St. John the Baptist Parish Library System will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with celebrations from Thursday/Oct. 27 to Saturday/Oct. 29.

On Thursday/Oct. 27, all branches of the St. John the Baptist Parish Library System will release 50 balloons to commemorate the 50 years, as well as give away cupcakes to the first 50 patrons to enter each building, starting at 4 p.m.

On Friday/Oct. 28, the Central Library in LaPlace will host a celebration starting at 6 p.m. The program will consist of past and current library board members, council members and other dignitaries who have supported the library within the past 50 years.

On Saturday/Oct. 29, St. John the Baptist Parish Central Library will host a kids celebration, starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m., consisting of games, crafts, food and drinks for children of all ages to enjoy.  Residents of the parish and surrounding areas are invited to attend all events.

Also, the Central and Reserve Libraries will be hosting Halloween parties at 6 p.m. on Halloween night.  Children and tweens are invited to come and enjoy the festivities.

November is a very important month, not just for the library system, but the entire world. The Presidential Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Everyone should take advantage of their voting rights and place their votes for their respective candidate.

The West Branch Library in Edgard will host a “Campaign Button Craft” Nov. 3 to celebrate the upcoming Election. Tweens, ages 8 to 12 are invited to participate in this event.

The Central Library will host a “Patriotic Crafternoon” Nov. 7. Children, ages 5 to 12, are invited to participate in making a reusable patriotic drinking cup. The Friends of the St. John the Baptist Parish Library System is sponsoring a “BIG Book Sale” from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day at the Central Library in LaPlace.

Book lovers can restock their personal libraries by filling a bag full of books for only 10 cents for paperbacks and 25 cents for hardcovers. All monies collected from the book sale directly support the Friends of the Library objective to fund quality programs for the patrons of the library system.

In addition to books, CDs and DVDs will be sold for $1 each. This is an excellent opportunity for voracious readers to devour books and avid moviegoers to watch films in their favorite genres. Hot dogs, nachos, drinks, chips and candy will also be sold throughout the day. For more information, please contact David Egudin, 985-652-6857.

The library system will also be celebrating International Games Day. International Games Day is an initiative run by volunteers from around the world and auspice by the American Library Association, in collaboration with Nordic Game Day, and the Australian Library and Information Association, to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games.

In the 21st century, libraries are about much more than books. On Monday, Nov. 21, more than 1,000 libraries around the world will showcase gaming programs and services in support of IGD16.

In Celebration of International Games Day, St. John the Baptist Parish Library System will offer Game Day programming at our libraries during the week of International Games Day. The Central Library will host a game of “Pokémon Go!” for tweens and teens at 4 p.m. Nov. 18. On Nov. 21, the Edgard Library will host a “Football Turkey Game” at 4 p.m.  Children, ages 5 to 12 are invited to attend. Tweens and teens are invited out to play the “Wii” at the Reserve Library at 4:30 p.m. on the exact date. The Central Library will also host a “Family/Game Night” at 5:30 p.m.

The library system will be celebrating Thanksgiving with programs and events throughout the month of November. The Garyville Library will host a “Paper Plate Wreath Craft” Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.  They will also have an “Eat Your Art” presentation Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.  The Edgard Library will have a “Paper Plate Candy Corn Craft” Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. The Reserve Library will have a Thanksgiving themed “Make Shoppe” on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. They will also host a Thanksgiving themed “Morning Makers” at 10 a.m. and a “Family Craft Night” at 7 p.m. Nov. 17.

The Central Library would like everyone to join them for their first StoryWalk Nov. 22. Since school will be out, we will celebrate National Family Week. This will be a perfect opportunity for families to enjoy a fun-filled story along an outdoor path.

Families will walk the labeled route and read the story on their own. They can begin the activity at any time between 1 and 4 p.m. “The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Story walk is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. For more information, contact Lynn Braud, Children’s/Outreach Librarian, at 985-652-6857.

For a full list of all programs, please refer to our online calendar on our website or pick up a newsletter at any of our four branches. I hope you all can attend some of the spectacular programs offered at St. John the Baptist Parish Libraries.

Kearston Poche’ is the administrative services coordinator for St. John the Baptist Parish Library. She can be reached at 985-652-6587.