Sleepover at the Library

For the end of the Summer Reading Program at the library, they held a Sleepover (from 8pm-8am) at the library!

"Shake your Booty"

Myself, and my friend Meghann volunteered to help out with all the nights activities (and of course, to participate as well!)

In total, 51 people spent the night at the library. Of course, that number does include some parents, considering some of the younger kids needed a guardian there as well.

I haven't had this much fun in a long time! The library had a room called "the movie room" which is where they had a non-stop reel of movies playing all night - this is where the snacks and most the kids hung out in.

In the 'teen section' of the library was a video game center (the place my brother hung out for the majority of the night.) and spread out through the library was even craft tables and games!

one of the games. the objective is to try and throw
cheese puffs on your partners head.

If you thought all that wasn't enough, we even had an "Olympics"! playing different games/events during the night, sigh as "CUPPONG" or "Angry Birds". At the end of the Olympics, the kiddos with the highest scores got little awards.

Craft table

real life angry birds!

At the end of the night, once most of the other kids went to bed, Meghann, myself, and a few other kids decided to have a game of hide-and-seek in the dark library. It was literally a dream come true.

Having freedom in the library to run around and scream was exhilarating, I loved having the opportunity to help out and also be involved in the fun as well!

MOVIE SCHEDULE

The races!

I've never been to the racetrack before, until my dad was offered tickets from work to the Motor Mile Speedway / Dragway, and of course, we couldn't pass those up! I was so excited.

Not only did we get tickets, but they were VIP passes to the PLATINUM room! I wasn't sure what to expect from this experience, but I'm so glad we had this wonderful opportunity, because this was the best night we've had in a long time!

The VIP tickets included access to the air conditioned room, with comfy seating and windows all around you, but all of us preferred to be outside on the porch/balcony.

It was quite an astonishing view from outside, you could see all of the race cars as they buzzed by on the raceway! Honestly, you've never experienced race cars until you can feel the vibrations going through your body, until it's so loud you can't even think.





There is nothing like seeing the cars crash right in front of you, to feel the 'whoooh!' of the crowd rush through your body. There isn't a sensation such as this one.



Even my little brother, Joshua, really thoroughly enjoyed himself! There was a smile on his face the entire time that never left. 

I loved the smell of funnel cakes and the roar of engines, it makes me want to become a race car driver!





If you haven't been able to enjoy such an experience, I definitely recommend going to a race! Though, you might want to consider ear plugs... it can get loud!

Summer Reading Program

Unfortunately the Summer Reading Program has come to and end :( I have proudly read 17 books and over 50+ hours this summer, what an accomplishment! We all had so much fun at the library this summer, they offer the greatest programs and are very child and teen friendly. It's a wonderful atmosphere and I've enjoyed myself greatly.

A fantastic program the library offered was learning about Belle the giant green-winged macaw! Did you know that Macaws are able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour? They also have very strong beaks, and can break open a Brazil Nut shell.

We've also learned about Bats, Foxes, Rabbits, and Owls! Joshua and I love animals, I'm glad that we both really learned a lot from these events.

• Did you know what grey foxes can climb trees? I had no idea!

 


And just today there was a teen program, ART DAY. It was so much fun, art is something I am very passionate about, so a day of sitting around sculpting, painting, and coloring is defiantly fun for me!




 
During the summer you received "book bucks" and at the end of the reading program you could use your book bucks at the teen auction/raffle. I bought a tie dye kit and a new book, it was very fun!

Glencoe Museum

I'm always willing to explore new places, and this place in particular is somewhere I've driven by many times, but for some reason our family has never stopped there. This place is called the Glencoe Museum. I actually had no idea what this place was about until we visited it just recently.

• Glencoe gives visitors a fascinating look back at the Victorian way of life during the post-Civil War years. Built by Confederate Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton, the house and grounds provide an intimate view of a lost way of life.

I learned a lot from going to the museum, and I'm glad we finally took the trip inside!

The doorways and ceilings are so huge and tall, not to mention all of the many windows of this house, it is so bright inside. My mother said it reminded her of her great-aunt's house :)

A courting chair, how times have changed...

This house was filled with such elegance, and housed many things that seem so foreign but yet at the same time familiar. Many of the things I recognized, and even my mother used when she was a girl.

This house is different from a modern day home- they have a fire place in many of the rooms, also there was no indoor bathroom or running water. Our guide was very informative and answered any questions we had! (We've also seen him before, he works at the local library as well!)

The upstairs had a bedroom, but also had many different kinds of artifacts and information.

We learned about Native American history, and also go to see items the Native American Indians in this area would have used. Another thing we learned about was the Civil War and the railroad history of Virginia.

•  A purple heart. A military decoration for those wounded or killed in action. My grandfather received one of these.

We also ventured downstairs, to a room which is now used as an art gallery, the art shown was quite interesting and I enjoyed looking at the gallery. Before the tour was over, there was one more stop to take- the one room outdoor school house!

The cone of shame...

I really enjoyed our time here at the Glencoe Museum and we all learned so many new things!