The Blue Mountains Public Library News May 2023

She Loved the Bay: Willi Wildman exhibit opens April 29

We are pleased to be hosting once again the late artist and teacher, Willi Wildman. The exhibition includes dozens of Wildman's paintings from various private collections and will run until May 31. Please join us for the opening reception, which will take place April 29 from 2-4pm – a wonderful time to remember Willi, exchange stories and enjoy a beautiful and diverse collection of her work.

See the Gallery's Online Exhibits

Willi Wildman
Kids using an iPad to create digital art

Film & Animation Workshops

Every Wednesday in May from 3:30-4:45pm at L.E. Shore

Free after-school workshops for ages 8-13 years. Join local animators and filmmakers for workshops in Animation, Filmmaking and Stop Motion. Each week will offer three workshops, join us for one or try out a different one each week!

Learn how to create short animations with your own characters, film a short movie with puppets as actors, and build claymation characters to capture with stop motion.

Brought to you by the South Georgian Bay Media Association & The Blue Mountains Public Library. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Sign up for Film & Animation

The Craigleith Station

Museum Renovations Nearing Complete

It has been a many months, but the historic Craigleith Station turned museum is nearly complete. In 2021 the Ontario Trillium Foundation awarded nearly a half million dollars from the Building Communities grant for capital enhancements to the Craigleith Heritage Depot.

This included a complete renovation of the shell of the 1880’s building. The addition roof area, after blowing off in a summer storm in 2022 was replaced with a temporary fix and complete roofing was done in the Fall 2022 with a composite shake, intended to respect the original appearance of the roof. The original shakes on the turret were not touched.

In winter 2022-23 the rotten wood siding was removed from the building and was replaced with a two-tone composite wood. The two-tone green and cream has created much conversation in the community as this is a colour no one living has ever seen. As mentioned in reports and newsletters throughout 2022, the new look of our museum is the original colour pallet, harkening back to the original building when it was a Grand Trunk Railroad Station between 1880’s to early 1920’s. Though it was hard to confirm the colour from the 1800’s black and white photos, our museum staff documented the original colour when the windows were removed for replacement and found the selected colours returned the building to its near perfect match more than 140 years after the Station opened. For those that remember the building being red; you are also correct. In the 1920’s the Craigleith Station became part of the CN Railway, which is when the Grand Trunk colours were changed to the CN red. In 1968 the abandoned building was reopened as The Depot Fine Dining Restaurant and again changed colour, becoming the maroon so many think of when reflecting on the buildings colours. Minor touch-ups are still to come when the weather improves with a cream architectural band scheduled to be painted on the turret and the lightning rods painting still yet to come.

The previously replaced windows and doors were also swapped out throughout the building, leaving the original turret entry with the last original door and the house entry (shown in photo) with the replica door. Finally, the interior of the building has also had a lovely facelift, moving it from the avocado, rust, and harvest gold interior; to a crisp clean look which will celebrate the exhibits.

Staff are now busy pulling the interior together and rebuilding our favourite exhibits and a number of new ones as well. We anticipate the museum being open for visits by the end of May and are now accepting visitors into the foyer where your library holds can be retrieved and washrooms are open.

While our staff are happy to discuss the process of the renovations to the museum, anyone looking for a more in-depth conversation should book a meeting with the CEO who is happy to further discuss the investments made into our community museum.

Holds Pickup Now Available at Museum

The Museum is open for holds pickup on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12pm to 5pm, Saturdays 10am to 4pm and Sundays 12pm to 4pm.

Yellow Fish Road Program 

Join Nottawasaga Valley Conservation for the Yellow Fish Road Program. Learn about water quality in our watershed. An engaging, interactive presentation about how we can all improve the water quality in our streams and how to help protect our environment.

Saturday May 6 at 11am at L.E. Shore. All ages event. Register online.

Sign up for Yellow Fish

Wooden carry stool

Woodworking 101 with Modern Grove Co.

Learn basic woodworking with Lisa Sands of Modern Grove Co.

Make your own Carry Stool! This versatile stool can also be used as a tray or container - it has been designed with your daily life in mind.

Thursday May 18 at 6pm at L.E. Shore. Cost is $20/person.  Register online. Limited space.

Sign up for Woodworking

Dried flowers

Flower Arranging with Dogwood Flower

Create a beautiful, personalized floral arrangement with Dogwood Flower.

Learn about beautiful flower arrangements and make a bouquet to share with someone special (or keep for yourself).

Saturday May 27 at 11am at L.E. Shore. Cost is $10/person.  Register online. Limited space.

Sign up for Flowers

 

Arts & Culture Council  From left, Lynn Corrigan, Gerard Bueche, Beverley Smith, Sandra Whitehead, Thunder Martel. Absent: Diana Bick, Helen Forrest

Arts & Culture Council Wins Award

Congratulations to the ACC who won the Town’s Arts & Culture Volunteer Recognition Award at the April 22nd reception. This group has tirelessly supported BMPL’s mandate as a GLAM (gallery, library, archives & museum) by curating 11 gallery exhibits annually, and providing numerous workshops and speaker series at L.E. Shore under their series The ACC Presents. They have also curated art throughout the Town Hall for the last 5 years. The ACC, led by Beverley Smith, Chair, are currently planning the 2.2 km Arts Walk for July 8th.

ACC Presents ... Orchid Quest

On Thursday, May 25 at 7pm, it's all about the orchids!

Join Audrey Armstrong and Willy Waterton for an engaging evening about their two-year orchid quest adventure and enjoy a fascinating overview of the many orchid species in Bruce and Grey.

Sign up for Orchid Quest

Blue Mountains Arts Walk

Arts Walk! Save the Date! July 8!

On July 8th, join us for The Blue Mountains Arts Walk.

If you are an artist or homeowner along the Bruce Street and Marsh Street corridor, we need you.

Learn more about participating in the Art Walk

Estate Administration Tax for Seniors

Thursday, May 25 from 1-3pm at L.E. Shore Library

A BVO New Territory4Seniors presentation with Canada Revenue Agency.

Learn about Estate Planning with Jeremy Bertrand, Senior Program Advisory Specialist from the Ministry of Finance.

To register, email seniors@bvo.ca or call 519-599-2577 ext. 126

Stuck in a Rock: the oil industry in Craigleith

Museum Curator gives talk about the oil industry in Craigleith with the Canadian Museum of Oil

Alessia Farris, Museum Curator, will cover the geological formation that allowed for the creation of shale oil, and the remarkable history of Ontario’s only successfully producing shale oil manufacturing plant 'Craigleith Shale Oil'.

Watch "Stuck in a Rock: Oil Industry in Craigleith" live at 7pm on Thursday, May 25th on Zoom.

Register for Stuck in a Rock

Cover of The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 A Library Reading List

We love books set in libraries because, quite simply, libraries are the best.

Enjoy this list of library-themed books. From thrillers to historical fiction, they will keep you reading (and loving libraries).

  1. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.

See more Library Reads

What's on order? Visit our catalogue to see what books are on order. Place a hold to make sure you're at the top of the list..
Tastes Like War: a memoir by Grace M. Cho

Participate in a global, digital book club! "Tastes Like War" by Grace M. Cho

Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, "Tastes Like War" is a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Grace learned to cook dishes from her parent’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Grace discovered not only the things that broke the brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.

Finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction Winner of the 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award in Literature A TIME and NPR Best Book of the Year in 2021.

Available in Libby on eBook and audiobook with no waitlists or holds from May 3-17, 2023.

 

Borrow the eBook or audiobook now

Using the Libby app to read library eBooks, eMagazines & Audiobooks

The OverDrive app will sunset on May, 1, 2023, making this the time to start using Libby app to read digital materials from the library's OverDrive collection. Ashley walked us through setting up Libby on a recent episode of Wired Wednesday. Watch the YouTube video below.

News from the Library Board

Key Messages is published monthly and includes items from the Board and administration. These topics include the Board’s perspective on matters of importance and some highlights and successes of the month. Key Messages for the month are presented under each of the three Strategic Plan Pillars.

Read Key Messages for April