It's Just Lunch

Members of the library's teen summer reading program stopped by today for It's Just Lunch.  Everyone enjoyed the culinary skills of Mrs. Ashton and Mrs. Stanley along with some Guitar Hero and X-Box Kinnect.  I think the Kinnect Sports won out as a favorite with teens trying their skills at the field games including the 100 yard dash and the hurdles. 

Everyone in attendance put their name in a raffle and when the gong sounded every ten minutes we drew a prize winner.  There were some sweet prizes like cotton candy and of course Nerd ropes.  I think everyone was a winner...in more ways than one.

Stop by next Monday at 2  p.m. when we'll have Mike Leuszler in the house for our super hero drawing workshop. 

Magic Tonight

Just a reminder that Professor Zap will be at the Main Street Center, 255 Park Avenue, tonight at 6:30 for Magic 101.  He'll be demonstrating some of the tricks you can learn at our upcoming series of magic workshops as well as entertaining the crowd with his own repetoire of tricks.

The library has lots of books for instructing magicians of any age.    Amazing magic tricks : apprentice level by Norm Barnhart is part of a series that takes young magicians through several levels of tricks.  Great beginning card tricks for smaller hands and other sleight of hand illusions that can be done with simple items you already have around the house make this a favorite for anyone looking for a general book that will cover a variety of topics.

 

Another series called Inside Magic includes the title Close-Up Magic.  These books by Nicholas Einhorn have a table of contents so you can zero in on the type of trick you'd like to learn.  Here is where you'll find classics like the Ping-Pong Balance and the Indestructible String.  Others in the series include a nice volume on Stand-Up Magic and Optical Illusions. 

I've always loved card magic but found advanced tricks to require a lot of practice and hand moves that were difficult for smaller hands.  Magic with Cards is a book in our children's non-fiction section that has all the good card tricks like Surprise Aces and the Magnetic String.  Many of these tricks are easy to learn. 

Remember Harry Houdini originally performed as the "King of Cards" at the beginning of his career.  It was later that he develop his escape act.  Once you master a few of the easier tricks try out The Complete Course in Magic by Mark WIlson.  Mark was just eight years old when he watched a magician perform and decided that this was something he wanted to do.  Later in high school he worked part time at a magic supply store and later went on to become known around the world for his live performances and his television work.  This volume is a complet education in magic with plenty of black and white drawings to guide you.

My favorite magic book is....wait, if I tell you then it will always be checked out.  I think I'll just keep that one to myself.  But if you find the magic book written by a young man from the Akron area...I think it will become your favorite, too.

Put it in a jar...

The stage is set and the curtain has risen on yet another summer reading program here at the Amherst Public Library.  Our first craft day starts off today and remains open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Stop in and make a dream jar.  Keep it by your bedside, carry it with you on vacation, hide it away in a secret place. Whatever your dream it's all up to you to make it your own.

Following their dream...

Need inspiration?  Need validation of your dreams and goals?  Check out Weapons of Mass Creation taking place this weekend.  It's a weekend dedicated to design, creativity, entrepreneurship and community activism. 

Speakers like Johnny Cupcakes, who took a joke and turned it into a multi-million dollar company starting at age 19.  Kate Binghaman Burt is listed as a creative dynamo who began her dream of being a news anchor and realized her dream when she began teaching drawing.

Get inspired.  Read the blog, explore the website, get up and go.  Dream BIG.

What's your creative dream...

There's Magic in the Air

Everyone loves magic and we're going to try something new this year.  We've booked Professor Zap, a Cleveland area magician who you may know from his appearances at our library and more recently he has been the headliner for the annual magic show at the Rose Cafe in Lorain.


The Professor will be putting on a short magic show for us on Tuesday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Street Community Center, 255 Park Avenue in downtown Amherst.  Come to the show and watch as he demonstrates some of the magic that you could be performing very soon.  The Professor will be at the library for a three part workshop designed for those in grades 4 through age 104. 


Recently he did a once a month workshop during the school year in Cleveland.  He had students attend along with senior citizens, everyone loves a good magic trick.  After the workshop was completed they had a magic show that was hosted by Professor Zap and featured participants in his workshop.  It was a huge success and something I think we could do here in Amherst.


So after the free show, mark your calendars for the three workshops that will be held here at the Amherst Public Library on Thursday, June 28; Tuesday, July 17; and Tuesday, August 14. Then plan on taking part our magic show in August. 

Make it a goal to learn two good magic tricks this summer.  Dream BIG....the time is here.

Summer Prizes

Hey what are the summer reading prizes?


The Teen Summer program has some great prizes this year.  Remember you can earn points by reading, attending an event, or by completing other activities like bringing in donations for the Amherst Food Bank.  For 250 points we've got an array of silicone bracelets you can choose from. Some even glow in the dark. 


The second prize level is at 500 points.  We've got some Bubble-icious pens for you!  These are perfect for writing about your favorite summer activity.  For 750 points you can have your choice of a drawstring book bag or a dream journal.  Both are just waiting to be filled up and taken on your next summer adventure.

Remember, online registration begins this weekend....and you can log points online beginning June 1.  Registration will begin at the library on June 4.

For each prize level you get a ticket for entering into the raffle of your choice.  Food, movies, and a Target gift card are on the list.  

What's going on this summer?

Dream BIG this summer.  Sure the Avengers movie is out on the big screen but why not design your own larger than life super hero?  The sky's the limit, even if you don't draw faster than a speeding bullet, perhaps you can take advantage of our Super Hero drawing workshop with local artist Mike Leuszler. 

This free workshop takes place Monday, June 18 from 2 - 3:30 p.m. here at the Amherst Public Library.  No special drawing ability needed.  Mike will show you some ideas that will have you sketching out your own avenging figures before you know it.

Just show up.  Pencils and paper provided.

What's that up in the sky?  It's Super Pug....even a small dog can dream BIG.