By Hope Loman

Rowan Public Library

There’s no better indication that summer is ending and fall is quickly approaching than the annual Rowan County Fair. Since 1951, attendees from all over Rowan County have come out to see prize-winning animals, take a whirl on the Ferris wheel, or eat deep fried foods.

Over the years, many organizations and civic groups have been a part of this event, and this year Rowan Public Library is proud to be hosting its first-ever booth in the exhibit hall.

Librarians and associates from all locations and departments will be on hand throughout the week to greet fairgoers and answer any questions they might have about the library.

Now is a great time to start getting involved with Rowan Public Library. September is Library Card Sign-up Month, an initiative started by the American Library Association (ALA) and adopted by libraries across the nation to encourage parents, caregivers and students to get their own library card and learn about the lifelong learning and benefits library access can give them.

For 2019, ALA has partnered with Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” characters to help promote Library Card Sign-Up month with promotional materials. Rowan Public Library has used “Toy Story” characters in different programs and displays throughout September.

If you look on Rowan Public Library’s official Facebook page, there is even a special story with Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Forky and Rex that takes place at Rowan Public Library that families can check out. You can find out more at the booth, and even sign up for your own library card there, complete with free gifts for joining.

You might also be curious about the different services we provide at our three (soon to be four) branches. For example, did you know that you can check out free e-books, audiobooks, periodicals and movies through an app on your favorite digital device?

With the NC Digital Library and NC Kids Digital Library, you can download new titles directly from the Overdrive or Libby apps to your phone or tablet. You can keep these items for up to three weeks and there are never any late fees. For more information, or a one-on-one demonstration (make sure you bring your device), there will be a knowledgeable librarian on hand to help you get started.

While you are there, make sure you grab flyers for all of the different children’s, teen and adult programs that are coming up and are always free to attend. Fall programs just started up in September, and now is a great time to jump in, experience new things and meet new friends.

For children, there are programs for all ages and interests: bilingual storytimes, art classes, scavenger hunts,  sensory storytimes, music time and much more.

Teens have weekly programs that feature a broad range of activities — for October, they can great giant pixel art, learn about space in the Star Lab, play “Are You Smarter than a Librarian?” and take part in a retro horror-themed escape room.

For adults, there is a slate of new programming — with “Meet Your Neighbor” you can learn about different people in your community, learn about what they do, and ask them questions; the Wednesday Writer’s Club invites you to come and work on your writing project, share with other writers, and get some feedback; finally, the Bucket List series is a monthly event that allows adults to cross items off their bucket list and will have a “Write Your Own Book” program in October and “Start Your Own Business” in November.

For all of this and more, make sure you stop by and visit the Rowan Public Library booth in the exhibit hall at the Rowan County Fair. The booth will be staffed throughout the fair, through Sept. 28. We look forward to seeing you there.

Scavenger Hunt: Catch the Monster, Headquarters, South, Oct. 1-30. Search the children’s room to see if you can find all of the monster pictures hidden there. Complete the challenge and get a prize. For more information, call 704-216-8234.

Scavenger Hunt: Corny Candy, East, Oct. 1-30. Enjoy corny candy riddles during October. Find all the answers and you will be entered into a contest for a literary-themed prize. For more information, call 704-216-7842.

Special Preschool Storytime: Stars with the Star Lab. East, Oct. 3, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Enjoy a star-themed storytime, then step into the Star Lab, a mobile planetarium, to see and learn about the stars in the night sky. A responsible caretaker (age 16+) must accompany children 8 and under. Questions? Call 704-216-7842.

Char’s Stars: Headquarters, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. Children ages 12 and under are invited to learn about their unique fingerprint pattern. Light refreshments will be served. A responsible caretaker (age 16+) must accompany children 8 and under. For more details, call 704-216-8234.

Giant Pixel Art: Sept. 30, 4 p.m., South; Oct. 1, 4 p.m., headquarters. Create giant versions of your favorite 8-bit pixelated characters and designs. This teen program is designed for rising sixth- through 12th-graders. For more information, call Sydney at 704-216-8229.

Teen Star Lab: Oct. 3, East, 4-5 p.m. Be surrounded by the stars in the Star Lab, a mobile planetarium. Learn more about the stars and other objects in the night sky. This Teen program is designed for rising 6th through 12th graders. For more information, call 704-216-7842.

Chapter Chats: Sensory storytime, East, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. This weekly program is designed for those with autism and/or sensory challenges and is coordinated in collaboration with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Skills, Opportunity, Awareness, Readiness (SOAR) program and Rowan County’s Therapeutic Recreation Division. To learn more about how to participate in this program series, call Tammie at 704-216-7842.

Manhattan Short Film Festival: Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m., South, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m., headquarters; Oct. 2, 5 p.m., East; Oct. 5, 2 p.m., headquarters. Participate in the world’s only global film festival. This event is free and open to the public. The festival invites everyone to participate in a one week, global event. Vote for your favorite short film and actor. Each RPL branch will show all of the films up for consideration. As the selections include adult themes, this event is for ages 18 and up. Visit ManhattanShort.com for full details. For more information, please contact Gretchen at 704-216-8232 or Gretchen.Witt@rowancountync.gov or visit www.rowanpubliclibrary.org.

Technology Tuesday: Internet Privacy 101, Oct. 8, 7 p.m., headquarters. Worried about your privacy on the internet? Learn more about what your risks are and gain some practical tools that can be used to protect yourself on the web. For more information, contact Hannah at 704-216-8259.

Gardening Party Saturdays: South, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. Meet monthly with plant, garden and pollinator enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. This month, Jamie Watkins talks Building Pollinator Houses for Bats and Bees. This event was rescheduled from Aug. 3. Light refreshments. For more details, call 704-216-7731.

Cards for a Cause: Oct. 1-Dec. 18, headquarters, East and South. Create holiday cards that will be delivered to active service members in the U.S. armed forces and to veterans at the Hefner VAMC in Salisbury. Patrons can specify if their card(s) is delivered to a certain branch or to the VA. However, cards submitted for a branch of the armed forces do have specific deadlines: Nov. 6 for cards distributed internationally, Dec. 6 for cards distributed stateside. Cards submitted Dec. 7-18 will only be delivered to the VA. For more information, contact Tammie at 704-216-7842.

Displays: Headquarters, Purple Shoe display in obvservance of Domestic Violence Awareness, presented by Family Crisis Council; East, original artwork by Beth Denton; South, miniature doll houses by Donna Deal and Terri Correll.

Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.