornaments were introduced and quickly replaced homemade decorations. Paper designs of Christmas ornaments were printed in ladies' magazines and glass Christmas tree ornaments made their first appearance on American trees. Victorian trees were trimmed with gilded angels, stars, walnuts, and crosses - the more gold, the better. Candles were also used to illuminate the tree. One traditional token remained. The Christmas cracker was made with colored tissue paper and a sweet verse (and sweet treats) inside. These popping tubes were called "Kisses," and were later mass-produced by Tom Smith and Company, who manufactured nearly eleven million in a single season.

From feast to famine was the tale of the depression-era Christmas tree. Gone were the great excesses, replaced with meager and frugal trinkets...with one exception. The tree at Rockefeller Center was erected on Christmas Eve in 1931 by construction workers. The tree was a 20-foot balsam fir decorated with strings of cranberries, garlands of paper, and tin cans. That year, America was in the middle of a deep depression with unemployment near 60% in the construction industry. The laborers received holiday checks and bonuses, and for them, the Christmas tree was a sign of hope and better days ahead. The official tree lighting at Rockefeller Center started in 1933 with a 40-foot tree illuminated with 700 lights and continues to this present day.

In the twenty years that followed, Americans witnessed an era of great prosperity. During post-war consumer craziness, many Americans were buying and building new (and modern) houses, and they did not want old-fashioned fir trees. Concept trees featured in glamour magazines were artificially produced in factories, usually in one color - pink or blue - with the same color ornaments. These trees were a favorite of Peanuts' character Lucy as she strolled through the commercial tree lots.

In the 1960s, the Christmas tree became even more commercial with the appearance of the silver aluminum tree. From 1958 until the mid-'60s, the tree could be purchased in the Sears catalog, along with a rotating wheel of four primary colors. Many families substituted the traditional evergreen tree for the shiny new tree with its Shiny Glass Brite ornaments. Little did these companies know that one television special would send their trees and rotating wheels packing to attics and basements throughout the country.

In the 1965 Peanuts' special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, the main character buys a scrawny, live fir tree to protest the over-commercialization of Christmas. After his friends make fun of his selection, Charlie Brown takes the fir tree home to decorate it. He places one red ornament on the tree, and it bends under the weight. Charlie Brown thinks he has killed the tree. Later, his friends come along and redecorate the tree with an eclectic mix of ornaments - teaching them (and the viewer) the real meaning of Christmas.

After the Charlie Brown special, Americans begin to see the Christmas tree as something to love and cherish. Ornaments became more personal in the 1970s, and trees returned to their natural green color. In 1973, a company called Hallmark produced its first Keepsake ornament. Since that year, over 400 ornaments have been issued. These Keepsake ornaments are carefully stored each year with other family heirlooms to be used again during the next Christmas season. Each year, the unpacking of the ornaments creates familial connections that serve as part of the tree decorating rituals, which also include holiday music, hot cocoa, and happy memories.

The most common theme for artificial Christmas trees from the beginning of the 1970s until the present day is a more natural appearance. Evergreens of all shapes and sizes have been produced to satisfy the discriminant customer. The science of flocking used by natural tree farms to create the resemblance of snow was soon copied in the artificial market. Flocked trees are especially popular in Southern climates where snow is scarce.

Whoville trees made their first appearance in the Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The best-known decoration in Who-lore is the iconic curved conifer tree - a whimsical style used in American displays to the present day. The magic of the Whoville tree is found in its association with a favorite childhood story that celebrates not only the joy and wonder of a season but the difficulties and challenges as well.

At the turn of the millennium, the idea of a themed Christmas tree was still in vogue. As part of the Y2K celebration, patriotic trees were trimmed with flags and stars; red, white, and blue ornaments; and the year 2000 memorabilia and keepsake ornaments. Despite the warning that the world would end on January 1st, Americans continued to deck out their fashionable Christmas trees to coincide with the historic celebration.

Approaching the present day and in keeping with fashion, the designer tree is a must-have for families of influence. Gucci, Dior, Chanel, and many of the biggest names in fashion began designing unique Christmas trees to benefit charities in the late 1990s. After the millennium, department stores seized the opportunity to market these trees to the consummate shopper. A color scheme, oversized ornaments, and a large topper are the secrets to a designer tree -- sometimes accompanied by an interior designer who decorates the tree in the client's home. 

And finally, the annual tree at the Forest Public Library - no branches, only books. But, as always, still lovely.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, 

with what delight I see you!

When winter days are dark and drear, 

you bring us hope for all the year.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, 

you bear a joyful message!

That faith and hope shall ever bloom 

to bring us light in winter's gloom.

Oh Christmas tree!

Crickets: The Plaguing Sound of Tuesday Night

Crickets - urban slang for absolute stillness, complete quiet, the sound of silence. Exactly how one would imagine life inside a library with librarians shushing the few whispers that make it to the desk - except at the Forest Public Library on a Tuesday night. Post-Covid Tuesday night at the library is certainly not what it used to be. This past Tuesday night, very few patrons visited the library between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Crickets.

Because of its designation as late night at the library, Tuesday night was always programming night. Many of the programs were scheduled before closing; however, on very special nights, programs were scheduled after closing. These Tuesday night programs were called BACK DOOR EVENTS. Over a period of three years, the entertaining events became the most well-attended programs at the library.

BACK DOOR EVENTS were never still or quiet. Months of planning went into each program, which usually included a menu of food to fit the occasion. If the event was a book signing with an author from the Mississippi Delta, then the menu included Delta Grind grits, a magnolia cake from a local baker, and southern-fried catfish. If the event celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, local Latino patrons served up homemade tamales, while children painted corn husks with spices and sang a traditional pinata song. And if the event celebrated the premiere of the Outlander television series, the menu included authentic Scottish fare of bannocks, shepherd's pie, and jam tarts.

Teens remember Tuesday nights for the Halloween BACK DOOR EVENTS when a corpse lay prostrate on a table filled with edible hearts, lungs, and red velvet cinnamon-roll intestines to be consumed by ghoulish protagonists from horror stories. They might eat crickets, but no one was ever quiet. These teens also rejected the clawingly sweet sentiments of Valentine's Day with a Love Bites program where sarcasm and saltiness were served up with heartbreak cookies and fries not guys! Of course, if someone asked the teens which menu stood out in their minds, it was the salute to Black History Month with pulled pork and collard green eggrolls and cornbread salad. 

Life at the library was definitely festive on Tuesday nights, whether it was celebrating St. Patrick's Day, Fourth of July, Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving with Friends, or a Camino Island Christmas with Bruce Cable bow ties. Party-goers showed their books in exchange for Mardi Gras beads, donned their Scottish plaids while listening to live bagpipes, and visited their favorite John Grisham island while reading ONE BOOK. The highlight of every BACK DOOR EVENT was food - from New Orleans etouffee to coastal crab cakes. The sound of every event was a chorus of mirth.

Now, it's just crickets. Absolute silence. Complete quiet. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote these words in The Great Gatsby, Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. As cooler weather indicates the change of yet another season and as libraries continue to plan virtual programs, some patrons wonder if life will ever start all over again. Some wonder if they will ever share lively conversations over delicious meals, or meet the candidates in person, or sing and dance with a live band. Some wonder if they will hear the squeal of children when the pinata bursts and everyone is scrambling on the floor for candy. Most wonder how long it will be until the next BACK DOOR EVENT.

For now, thanks to a pandemic, there is the plaguing sound of Tuesday night, which is actually no sound. Maybe a library is supposed to be quiet after all; just not this one.

Addicted to Love

"Your lights are on, but you're not home. Your mind is not your own. 

Your heart sweats, your body shakes. Another kiss is what it takes.

You can't sleep, you can't eat. There's no doubt, you're in deep. 

Your throat is tight, you can't breathe. Another kiss is all you need.

You like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah.

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough.

You know, you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love."

Addicted to Love, lyrics by Robert Allan Palmer

August is Romance Awareness Month, and readers of romance novels are addicted to love! Romance novels are big business, according to the Romance Writers of America website. The romance fiction genre is worth 1.08 billion dollars a year - a third larger than the inspirational book industry and the size of the mystery genre and science fiction/fantasy genre markets combined. Romance novels are considered "the beating heart" - no pun intended - of the publishing industry and the top revenue-generating literary category in the U.S. Even as the publishing industry as a whole has struggled, especially during the digital age, the romance genre has thrived. In the U.K. alone, a romantic novel is purchased every two seconds. 

And yet, romance novels are not winning any major literary awards. Even though they regularly appear at the top of the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller lists, the romance novel has long been the target of literary snobbery and ridiculed as a less worthy genre by its critics. As a librarian who has read hundreds of romance novels, addressing this criticism will hopefully bring greater awareness during a month dedicated to romance.

According to Romance Writers of America, romance novels have a formula that consists of two basic elements: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. The focus of the central love story centers around two individuals falling in love, facing struggles and conflicts, and resolving or overcoming those conflicts before the final page. According to the website, "romance novels may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensuality - ranging from sweet to extremely hot." The CMRLS library collections include various romance novel genres, series, and single-titles. The sub-genres range from Inspirational to Erotic, from Historical to Contemporary, from Paranormal to Suspense. Even the subgenres have divisions. Historical novels alone cover periods of time such as Medieval, Georgian, Edwardian, Colonial, and wartime eras. Despite the variety, romance novels are considered by a more literary crowd as formulaic fluff. Critics of the genre have one major complaint: romance novels are not realistic. Champions of the genre often argue that hunger is not a game and the dead do not walk; however, when it comes to the lowly love story, no arguments satisfy the literary elite.

A personal favorite, the Regency romance novel is a sub-genre set during the British Regency or early 19th century. Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own idealistic and chivalrous plots, along with suitable period customs, conduct, and conventions. Often, readers who are addicted to this genre appreciate the extensive research, hierarchy groundwork, and descriptive imagery that elevates the historical setting and family pedigree. But, mostly, they just love the storyline. The hero starts out as tormented or misunderstood, but always as handsome as Apollo. Even though they might be of different stations, the heroine is the one person who makes his life complete. After a proposal that includes a confession of undying love and life-long fidelity, readers are treated to the infamous epilogue.

Actually, there is a not-so-literary and not-so-nice term for readers who are addicted to the epilogue at the end of a romance novel. These readers are epilogue junkies, and they never recover. No matter how much one is tempted otherwise, the reader must wait until the very end for a well-written epilogue. Afterward, readers can close the romance novel, hold the book close to their heart, and smile for a few minutes - thoroughly smitten, captivated, charmed, and entranced. In a Covid-19 world of elections, protests, and uncertainty, the unfailing surety of the epilogue provides a much-needed fix...if only for a few, fleeting moments. Despite cardboard characters with no depth or shallow plots or even too-bizarre-to-believe happy endings, the romance reader always returns to the billion-dollar industry for another fix - aptly defined as a thing or activity that gives a person a feeling of euphoria or pleasure that is difficult to do without. 

"You can't eat, you can't sleep, there's no doubt you're in deep." What better month than Romance Awareness Month to be addicted to love.

The Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer have definitely arrived in central Mississippi, but for the CMRLS libraries, dog days last all year. Some of the first books children read are those that feature their favorite dogs. Whether it's the Pokey Little Puppy Golden Book written in 1942 or the latest Paw Patrol DVD, those little puppies children love grow up into full-length memoirs and adult fiction favorites. Dog books do not skip age groups or generations. The local libraries love dogs as much as their patrons. Did you know that the CMRLS libraries have almost two thousand (1,922 at last count) fictional books about dogs? This figure doesn't include the hundreds of dog DVDs or nonfiction books, which include books from Mississippi to England, from heroic dogs to therapy dogs to rescue dogs, and from feeding to breeding or hunting to housing.

The dog days at the library begin with preschoolers and early readers and their favorite characters, such as Biscuit, Spot, or Clifford the Big Red Dog. They continue right through elementary school with dog names all kids recognize, such as Harry the Dirty Dog, Hank the Cowdog, Henry and Mudge, and McDuff. And then, as children grow up with their favorite dogs, the books grow up with them -- sometimes teaching more difficult lessons like those learned in Shiloh, Sounder, Old Yeller, White Fang, and Where the Red Fern Grows.

Even as adults, the love for dog books remains. One of Mississippi's own favorite writers, Willie Morris, is remembered for his most beloved memoir entitled My Dog Skip, which was filmed as a movie. But the Mississippi memoir is not the only book to movie that families have enjoyed. Others include Marley and Me, A Dog's Way Home, and most recently, The Art of Racing in the Rain. Library patrons of all ages have their favorite movie dogs, and the CMRLS libraries offer hundreds of dog DVDs, from Disney's Fox and the Hound, Lady and the Tramp, and those 101 Dalmations to Beethoven, Lassie, Benji, and Rin Tin Tin.

The CMRLS libraries also offer nonfiction books that range from bringing your new puppy home to spending the last days with a beloved dog. One can learn how to potty train a new puppy, what to expect from a vet visit, and how to provide the proper care for your dog, such as exercising, feeding, and grooming. However, the dog books that many patrons cherish are those that teach humans how to love unconditionally like the dogs that love them. A few of these books include The Grace of Dogs: A Boy, a Black Lab and a Father's Search for the Canine Soul; Dogs Never Lie About Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs; My Therapist's Dog: Lessons in Unconditional Love; and Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me About Life, Loss and Grace.

So where do all these dog stories originate? Some travel as far as the Gobi desert or the Iraq war or even Japan. The book entitled  Gobi: The Little Dog with the Big Heart tells the story of a love so strong between a dog and a marathon runner that it crossed the entire globe! Two books entitled Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle and From Baghdad with Love: A Marine, the War and a Dog Named Lava remind readers that even in war, dogs and humans can find ways to survive and thrive. And finally, Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog relates the story of a dog who accompanied his owner to and from a train in Tokyo, and after his master dies, continued to wait for him every day for many years. After reading the book, a patron can check out the DVD entitled Hachi: A Dog's Tale.

So do you have a favorite dog breed, dog book, or dog character? It is time for this blogger to pass the baton to all the cat librarians out there with a favorite children's book character, Skippyjon Jones, a Siamese cat who thinks he is a chihuahua or chi-wow-wow! One of the favorite quotes from the books written by Judy Schachner reads as follows:
My name is Skippito Friskito.
I fear not a single bandito.
My manners are mello,
I'm sweet like the Jell-O,
I get the job done, yes indeed-o.

During these dog days of summer, the CMRLS libraries are getting the job done with their dog books and DVDs...yes, indeed-o.

Check it out!

We bring it too you! Now that is what I call service.
Today seven of Central MS libraries (Raleigh, Magee, Mendenhall, Forest, Pearl, Richland, and Flowood) will start curbside service for you.
I know you have been missing your library materials but now you can get that next book you wanted to read or that movie you have been waiting to see.
It is simple, just place a book on hold or give us a call, and we will pull the book for you. When you pull up to the library, call the library and we will bring your books. Yes, you will need your library card. Have it ready when you call. You will need to drop all returning materials into the book drop. We can't wait to serve you!

Library Services Update

May 12, 2020

Dear Valued Library Patron

On behalf of our entire family of libraries, we want to thank you for your support during the past couple of months. While our doors were physically closed to you, our Central Mississippi Regional Library System Board of Trustees and Library Team was committed to providing digital services which included access to eBooks, Databases, eContent, free WiFi at all branches. We are grateful that you have continued to support us from a distance. Because of your support, we have been able to promote safety for our communities and our library team. We sincerely appreciate your vast loyalty and look forward to having you visit our libraries again soon.

From the beginning of the pandemic, we have continued to prioritize the health and well-being of our library team members and library patrons. As we enter phased reopening plans in our branches, we want to inform you of the practices and safety protocols we are following to ensure our libraries remain a safe place to work and provide library services. Below is a list of policies and operations that our libraries will be following, along with estimated dates of when each location plans to reopen.

We kindly ask that you refrain from visiting our libraries if you have any symptoms (coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea), if you have had a fever of 100.4 in the past 48hrs, or if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID19. Additionally, we request your participation in our social distancing practices to safeguard our CMRLS team and patrons. Thank you for your assistance in this matter!

• Libraries will follow all local guidelines to open at specified capacity rates.
• In-person library programming, such as but not limited to story times and book clubs, will not be offered until further notice.
• The Library Team Member is required to undergo a series of health screening questions before entering the building. Those showing any signs of symptoms or fever are prohibited from entering the library.
• Study tables and computer stations are seated at least 6ft apart from one another.
• Availability of computers will be limited. We will adhere to thirty-minute sessions to allow for others to use computers. Free Wifi can be accessed on the outside of the library building.
• Curbside Document Delivery Services such as printing, copying and faxing are available for a fee. Wireless printing is available at select branches: Flowood, Pearl, Magee, Mendenhall, Forest.
• Notary services are available for a nominal fee at the following branches: Flowood, Magee, Mendenhall
• Library Team Members are required to wear protective masks and gloves with frequent glove changes and hand washing.
• Tables, chairs, and other library surfaces are sanitized after every use.
• High-touch areas such as doorknobs, screens, restrooms, etc. are sanitized frequently throughout each shift.
• Antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer are readily available for Library Team Members and patrons in the libraries.
• Library Team Members are provided proper training and guidance on safety protocols and steps to minimize the spread of COVID19.
• Meeting room use and study room use are discontinued until further notice.

CMRLS has a plan for our libraries. The first part of the plan includes opening Book Drops and offering Curbside Services. During this phase, patrons will not be allowed to enter our libraries.

Book drops at selected locations will be open starting Monday, May 18, 2020 (at the following locations: Floyd J.Robinson Memorial Public Library (Raleigh, MS), Forest Public Library (Forest, MS), G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Public Library (Flowood, MS), Magee PublicLibrary (Magee, MS), Mendenhall Public Library (Mendenhall, MS), Pearl PublicLibrary (Pearl, MS), Richland Public Library (Richland, MS)). All returned items will be quarantined for fourteen (14) days in the designated and approved area in the library. The returned items will be in quarantine. Items will remain on the patron’s account until the quarantine period is completed. However, it should not hinder the patron from borrowing more items.

Beginning Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Curbside Services will be available from 10:00 A.M.-5:30 P.M. at the following locations: Floyd J.Robinson Memorial Public Library (Raleigh, MS), Forest Public Library (Forest, MS), G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Public Library (Flowood, MS), Magee PublicLibrary (Magee, MS), Mendenhall Public Library (Mendenhall, MS), Pearl PublicLibrary (Pearl, MS), Richland Public Library (Richland, MS).

We will continue to closely monitor the recommendations of local health departments and authorities to ensure we are serving you in the safest way possible.

Warm regards,

Mara V. Polk

Executive Director

A Book Review for Times Like These

Last year, I received this book as a birthday gift. The book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, is written and illustrated by Charles Mackesy. The book was also selected as the 2019 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year; however, I wonder if it might be an insightful message for the COVID-19 world that we witness today.

Our CMRLS director, Mara Polk, sent out an email on Friday confirming another week of library closings and requested that branch managers "keep up the CMRLS blog." She suggested that we do book reviews, share things we could do while at home, DIY, etc., and then she ended the email with this statement, "You're doing the best you can, when you can, and how you can," which is exactly the message of this book.

When reviewing an adult book, it is easy to discuss character development, realistic settings, strength of plot, conflict and resolution, audience appeal, appropriate genre or writing skills; however, when reviewing books with illustrations, such as children's books or graphic novels, you have to not only read but see. These pages belong to Charles Mackesy -- the words, illustrations, and copyright; but the message belongs to us all.

I was reminded of the book over the weekend when one of Forest's hometown authors, Jan Risher, posted an illustration on her Facebook page and then followed-up with her weekly column for The Acadiana Advocate. I read the column and shared it to my own page, then I decided to review the book for the CMRLS blog.

Here's my book review of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy:

My first reaction to the book was...Huh? I don't get it. How was this book selected as Barnes and Noble Book of the Year? And it's written for adults? Do any of the libraries in our system have this book? I called my daughter who also bought herself a copy and asked for her thoughts. She had the same reaction. Are we missing something? Three days ago, I re-read it after seeing the post, and I realized that the book is a rare literary masterpiece. That morning, I showed up for class at the school of unlearning.

"The greatest illusion," said the mole, "is that life should be perfect."

-Charles Makesy

I am so grateful that I am reviewing this book today and not three months ago. My reviews would have been completely different because today our lives are completely different. The words on each page are not simple, they are profound. As we face the most indescribable world crisis, this book provides lasting lessons. Life is not perfect. How we react to things is a freedom. We can't control the big things, but we can love what is right in front of us.

"One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things." 

-Charles Mackesy

"When the big things feel out of control...focus on what you love right under your nose." 

-Charles Makesy

"Life is difficult but you are loved." -Charles Makesy

A book review is so subjective. I read hundreds of book reviews each year, as does every librarian who is responsible for ordering books for their patrons. The reviewers for journals and magazines try to convince us that their reviews are completely objective, but they rarely are. We all have these elevated notions that we are completely unbiased. No. We are still human. What we read and how we read depends on many personal factors. This book is small by adult fiction standards - not much text, mostly illustrations - and yet my adult heart grew three sizes reading it again this weekend. Three months ago, I was enjoying a birthday trip to booksellers, eating out at a favorite restaurant, and shopping at specialty stores. That was three months ago, not today.

"When the dark clouds come...keep going." -Charles Makesy

"This storm will pass." -Charles Makesy

"We have such a long way to go," sighed the boy.

"Yes, but look how far we've come," said the horse. 

-Charles Makesy

"I think everyone is just trying to get home," said the mole. 

-Charles Makesy

Last week, one of our "home" assignments was to watch webinars and tutorials to improve our library skills. I watched a webinar entitled Finding the Heart of Library Service. The webinar ended with a quote from Ram Dass, an American author of the book Be Here Now: We're all just walking each other home. So much of our world is quarantined at home, trying to stay safe, and avoid COVID-19. Businesses and schools are closed. Libraries are closed. Home has a new meaning for us all. We play music, we read books and exercise (and try new recipes), we post encouraging quotes, we find ways to be generous and supportive, and we show kindness.

One library in the CMRLS system has a copy of this book, cataloged as an adult graphic novel. (No, it's not Forest.) As soon as we librarians get back to reading reviews and ordering books, this book is going to the top of my list as highly recommended..if for no other reason than times like these.

Is Everyone In Scott County Related?

That's the BIG QUESTION the Scott County Genealogical and Historical Society endeavors to answer as its members launch an enterprising new project for 2020. The society is scheduled to meet Saturday, February 15, at 10:00 a.m. in the Forest Public Library conference room to begin building one big Scott County family tree.

With a 2018 U.S. Census population estimate of 28,287 residents and 10,435 households, how is it possible to produce one big family tree? The society is starting the process with the creation of a WikiTree - a free, accessible tree for county families. Next, family members are asked to contribute at least two names (self, spouse, parents, etc.) to the tree. The WikiTree then merges duplicates, creates branches, and displays names of people who are related.

"This sounds like so much fun," states society member Shawna Alexander, "but we have to generate interest and participation to build the tree. You don't have to be a professional genealogist or even a closet genealogist to participate; however, if you have compiled any family records, we invite you to attend the February meeting at the library. The public has access to the Sanders and Eady Genealogy Room and the Library Edition of Ancestry on the library computers. Once people start sharing their family surnames and the surnames of their parents or even grandparents, we will begin to fill in the Scott County families from A to Z. Then, the big tree branches will begin to grow and intertwine."

The society offers hints and tips for research to share family finds and get past brick walls. All the research is shared among the group. A single record might provide the one missing puzzle piece that breaks through the brick wall for someone else. Society member Patricia Hall is also excited about the one big family tree. "Anyone who is just beginning family tree research can get discouraged because until you go back a few generations, it's difficult to find information. No hits and no answers put up a brick wall, and people lose interest and excitement to dig deeper. Two heads are always better than one. One person can overlook something, and another person will have an open mind and spot it."

Even pictures can be part of the process. "One of our members brought a picture to one of the meetings. I looked at the picture and instantly knew that the lady was the sister to my second great grandmother because they looked so much alike. The brick wall came down because she shared a picture," Alexander stated. "I know that the more people who participate, the more the society can find those records that will motivate them to keep digging."

So...who is hiding among the branches in your tree? Is your family a branch of the one big Scott County tree? How is your branch connected to other family branches in the county? And could this be just the beginning of one big tree that connects us all.

If you know that your family surname is a branch of the Scott County family tree, please make plans to attend the meeting on Saturday, February 15. Unlike the natural branches of a tree, these branches grow stronger with more people.