Kindergartener Emma Sulger, a former story hour regular, reads to the little guys at a recent story hour, every Wednesday at 11 AM.

By Laurie McIntoshRock Out With Uncle Rock? Did we ever…and then some!
A huge crowd turned out for this spectacular music concert/pizza party at the Andes Library on Wednesday, April 15th.

As the program advertisement pointed out – “The taxes are done, we’re taking care of dinner, and the kids have no school all week. Do you need more of an excuse to come out and have a rollickin’ good time with your family?” Apparently thirty-four adults and thirty-three kids agreed that all of the above provided ample reason to join in the fun for this kick-off Family Program in the newly renovated library.

For those who had never heard Uncle Rock’s music before, they quickly learned why he was the perfect choice to set the stage for not only an evening of great fun, but also for what may well be a burgeoning movement of greater community involvement in library activities.

From the very first song, Uncle Rock had virtually everyone in the crowd singing along. The shared enthusiasm among both young and old was evident, and only grew as the evening continued. Folks were so engaged in the program that when the pizza arrived, it took Uncle Rock’s pointing out that it was “time to eat” before the crowd happily devoured the nine delicious pies provided by Hogan’s.

A full house showed up to Rock Out with Uncle Rock

Uncle Rock is a phenomenal performer, and free pizza was a wonderful lure to pull families out of their week-night routine. But what made the evening such a success had less to do with the impressive turnout and more to do with the sense of community that permeated the room throughout the evening.

I firmly believe that sharing food always helps any event go well – and one Mom even showed up with a fabulous salad & delicious home-made dressing! But more than food was shared. We shared music. We shared ideas, via a “wall of wishes” on which people placed their suggestions for future programs: “dinosaur program, please”; “craft and ‘how-to’ workshops”; “a Greek program, with stories of gods and goddesses”; “How about a pot-luck dinner?” were some of the ideas presented.

This is what being a community library is about: people in the community expressing what they would like to enjoy at their library – our library, and working together to help make it happen.

Sounds good? Please join us in helping the Andes Library to better serve you, and the whole community. How can you do this? Call 845-676-3333 or stop by the library to share your ideas with us, or send us an email at an.ill@4cls.org. Please put “community library” in the subject line. The library is open Mondays & Tuesdays from 1-6 PM; Wednesdays from 11-4; Thursdays from 5-8; Fridays from 1-5; and Saturdays from 10-12.

By the way…we’ve already taken one of the suggestions to heart, and are pleased to announce that in May our Family Program will consist of a Mexican Fiesta with make-your-own tacos and several simple crafts for you & the kids to make and take home. Look for more details on this event, scheduled for Thursday, May 7th at 6 pm. ~