Arts and Music Festival

Just a quick note to say that we had a terrific weekend between the Saturday night movie in Brewster's yard and the sale of quilted goods at the Arts and Music Festival: all proceeds for both went to the library.  And then Auntie Pam came out with a second check from her consignment clothes for our cause and IGive sent a second check.  All told, $600 from the movie, $900 from festival, $300 from Auntie Pam and $100 from IGive: $1900.

And add to that a very generous gift of $1,000 from Trinity Lutheran Church in its 100th Anniversary year, and another generous gift of $10,000 from Galen Wood, of Point Roberts (and the $10,000 is matched by our "Founders' Circle matching fund).  What a community: support everywhere you look!

There will be another movie on the evening of August 17th ("Fields of Dreams") and a Latin jazz concert as well on August 18, both to benefit the Library.  We are having some summer!

Outdoor Movies Move Us

Last Saturday night's movie in Brewsters' back yard was a big success.  Not just the movie, but the food, the games, the sociability of it all and, also important, we added just a short of $1,000 for the new library.  What more could we ask for?  We can certainly thank Judith Wolfman (who put the fine evening together with Joan Roberts' aid) and Judith's great crew: Louise and Darryl Cassidy, Maxine and Ron Clark, Liz Otwell and Stephen Falk, Margot Griffiths, Vyna Restell, Melissa Meyer, Don Falk, Peter Laritt, Sarah Wolfman, Aliya Virani, and Ania Tersakian.  And the 100 or so folks who came and enjoyed and contributed in every way to the evening.  And especially the many, many kids!

One of the features was having your picture taken with ET (thanks to the wonders of photoshopping), which was also, of course, the movie being shown.  Here's one of those.

This week (Saturday, 3rd, 7:30 p.m.) you get another chance to join us for an evening of midsummer night's entertainment, including a photo op with Goldie Hawn, I imagine, as well as terrific food, more games, and a showing of "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.  The last outdoor movie, Saturday, August 17th, will be "Field of Dreams," which surely is the appropriate symbol for our (or any) library fundraising project.  Maybe we should have a photo of everyone saying to everyone else, "Good Job!"  Bring a chair and a blanket; it gets cool after sundown.

"And how are we doing?" people often ask.  The answer:  the community that is raising/donating funds for this new library is doing well...$220,000.  But we need another $80,000 by the end of the year.  Please help if you can.  It really will take all of us working together to build this new library.

Summer Sun

The sun is shining upon us here in July.  Both on our daily lives and on our fundraising.  We got a check from $3,000 from Neilson's Building Center as part of their $10,000 pledge for this year.  Checks from Igive.com, from the Maple Beach Property Owners Association ($500), from local residents and visitors, as well as many $20 gifts for the "Stand and Be Counted" campaign. (Almost 300 of them so far so if you haven't made the $20 contribution this summer, we would be very happy to have you join those 300 people and remember it will be doubled: those 300 twenties have turned into $6,000 plus $6,000 doubling for a total increase of $12,000.)  The Saturday Market Library Funding folks have talked to many people to explain what we're doing and to encourage them to participate.

Market visitors have also been delighted to see the terrific book sculpture by Tor Baxter, Judson Meraw, Jack Lubzinski, and Bob Struthers.  There are five books in the stack now, but Tor says there will be 15 when we've gathered up all the money needed for the new library.  We're picking the 10 titles to come now, so if you've got a title you'd really, really like to see on one of those books, let us know (the titles are generic, of course).

We've also benefitted from Heidi Baxter's wonderful produce cart at the Saturday Market.  We have been getting all kinds of plants, greens, herbs, and flowers from our generous residents (mostly FOPRL members!).  Craig and Carole's strawberries and mint, Dorothy's striped iris, Shirley's and Rhiannon's lovely fresh lettuces and chard and kale.  I'm forgetting some folks here, because I don't always see who is bringing edibles and flowers in, but we don't forget you in our thanks for helping this produce cart work.  I particularly like it because it is such a cooperative effort.  And we will continue to need that cooperation throughout the summer.

We have raised over $215,000 by this date (July 18) and are looking to find another $85,000 by the end of the year.  We will be needing everyones' help to get there.  And what would that help be?

Obviously, direct donations by check are very welcome.  But we also have three Midsummer Fun Nights at Brewsters (July 27, August 3, and August 17).  These evenings are designed for adults AND kids.  There will be fancy hotdogs for supper, snacks, drinks, games for kids, games for adults, followed by a movie at sundown-ish.  You want to bring a chair and/or a blanket.  Entry is by donation, but all proceeds will go to the Library Building Fund.  Fundraising committee member Judith Wolfman has been working like someone on a mission to make these into memorable summer evenings.  Come, have a good time, and then we'll all look back on these summer evenings this winter and think about those good times and the library that will grow out of them.  The first movie (July 27) will be "ET."

We'll be at the Arts and Music Festival (August 3, 4) at Lighthouse Park with all the regulars plus a nice selection of quilts and quilted goods that have been donated to the library fundraising campaign.  All proceeds to the building fund.  That will include the quilt we are currently raffling ("Night Watcher," 45"x62": a free ticket to anyone who donates at least $20 this summer; drawing at the end of summer.  If you gave $20 earlier, before we began this quilt raffle, you can get a ticket on this quilt for $5.00.)

Also, on August 18, Lucy Williams is putting together a jazz concert in the church garden as a library fundraising benefit.  It will star Jafelin Helten and Locura.  Helten is a singer from Venezuela who specializes in Latina music; Locura is a Vancouver-based jazz trio that frequently performs with her.  Their website is locura.ca.  For this outdoor event, bring a chair, bring a picnic if you'd like, and bring a donation for the library.  We'll be there in the garden from 2-4, and we hope you'll be joining us there.

Lots happening; hope to see you all whenever you can join us.

Judy Ross for Friends of the Point Roberts Library

The Book Sculpture

It was indeed up (by hours) by July 4th, thanks to its intrepid makers, Tor Baxter, Judson Meraw, and Jack Lubzinski.  As you can see, there are currently five books and as we raise more money, more books will appear until the books get up to the top of the sign.

The plan is to have this be used as a way to advertise the way the fundraising is going and then, when we have finished fundraising and have the new library built, to use this as a community sculpture in side the library or maybe in the patio.

And here's a photo of the crew putting it together at the end.  It's in front of the Julius Firehall, the site of the new library, so take a look when you go by.

Thanks, guys, for all the work you've done and for the work still to come.  I'm thinking we might need some big flower pots to set it off?

Present and Future

Three things:

1.  We'll be doing the produce table at the Saturday Market each Saturday from 10-1, at  the Community Center parking lot (west of the building).  If any of you have excess greens, plants, herbs, or whatever (I know, not much range at this time of the year, but last week we had strawberries to sage-which would not be an alphabetical listing), and you would be willing to donate them to the FOPRL, please bring them down during the market.  Lots of visitors were happy to buy all these things last week.  So, the more the better.  You have questions?  Call Judy at -3180.

2.  Book Sale this Saturday at the Community Center (indoors, I think), 10-2.  Lots of new used books; they just keep rolling in and then rolling out, you know?  It's a rare month where somebody doesn't see me somewhere on the Point and ask if I would take a bag or box of books that they're carting around in their car, hoping to run into someone affiliated with the library, I guess.  It's nice to live in a place where people do so much reading, no?

3.  Brewster's and FOPRL are cooperating to present three Midsummer Fun Nights with food, games for kids and adults, and movies this summer.  The dates are July 27, August 3, and August 17.  Round up your visiting relatives and friends and their kids and have a nice outdoor night on the Point.  All proceeds to the new library, of course.

Saturday Market Works for FOPRL and the New Library

We got ourselves yesterday to the first Saturday Market of the season with two  tables: one to solicit donations and one to sell volunteer produce.  Heidi Baxter (who is running a regular roadside stand of produce for the library called "Lilly the Llama's Garden" down at 713 Marine) also organized yesterday's produce sale.  She put out a call for donated produce, and Shirley Cannon, Carol Clark and Craig Jacks, Louise Cassidy, Carol Liaskas, Heidi herself and I responded with various salad greens, herbs, and strawberries(!) (from Craig and Carol).

If you want to help Heidi get this going, either by making produce donations as you have extra or by working at the stand on Saturday, get in touch with Heidi (latitude@whidbey.com).  Yesterday, the produce brought in $75 (there are no fixed prices: people contribute as they choose).

In addition, we had Sophie Wolfman and Ed Park working a soft sandwich board, encouraging people to donate to the "Stand And Be Counted: $20 for the Library" campaign.  Yesterday involved what we got to be calling the "Seven Treasures Donation."  For $20, you got the pleasure of supporting the library; you got your name in the permanent donation book; you got your $20 matched from a Matching Fund; you got an "I Gave" button; you got a free raffle ticket on the quilt pictured below ("Night Watcher"); you got a free Prayer Flag and could decorate it or just sign your name to it; your prayer flag was immediately placed on the side wall of the Julius Firehall, where we hope great numbers of such flags will fly throughout the summer and many prayers will go skyward; and you received the ceaseless thanks of the Fundraising Committee.  As a bonus, as long as Margot Griffiths' dog Fredo was around, you could pet him.  And, finally, you eventually will get a new library.  That should be worth $20 every week, no?

Fifteen people took us up on this offer, resulting in an increase to our fundraising totals of $600, including the match.  And where are we now?  $210,500, according to my calculations.  And we're aiming for $300,000 by the end of the year.  Come see us next Saturday (10-1).  Same deal, although you might also get a chance to learn to make Lavender Wands.

Extra thanks, this week, to Heidi, Judith Wolfman, Sophie, Ed Park, Margot Griffith and Fredo.

Lily's Garden Shop

Here is Lilly the Llama tending her garden store where she sells flowers and vegetables and herbs in order to help raise money for the library.  Her trusty assistants are four pygmy angora goats.  You can find the stand and (inside the fence) Lilly and the goats at 713 Marine Drive.  This past weekend, Lilly raised $30!  At that rate, we might have to start a program to teach them all to read, at the very least.  Thanks to Heidi Baxter for this project.