Library News: Michigan Medicine, Wing Watchers, a concert series and “In Flanders Fields”

Old Mission Flowers on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane BoursawPhoto

Did you know that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day? It started as a way to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. After World War I, it honored all men and women who died in military action, but was not called Memorial Day until after World War II. Until 1968, it was celebrated on May 30, regardless of the day of the week.

When the Uniform Holidays Bill passed Congress, the three-day weekend we know today was born. On Memorial Day Monday, it is traditional to fly the flag at half mast from dawn until noon in honor of those who gave their all for our freedom.

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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not in speaking words, but in living by them.” – John F. Kennedy

The Peninsula Community Library will be closed from Saturday May 27 to Monday May 29. The Bayshore Marathon makes it difficult for staff to get in on Saturdays, so instead some of us will be volunteering at the Friends of PCL Aid Station and cheering on the runners!

Our gardens need guardians! It’s a way to help your community library on your own schedule! Write to me if this is something that interests you. We will find you your own section! You can use our tools or your own!

I am also looking for a volunteer to redevelop the Little Free Children’s Library in the Kindergarten. It needs the seams sealed and a fresh coat of paint. Pat Sharpnack and Deb Lange did a fabulous job on the little free adult library out front! Let me know if you’re a handyman and want to take it on. Home can be removed from post to work from home.

While you’re planting summer gardens, don’t forget to save your extra seeds for our seed library in the old map catalog in the lobby. It’s a great way to share. The first drawer holds envelopes. Just be sure to mark and date what you donate before leaving it in the basket. Did you buy too many packets of commercial seeds? These are also welcome. Many thanks to Judy Heffron for taking care of this collection!

Teens who still need volunteer hours shouldn’t wait until the last minute! Let me know now! Of course, we welcome their help even if they don’t need hours. Don’t forget that they also have their own room in the library! The library is a great place to get together!

There’s a lot going on at PCL this summer. Our quarterly newsletter will be mailed out this week.

Waiting for…

Wing Watchers. Kay Charter of Saving Birds Through Habitat joins us June 5 at 6:30 p.m. Our new birding group meets monthly on the first Monday of the month. Bird Walk – June 1, 8-9:30 a.m. at Pyatt Lake: Bill Carl Nature Preserve – meet in the Pyatt Lake parking lot.

Summer time FUN. Guests of all ages are invited to enjoy four weeks of reading, songs, games, crafts and fun with PCL’s Summer Reading Club. Sign up for PCL starting June 15.

Week 1 (July 10-15) is Camping FUN with stories in a tent, 7/11 at 11 a.m. July 24-29 is FUN on the Move – Story Hour, 7/25 at 11 a.m.

All programs are held outdoors weather permitting. Teens, join us on 07/27 at 6 p.m. to make a masterpiece of drip art and for a pizza! Adults can make a recycled cardboard wreath 7 days a week at 6:30 p.m. Details, views and pricing information at PCL!

AI is NOW. Patricia Henkel teaches us — hands-on — how to use Chat GPT and other forms of AI from your iPhone, June 19, 5:30-6:30 p.m. RSVP – limited places!

The history of the rock of the students of the OMPS! On June 20 at 2 p.m., a local history lecture features selected students from the third-grade class of the OMPS to share their winning coloring drawing from our Once Upon a Peninsula activity book. Tim Carroll will also share one-room school tales. Light refreshments will be served.

Swing to the music. Our Garden Concert Series kicks off with a Summer Solstice event sponsored by the Friends of PCL on June 21 from 5-7pm with Irish music from Doc and Donna Probes. Free ice cream too! Nicholas Veine, a music scholar from Manistee, joins us June 30 at 7 p.m. with some blues, jazz, and country. On July 14 at 7 p.m., Doc and Donna return with popular songs we all love. On August 9 at 7 p.m., Ruth and Max Bloomquist perform “rooted acoustic American folk!” Pack a picnic for everyone! The rainy place is the community hall, no picnic.

The library at night. Families are invited to stop by June 27 at 8 p.m. after hours for bedtime stories, s’mores, and a nightly craft. Come in pajamas! If the night is clear, take a look at the sky through our telescope!

Michigan Medicine. We are proud to continue our collaboration with Michigan Medical University. This series features world renowned doctors. July 17 at 3 p.m. Dr. John D. Bisognano, MD, Ph.D. talks about preventing heart disease as we age. On August 21 at 3 p.m., Dr. Christopher D. Lao, MD, will present new treatments for melanoma and advanced skin cancers. Dr. Lao will be joined by Dr. Christopher Keram Bichakjian, MD, who is the chair of Michigan Medicine’s Department of Dermatology. Looking ahead to October 2 at 3 p.m., we’re joined by Dr. Martin G. Myers, Jr., MD, Ph.D., who shares recent research on diabetes and progress toward a cure. Each hour-long program will be followed by a fireside chat with time to ask personal questions. You MUST register at victors.us/MMPeninsula. Register early, as places are limited!

Our friends are your friends! Friends of PCL have hot plans for the summer! Beach packs for summer reading are on sale in the PCL lobby from 30/05 to 30/06, along with puzzles and games! The annual book sale begins August 9 (members only) and is open to the public August 10-16.

A popular traditional poem for Memorial and Veterans Days is In Flanders Fields. It was written by Canadian physician and poet John McCrae, who watched his friend die in the Second Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The caption says that McCrae was unhappy with the poem and threw it away. Fellow soldiers picked him up. It is thanks to his poem that the poppy has become a symbol of remembrance. We honor those who gave their lives for our freedom.

In the fields of Flanders, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row upon row,
Which mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Rare heard among the guns below.

We are the dead. A few days ago
We’ve lived, felt the dawn, seen the sunset shine,
Loved and been loved, and now we lie,
In the fields of Flanders

Take our quarrel with the enemy:
To you failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If you break faith with us dying
We won’t sleep, even if the poppies grow
In the fields of Flanders.

I wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend. –Vicky

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