Mercer County Library Blog

Eid Mubarak! On Saturday, March 14 th , we celebrated Eid al-Fitr at the Hightstown Branch with crafts, decorations, and snacks. This was our third year doing the program and the most successful one yet. It’s always wonderful to see everything come together after working so hard to create a program that will be enjoyable for both people who are familiar with the holiday, and those who are not. Growing up in New Jersey with no close relatives and few families that my parents knew well, Eid was always hit or miss. We would go to prayer in the morning, my sister and I would put mehndi (henna art) on each other, and we would eat seviyan (a pudding made with thin pasta). The rest of the day was not spent doing much. Occasionally, we would be invited to lunch or dinner at someone’s house, which for kids was more boring than being home and watching TV. We did not really decorate the house, except for putting up Christmas lights outside when Ramadan started. However, my parents would sometime...

The TrashedArt Contest has grown quite a bit over the past 17 years! Each year, member of the Mercer County community remake, reuse and renew items that would otherwise be recycled or trashed into unique and beautiful art. Here are some highlights from the past decade. TrashedArt Contest 2016:   In 2016, we had 3 adult and 3 high school student winners in first, second and third place. Helene Plank, a participant of the TrashedArt Contest since the Contest’s third year in 2012, won third place for “Iris Fantasia” (window ledge). To read more about Helene’s button art, check out the TrashedArt Contest interview from 2020: TrashedArt at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch – Part 1 Michele Ben-Asher won first place for the adult category in 2016 for “Jersey Birds.” She crocheted plastic bags into the unique design at the center of the table. To find out more about Ben-Asher’s art, visit: TrashedArt at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch – Part 2 Gene Dombroski won second place in the ad...

Growing up, I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. The thrill and excitement of seeing my family and spending time with them would keep me up at night with anticipation. It was always hard to focus at school the day before Thanksgiving because I knew, as soon as those bells rang to dismiss us for the day, my mom would pick my sister and me up, and we would be on our way to my Grandma's. We would literally drive over a river and through the woods to get to her house. And once you stepped inside the house, you were greeted with loving hugs and warm wishes from my Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Once all of the greetings were done, we were put to work. In my family, we did a lot of the Thanksgiving prep work the day before the big feast. It was during this time of dicing/peeling vegetables, tearing apart the stall bread, or prepping the pies that it was time for everyone to catch up with one another. The kitchen would be filled with conversations, jokes, and laughter. It was ...

Mother's Day is a day to acknowledge the unique role that mothers, and those persons in our lives who have been instrumental, play in nurturing, guiding and supporting us. On this special occasion, family members show their love and appreciation for their mothers, grandmothers, and other motherly figures by giving them gifts, cards, and other nice things. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March or May. In the United States, it's celebrated on the second Sunday of May to honor all mother figures and their hard work. In the United States, three women played an important role in establishing the tradition of Mother’s Day: Julia Ward Howe, Ann Reeves Jarvis, and Ann’s daughter, Anna M. Jarvis.  In 1872, Julia Ward Howe made the first known recommendation for Mother’s Day in the United States. She suggested that people observe Mother’s Day as a day dedicated to peace. Anne Jarvis began a campaign for a nationwide observance of Mother’s D...

If you are a fiber lover, may your yarn never split and your works never need to be frogged. If you aren’t a yarn lover, welcome! We accept everyone who appreciates the simple beauty of yarn, especially the squishiness and softness of it. Now you may be wondering why I’m extolling the virtues of yarn – it’s because something important is coming up… New Jersey Wool Walk 2025! For those who don’t know, a wool walk is equivalent to a bar crawl or, for those younger, trying to eat something in every country at Disney’s Epcot. The whole event is a centered around the love people have for yarn and to celebrate Local Yarn Store Day (typically the last Saturday of April) by supporting all of your favorite independent shops. This year, there are 22 shops located throughout New Jersey participating in the wool walk. They stretch the whole state, from Biscotte Yarns Knitting Store in Northvale all the way down to String Theory in Absecon. If you want to visit a shop within Mercer County then ...

It’s hard to believe that Halloween is already here! If you’re anything like me, sometimes holidays just sneak up on you – and you realize that you’re out of time to prepare. Don’t worry, the library has you covered with some last-minute ideas to ensure your ghostly celebration is a hit! Costumes Creativebug offers a wide range of high-quality crafting tutorials; just log in with your library card number to check out some last-minute costume ideas for you or a young person in your life. Whimsical Felt Beards are the key for an Abraham Lincoln or lumberjack costume – or get creative and go for a hot pink beard full of birds! Throw on your favorite green outfit and add a Felt Flower Headband for a quick floral look Customize your plumage with the Quick and Easy Bird Costume   Pair zombie makeup with regular clothes for an instant costume or try some of the other classic Halloween faces in this Face Painting tutorial Ambience What’s Halloween without a creepy soundtrack?...

I was fortunate to have been brought up in an intergenerational household with my maternal grandparents helping raise my brother and me after our parents divorced before my second birthday. The best years of my childhood were filled with an abundance of love. As a Youth Services Library Associate, I have the amazing job of dreaming up and running programs for youth in the library, so my decision to establish an intergenerational program seemed like an obvious one.  With a background in teaching college English, I have worked with adults of various ages and youth from babies to teens in the library. What if I could have a program where older children, tweens, and teens spent time with a special adult in their life and both created something together and independently?  At a time when kids make a natural shift for space of their own, it is all the more important to forge new connections with them.  Also, with the multitude of craft programs I have run in the last two years ...