Zach Stier, Ronda Kelley and Tammy Troup, Ericson Public Library, February 27, 2026

And today we are going to be talking about the Ericson Public Library and joining us on the well in the studio we have Mr. Zach Stier here good morning good to have you here and on the phone we got Rhonda Kelly and Tammy Troup ladies good morning. Good morning. There we go.

Can you hear him okay Zach? I can hear him okay. So if you guys need to yell at him while he's talking feel free. No I can. Just don't really want to do get into arguments here.

Wrapping up February and actually outside of one snowstorm in there otherwise it's been kind of busy yeah everything went off.

Absolutely we've had a very active February and it's been nice to see a lot of new families come into programs like story time kind of introducing them to the library and all of us have just been busy and I think we're ready to turn that corner into spring. Yeah.

Three weeks yeah we got three weeks three weeks away. You bet. We'll do that too.

Let's see let's get started right away because I know you got a lot of things with the month of March coming up and I'm guessing maybe threw in a few things with spring break coming and everything else so we'll let you get started. You bet.

So of course we have our wonderful story times on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. we've been working through a program as a pilot program with a not-for-profit in zero to three and that wraps up on the 12th of March.

It's been really nice to just kind of do some you know variety of new activities and in story time to kind of see how things go and and just kind of continue to grow our programs.

Our friend Kyle from Boone County Conservation will be back doing a program on March 11th which is a Wednesday it's called Birds of Color so he's from the wonderful County Conservation and yeah we'll have story time the week of spring break as well. Okay.

And then we have our family fund programs so we'll have one on the 10th and the other one on the 31st so on Tuesday the 10th we will have these at 6 p.m.

and this family fund on the 10th will be spy night so children and families can come and do a story to have a story time and have a craft and try out some spy activities which I'm pretty excited about. And then on the 31st which is Tuesday as well that will be at 6 p.m.

and we'll have a Hot Wheels Science Night which I'm pretty excited about including a story time and a craft but throwing in some science will be will be important as well. And then for a Hot Wheels Science Night. That's right. I'm pretty excited.

I loved Hot Wheels as a kid so it's like let's try it out. Still love now. Yeah I still do yes and our after-school science program is always a delight that will be at 4 p.m.

on Thursday the 12th and it's a really great time kiddos get to not only watch but participate in science and our science this time will revolve around spring so it's always a nice surprise to see what we come up with together.

And then our music and movement programs continue once on the 13th and once on the 27th. Both are at 10 o'clock in the morning and it's just a great time to get up move we throw in a variety of instruments and parachute and just all sorts of good stuff kiddos love.

The week of spring break Rhonda and I will have several programs for families on the 16th at 11 a.m.

we will do a matinee so we'll have snacks and popcorn and so you can visit our website for the name or the title of that the movie it's a recent release okay yeah it's and it's funny I like it okay I do awesome that's great yeah so our friends at YSS youth and shelter services do a program once a month and they'll have that at 4 p.m.

on the 17th so families can just come on in and this time it will be all about shamrocks yep shamrocks here make your own well I will say it make your own very own trail mix you get to snack on so it's all about fun and friendship that they'll be focusing on there too and then we will have our friends from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach they've been doing a program once a month on this time it's the 23rd of March and you don't have to be a part of Clover kids to be in that this is just a library and extension program so the program will be centered all around gardening so we'll do some hands-on activities there too yeah spring related spring related and I will say you know whether as the weather continues and we do have our wonderful story walk at McCose Park the story walk book right now is all we need is love and a really soft pillow by Henry Rocket Reynolds and Peter Reynolds who's famous for the book the dot so go on out there you know and walk around and read it's a really good get a nice day take a walk out there we bad kids let them let them do the story good stuff so thank you so much that's that's what I have and we'll continue to do our outreach programs for our you know kiddos and both public and parochial so story walk I know occasionally you have businesses like to sponsor that yeah still some openings for that absolutely we will have a sponsor in April but if you and in May we have our ed students who do that but anytime you're interested just feel free to email the library and we'll get you that information as well all right awesome thank you thank you and let's go to Rhonda and see what she's got to pass along today yeah it's hard to believe you know March will Monday will be into March yeah already I know I know so our mindful Monday program that has been running now for we're gonna start going into the fourth year which is crazy to think about that but when you change the topic every month so for the month of March we are exploring a book that is called E.T.

Guy and it is the Japanese secret to a long and happy life so we'll be exploring that book and the topics that are in that book for mindful Monday it's every Monday at 7 p.m.

if you miss one week don't feel like you you know you can't join us for the rest of them and we always end those evenings with group meditation and then a little bit of a community discussion on what what we've explored that evening the topic so and Walking Club is continuing we have decided for March we're still going to be at the Eastern Star Wellness Center we thank them very much for hosting us during the colder months it's kind of a direct transition period right now so in April we are anticipating we will be back outside unless the weather drastically changes so right now we are meeting the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m.

at Eastern Star you do not need to be a member to join us it is open for all ages we typically walk about two miles but you can set your own pace and your own distance but it's a great time for you know conversation and community as well as getting some physical fitness in so we hope you can join us for that if you haven't before it's a lot of fun and stitch night of course the first and third Wednesday every month we host that downstairs in the children's department around the fireplace area and that is attended by all ages we have tweens join us sometimes all the way up to seniors so it is open before all ages we do have supplies if you are in need of any although there's no instruction the people that do attend are really happy to help each other if you are you know just learning or you have questions about a project that you're working on and that is open to all fiber artists so not just we used to call it knit night yes you know we felt like that wasn't encompassing what this is because we have people who come they knit they crochet they embroider they cross-stitch some people come with sewing projects they they quote you know making hand sewing projects so whatever whatever you do just come on out and socialize bring your project show them off and just have a good evening I just I remember back when it was should we try doing knitting yeah and all of a sudden it's just sort of morphed into you know whatever they want exactly it's nice to see the relationships that are built and we have people that come from Des Moines from AIM so it's not just you know local people from Boone which is kind of nice that they have built those that community with each other so it's a great group so come on out and have lots of fun and then for the tween and teen for the month of March we are continuing Lego Club the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.

we have lots of Legos come and build we can put your projects on display so people can come in and see what you've created and as Zach had mentioned during spring break we have a lot of great programs going on we are doing a movie matinee on March the 17th at 2 p.m.

which it will be more of a tween and teen movie it is a dystopian sci-fi movie based on a novel and I will give a little hint Taylor Swift has a role in this movie so if you have a genius come on in you'll can you like Taylor Swift come on out and see the movie and of course we'll have popcorn and refreshments as well and then the next day we have a escape room and there's three different times the first time plot is pretty much full there's one spot left but there's two other time slots at 2 p.m.

and 4 p.m.

and you can have up to a team of six you don't have to have a team to to sign up you can just sign up and you know we will form the team of other people that sign up so you can go to our website calendar to sign up for that okay and then we're continuing with our brain breaks because you know they've been popular so that is that falls on the third Thursday which is part of the spring break week and it's a March Madness theme this month we thought that would be really fun and lastly we have switched our Saturday book discussion we were at the blissful brew so we are now at be fit and we are thanking them very much for hosting us it's a great cozy space they have some really nice like couch and chair seating and if you have read the book The Husband by Holly Gramasio we encourage you it's this Saturday 11 a.m.

come on out we have a really fun discussion we've had a really good group building with that and then we will be announcing the next month book choice at that book discussion so if you don't make it watch our Facebook page on our website calendar for that announcement all right so yeah okay well oh I see what's going on on your calendar too I'm looking ahead aha I see what's coming up all right we've got that plenty plenty going on there Tammy what's happening I do we have any more trees to give out what's happening with that yeah yeah so that's a big one for our nature lovers so we're still helping full cleanup for the free tree with neighborhood forest and March 15th is the last day to sign up that registration link is available on our calendar and one of the parents who signed up in the past she runs and she told me that they planted their trees in large pots so renters can definitely consider signing up to and planting their trees in a pot with their children which is just as much of a meaningful experience too and and then you know ask around I'm sure you know you can keep a tree in a pot for several years but we'd be hard-pressed to find somebody who wouldn't want a nice tree you know they they aren't able to keep that up long term but nature lovers might also be interested in the event lights out Iowa and that's an event that's sponsored by the Friends of the Ledges and held at the library and the founder of lights out Iowa Lauren Carroll she'll be on site to discuss the importance of supporting migrating birds 80% of whom migrate at night by limiting the use of artificial light at night and that's going to be on the 24th of March that's a Tuesday so watch for that one all right in March we also have a few programs specifically geared toward our older members of our community so we're launching a new series called Road Scholar Lunch Lectures and we're going to meet on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at noon and Road Scholar it's a travel company for travelers ages 55 plus and they plan these just really fantastic trips that you know expand cultural experiences but they also develop the series of online lectures on just this huge array of intriguing topics like art history geography food archaeology and so we're just gonna you know just have a brown bag lunch bring your lunch to the library and we'll watch one of these lectures in the storytime room and and so that'll be set up we also have a series of independent living talks in March and well actually it's March April and May and these will be given by our friends over at the ISU Extension Tom and Ryan yeah and the first in March is called is about brain health and so that one's going to focus on the role that our diet plays in maintaining an embolastic brain and we're gonna have sessions on fraud prevention and then the last session will focus on cooking for one or two and also what day is that that's on the 20th of March we'll have an occupational therapy student Jessica she'll be on site to demonstrate this variety of support devices that can it's kind of help folks age in place and these tools can help people remain in homes longer and enjoy and enjoy more independence and then finally in along that same theme of coming up with some activities for the older members of our community on the third to Thursday of the month so that's gonna be the 19th we're planning of March we're planning a program called good games company and honestly it's just an excuse to play classic games like bingo or card games and and then you'll win bragging rights or you know just small door prizes just just an excuse to enjoy each other's company and and get together so that should be fun and then we also have some programs lined up for our creators in our communities so our crafters are gonna be busy with there's a painting on canvas event a coiled basket making class goat's milk soap and natural loofah craft so that's gonna be those are gonna be pretty active but this one is kind of original so digital creators will have the opportunity to learn with Alex Grimes right here in Boone of grim creative and Alex is a local videographer and owner of a video production business here in Boone and he's gonna be leading a video production workshop and so local pig talkers youtubers and parents you know I took a ton of videos of my little one but they can pick up tips for producing you know just stellar videos with or without professional gear just just he's gonna give us some good tips on producing good videos and well oh so I mean we're a library so well we want to plan opportunities of all type literacy is near and dear to our mission and so to support that we have an author talk with Bob Hurley and Bob is a retired Iowa State trooper who published a book with some of the funny and scary experiences as a trooper so stop out for that that one's gonna be on the 18th of March and then of course we have our book discussion groups on the second Monday of the month we have books at the brewery and and then the adult book discussion group is on the third Tuesday of the month and they're talking about the March King's daughter so there's just so much on our calendar and and then finally I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention our writers group that's this dedicated group who has they meet every Saturday and they review each other's stories or novels anything going to press just just writing of all types so if you're interested in sharing a story with this group stop by the library on Saturdays I think people would be surprised how many of them have actually published yeah yeah one of our one of the members of the group Ben Riddiger and she's a local you know from Boone and she just published a story just just this past week on the 23rd and I'm the I think it was called like the shell script of doom and I read it and it is it is good it's a good story and you know just with some some interesting plot turns and twists so it's just it's they're this is a pretty active group but also like they're they're churning out good good stuff yeah I know cuz you've had well you know over the last couple years they've even had different authors come and talk to him too and teach him some tricks and things like that so it's a learning group it is a really a solid group and yeah I know I've seen kind of a list sometimes of some of the publications so they do a lot that's for sure all right so they're on Saturdays at 930 even if somebody is just interested in writing maybe and you know maybe hasn't really started or really doesn't know how to get into it this would be a good group just because they could lead you on your way oh absolutely yeah I would feel content telling any writer at any stage of their journey but they'll find some you know just like-minded folks and in good guidance in this group I mean if you need a mentor or mentee like you can you can find it with this group well we do have a lot of things it is looking at March you got no days off in March except for Sundays you guys so you're gonna be awfully it's gonna be very busy in March which is good though because people start they're getting they want to be out and starting to do some things so here's a great opportunity to get involved with a lot of activities at the library and of course keeping up on what's going on if if they don't go online to the website which is a shame you should because the calendars on there you got all kinds of things on there but they can sign up for the text messaging and get reminders about what's coming up and stuff so easy to do that.

That's a great service yes things are calling that out.

So we've got plenty of things happening at the library and all you need well you don't even need a card most of the time unless you're gonna get a book then you highly encourage that yeah get your library card is not you know it doesn't break the bank that's for sure all you got to do is stop in but busy month here I'm looking at your calendar I'm going this is I have to check every day just to see what's happening there once again again for sign up again for the tree Tammy we want to get that because I know we we've had pretty good response over the last couple of years but through March 15th and once again all you got to do is come into the library and get signed up for that and trees should be in for planting.

Not even there's a sign up link on our website. You can go onto the website and do it too and trees would should be available by Earth Day for planting so coming up in April so hey try to get that big list together there for that.

I do appreciate you guys taking time to visit and get us up to date on what's going on in the library here in the month of March. Have a good time and folks it's no days off for them got something going just about every day at the Erickson Public Library.

Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks thanks for joining us. Thank you. Thanks so much Jim. Appreciate your time. And that's our tuned-in program today about the Erickson Public Library and everything going on there.