Jaime’s KCLS Jaunt #28: Lake Forest Park

I was finally able to work in another jaunt on a weeknight!  Trip number 16 took me straight to the Lake Forest Park Library after work.  (Whew, quite the rush hour commute from Bellevue!) Located in Lake Forest Park Towne Centre since 1965, this is one of the busiest medium sized libraries in KCLS.

Unlike other KCLS “mall” branches, the Lake Forest Park Library is a full-service library.  I chatted for a few minutes with the Librarian and she said that the feeling of community was one of the best things about Lake Forest Park.  This area is well known for its feeling of a “third place” – that place outside home and work to come together.

One of the reasons I chose to visit Lake Forest Park on this particular evening was to attend the Lake Forest Reads Author Event, held in conjunction with Third Place Books, Third Place Commons, the Friends of the Library, the City of Lake Forest Park, and the LFP Library Advisory Committee. The selection this year was Ivan Doig’s The Whistling Season. Mr. Doig was on hand to discuss more about homesteading in Montana, including his family’s personal experiences, and the book in general.  He drew quite the crowd! It was a wonderful read – I really lost myself in the characters and the one room schoolhouse in the early 1900s.  Having only ever attended urban schools, I also found it interesting to listen to others in the crowd that had actually ridden horses to their one room schoolhouses!

I’m very glad that I attended the event and was able to experience first-hand that feeling of the “third place” so often talked about with this area in Lake Forest Park!

movies @ marymoor: Seeing Stars Under the Stars

Wednesday night outdoor movies at Marymoor Park continue through the month of August 2010. Seating opens at 7:00 pm, with the movie starting at dusk. Here’s the lineup for August:

The Blind Side
Wed, August 4th

The Neverending Story
Wed, August 11th

Star Trek (2009)
Wed, August 18th

The Princess Bride
Wed, August 25th

For more info, see movies @ marymoor on the King County Web site.

Movie Screen
The movie screen is a large inflatable outdoor cinema system. The projection surface is 40’ wide by 22.5’ high, which provides a 16:9 aspect ratio.

KCLS Summer Reading Program is Making a Splash!

Over 40,000 kids have signed up so far for the KCLS Summer Reading Program, and it’s not too late to get involved. This year’s reading theme is Make a Splash.

To find out how to be part of the Summer Reading Program, click Get Started for info. The Redmond Library is hosting plenty of reading events all summer long as part of the program. Click the Redmond Library’s Children’s Summer Reading Programs for details.

For an entertaining video on the KCLS Summer Reading Program take a look at The Little-est Pirate.

Jaime’s KCLS Jaunt #26 and #27: Richmond Beach and Shoreline Libraries

Oh sunny day! Trip number 15 found me out in Shoreline, admiring the views of the Puget Sound at the Richmond Beach branch and making the easiest-to-find trip to a library so far, when visiting Shoreline.  This was the first time that I’ve ever really been to Shoreline, so I was definitely curious!

My visit started with a walk around the Richmond Beach Center Park. The park sits atop a hill and I knew that beautifully sunny views of Puget Sound would await me if I walked to a point where I could see through the trees!  When I finished snapping a few sun-blinded photos, I headed inside to the nice air-conditioned library. 

It was a busy Friday afternoon!  I managed to snag a few minutes with Anina, the Managing Librarian (who has an impressive KCLS tenure of 36 years!) She made sure that I knew about “Olive” a recent addition to the children’s area.  The life-sized, and entirely hand-crafted, model of a Giant Pacific Octopus is impressive, for lack of a more appropriately elaborate adjective.   After spending some time reading and experiencing the bustling community library, and with proper admiration and paparazzi shots of Wheelie with Olive, I headed over to the Shoreline branch.

No wrong turns here!  Conveniently located near an I-5 interchange, I easily located this library despite my complete unfamiliarity with the area.  I parked in the upper parking lot and descended a set of stairs to the front of the library. One side of the stairs has a pilot food composting station while the other leads to a beautifully wooded seating area. I can’t recall any other KCLS library that has a from-above approach like that, it made it a more unique entrance. Once inside, I headed straight for the Information Desk and happened upon Denise, the Cluster Manager for Shoreline, Richmond Beach, and Lake Forest Park.  She was kind enough to talk to me about the diverse populations they serve, including a high proportion of adult and disabled care homes, and the popularity of the new Library2Go! vans.  Again, at this library I spent some time reading and listening to the sounds of the also bustling library.  As I left, I lingered at the Friends bookshelf where I could also listen into the Chinese Story Time.  I arrived too late to attend the entire program, but I did take a quick peek in the meeting room at all the children enjoying the story in Mandarin Chinese!

To explore a little bit more of the community, you might be wondering where I ate. . .although my trip to Sky Nursery (the gardener’s garden store!) and my iced mocha from their espresso stand probably doesn’t count as “food”, it was mighty tasty in the 90 degree heat.  Plus, as I was waiting at the intersection to turn on Highway 99, where I could see the Sky Nursery sign, I totally heard a radio ad for, you guessed it, Sky Nursery!  I figured it was a sign, and since I did also need a plant, I headed in and was finally able to visit the well-advertised nursery before I headed home!