The Whistle Stop
News
Published Monthly @ the
North Baltimore
Public Library
By our friendly Librarians
August 2010
What’s Happening?
Connie Phillips celebrates 25 Years!
Connie Phillips is that employee every business needs. She’s been here long enough to know how to do everything and knows where everything is.
This year Connie celebrates her 25th anniversary here at the Library.
She was hired part-time at the Library in 1985 by then Director Fred Davenport, the same time as long-time co-worker and friend Esther Nagel. Connie was given full time after a year and has been here ever since.
Connie likes to read, (she is a Librarian after all,) and also tends her garden.
“I would like to congratulate Connie on her 25 years here at the Library,” Director Lesley McKinstry said. “That’s quite an accomplishment! She has been a real help to me and to the staff. We are fortunate to have her working with us.”
Lori Kaufman added, “Connie has dedicated her life to bettering the library as well as the community.”
Director Reaches Milestone
Director Lesley McKinstry has served as 10 years as Director. She is now the 4th longest serving Director after Mary Fowles with 22 years, and Betty Thompson and Fred Davenport with 11 years each.
Summer Reading Wrap-Up
Summer Reading season is wrapping up at the NB Library. The staff is very pleased to announce that 157 children, 74 teens and 165 adults participated this year.
Ronald McDonald opened the children’s program with a spectacular show on June 2.
Children enjoyed “making a splash” at story times for all ages. The last week a Pirate Party had everyone singing “Yo, Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate’s Life for Me!”
Teens enjoyed bleach dyeing, making snow globes, and lots of good food with their friends at the library. 74 is the most teens who have ever participated!
Congratulation to all the Grand Prize Winners:
Childrens’ Program – Alex Trout (boy’s bike), Alexis Rader (girl’s bike), Laura Keegan (stuffed dragon).
Teen Program – Lindsay Davis, Alexis Julien, and Hank Matthes (each won an iPod shuffle), Zachary Murray ($50 Findlay mall certificate).
Adult Program – Barb Bloom (outdoor rocking bench), Rose Andricks (garden stone from Lennard’s Greenhouse), Minette Evans (subscription to NB News), Linda McCartney (flowers and garden tools from Dawn’s Flower Shop), Mike Medley (charcoal grill from Mid-Wood) , Brenda Mossbarger (flowers and garden tools from Dawn’s Flower Shop), Phyllis Rensch (gorilla glue kit from Mid-Wood), Carla Rush (subscription to NB News), Linda Selders (China City gift certificate), and Beverly Smith (Depot Hair Salon tanning gift certificate). This year’s sponsors were: American Legion #539, Ankney Insurance, Bob Kelley Chevrolet/Buick/Geo, Casey’s Sales and Service, China City, Tony & Laura Damon, Dawn’s Flower Shop, Depot Hair Salon, Don Miller Insurance, Brian & Patty Douglas family, Dukes Sales, F.O.E. #2263, Friends of the Library, Gerdeman Insurance, Lennard’s Greenhouse, Meijer, Mid-Wood, McDonald’s, NB Beverage Center, NB News, Pisanello’s Pizza, Dr. George Reddin, Robert Lee Nationwide Insurance, and Scarbrough Pharmacy.
The library would like to thank all who participated and all who contributed to this summer’s program!
Even though Summer Reading is over, there’s still lots to do at the Library. So come on in and bring the family!
Thank You!
We missed a few names on our “ThankYou” list last month, so we’re saying Thank You again to the following businesses and people who made out Summer Reading 2010 a reality.
Meijer – B. G.
McDonalds – N.B.
American Legion
F.O.E. #2263
Don Miller Ins.
Ankney Ins.
Robert Lee Nationwide Ins
Gerdeman Insurance
Casey’s Sales/Service
Mid-Wood Inc
Duke Sales
The Depot Hair Salon
China City
Lennard’s Greenhouse
Scarbrough Pharm.
N.B. News
Bob Kelley Chev/Buick/Geo
N.B. Beverage Center
Dawn’s Flower Shop
Pisanello’s Pizza
The Salvation Army
The Damon Family
Dr. Reddin
Brian & Patty Douglas & family
And
The Friends of the Library
Historical Note:
From 1919 until 1924, the Library was located at 113 E Broadway St.
From 1924 until 1958 it was in the High School on S. Second St.
Teens!
Thanks to al the Teens who came and signed up for Summer Reading. There were 74 teens who joined this year. That’s the best ever!
Wood County Fun Bus visits every Monday from 1-4 pm until August 16.
The bus has some cool counselors who bring games and crafts.
Children's Programs
August 2010
Weekly children’s programs will return in September! After School Story Surprise will start on Wednesday, September 8 from 2:45 to 3:15 and continue each Wednesday of the school year for children in kindergarten through grade 5. Toddler Times will be each Tuesday morning from 11:15-11:40 for children age 1 to 3 and an adult companion beginning September 7. Preschool Story Times will be on Thursday mornings from 11:15 to 11:45 for children age 3 ½ to 6 from September 9 onward. Miss Cheryl is looking forward to sharing stories, games & fun for everyone!
The end of July found a guessing contest for kids & teens in the kids room. The fishbowl was filled with whale crackers & fish gummies. When they were counted, we discovered there are 700 altogether. Wow! One person - Milo Van Mooy guessed it exactly! Here are the runner-up winners: Jordan Baker, Sierrah Johnson & James Rader (400), Breanna King (427), Jennifer Guck (489), Daniel Crouse & Ariana Loera (500), Brandon Biller (900), Britney Biller (1000), Grace Douglas (1002).
And here are the winners drawn randomly: Corrina Adkins, Amber Archer, Jared Beckford, Valerie Buchanan, Jaden Bucher, Esme Carney, Steven Carroll, Tyler Clark, Jordan Coup, Ashley Greeno, Blake Hollinger, Jordan Kimmel, Katie Leady, Grace Lennard, Bryant Matthes, Everett Mowery, Jacob Nagel, Cheyenne Parsons, & Jordan Smith. Congratulations, everyone!
Birthday Club – August 2010
August 5 Trinity Eberflus – age 10
August 5 Lisa Simmons – age 11
August 7 Branden Ebersole - age 8
August 7 Jennifer Rodriguez – age 8
August 7 Caleigh Pryor – age 12
August 11 Natasha Simons – age 10
August 16 Rease Benjamin – age 5
August 19 Wesley Jordan – age 11
August 21 Danielle Douglas – age 11
August 21 Tristan McKee – age 10
August 26 Avery Heitkamp – age 6
August 26 Brennin Gray-DuVall – age 8
August 26 Chantel Benjamin – age 11
August 26 Donta’e Ellis – age 11
August 27 Madison Swope – age 11
August 29 Ethan Franks – age 8
August 31 Brandon Settlemire – age 6
Advice from Kids:
Don’t trust a dog to watch your food.
August Almanac
August’s name comes from the first Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar. It was known then as Augustus Caesar’s month.
Augustus Caesar clarified and completed the calendar reform of Julius Caesar. In the process, he also renamed this month after himself.
August has 31 days.
August’s Birthstone is the sardonyx , which is a green gemstone.
August’s Flower is the Gladiolus, which symbolizes “splendid beauty.”
August’s Full Moon is the Sturgeon Moon
North American fishing tribes called August's full moon the sturgeon moon since the species was abundant during this month. It's also been called the green corn moon, the grain moon, and the red moon for the reddish hue it often takes on in the summer haze.
The Full Moon for August will be the 24th.
The Dog Days of Summer
Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as...
1. the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity.
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity.
But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”
In ancient times, when the night sky was not obscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images they drew depended on their culture. The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are called constellations, and the constellations in the sky that we are used to come from our European ancestors.
They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and many others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).
The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, (pronounced “serious”,) which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. It is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it.
In the summer, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.
Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. The heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt.
The Night Sky Will Present a Celestial Fireworks Show
The Perseids are the best-known of the meteor showers and can be seen in August each year, with the maximum activity on or around 12 August.
Meteors are more commonly referred to as 'shooting stars' and can be seen on any clear, dark night. 'Sporadic' or random meteors can be seen throughout the year with about six meteors visible each hour. However, there are certain dates when activity is much more prolific and meteor 'showers' take place.
Shower meteors appear to originate from a specific point in the sky or 'radiant', with the shower taking the name of the constellation where this is found - so Perseus hosts the Perseids radiant.
As well as the Sun, planets, comets and large asteroids, our solar system contains small particles of material sometimes described as meteoroids. Meteoroids have a high relative velocity with respect to the Earth and so disintegrate rapidly or 'burn up' if they enter the terrestrial atmosphere. The air around them is superheated and bright enough to be seen from the ground.
Some meteoroids originate from material ejected in the tails of comets as they pass through the inner solar system. The Perseids were the first meteor shower to be connected to a comet when astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli noted the similarity between their orbit and the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Even in quiet years, the Perseids have a reputable activity rate that can exceed 100 meteors per hour from a dark site - the rate tends to be highest towards dawn when the observer is on the side of the Earth moving directly into the cloud of meteoroid debris. Perseid meteors also tend to be bright so in many ways the shower is ideal for anyone wishing to see their first 'shooting star.'
Holidays to Remember
August is . . . .
Catfish Month, Golf Month, Eye Exam Month, Peach Month, Foot Health Month
August 1 is . . . . . Friendship Day
August 2 is . . . . . Ice Cream Sandwich Day
August 3 is . . . . . Watermelon Day
August 4 is . . . . . Twins Day
August 5 is . . . . . Friendship Day
August 6 is . . . . . Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 7 is . . . . . Lighthouse Day
August 8 is . . . . . Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night
August 9 is . . . . . Book Lovers Day
August 10 is . . . . S’Mores Day
August 11 is . . . . Presidential Joke Day
August 12 is . . . . Middle Child's Day
August 13 is . . . . Left Handers Day
August 14 is . . . Creamsicle Day
August 15 is . . . . Relaxation Day
August 16 is . . . . Bratwurst Festival
August 17 is . . . . Thriftshop Day
August 18 is . . . . Bad Poetry Day
August 19 is . . . . Potato Day
August 20 is . . . . Radio Day
August 21 is . . . . Spumoni Day
August 22 is . . . . Tooth Fairy Day
August 23 is . . . . Spongecake Day
August 24 is . . . . Knife Day
August 25 is . . . . Kiss-And-Make-Up Day
August 26 is . . . . Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27 is . . . . Be Yourself Day
August 28 is . . . . Rock & Roll Day
August 29 is . . . . More Herbs, Less Salt Day
August 30 is . . . . Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31 is . . . . Trail Mix Day
The Eight Quiz
1. At one time August, the eighth month, was known as Sextilis. What does this word mean?
a. Eighth
b. Seventh
c. Sixth
d. Summer
2. August was made longer by adding a day from another month. From which month was it taken?
a. February
b. June
c. November
d. September
3. At one time in England, August 1st was known as Lammas Day. A church service was held during which something was consecrated. What was this item?
a. sheaves of wheat
b. bowls of apples
c. loaves of bread
d. baskets of raspberries
4. A popular summer flower is the gladiolus. Where does this unusual name come from?
a. Named after the Roman sword – the gladius.
b. People felt glad seeing the flower in bloom.
c. First grown by a woman named Gladys
d. The real reason was lost in antiquity
5. The element listed at number 8 on the Periodic Scale of Elements is the most abundant element on earth. What is it?
a. Nitrogen
b. Hydrogen
c. Iron
d. Oxygen
6. Pirate movies always talk about “pieces of eight.” What kind of money is it?
a. French coins weighing 8 grams
b. Spanish coins worth eight reals
c. English coins weighing 1/8 of a pound
d. Portuguese coins worth 8 cents
7. Eight presidents of the USA, James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, all have one thing in common.
a. They were Democrats.
b. They were left-handed
c. They were born in August
d. They were over 6 feet tall
8. What famous Wild West character died holding a poker hand of Aces and Eights?
a. Wyatt Earp
b. Doc Holiday
c. Bat Masterson
d. Wild Bill Hickok
9. In “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” which is the eighth gift?
a. swans a-swimming
b. geese a-laying
c. maids a-milking
d. lords a-leaping
10. Neptune, the eighth planet from the sun, is what rank in size?
a. 5th
b. 4th
c. 3rd
d. 2nd
Nighty-Night Time at Last
Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost community in North America, is located on the Chukchi Sea coast, 10 miles south of Point Barrow from which it takes its name.
The sun is getting ready to set for the first time since early May. At first, the nights won’t last long. But the nights will quickly get longer and when the sun sets around November 18th, it will not rise again until near the end of January.
The climate of Barrow is arctic. Temperatures range from -56 to 78, averaging 40 during summer. The daily minimum temperature is below freezing 324 days of the year.
Did You Ever Ask Yourself “Why?”
Why is 'number' abbreviated as 'no' when there is no 'o' in number?
No' represents the Latin 'numero', the ablative case of 'numerus', which is the word for number. Thus 'No 6' means 'six by number' or 'six in numerical order'.
Old-time Advice:
A bulldog can whip a skunk, but sometimes it's not worth it. - J. Nowell
Answers to the Eight Quiz
1. Sixth
Sextilis comes from the Latin word meaning having to do with six.
August in Roman times was the sixth month. When Julius Caesar reformed the calendar August became the eighth month.
August in Roman times was the sixth month. When Julius Caesar reformed the calendar August became the eighth month.
2. February
February also had a day taken from it to add to July.
3. loaves of bread
This bread was baked from the first wheat harvested.
4. The name of the Roman sword – the gladius
The name means “the flower of the gladiators.” Gladius means sword. The gladiolus belongs to the iris family.
5. Oxygen
Oxygen, symbol O, makes up slightly more than ¼ of the air and more than half of the water (H2O) on the planet. This makes it the most abundant element on earth.
6. Spanish coins worth eight reals, or “bits.”
Another coin was the quarter Spanish dollar, worth 2 reals, or 2 bits, where we get the slang term of 2 bits for our quarters.
7. They were left-handed
8. Wild Bill Hickok
Since then the poker hand of 3 Aces and 2 Eights is known as the “Dead Man’s Hand.”
9. There were 8 maids a-milking
10. 4th
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury (In order of size)
On The Lighter Side:
Really Bad Jokes
What do termites eat for breakfast?
Oakmeal.
Have you heard about the new corduroy pillows?
They're making headlines!
(Think about it.)
What do you call a horse that likes arts and crafts?
A hobby horse.
What do you call a crab that plays baseball?
A pinch hitter.
What's the difference between a mosquito and a fly?
A mosquito can fly, but a fly can't mosquito.
There once was a king who lived in two-story grass hut. Every holiday the king demanded to be given a new throne as a gift. As soon as a new throne arrived, he would store the old throne on the second level of his hut and use the new one instead. But one day the hut collapsed from the weight of all the thrones, and everyone was crushed and killed.
The moral of this story? Those who live in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones.
Unclassified Classifieds
(Excerpts from classified sections of newspapers:)
Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00
Dumb Laws
In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel.
Real News
A Maine woman got the shock of her life when she found an 8-foot snake mixed in with clothes in her washing machine. The snake, identified as a reticulated python, somehow got into the water pipes of Mara Ranger's 1800s-era farmhouse and slithered into the machine. After Ranger took her blue jeans out of the machine Wednesday, she reached back into the load and felt something move.
"I jumped back and all of sudden its head starts coming out of the washing machine and it looked huge," Ranger told a reporter.
"I jumped back and all of sudden its head starts coming out of the washing machine and it looked huge," Ranger told a reporter.
How the snake ended up in the washing machine remains a mystery. A man from the Animal Control Agency guessed it was somebody's pet and that the owner ended up tossing it out into the wild when it got too big. It then made its way through the water pipes and into the washing machine, probably after the load was done, he said.
Haven’t You Ever Asked Yourself……
When is a pond large enough to be a lake?
When an alarm goes on, why do we say it goes off?
If shampoo comes in so many colors, why is the lather on your head always white?
Why is a building called a building when it is already built?
If the No. 2 pencil is so popular, why is it still No. 2?
If Walmart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing in the store is free yet?
Has anyone ever admitted to having an ugly baby?
If something "goes without saying", why do people still say it?
Why does rain drop, but snow fall?
In the song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," which is yellow? The bikini or the polka dots?
I'm always reading about the "Great Apes." How come we never hear about any "Just Average Apes"?
Why is Charlie short for Charles if they are both the same number of letters?
Mulberry bush aside, would a monkey really chase a weasel?
If a fly is hatched and hasn’t any wings, would it be called a walk?
