Library offers variety of spring programs

The Oscar Grady Library in Saukville has announced a number of programs to be held in the next month, as well as a reminder about an ongoing program.

Registrations are available for the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, which encourages parents and caregivers to read to children.

The program is open to children from birth until they start kindergarten.

Registrations and log sheets are available online at www.oscargradylibrary.org. When the library reopens, parents may visit the library to record their log sheets and receive stickers and other goodies.  

The book “A Gentleman in Moscow” will be discussed during an online meeting of the library’s adult discussion group at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 21.

The book tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who in 1922 is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal and sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov’s reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery and a deep understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Copies of the book are available to check out at the library or by placing a request through www.monarchcatalog.org.

Advance registration for the program is required and may be done either at the library, 151 S. Main St., or online at www.oscargradylibrary.org.

An invitation with a Zoom link will be emailed one week prior to the discussion.

An online discussion of “Wisconsin Death Trip” by Michael Lesy will be held by the library’s history group at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22.

Lesy’s book, first published in 1973, is about life in a small turn-of-the-century Wisconsin town and has become a cult classic. It features photographs taken between 1890 and 1910 by Black River Falls photographer Charles Van Schaik.

A limited number of copies of the book are available for check out.

Advance registration is required and may be done either at the library desk or online.

“Gardening With Native Plants,” a virtual presentation, will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29.

The program will be conducted by Susan Carpenter, the native plant gardener at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, who will discuss the role of native plants in sustainable, diverse and beautiful gardens that support pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife without fertilizers, pesticides, mowing, or supplemental watering. Garden examples, plant sources and practical tips for garden care will be provided.

Advance registration is required and may be done either at the library desk or online.

“Mindfulness and Meditation in Times of Stress” will be discussed in an online program at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 6, by Robert McGrath, a licensed psychologist who provides mind-body-wellness services at University Health Services.

The presentation will cover the benefits and challenges of living mindfully, including strategies and pathways for mindfully savoring life.

Advance registration is required and may be done either at the library desk or online.

For more information on any of the programs, visit www.oscargradylibrary.org or call 284-6022.