National Library Week celebration set in Markleeville

The Sixth Annual Teddy Bear Parade will be held on Saturday in the Alpine County Library. Through the years, this has become a very popular library event, held in conjunction with National Library Week, sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Registration for the Teddy Bear Parade begins at 10 a.m. Children are requested to bring their own teddy bear or favorite stuffed animal. A few teddy bears will be available for those who do not have one to bring.

Several county and state agencies serving children have joined forces with the Friends of the Library to coincide their celebration with the Teddy Bear Parade. The Family Support Council will host a free barbeque lunch at noon in the community park adjacent to the library. The Early Learning Center, Local Child Care Planning Council and the Woodfords Indian Education Center will help with the food and activities. There will be story time, face painting, seed planting, beading crafts, water bubbles, bookmark making and games.

Smokey Bear from the National Forest Service will lead the parade at 11:50 a.m. Live music will be provided by Acoustic Solutions from 11 a.m. to noon. Children of all ages will have a chance to participate in karaoke singing after lunch. Story time will start at 10:30 a.m. Families, adults and children are invited to the barbecue lunch at noon

This year, Library Week falls on April 15-21. April is also the Month of the Young Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

National Library Week celebration continues into the next week. On Tuesday, the Friends of the Library will host their traditional potluck luncheon at noon in the library. The public is invited to bring dishes to share in this celebration. For the Alpine County Library, this will also be the day that the new bookmobile will be displayed in front of the library for the public to see.

The new bookmobile will hit the road for the first time on Wednesday headed towards Kirkwood and Hung-A-Lel-Ti, its usual Wednesday stops.

The film, "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear," an Indiana Jones-style adventure story will be shown in the library on Thursday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. The movie review states, "The librarian in the movie did not want to be a hero, he only wanted a job." Please join the library staff for an evening of entertainment, complete with door prizes.

-- This is my opportunity to thank the guest writers who filled in so admirably while we were on vacation, visiting with our kids in Italy and Maryland. I do appreciate their willingness to step in, and I admire their journalistic abilities.

The day we left on our trip, we got an offer on our property, so we have leased a waterfront Chesapeake Bay place in the town of Deale, Md. Yes, we can walk to the library and the post office, my hallmarks for small town excellence. I've spotted swans on the bay, so this is my "Swan Song" to you, my readers and friends. You have been helpful and supportive, and I will miss writing this column.

-- Gina Gigli is a soon-to-be former Markleeville resident. Any Markleeville resident interested in taking over for her should contact Editor Kurt Hildebrand at (775) 782-5121, ext. 215.