The next Friends of the Library meeting will be Tuesday, December 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the library.
We are hosting our first ever Gingerbread House Workshop on Sunday, December 10 from 2-4 p.m. Register by calling the library at 740-869-2430 for limited spaces. All materials provided. Cost is $3 per person to cover supplies.
Our annual afternoon crafting of recycled items was another huge success!
25 guests attended the Mt. Sterling Friends wine tasting and local author showcase on Sunday, October 15 from 2-5:00 p.m. at 231 Yankeetown St., Mt. Sterling, OH.
This event encompassed a flight of wine tasting, cider, and hors d’oeuvres while also enjoying readings from published works by the authors and other guest of note. The 1908 home where this lovely event was held tied in nicely with recognizing the Mt. Sterling Public Library’s 110th birthday year of service. Books were given out to everyone who participated in the trivia about Mt. Sterling.
Thank you everyone for attending and all those who participated in the readings, or who donated food and drinks to help make this a success.
CANVAS & COFFEE – A big thank you goes out to our paint lesson artist Karen Hines, and to Two Hands Coffee and Creative Studio for their donating of time, venue, and materials for a fun afternoon of canvas painting with sugar cookies made just for us and the theme of the painting, which was fall sunflower fields. Karen donated ALL painting supplies, and her lesson was great for all including beginners and experienced painters alike.
Thank you to all who attended our Pickleball Clinic! Special thanks to Angela McFarland for coordinating it, Steve Chambers for set up and clean up assistance, Casey O’Neill for assistance at the event, Lisa Allen of Grove City Pickleball Group for technical and lesson assistance, Melissa Reece for promoting and publicizing, and Mt. Sterling Community Center for allowing us to hold it in their gymnasium.
Once again, the Friends of the Library had a hugely successful Victorian Sweetheart Tea. We couldn’t have done it without all the many helpful hands in the labor of set up and clean up, all those who donated monetarily or with items for the door prizes or silent auction baskets, and of course the Madison Plains Key Club and their advisor, Heidi Fletcher! Thank you all who had any part in our success, including all of you who attended to enjoy the afternoon with us!
A big shout out to our Vice President, Holly Drake and her daughter Vivian for handing out candy for Trick-or-Treat at our library!
We celebrated National Friends of Libraries Week by providing a fun indoor Library Scavenger Hunt! Participants received a full-sized candy bar and were entered into the drawing for $25! We had child-friendly, teen-friendly, and adult version of our Scavenger Hunt Oct. 17-22.
Each year during this week Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library provide an interactive activity to encourage our community to participate in something fun at the library. It is our hope to draw your attention to learn more about our Friends organization and join us!
Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library are in their 15th year and going strong. Over these last 15 years the library has benefited in tens of thousands of dollars in generous donations in many ways to our little library. This is made possible by the work of our Friends members with constant fundraising throughout the year. Some of the things our Friends of the Library have paid for include:
*Programming through sponsorships
*Security cameras
*Library sign (with Museum)
*Free books to the community
*Cricut machine
*Disc repair machine
*New computer monitors & mice/pads for patron computers
*Upgrades & repairs of library sound system & projector
*Large laminator machine
*New computers & laptops
*New computer software
*IPad
*New movies
*Summer Reading grand prizes
*Children’s books
*Large print books
*Created & completely custom furnished children’s section
*New chairs for patron computers
*New chairs for community room
*New library kick stools
*Door prizes for many events & programs
*Scholarships
*Take & Make kits
*Pumpkin decorating
*Countless materials & supplies
…and the list goes on! A huge THANK YOU to our Friends of the Library group for making so many great things a possibility at our small town library that would not be financially viable otherwise. To learn more, visit the library website as listed on the featured poster.
Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month and are open to the public unless otherwise noted. New members who are interested in helping promote the library mission and work together to create ways to provide additional fundraising to provide materials, equipment, programs, events, and updates are encouraged to join us to make our library the best it can be.
The Friends have elected new officers beginning October 2022. They are as follows:
President – Casey O’Neill
V. President – Holly Drake
Secretary – Melissa Reece
Treasurer – Bev Kern
Congratulations to all incoming officers and a huge Thank You to all outgoing officers!
In the Spring of 2022, the Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library had their second very successful themed Basket Auction that kicked off March 14. It ran through May 14, when it culminated with final bids at the Victorian Tea in-person event. Thank you everyone for showing support and helping with our event and all the details that it takes to pull it off, or with any donations in dollars and items. We so appreciate our community support!
The Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library held their first Christmas party in 14 years. The group met at the home of President, Melissa Reece. Those in attendance shared in a potluck dinner followed by several games with prizes. The evening commenced with a fun game for the gift exchange.
We had a successful fundraiser with our painting workshop at the American Legion. Everyone had fun and the artwork that was created was beautiful and uniquely different by each budding artist! Look for photos coming soon!
FOL Treasurer Angela McFarland presented Chrysten Kell with a $500 scholarship for her many years of volunteerism at the library.
A big Thank You to FOL member Holly Drake and her daughter Vivian (seen here). They took the initiative to spend a very hot Saturday planting perennial plants and annual flowers in the newer flowerbeds at the library. They have also been maintaining them by watering them every day.
At the June 2021 FOL meeting, many topics were discussed and decisions were made. The Friends voted to donate $450 towards the cost of the replacement of all 6 tires on he bookmobile. The tires were 8 year old and dry-rotted from sitting for over a year unused due to the pandemic. The Friends will also be sponsoring the new Library Game Face program that will be held up to 3 times this summer. Registration and other information will be sent out in the coming weeks. A date of Sunday, November 14 was set for the Family Christmas Make-It Workshop. It was also decided that if the board approves of the bookmobile attending the June 26 movie night then the FOL would like to sell cold drinks and snacks. There are details to follow up on for this to happen first. Also discussed was the Friends of the Library holding a Painting Workshop in the autumn with a fall theme.
Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library met Wednesday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mt. Sterling Community Center’s conference room. We had all 4 officers present with our Treasurer joining us via Zoom and 7 total in attendance. The meeting was moved up one week to discuss and choose a candidate from the Marjorie Hanson Memorial Scholarship applications. The group voted on a scholarship winner, and a $1,000 donation to the library for several items including 6 new patron computer monitors, all new mice and mouse pads and headsets. We will be moving forward on our Little Library free food cupboard, and are still working on a new fundraising event and have planned a family craft event for the Christmas season of 2021. A theme has been chosen for next years Annual Victorian Sweetheart Tea.
The FOL met in person for the first time in 6 months in April, 2021. We met at the community center and had 7 people present, including one via Zoom and our new director. Many topics were discussed for items the library needs help with purchasing and providing. The success of the Virtual Tea and the basket auction were hot topics and plans for next year’s Annual Victorian Tea were discussed in detail. Future fundraisers are a top priority and many ideas were tossed around. The annual Marjorie Hanson Scholarship is the current main focus.
Our FOL president presented a request in writing to the library board of directors at their March meeting to allow the FOL to resume in-person meetings beginning in April. With their blessings we are once again able to return to holding our monthly meetings in person beginning April 13, 2021. The pandemic is still ongoing, but with the vaccination process against Covid-19 we are confident it will be safe to resume these in-person meetings, but still allow for use of coronavirus safety protocols. Anyone attending will be required to wear a facemask regardless of vaccination status and social distancing will still be adhered to as long as state mandated.
Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library once again offered our annual academic Marjorie Hanson Memorial Scholarship. Applications are available every year at our library and also at the Madison Plains High School library. The $1,500 scholarship is sponsored by the Hanson Family in their mother’s name. Marjorie was an active advocate for our library and local schools and instilled the importance of reading and education in her children. We have chosen a winner and will announce it soon!
We recently held our February Video Chat in our Messenger group and made great strides on upcoming activities. This was our second such “meeting” and it was very productive. We also welcomed a new member, Holly Drake! Holly is very excited to join us and has lots of great ideas. We established several things in place of having our Annual Victorian Tea.
- We created and offered a Tea Time Take and Make Craft to give out to to children in two age groups. These kits are coming together and will be made available very soon in the next few days to come. Younger children can enjoy a simple Teapot to decorate on paper and older children can partake in assembling their own tea cup and saucer set made from cardstock. After the Virtual event, we are giving these Take & Make crafts out after Storytime to anyone who wishes to try them.
- We sent out a beautiful letter to past attendees of our Annual Victorian Tea. This letter will contain a lovely tea bag gift with an invitation to give a donation to the Friends of the Mt. Sterling Public Library. We are pleased at the response and note that as of May donations are still coming in.
- We held a Virtual Victorian Springtime Teatime. Everyone was invited to join us via Zoom in their Victorian Tea attire such as a hat and or blouse/dress/suit. We shared stories and memories of our past Victorian Tea times. Casey O’Neill hosted a segment on proper tea table settings, tea etiquette, and we continued our live auction of some tea themed baskets. It was fun to invite you to sit with us with while we all enjoyed an afternoon tea time.
Recently our member Bev Kern secured a generous donation through a bid on a beautiful quilt (see photo above). The quilt pattern is called “California” and was pieced together by Master Quilter Donna Kidd. Donna is also a former fiber arts professor from Bluffton, Ohio. The bid generated $300 from an anonymous donor. We wish to send a huge Thank You to both the quilt maker and the bidder for having such huge hearts.
We lost our only male member on November 23, 2020. Jim Barnette succumbed to Covid-19 after a very brief period of illness. Please join us in giving condolences and love to his wife Jeanne, a member of our group. Our hearts go out to Jeanne and her family as she continues to grieve the loss of Jim. He was a great person who volunteered many hours helping us with projects and ideas and attended every monthly meeting when he and Jeanne joined. He will be missed by us all.
If you are interested in learning more about the Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library, we encourage you to read the information contained on this page as a summary of our efforts in recent years. You may also ask any of our active members for more information or reach our to our group president or other officers. Our officers and currently active members are President, Melissa Reece; Vice President, Heidi Fletcher; Secretary, Casey O’Neill; Treasurer, Angela McFarland. Our currently active members include Linda Clemans, Lynn Messner, Peggy Vincent, Pam Recko, Bev Kern, Jeanne Barnette, and Holly Drake.
Below you will find a reverse sequence of our monthly events going as far back as assistant librarian and 12 year FOL member, Melissa Reece, began keeping track of them on the library website. We hope this gives you lots of insight on the many activities and fundraisers we have done over the years.
With no urgent or pressing business matters to handle at the time, it was decided that the Friends of the Library would forego in-person meetings from September 2020 through April 2021. Whenever we found it necessary to hold a meeting it has been announced both here and on library social media. Until April of 2021 we addressed anything necessary through the FOL group chat on Facebook Messenger. We will continue voting on decisions and communicating in this manner whenever necessary outside of our regular monthly in-person meetings. We have stopped selling handmade facemasks at Two Hands Coffee Cafe as of February 2021. We have reduced the price on all remaining facemasks down to $2.00 for each until we deplete the remainder of our supply. Look for thesome available through our glass sales case in the library between audio books and the adult non-fiction section. Please don’t forget to support the library through our FOL “store”. We welcome new members as always and encourage you to bring your ideas and suggestions.
To celebrate National Friends of the Library Week in October, 2020 we provided a “Grab-n-Go” bag activity for our community. We created 24 black lunch size bags with a miniature pumpkin and pumpkin shaped sugar cookie purchased from Lohstroh Family Farm, and a water color paint set. Each bag also came with instructions on how to participate in a mini-pumpkin painting contest in different categories. The winners are captured in the photo above. This was our first time offering a grab-n-go craft or activity. It was great fun with many participants. We purchased gift cards from local businesses for the winners. These businesses included Mad Hatter, Sterling Pharmacy, Two Hands Coffee Cafe, and Urban Pineapple. With this activity we were able to support and promote 5 different businesses.
Our July 2020 meeting was our first in-person meeting since the state mandated shutdown. We had to have a limit of 10 people present per state regulation during the global pandemic. Our scholarship winner was present and spoke to the group on her future plans. We discussed how to move forward and what we will do for the remainder of the year, and also while the spread of Covid-19 is still so prevalent.
Our June 9, 2020 meeting was held through our Messenger group chat. A scholarship winner was chosen and updates from the library were shared.
March 10, 2020 was the last physical meeting held of the Friends of the Library prior to shutdown due to the pandemic. We had several ideas for fundraising for the year we had planned to follow up on, but are suspended now due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The February 2020 meeting included review of our 9th Annual Victorian Sweetheart Tea, which had just occurred the weekend prior. We established a committee for an author showcase we are planning to present this year. The date is TBD. We are researching other ideas for fundraising events as well.
Our January 2020 meeting was a great start to the new year. We recognized and thanked outgoing president Linda Clemans, as well as our steadfast Secretary, Casey O’Neill with a presentation of floral arrangements.
Thank you to all those who attended the library Christmas party in December of 2020. It is an annual event that is brought together by the library board members that includes the staff and the Friends of the Library members.
Our November 2019 meeting resulted in election of new members, effective at the next meeting. The new officers are as follows:
President: Melissa Reece
V. President: Heidi Fletcher
Secretary: Casey O’Neill
Treasurer: Angela McFarland
In October of 2019, we celebrated National Friends of the Library week. We invited the public to join us for our “Bring a Friend, Make a Friend” event! All that came into Two Hands Coffee on Tuesday, October 22 between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. were greeted, told about what this organization is all about, and given a complimentary free coffee and dessert on us! Thank you to those that came in to show their interest and support in learning more about our organization and mission, and thank you to Two Hands Coffee for partnering with us!
We hosted a fun Wood & Wine Workshop on the afternoon of Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Mt. Sterling American Legion Post 417. This was a pallet board paint party where we painted a dual sided board with a fall theme and winter theme. All profits went to the Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library.
At the August meeting we welcomed new member Angela McFarland and new members Jeanne & Jim Barnett. We extend a warm welcome and are so happy to have them all join us in our mission to support, maintain, and retain our historical library as the cornerstone of our community.
Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library (FOL) hosted their first Patriotic Summertime Sip & Paint on Sunday, June 30, 2019 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at American Legion Post 417. The post is located at 28 Clark Ave. off of W. Main St. in Mt. Sterling.
In the summer of 2019 we opted not to meet in the months of June and July as we had no upcoming events scheduled after the Patriotic Summertime Sip & Paint Party for the summer.
During our May of 2019 meeting, which was held one week earlier than the normally scheduled meeting, we reviewed and chose a winner for the annual Marjorie Hanson Memorial Scholarship. We had many fine entries for the award and ultimately decided on Trevor Null. Many of the Friends of the Library members attended the Madison Plains scholarship banquet where FOL President Linda Clemans presented Trevor with his award package.
Also at the May 2019 meeting the FOL welcomed new member Bev Kern. Bev is no stranger to our library, as she was once a member of the library Board of Directors and the Mt. Sterling Community Museum. She has also been a long-time member of the library’s ‘Around Town’ Book Club. Bev was a Professor and is now a retired English and French teacher from the Westfall school district. We are so happy to welcome Bev to our membership roster as an integral part of the group.
The group is excited to have new members join in our mission! Membership is open to men and women of all ages who have an interest in helping to sustain and maintain the library through our many fundraising events throughout the year. There are never any membership fees. We look forward to gaining momentum in our mission this year with our additional membership!
We hosted our first Summertime Patriotic Sip & Paint at American Legion Post 417 on Sunday, June 30, 2019. Subscribe to the library events on Facebook and follow our library on Instagram, where you will see flyers like that event and all the activities that both the library and the Friends of the Library have going on.
We had a great time with the turnout at the Sip and Paint class on Sunday, December 2, 2019 at the American Legion Post 417. The class ran from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cost was $30 per person and included all materials needed and an interactive lesson from the class instructor, Mary Davis. Assorted finger foods and beverages were available for freewill donations. This is always such a fun event!
Thank you to all those who purchased from our school design Christmas ornament sale in 2018 & 2019. You had the choice from Madison Plains, Westfall, Miami Trace, Washington Courthouse, and OSU. All proceeds benefited programs and materials at the Mt. Sterling Public Library.
Our hearts are broken from the recent loss of our beloved and long-time Treasurer, Beverly Bobo on April 4, 2018. Thank you to everyone who has donated to us in her name. Donations by Bev’s family and friends were made to the Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library, in memory of Beverly Bobo. A memorial bench honoring her many years of dedicated service to the library can be seen at the library entrance.
The Friends would like to take this opportunity to stress to our community the need is even greater now than ever for new members to join the Friends of the Library organization. This organization was established over 13 years ago, and is nationally recognized. Currently, it is the same few people and a few of the library staff members that are making these events and activities possible. Please take this opportunity to find your calling in volunteering for such an outstanding and worthy organization!
If you would like to help, participate, or donate to our cause for any event, fundraiser, or activity, please contact Melissa Reece at the library on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons @ 740.869.2430 or attend the next meeting! We would love your support!
RUN BY THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY (FOL), A VARIETY OF SMALL ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FROM THE MINIATURE DISPLAY CASE INSIDE THE LIBRARY. ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT LIBRARY MATERIALS AND PROGRAMS. We now have several members handcrafting beautiful and seasonal items that they donate for FOL profits.
~Overview~
Friends of the Library organizations are recognized nationally. The local group was established approximately 13 years ago. The function of the organization is to raise awareness of the library’s needs, and fundraising for such needs. This is a voluntary organization. New members are always needed, especially active members. Our group has given tens of thousands in donations to the library both monetary and in materials. Bring your friends and your ideas and join us for a worthy cause!
MEETINGS~EVENTS~ACTIVITIES~
Meetings are generally held the 2nd Tuesday of each month, at 6:30 PM in the library, but there are exceptions based on a more convenient time to the group, weather, holidays, other activities, or time sensitive matters.
Meetings are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. We are seeking new members to attend and expand our committee meetings with fresh ideas for fundraising events. We have lots of fun while supporting the library! We purchase much necessary equipment, supplies, materials, and financially support events and programs. Come and share your talents. Make the library your favorite place to join your favorite friends! If you are unable to attend, but would otherwise like to serve on a committee, become a member of our organization, or join in the fundraising efforts, please up a form at the library on the community bulletin board, or call the President of the Friends of the Library, Linda Clemans @ 740-505-0887. We always need new friends! This is an opportunity to support your community and feel rewarded by doing so in watching our progress.
We had a great turnout of support for our 8th annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser several years ago. We had been holding this event as a main fundraiser for the library since our second year of inception. This was the third year we held it at The United Church. A special thank you to David and Judy Lucas, and Mary and Tim Alkire for their organization and running the kitchen, donations of items, and especially Judy’s many unique and handcrafted items she created and donated to the silent auction! They made our roles so much easier! Unfortunately, due to aging membership and our help stepping down, we had to opt not to continue with this event because of the need for manpower outweighing what we could provide by ourselves.
A few years ago we were able to bring our local Friends of the Library (FOL) group up to date with our counterparts, by observing National Friends of the Library Week. With more active members in the future, it is our hope to participate in such things that are relevant to our organization’s mission.
Mt. Sterling Friends of the Library finally acquired what most all FOL groups have- a true Sales Display! In the fall of 2014, we purchased a case to display all our new items to sell. Among the items for sale are notecards with the library’s picture, book marks, mugs, book totes, and t-shirts. We are so excited to be able to provide these items to our community! All proceeds benefit library programs, materials and equipment.
*Also new for the first time, a new and used book sale was held at the library during National Friends of the Library Week in 2014. We hoped this was just the first of an annual event, but will tweak it to be one day of used books only. It was a lot of work for our small group. Your local Friends of the Library group will now be on par with all the other Friends of the Library groups by holding such an event for the public once we figure out a streamlined way to collect donations in the future. Currently we do not have the space to accommodate storing such donations to even begin holding an annual used book sale. It is a traditional staple of Friends of the Library groups to hold book sales to help raise funds to support their local libraries. We hope you attend any future sales and find something to purchase to help us support the library. With new membership we could acquire this standard.
As pictured, the Friends of the Library offer shirts for sale to show your support of your library. If interested in purchasing, contact the library, or attend any of our meetings or events and notify a FOL member.
2018 Events:
January – Annual Planning
February 17 – Annual Victorian Sweetheart Tea from 2-4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church
April – Pancake Breakfast fundraiser to replace annual spaghetti dinner
June – Sponsor Summer Reading Activities
July – Community Yard Sale on the library lawn during Community Days Festival
August 12 – Annual Cincinnati Reds Baseball trip
September – Bench Dedication
September -December Christmas bulb sale
December – Annual Paint Mixer Fundraiser
2017 Events
January – Annual planning
February 13 – 6th Annual Victorian Tea from 2-4 PM at the First United Methodist Church
March 14 – Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser at the United Church
June – FOL sponsoring PT Reptiles program & donating toy giveaways for Community Days
August 6 – Cincinnati Reds Bus Trip Fundraiser
September 24 – Fall Paint Mixer
2016 Events:
January – Paint Mixer fundraiser at the American Legion Hall
February 13 – 5th Annual Victorian Tea from 2-4 PM at the United Methodist Church
March 11 – Annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser at the Mt. Sterling United Methodist Church
June – Hold a duck pond booth at the annual Let Freedom Ring celebration
August 21 – Fundraiser trip to Cincinnati Reds ballgame on luxury liner bus
October 2 – Fall Paint Mixer at the American Legion Hall
December – Baked goods booth at Town Hall for Christmas in the Village
2015 Events:
February 7 – 4th Annual Victorian Tea from 1-3 PM at the United Methodist Church
March 13 – Annual Spaghetti Dinner from 5-7 PM at the United Church. This was our first year holding at a different location, and it went very smoothly.
April 18 – Paint Mixer fundraiser at the American Legion Hall
April 24-April 30 – Paparrazi Jewelry online fundraiser sale
May 1- Deadline for Marjorie Hanson Memorial Book Scholarship applications
October 18 through 24 – National Friends of the Library Week
November 14 – Annual Holiday Fashion Show Luncheon at the First Church of the Nazarene. This year we plan to have a “family-style” fashion show. Featuring children, men, and women, we will showcase fashions from more than one place.
2014 Events:
March 22 – 3rd Annual Victorian Tea from 1-3 PM at the United Methodist Church
April 25 – Annual Spaghetti Dinner from 5-7 PM at the First Church of the Nazarene
May 5 – Deadline for Marjorie Hanson Memorial Book Scholarship applications
October 19 through 25 – National Friends of the Library Week
Saturday, November 8 – Annual Holiday Fashion Show Luncheon at the First Church of the Nazarene
November – Annual Holiday Live-Wreath Workshop
2013 Previous Events:
February 17 – 2nd Annual Victorian Tea
March 15 – Annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser at the Nazarene Church
August 10 – Annual Community Yard Sale and Library Centennial Celebration and Bookmobile launch
November 16 – 5th Annual Holiday Fashion Show Luncheon
December 14 – 2nd Annual Live Wreath Making Class…located at the United Methodist Church at 2:00 PM, cost is $25 each.
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