Pine River Library staff members and volunteers set up an impromptu living room on Mill Street at lunchtime Monday to promote the library. They gave away free cupcakes, bottled water, and books.
Some drivers happily accepted a cupcake while others drove by rather quickly with their windows up, as if they were being approached by members of a religious cult. However, the library staffers and volunteers have a bit of religious fervor about all the things the library does.
Library Director Shelley Walchak said more than 250 libraries around the country are doing "Outside the Lines" campaigns with creative ways to reach out to their communities and let people know the libraries "aren't just a building with books. They are a community living room." The impromptu outddoor livingroom was Pine River Library's way of doing that. In Telluride, books were wrapped up as gifts and delivered by bicycle, Walchak said.
"We want the community to think of their library as a place to gather and create and work together," she said.
Staffer Brenda Marshall added, "We are just bringing the library to the community." She said after their Monday stint on Mill Street that their porta-lounge would appear in other places around Bayfield.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, the library will host a Zucchini Extravaganza "Get Your Squash On" event from 1 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the abundant local vegetable with many culinary uses and rumored overnight stealth deposits in unlocked vehicles.
The event is for all squash varieties except pumpkins, which the library says will have their own event. The Transplants will provide live music. There will be an Iron Chef competition with the Strater's Chef Safari, vegan cookbook author Tess Challis, and Bonnie Cotton.
Participants are invited to bring a squash dish for judging and sharing and a county fair style cookoff. Judging categories will be best appetizer/finger food, best main course, and best dessert.
Bring your fresh zucchinis for judging and prizes as well. There will be awards for biggest and ugliest, for best dressed, and best carved.
There will be activities for kids, signup for space in the library's community garden, raffles for a mini-rototiller and garden fountain, and free food.
Information is at 884-2222 or www.prlibrary.org.
