A friend and I participated in a craft show in Veterans’ Park in Pierre Part this past Sunday. We had been asked as Friends of the Library to sell books and DVDs that the library was no longer going to circulate. This particular craft show takes place every year at the park and it’s quite large. This year, however, it rained the entire day so the crowds were small. The rain wasn’t heavy but sporadic until about 1 pm, then it became heavy. I hadn’t expected to sell many books and we didn’t, except children’s books. Hardly any adult books. The DVDs were sold mostly to people who said they used them in their cars when traveling to keep the kids busy. So it was not a big success, but we did have some luck.
I’m a big reader, but it had never occurred to me what happens to old books in a library. Obviously, they can’t all be kept forever. I’m almost afraid to ask what happens to them. I’m calling around to see if I can find a place that might want DVDs. I actually donated my supply of John Grisham books to the sale. My husband and I both loved his books and I checked them out of the library so much I finally just gave up and bought them. But my children didn’t want them and most of the people I know hadn’t even heard of Grisham. I don’t think any sold but a friend and I have discovered two Little Free Library boxes in Pierre Part and Napoleonville so we’ll just start putting our unsold books in them a few at a time.
My own Friends of the Library group has provided three Little Free Library boxes and they are pretty popular. One is at Veterans’ Park, one at Gilbert Dupaty Park in upper Pierre Part and another at the Belle River Community Center here in Belle River. This one was made by a friend of mine, painted by the nieces of a local resident and installed with local help. It stands under the roof overhang at the Belle River Community Center so if you get out that way, check it out. I’ve recently learned that someone - and nobody seems to know who - has put a Little Free Library box on the backside of Veterans Park by the kayak launch site and now I’m told there is one at the Assumption Library in Napoleonville. I think that’s wonderful! My FOL people will put books in any and all of the boxes as we have them. Our three are used a lot. When we first put a box out in public I had worried that it might not be used or at worst might just be vandalized. Much to my delight, the boxes are being used and so far have not been damaged at all. The problem seems to mostly be to keep them stocked.
It rained quite hard during the night and today, so far, it has rained then the sun came out and then more rain. I am not complaining because we surely needed the rain. My grass looks greener already. Back to summer temperatures now.
Bingo for Seniors will start again on Oct. 21. The new host is clearing her schedule to accommodate the games so things will settle down soon to a regular schedule. Yoga continues twice a week. 5:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. The attendance at the yoga sessions is low but those of us who are masterminding the classes figure we don’t have to have many each time. People come and go. We may have to make some adjustments if not enough people come. Everybody has such busy schedules. You all know by now that I’m old and I’m finding the yoga exercises are really helping me sleep better and just generally feel better.
Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be emailed at lindacooke1939@ gmail.com.
