Friends of the Bonfield Public Library
Contact
Donna MacPherson – Chairperson 776-9018
Chris Kerr - Secretary/Treasury 776-7567
GOAL OF THE FRIENDS:
Friends of the Library assist in heightening awareness of Library resources available to the local community. Another important function of the group is fundraising through the hosting of local events. These funds are used by the Library for special programs and initiatives. They could be as varied as: assisting with physical needs of the library, providing food and refreshments for after school kid's programs at the library, presenting shows for the community and/or members assisting with in house projects that the Library budget cannot accommodate.
Message from "Friends"
We wish to encourage new members for our Friends Group.
We are always looking for new members for our Friends Group. If you have an interest in the Library and have a few hours a month, please join our group.
We meet once a month: the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM at the Township Hall. Meetings are approximately 2 hours. We have about four fundraisers a year. We have fun while contributing to the Library, in turn contributing to your community.
Come join us.
Upcoming Events and Projects
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting is to be held Monday April 12th, 7:00 pm in the township boardroom
All current and interested persons are invited to attend
Refreshments will be available
A review of previous contributions and activities will be highlighted
Saturday May 29th nine am till noon will be our Annual Book Sale
Come and pick up gently used books
Also, any contributions will be accepted for resale
Other Pictures (Pictures)
Past Events 2009
Ladies Night Out 2009 (Pictures)
The Lion’s Den was roaring with laughter on Thursday Aug 13 with the den full of giggly Friends.
Friends of the Bonfield Public Library hosted their Ladies Night Out for the seventh time in as many years. This year’s theme was Friends and Friendship with tons more “f”’s , such as Fashion, Fun Frolic, Fiction and a guest speaker named Fedeli, Patty
Patty provided more laughs than a barrel of monkeys. Thru laughter, perspiration (our first day of summer, although somewhat tardy) and tears of pure joy Patty walked the gals thru a comparison of country gals versus city gals. The country gals were the winners: stronger physically, emotionally and with uncountable reasons for self worth. We country gals clean up darn good when the occasion arises.
Patty also brought to light a fact members of the Library community have known for years. Through books and other Library resources people can take trips to unknown lands, learn how to prepare gourmet meals, lose weight after the gourmet meal, deal with health issues, immerse one’s self in a great “who dun it” novel, study the history of any land, culture or invention, the list goes on forever. The best part: it is all free and the Librarian will guide you thru the shelves and provide computer expertise for on-line resources.
Tan Jay/Alia provided fashions for an out of this world fashion show. Models strutted their stuff and showed off the new fall colours which ranged from Paprika, shades of mauve, rusts, animal prints, earth tones, reds and of course the very striking black and white combo. The models provided an “up close and personal” opportunity for the guests to truly get a feel for the fabric which provided lots of belly chuckles.
Door prizes were flying off the table left and right. Auction items made the air dizzy with paddles flying so much so the auctioneer almost lost her sanity.
The guests came thru with their generosity with the best year ever. The Bonfield Public Library will be richer in resources which in turn provides the community excellent access to an awesome collection of materials. These same resources open doors to remembering the past and educating the future.
Submitted by Chris Kerr
Critters and Kids 2009 (Pictures)
CRITTERS AND KIDS, HOSTED BY THE LIBRARY, SPONSORED BY FRIENDS
For some summer excitement the Bonfield Public Library wanted to give the kids a treat and the “Friends” of the Library donated funds to bring in Critters & Kids, an interactive presentation. On Friday Aug 7th the Library Parking lot was abuzz with Critters, Kids and Adults. Everyone wanted to watch, touch and feel the visitors that Grace and Aaron were showing off.
The kids were especially anxious to touch and feel the various snakes to see if they were slimy, scaly, smooth or rough. Most were surprised that they felt soft ! Grace and Aaron were able to answer all the questions, which being just outside the Library seemed a great place for a research project. And of course, way different than opening a book or keying in the question in front of a computer .
“Zeus” the baby albino Burmese Python was a five foot long gentle yellow and white giant (and he is only a baby !) He spent all is time in the hands of Aaron with his tail securely wrapped around Aaron’s ankle.
“Pacman” the albino frog watched the kids from a safe spot within his cage.
“Herman” the Rose Hair Tarantula was very docile while exploring Grace’s hands.
“Fingers” the freshwater Alligator Snapping Turtle was held at arm’s length and his snapping parts were demonstrated by Aaron at a safe distance .
“Donna” the Green Iguana was truly a beautiful and almost graceful creature who happened to be hungry and enjoyed her lunch of fresh lettuce and strawberries.
“Sydney” the lizard lived up to his name and indeed had a blue tongue, thus the name Blue Tongued Skink.
The Veiled Chameleon seemed happiest when walking on sticks or branches, doesn’t like his tummy to be on the ground, a very handsome species.
“Daisy” the LARGE Red Foot Tortoise went for a meandering walk around the parking lot - everyone was fascinated.
“Sonic” was quick moving and truly adorable till you touched him. This Hedgehog curled quickly into a very sharp spiny ball of quills.
One of the questions posed by Grace: ever had snail poop on your hand? Well some of the kids were eager and were allowed to hold Gary and Doris the African Giant Land Snails. This was quite a highlight for the brave souls who indeed came away with a gift of “poop”. One of the Library staff was Johnny on the Spot with the hand sanitizer.
The softest creatures by far were the Chinchilla’s named Dora and Diego, these balls of fur were very affectionate and cuddly.
The list goes on, and the kids and adults alike were interested in every single creature offered for viewing, touching and answering of questions by Grace and Aaron .
Some of the audience came convinced “they would NEVER touch a snake” left having overcome their fear and talked in animated voices of their surprise that the skin was so soft and not at all scary.
That is what learning is all about, Libraries have far more to offer than just books ! Try out your local library!
“Critters and Kids” can be found on the Web.
Submitted by Chris Kerr, August 11th 2009
Past Events 2008
Science North (pictures)
Science North arrived in Bonfield with the threat of rain and thunderstorm, but this would not deter the the Township or the Library. They made a quick decision to host this event inside the Township Hall.
Outside, children were given the opportunity to blow huge bubbles using a baby pool and assorted wands. Inside different tables were set up with different activities ranging from simulated tornado, grossology, and K'nex.
The Science North staff Franky and Greg where certainly chosen with care. Their enthusiasm was contagious with the audience. Their instructions were explicit and their knowledge of the program was superb.
Approximately 179 people: 122 children and 57 adults took part in this excellent hands-on educational summer program
2008 Raffle (Picture)
Friends of the Bonfield Public Library held their Draw on December 18th 2008 at the Township of Bonfield.
There were three items this year:
Handmade Quilt - James Scott
Ice Shack Stove - Geraldine Gibeau
$200 shopping spree - Ghislaine Contant
Thank you for supporting your local library.
Ladies Night Out 2008 (Picture)
There were no camels sleeping at the Oasis during Ladies Night Out VI !!!!
The hips were swaying, the bells were jingling, the money was flying, the food was devoured and the laughter was contagious. At times, the giggles were so loud the auctioneer couldn’t make herself heard. But it didn’t matter, people were tossing twenty dollar bills with abandon.
An awesome troupe of Belly Dancers invaded St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Rutherglen to entertain the crowd. Friends of the Bonfield Public Library hosted “A Night At The Oasis” as their annual Library Fund Raiser. The troupe members encouraged audience participation” and participate they did. Not a soul was left sitting, sweat was glowing off everyone’s brow and all were grinning ear to ear. Hips encased in belly belts were undulating everywhere you looked.
Did you know that Belly Dancers do NOT dance for money: they dance for food. A sign of a successful belly dancer is one with generous hips: the better the dancer – the better the food!!! And sustenance their was: everything from Baklava baskets to Pistachio & Orange cookies to fruit to Sekanjabin – an ancient Persian Drink and of course a selection of teas that left the guests wanting more!!
T’was a night of Turkish Delight for sure and another sellout crowd. After the troupe entertained and the guests practiced their hip maneuvers the auction began!!
Thanks to many, many contributors the gals and their paddle laden hands didn’t have time to rest between auction items. Everyone was generous in their bids, some of the bidders got a little anxious when the numbers were higher than the dollars in their pocketbooks.
It was a night of giving as well. Several of the items garnered during the auction were actually being bid upon for gifts to be given to family members and friends.
The Library was the big winner with this year being the most successful Ladies Night Out ever.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone that attended, donated items, helped with the set – up, helped with the take down, helped with clean up, helped with the tallying of funds and for making the night as much fun for the Friends as it was for the guests.
Friends of the Bonfield Library: Remembering the past, Educating the future.
See you next year.
Digitization of Rutherglen's Women's Institute historical records
These records were recently contributed to the Library collection. They include many old photographs and newspaper clippings. The institute, which has disbanded, also donated the balance of their treasury to the Friends of the Library.
The Library Board has received an LSDF Grant in the amount of $15,380 for this project. Friends will begin this project shortly. Calvin Women's Instituted has asked to be included in the archival of their records as well.
These records will be preserved for future retention and reference.
Friends searched throughout the community for a suitable place to establish our workshop for the project. We found the perfect match: a portion of a classroom that is not being used at Ecole Lorrain. This is a wonderful partnership: preserving the past in a place where students are becoming the history makers of the future. Ecole Lorrain has donated the space for the duration of the project. Technical equipment is in place and Friends are busy transferring data from hand-written journals. Our Friends are looking forward to delving into the past and making it accessible for the future.
PAST EVENTS 2007!
Friends of the Bonfield Public Library's Fifth Annual Ladies Night Out, August 16th, 2007 proved to be a night to remember with a "northern reflections" theme!!! Judging by the continuous chattering, giggling and antics amongst the guests, a good time was had by all including the hosts, those crazy library ladies.
The evening began with desserts and beverages being served by "Friends". While supping on their awesomely delectable selection they "reflected" on one incredible fashion show featuring the fall fashion collection for "Northern Reflections". All of the models were more than receptive to the wows, oohs and aahs from the audience: come closer....we want to feel the fabrics, and see the various layers of each fashion selection. The Northern Reflections store was generous with their distribution of savings cards and coupons.
Then the paddles came out and the bidding began!!! The numbers were flying around the room fast and furious with the auctioneer desperately trying to stay ahead of the bids. The items being auctioned all carried a "northern reflections" theme. Each one of the items was accompanied by a book: what better to do in the "north" but "reflect" on a good read?
Local, national and international award winning authors donated the books. Such names as: Donna Sinclair, Bill Walton, Lois Cooper, Allan Hirsh, Lynn Johnston, Patty Fedeli, Bill Plumstead and colourists Kevin and Mandy Strang contributed to the list of auction items. This area is truly blessed with amazing talent: all of these authors are local folk.
After all was ate, said done and spent, the happy guests left with their wares along with a seedling to plant in the "north" and "reflect" upon it's growth. These little green treasures were generously donated by Webb's Greenhouse of Bonfield.
This evening was successful in many ways: Friends raising the profile of the local Library, guests and hosts having enough laughter to raise endorphin levels, local authors generous of their talents and an awesome profit to support current library projects.
Members of the Friends are: Donna and Dorothy MacPherson, Heather Henry, Karen Dickson, Denise Rice, Sharon Scott, Marilyn Stewart, Elly Colazzi and Chris Kerr.
PAST EVENTS 2006!
Aug/ 06 "Ladies Night Out"
Our "Ladies Night Out" was a tremendous success! We had a full house, packed wall to wall with high energy ladies. Ladies came from not only our community but Mattawa, Sturgeon Falls, Sunridge, Powassan, North Bay, Callander and a few I have forgotten.
Doris Sanderson presented her collection of Quilted Clothing and Quilts. The noise level was high as everyone was oohing and aawing as each model paraded colorful quilted clothing.
Some women were scrambling to get across the tea tables to touch, feel and get an up close look at the details in the quilting. The teapot couldn't keep up with the thirst of these women.
Then there was the auction...a bidding frenzy took over, paddles were flying, wallets were being unzipped. It was a wonderful and fun way to raise money for our library.
This was our most fun and most financially successful undertaking to date. Thanks to all who attended, enjoyed and spent their money. Thanks to our "Friends" who organized, set-up, served, laughed, cleaned-up and went home satisfied with a job well done.
PAST EVENTS 2005!
CHRISTOPHE the magician
The magic has happened twice in our township to the delight of those young and old. CHRISTOPHE the magician amused all with his wonderful magic tricks and his fun and enthusiastic character. Kids of all ages were thrilled with his presentation.
Our first performance was such a success that we had to move the return visit to a larger facility, where, with his magic tricks he was once again a huge hit.
A really big THANK YOU to Columbia Forest Products for sponsoring these tremendous shows by CHRISTOPHE the magician!