PHOTO BY JOEY HALVORSON
books
Attending last year’s Wine and Words, book club “Reading Between the Wines” were Jeanne Kilian (left, front), Johanna Larson, Nicole Finnegan, Jill Neumann, Erin Anderson, Teresa Lund (back), Janelle Angland and Andrea Baumann.
Library Love Leads to
By MARY AALGAARD
Wine and Words
February is “I Love to Read” month. What a perfect time to visit your local library and check out a book, music CD or movie. You could also bring the kids to storytime, look up resources online, or read a magazine or newspaper. If you’re thinking that most people get their information on personal computers or smartphones these days, think again. Libraries are more important than ever in providing information to everyone in the community. Jon Coy, children’s book author, says, “Major changes are occurring in the ways we read, the ways we tell stories and the ways we gather information. I believe that public libraries are more important now than ever ... They provide a public symbol of the equal opportunity we espouse.” What public libraries offer gives equal ground to all patrons, from all walks of life, from the person who needs to use a computer to look up information or study for an exam, to the one who needs to dig deeper in the subject.
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Wine and Words Now, more than ever, we need to support our local libraries. Events like the outstanding fundraiser Wine and Words in August prove that we are a community of readers who value the written word and admire the authors who give us those stories. Sheila DeChantal and Gail Brecht are co-chairs of Friends of the Library, a group that supports our local library through volunteer efforts and fundraising. Twice a year they hold a used book sale. People from the area donate their used books, Friends of the Library organize the books to sell to the community. For the past three years, Sheila, Gail and the Friends of the Library, plus more volunteers, work hard to make Wine and Words an evening filled with food, wine, silent auction gift baskets and both local and national authors. Lorna Landvik is the master of ceremonies and her wit and personality keep