What’s Your Story?

Last fall Ashe County Public Library began a local Veterans History Project, as part of its Involving Books Programming, to collect stories from veterans, soldiers, and their family members about the experience of serving our country during war times. These stories are an enormous benefit to future generations, connecting the past and present to the future. The work of collecting these stories is never-ending. There are so many experiences to share and numerous veterans have agreed to be a part of the project. Students at Ashe County High School have helped in documenting some of these stories, but there are many more stories that are in danger of being unheard. Plans are to compile the collected stories in a county war memory magazine and have them on file at the Museum of Ashe County History by Memorial Day. If you are a local veteran and wish to be included in this project, we will be visiting area service organizations during the month in efforts to collect final submissions for the project. The library is also recruiting community volunteers to help with transcribing oral histories and interviewing veterans. Volunteers will be accepted for as much or as little time as they can offer. Please call 336.846.2041 for details on how you can help. 

Currently Involving Books Programming is part of Appalachian Regional Library System’s Good Neighbor Project and has been highlighting the topic of Managing and Maintaining Mental Health. The featured book for this initiative is Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt by Kevin Hines. There are multiple Read-Share-Return copies of Kevin’s memoir circulating in the community and several available at the library as well. Pick up a copy to read and save the date to hear Kevin talk at Ashe County High School auditorium on April 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Ashe County Public Library will be closed on April 20 for Regional Training

Dates to remember in April: 

 Children’s Programs

• Baby Bounce meets every Friday at 10:30 a.m. for ages birth to 2 years.  Enjoy stories, rhymes, bounces, and songs with a stay-and-play social time afterwards. 
• Tot Time takes place at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays for ages 2 and 3.  Wiggle, giggle, laugh, sing, and create.  A fun-filled time featuring stories, music, and a craft.
• Storytime for ages 4 and 5 is at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday.  Join us for ABC adventures with stories, art, and music. 
• The Illustrator Book Club meets at 3:30 p.m. on April 12 for grades 3-6.  Observe an artistic style and attempt to re-create it.
• Hide & Seek Ecology takes place at 3:30 p.m. on April 17. Kevin Hining, environmental educator with NC Wildlife Resources Commission, teaches us how animals hide from predators, and then we will play a game of hide and seek. Discover the health benefits of playing outside!
• The Lego Block Party meets at 4:00 p.m. on April 24 for grades 1-5. Come out to build, create, and make new friends.
  

Tween & Teen Programs

• Teens meet at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays for video gaming and board game fun.
• Tweens (grades 4-6) are invited to a MARVELous Party at 3:30 p.m. on April 26. Come and celebrate awesome MARVEL heroes like Iron-Man, Captain America and Black Widow by making your own heroes and completing challenges!
  

Adult Programs

• For all your tech troubles, book and appointment with our friendly reference librarians.  Call 336.846.2041 x227.  Group computer classes are offered at 10:00 a.m. on April 5 and 12.
• Yoga Club meets in the library’s downstairs meeting room at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays.
• Drop in for support on your PhD (Projects half-Done) at 10:00 a.m. on April 7. Find new ways to stay motivated to achieve your goals throughout the year!
• Brouhaha Book Club meets at 5:30 p.m. on April 30 in Boondocks. There is no assigned reading for this book club. Come as you are, read what you want, and join the lively conversation! 
  

All Ages

• The Second Annual Literary Peeps Diorama Contest opens April 2 and last until April 16. What’s a frugal book-lover to do when Easter has passed and the pantry is still packed with sweet little Peeps? We suggest constructing a shoebox-sized diorama featuring your favorite literary scene! Visit the library to pick up an entry form.
• During the month stop in and experience our “Flying Kites with Delia” exhibit, created by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Find out how the history of kites and their usage relates to northeastern North Carolina as told by the narrator, Delia, a delta kite.
• Find out about “Windy Ways” from Ranger Tom Randolph at 4:00 p.m. on April 4. Ranger Tom will lead a special science demonstration about the wind. Make a craft too!
• Read & Craft meets at 10 a.m.  on April 21. Travel the world with a hook in one hand and a ball of yarn in the other. This month, go to Korea.  Instruction available for beginners and project materials are provided.
• The Community Drum Circle meets at 5:30 p.m. on April 12 and 26.  Join the celebration of drums, while exploring the soul and spirit of music!
• Mountain Music Slow Jam will meet from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on April 7 and 21 in the downstairs meeting room. Songs are explained as to timing, breaks, etc… and played in slow time.  Designed for beginners, all skill levels are welcome.
  

Good Neighbor Project: Special Events

• Kevin Hines, author of Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt, will be speaking at 7:00 p.m. on April 18 at Ashe County High School Auditorium.
  

At 19 years old, Kevin attempted to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge - a distance which took four seconds to fall. Recently diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, Kevin had begun to hear voices telling him he had to die, and days before his attempt, he began to believe them. The fall would break his body, but not his spirit. His story chronicles the extraordinary will of the author to live mentally well in the face of his mental illness: bipolar disorder with psychotic features. With each mental breakdown, however, the author's desire to live mentally well-- and to be a mental health advocate-- pulls him from the depths of his condition. Kevin's story is a remarkable testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder to us to love the life we have. His story also reminds us that living mentally well takes time, endurance, hard work, and support. With these disciplines in place, those living with even very difficult diagnoses can achieve better lives for themselves and those who help to support and care for them.