Thanksgiving

Summer has passed. Yes, I am aware it was 70 degree today, but Summer is over. Our town is looking quite festive. The elves of Ligonier have decorated the Diamond area in preparation for Santa's parade and town lighting this Friday.

Yet there is a wonderful little one day holiday between today and Friday that we hope you will enjoy celebrating. Thanksgiving!

While some may be tired of this annual question, we still like to ask it and answer it. What will you be giving thanks for this week? When all of the news stories seem to be about something negative happening in our world. What do you find worthy of giving thanks for?

We are thankful for:

Our regular patrons who stop by at least once a week, if not once a day, to utilize the free services found at the library... and hopefully to visit with us a little too. We are thankful for your friendship and smiling faces.

The small children who become so upset when they can't check out a book or find that we are closed. While we are sad to know that you are having a bad day or that you missed out on visiting us, we are thrilled to know that you love us enough to let your voices be heard! (But we would remind you to use your library voices.)

We're even more thankful to the small children who grew up, and now bring their small children to the library. This makes us feel a little old, but we're thankful none the less.

Books! We are thankful for the way a new book feels in our hands, the smell of a freshly published page of literature, and the chance to go on whatever adventure the author has created for us. We're also thankful that so many of you love books too.

Our Book Discussion Group members who diligently read the selected books - even if they are not always to their taste or worse turn out to not be a well-written tale. We enjoy sharing an hour or so once a month or every other month with you, listening to your intelligent and often insightful comments.

All the people who volunteer to work in the library's Re-Readables Bookstore and help with the booksale. We're flattered and grateful that you make time in your busy schedule to help us.

Mike and Sharel at ComTech. We have the best Tech-Geek, and his wife is very nice and patient. Thanks for keeping our computers running. (Honestly, we're not breaking them on purpose.)

Everyone who donates to the library. Your contributions help!

We are especially thankful to those who write impassioned letters to their legislators on why they should work to keep libraries open instead of trying so hard to force our doors closed. Your love of libraries is truly appreciated more than you can know!

Each other. Yeah, we're thankful for each other. While most of the time we are a rather serious professional library staff, we occasionally find time for a laugh or two. (Ok, maybe we laugh a bit more than we are serious, but just ask us to help you find a book and we become quite professional.)

Our families. And, well... for 70 degree days in the middle of November!!!

The Staff of the Ligonier Valley Library says "THANK YOU!" We hope you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving.


The library will be closed for Thanksgiving Day, but we will re-open at 10am on Friday, November 26th.

On this Veteran's Day

We, at the Ligonier Valley Library, would like to salute all of our Veterans. While this day is primarily to honor those heroes who served in the military, we would also like to take a moment to thank the Veterans who wore the uniform of law enforcement and firefighter.

We thank you for giving of yourself to keep our country and our lives safe, and for enabling us to enjoy the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.

We would also extend our thanks to the families who have shared these brave heroes with us. Several of us have parents, siblings or spouses who served.

And while this day is to remember Veteran's, we encourage you to take a moment to thank those men and women who are still serving... who will hopefully one day be Veteran's themselves, safe and sound at home with their families.


We hope you will stop in the library to view the "Wall of Honor" that was put together by one of our Pennsylvania Room's dedicated volunteers. The display is in the Pennsylvania Room Hallway and will remain up through the end of November.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Murder in the Library

Murder most foul will happen once again at the Ligonier Valley Library on Friday, November 12 at 7:00 pm!

This is not a prediction, but a fact! Join us for a night of murderous intrigue as once again Audrey Tostevin (Director) and her cast of dubious characters gather to perform a new mystery, "Murder of the Mystery Detective." Can you figure out Who-Dunnit?

Don't wait! Stop by the library now to register! Seating is limited this year to 100 people... errr... detectives - as you will have the chance to play detective by interacting with the cast and searching for clues. Can you determine Who-Dunnit?

For more information, visit the Murder in the Library web site.

Happy National ..... Month

There are many joys to be found in working at a library, but on days like today I especially enjoy my job. As we speak I am cataloging the 2011 Chase's Calendar of Events book to be placed in our Reference collection.

As I imagine most normal people would, you might be wondering why such a seemingly simple activity would provide so much joy. Well, my joy stems from giving in to the urge to see what holidays (silly or serious) loom on the horizon for November. For instance, who knew that November was National Pomegranate Month? Or Peanut Butter Lovers' Month? Oh, and to all our Banana Pudding lovers, November is your month too! On a more serious note, it is also an awareness month for several health issues such as Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, and lung cancer.

However, the best celebrations naturally return our thoughts to the library. So during the Month of November we hope you will take the time to celebrate:

National Authors' Day (Nov. 1) - adopted by the General Federation of Women's Club in 1929, National Author's Day was created with the intent to "not only show patriotism, loyalty, and appreciation of the men and women who have made American literature possible, but would also encourage and inspire others to give of themselves in making a better America."

National Family Literacy Day (Nov. 1)

National Lifewriting Month (Nov. 1-30) - "An opportunity to celebrate ourselves and our families by committing our life stories to writing. Preserving our autobiographies in writing allows us to know ourselves better and to share our stories with future generations."

Fun or serious, holidays provide us with an excuse to pause in our day to remember, learn, be aware or just laugh. So, in these last days of October we hope you will take a moment to appreciate a Bat. Yes, you read that right. October is Bat Appreciation Month.

National Gaming Day @ the Ligonier Valley Library

Looking for a place to hang out and have fun with your friends or family? On Saturday, November 13, hundreds of libraries across the country will showcase gaming programs and services in support of National Gaming Day @ Your Library. The Ligonier Valley Library has joined forces with Norm and Robbie Flam of the Toy Soldier Gallery to present a full day of table top strategy games and classes at the library.

National Gaming Day provides the perfect opportunity for beginners and inexperienced players to learn about the games and test their skills against opponents with similar expertise. Participants compete against each other using armies of miniature scale figurines. The rules of each game describe how to move the miniatures around the game surface to simulate combat.

Games will include Flames of War™, a World War II miniatures game, and Warhammer 40,000™, a futuristic science fiction game. A painting class will instruct players on the proper techniques used to paint the miniature scale figurines used in the games.

All miniatures needed for the games will be provided during the event. There is no charge to play the games, but a small materials fee will be charged for the painting class. Participants must register by calling Norm Flam at the Toy Soldier Gallery (724-238-0324).

Winning Window Display

Another Fort Ligonier Days has come and gone, but this year included a happy note for the Library and the Pennsylvania Room. Both the Staff and Friends of the Pennsylvania Room each participated in the 2010 Fort Ligonier Days Window Display contest. The theme this year was "Community Spirit Past and Present."

The Friends of the Pennsylvania Room's window took 1st Place! The window is titled, "Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic: One-Room Schools of Ligonier,"and is on display at The Frame Place. (The Frame Place is located at 110 N. Market Street in Ligonier.)

"The American Chestnut: Lost Giant of our Past" was put together by Pennsylvania Room staff and is showcased outside in one of the library's display windows. The exhibit will remain in the window until the end of October.

We hope you'll stop by and view our windows. All together there were a total of four participants in the contest. In addition to our two displays, the Ligonier Valley Historical Society and the Toy Box each did a window. The Historical Society's "Scouting" display took 2nd Place and is located in the On the Diamond Antiques store window. The Toy Box's "Community Spirit is on the Diamond" took 3rd Place and can be found in their store window.

Fort Ligonier Days Festival Weekend Is Here!!!

Fort Ligonier Days is October 8, 9 & 10.

Ligonier Valley Library will be closed from 4:30 pm on Thursday, October 7 until 10:00 am on Monday, October 11.

Soon our little town will be crowded with people from all over, who will be shopping and eating and enjoying the various things that make this weekend so great. All around town, you will be able to hear the booms and bangs of reenactors at Fort Ligonier; listen to music on the Diamond (and various other places around town); and did I mention all the wonderful food??? Oh! And let us not forgot the Parade on Saturday.

While some residents revel in the various activities, others board up their windows and hide. Before you board up and hide, you may want to check your supply of library books and/or movies. If you find your supply lacking, then you'll need to stop by the library before 4:30 pm on Thursday, October 7, as the library will be closed over the Fort Ligonier Days weekend.

Library doors will re-open at 10:00 am on Monday, October 11.

Enjoy a fun & safe festival weekend!

From the staff of the Ligonier Valley Library