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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JANUARY 04, 2018 11THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JANUARY 04, 201810 By: Vivien Fleisher Offering a wide variety of programs for all ages last year, with Canada 150 activities the high- light, Rockwood branch program director Kiirsten Maki said they ran more programs than the year before, and saw higher attendance. The "Paint Like a Canadian" activ- ity in July was a good example, filling up with twenty kids who loved the exercise of channeling iconic Canadian artists Emily Carr and Robert Bateman in their own work. Camp Fire Tales was equally popular. And, debuting in 2017 for the pre-school set were the monthly Baby and Tod- dler Times, which proved so popular they will carry on into 2018. At the other end of the age spectrum, the tech- support workshops have really started to catch on, particularly with seniors who feel overwhelmed with the challenges of navigating the internet. Balancing out the tech- nical with the artistic was the "Homegrown Art Festival" in June. Aimed specifically at seniors, the show became an opportunity for many participants to publicly display their art for the first time, and will make a comeback this sum- mer. "The community r e s p o n s e w a s o v e r - whelmingly positive," according to Welling- ton County Information Services Librarian Emi- ly Lamond, who added they're pleased to offer a new Carnegie Café pro- gram for adults featuring the i r new "Breakout Boxes"--similar to a puzzle or escape room-- where players unlock a set of locks in a limited amount of time. At F r iday's LEGO c h a l l e n g e , a s s i s t - ant branch supervisor Spencer Melch read pa r t i c i pan t s a s t o ry featuring five built-in "challenges", such as creating a new car for the main character whose car breaks down, or when he needs help building his first snowman. Lamond i s exc i ted about story time sessions coming up soon, since they "focus on the five early literacy practices set forth by the American Library Association's Every Child Ready to Read program: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing." Around Town Around Town ROCKWOODTh e Miller "What do you believe is the toughest occupation to have during the holidays?" S h a n e F o b e r t : "Outside work. I'm a concrete truck driver, and if it's too cold, like today, I stay home." Marg Iutzi: "Police o f f i c e r s . T h e y have to attend to accidents and deal with ride programs in the cold, all in the name of keeping our roads safe. I have so much respect for them. They do a phenomenal job." Telka O'Donovan: "Healthcare workers--doctors, nurses. They have to work through the holidays no matter what." C h a d M i t c h e l l : " R e t a i l s e r v i c e and all the stress f o r e m p l o y e r s , c o - w o r k e r s a n d c u s t o m e r s . A n d the hours, coupled with the unrealistic expectations of the hours to be worked." with Vivien Fleisher WORD IN THE VILLAGE WINTER SUNSETS: A crisp evening walk can have more rewards than just exercise as you might be lucky to capture a sunset like this one seen from south of Rockwood. - Vivien Fleisher photo LIBRARY PROGRAMS: Emmett (left) and Alexander Mochrie, Cole and Madilyn Jackson making crafts at Rockwood Library's last program of 2017--the LEGO challenge. - Vivien Fleisher photo Rockwood Library wraps up a banner 2017 with LEGO Challenge