Summer fun swings into high gear at the Hamline Midway Library

By CARRIE POMEROY

The Hamline Midway Library, 1558 W. Minnehaha Ave., is your neighborhood spot to connect with your community, enjoy great programs, access the Internet, and stock up on books, CDs, and DVDs, all free with your library card.

For families and kids

Preschool Storytimes in English happens Fridays, 10:30-11am, with upcoming events on June 15, 22, and 29, and July 6 and 13. Storytimes feature stories, songs, puppets, and more. They’re a great way for caregivers to bond with children and build social skills, listening comprehension, and letter and number recognition while creating a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Children of all activity levels are welcome.

The Library is also offering Tuesday Evening Storytimes from 6-6:30pm on July 3 and 10.

On Sat., June 16, 1:30-3pm, the library presents the popular Science Saturdays program, where school-aged participants and their families can enjoy fun, hands-on science, and art activities. No pre-registration is necessary—just come by when you can. The Science Saturdays theme for June will be Optical Illusions (rescheduled from April, due to weather).

The Summer Spark program presents America’s Fun Science on Thur., June 21, 10:30-11:30am. Join in the fun as Dr. Tyronne E. Carter demonstrates some cool visual science experiments!

The Summer Spark fun continues as Dodge Nature Center presents “Raptors,” on Sat., June 30, 1:30–2:30pm. Meet a raptor up close, and learn about these amazing birds of prey. These programs are part of the summer reading program at the library, which lets children and teens earn a free book by tracking their reading hours and suggested fun, hands-on activities.

On Sat., June 23, school-aged children can attend “Celebrate Urban Birds: Make and Take Birdfeeders” between 1:30-2:30pm. Elpis Enterprises is providing bird feeder materials for participants to build and take home. This is a Nature Smart Program.

The Show and Tell Book Club for grades 1-3 meets on Sat., July 14, from 1:30-2:15pm.

Opportunities for Adults

On Wed., June 27, 1-3pm, Jody’s Documentary Film Series will feature a free documentary film from PBS’s acclaimed POV series. This month, the film being screened is “Homegoings” by filmmaker Christine Turner. Witness up-close what brings comfort to the rituals and customs of African-American funerals, through funeral director Isaiah Owens. Enjoy the free film and snacks and stay for the post-film discussion facilitated by Jody. This program is a collaboration of the award-winning POV documentary series and Hamline Midway Elders Association.

The Novels at Night Book Club meets on Thur., June 28, 6:30-7:30pm. This book club, aimed at adult fiction enthusiasts, will discuss “The Art of Fielding” (photo right from the internet) by Chad Harbach.

On Sat., July 7, 1-2pm, the Saints and Sinners Book Club meets to discuss good mysteries. Contact volunteer G. Balter for book lists and more information at gerribalter@gmail.com or 651-224-5570.