Friday Grab Bag, December 4, 2020

Holi-YAY!

Join Loveland Public Library for Holiday Plants and their Care with Master Gardener Susan Bonsall on December 9 from 12:30-1:30 pm. This is an online class available from CSU Extension that is free to the public, but registration is required. Register Here.

Why do we have the Festival of Lights, eggnog, Yule log or mistletoe? Join Active Minds and Arapahoe Libraries for Holiday Traditions and Customs on December 5 from 1:00-2:00 pm. Explore the origins of a wide variety of holiday traditions and customs with a focus on secular winter holiday traditions, many of which are associated with the winter solstice. No registration required. To access via Active Mind’s Zoom, click here.

Aurora Public Library hosts a Holiday Murder Mystery for adults on December 5 from 5:00-6:00 pm. Albi LeGrinch is having yet another lavish annual feast at his winter wonderland estate, but before the festivities can begin he’s found hung from the top of his own giant Christmas tree! Participants will be assigned roles to play in this murder mystery via email shortly after they sign up. Costumes are encouraged! Enjoy goofy game of whodunnit and solve a ho-ho-horribly silly holiday murder.

Taste Makers

Join Boulder Public Library for the first of a new monthly series on December 14 from 6:00-6:45 pm. Community Cooks: Paella with Dakota Soifer, the Chef and Owner of Cafe Aion. Soifer has been cooking Spanish inspired dishes for the past 10 years, including paella – a traditional Spanish rice dish, flavored deeply with saffron, tomatoes and a variety of additional meat, seafood and vegetables. Ingredients lists will be released a week prior so you can cook along!

Have you ever been disappointed when your favorite recipe failed to produce expected results when made at higher elevation?  At altitudes above 3,000 feet, recipes may require changes in time, temperature, or ingredients to achieve desired results. High Plains Library District invites you to learn the basics of Elevation Baking on December 9 & 16 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm, including the important role that many ingredients play in baking and about adjustments to make to when baking your favorite recipes.

Join Poudre River Public Library on December 8 from 5:30-8:00 pm and Bake Café de olla infused Tres Leches cake and escape the cold this winter. In this hands-on, bi-lingual, virtual baking class, taught by renowned baker Eliceo Lara, you’ll learn how to make tres leches cake. Eliceo will guide us step by step from his kitchen in Mexico City. Participants must provide their own ingredients and tools, and have access to an oven. Sign up to receive the list of ingredients and the zoom link.

Clearview Library invites teens to participate in a weekly Teen Cooking Challenge. This week’s challenge: use the 3D cookie cutters and cookie mix in provided Take & Make kits to make free-standing 3D cookies. Register online for this program and call the library ahead of time and arrange Library Takeout for your kit!

Social Seniors

Join Mesa County Libraries on December 14 at 10:00 am for a bi-monthly Senior Social Club via Zoom! There will be structured and unstructured activities in which participants can chat and socialize to share stories and life experiences. This session’s focus will be on your greatest adventure; whether that was a trip, the birth of a child, or life changing experience, share with the group your memorable story. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

Denver Public Library invites you to virtually to celebrate the holidays with an LGBTQ+ Older Adult Holiday Happy Hour on December 21 from 2:00-3:00 pm. Find the most interesting thing in your home to share with us, and don’t forget your coffee and cookies – or cocktail! We will be using Google Meet and the link will be in the registration email.

Museums & Libraries in the News

COVID In Colorado: Denver Museum of Nature & Science Adjusts Cleaning Protocols To Stay Open With 25% Capacity | CBS Denver
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is still open, but only through a variance from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. To get the approval, they had to detail how they would keep all their visitors safe.

Library News: Free Talking Book Library ideal for those with difficulty reading | The Pagosa Springs Sun
The Colorado Talking Book Library (CTBL) is a free service from your library that lends audio and Braille books and magazines, as well as large-print books, for people who have eye issues, or have physical or learning disabilities that make it difficult to read regular books.

Loveland Public Library will offer services in person and online as a ‘critical service’ | Loveland Reporter-Herald
The Loveland Public Library is adjusting its operations to allow continued public access during the COVID-19 pandemic because libraries have been designated “critical businesses” in Colorado’s latest public health orders.

‘Museum Store Sunday’ Attempts To Help Museums Worldwide Survive During The Pandemic | CBS Denver
We know about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but have you heard of Museum Store Sunday? The concept is a way to drum up business for museums, and this year it’s seen as a way to keep museums financially stable during the pandemic.

Most Denver Museums Will Close Under Level Red COVID Guidelines | Westword
Institutions like the Clyfford Still Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art will be mandated to temporarily close on November 20.

Colorado artist painting world’s largest watercolor | 9 News
An artist in Craig, commissioned by the Museum of Northwest Colorado, is painting the largest watercolor in the world.

Art flags aim to unite people, celebrate culture, spark hope | CU Boulder Today
In January 2021, expect a visual feast as flags of all fabrics and sizes are waved from a variety of vehicles as they cruise along Santa Fe Drive in Denver as part of Flags of Hope | Banderas de Esperanza.

Pikes Peak Library District launches virtual series featuring Colorado Springs artists | The Gazette
In early March, the Pikes Peak Library District was ready to open a new performance venue in downtown Colorado Springs, but Knights of Columbus Hall never got the chance to host an event due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now the venue has kicked off a series of virtual performances featuring local artists and musicians called “Artists of the Knight.”

Learning Opportunities

CSL in Session: ‘Tis the season for outdoor programs (really?)

• December 10 @ 12:00 pm
• Free, no registration required!
• Join Online

GRT Quick Bites: Read with me! Inviting Children into the Reading Experience with Melody Garcia

• December 8 @ 12:00 pm
• Free, no registration required!
• Join Online

Library Research Service

How to conduct a secondary research evaluation in four steps
Conduct an evaluation without ever leaving your desk using these four simple steps from LRS.

Colorado Virtual Library

Free Online Learning Opportunities for December
The free online learning opportunities keep coming!

Take and Make Activity Database
Take and Make activities are all the rage these days and we’ve rounded up kit ideas, supply lists, and more from libraries around Colorado into one handy location!

State Publications Blog

• How Wildfire Impacts Water Resources
• Safe and Healthy Cooking for the Holidays
• Special Legislative Session Starts November 30
• Colorado Conifers