Please join us on May 8 via Zoom to meet John Herzog, the super-talented children’s book illustrator who lives right here in our home county of Sarasota!
From John’s website, he describes himself as
John Herzog is an award-winning illustrator and educator.
John is the illustrator of the new chapter book “Scaredy Cat” by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, as well as the new picture book “Clarinet & Trumpet” by Melanie Elsworth. In this interactive virtual event, Tuning Up with “Clarinet & Trumpet,” John will share how this awesome picture book was made, tell a bit about his journey as an illustrator and professor at Ringling College of Art + Design, and even show you how to draw something special! So bring some paper, a pencil, and your enthusiasm, and join John for this fun event! This virtual program will be hosted in Zoom on May 8, from 2-3 p.m. It’s easy to join, and all ages are welcome! Participants may register individually, in pairs, or as a family or group. Please register online or give the library a call to register by phone. Once you register, you will be sent a confirmation email with information about using Zoom as well as the login and passcode to the event. We look forward to seeing you via Zoom soon!
This year will mark the 102nd anniversary of the O. Henry Prize Stories,” an annual collection of the very best short stories written in the U.S. and Canada. But, how much do we know about the collection’s namesake, an author who became synonymous with the Short Story? O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, lived a life that was certainly as full of twists, turns, ironies and coincidences as the plots of some of his most well-known stories, such as “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Last Leaf,” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.”
William Sydney Porter writer behind the pen name O. Henry
Born in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862, Porter worked in his uncle’s drugstore as a youngster, later becoming a licensed Pharmacist himself. Hungry for adventure, Porter left Ohio for Texas, first working as a ranch-hand. Later, while working as a bank clerk in Austin, he was accused of embezzlement. He subsequently ran away to New Orleans, where he got a job as a newspaper reporter, before fleeing to Central America. After receiving word that his wife was gravely ill (of tuberculosis) he returned home, and as the story goes, was arrested. The truth is less dramatic: After reuniting with his wife, he turned himself in to the authorities and was charged with embezzling $854.08 from the bank. His wife, Athol, died a few months later.
Porter may not have actually been guilty, but he nonetheless spent three years in Ohio State Prison. It is interesting to note, that while doing time, William Porter worked as a Druggist, resided in a room adjacent to the prison hospital, and never lived in the regular prison population. Although he had written fiction before going to prison, it was in prison that Porter began using the pen name “O. Henry.” Explanations from the likely to the outlandish have been posited as to how or why he chose his pen name. One possibility: the Captain of the prison guards was a fellow named Orrin Henry. Here’s another: O H IO Pe n itentia r y.
O. Henry’s first published short story, appearing in McClure’s magazine in 1899, was entitled “Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking.” After the success of other stories, and most importantly, getting out of prison, the author now known as “O. Henry” moved to New York City, to be near his publisher. He spent the rest of his life there, eventually writing 381 short stories.
O. Henry’s stories evince a delight in language. He would often weave a really unusual word into a paragraph- possibly just for the sheer fun of it! His narrative voice is by turns audacious, benignly omniscient, worldly-wise, or just plain wiseacre- all depending upon the characters, locale, and trajectory of the story. His abilities with dialogue, and dialect, display true experience with every strata of society; from a Wall Street tycoon, to the most down-and-out hobo; from a country cowpuncher, to a scheming city criminal. In narration or dialogue, O. Henry excels at the inventive, entertaining, turn-of-phrase. For example, In “The Pimienta Pancakes,” one of the rustic characters describes the pancakes as “They’re golden sunshine… honey-browned by the ambrosial fires of Epicurus…” Also, in the course of this very amusing story, another character utters the words “jookalorum” and “zizzaparoola.” We perceive these words as authentic, archaic Western slang, but O. Henry actually invented them!
In 1907, Porter married Sara Lindsey Coleman, also a writer. She wrote a novel entitled “Winds Of Destiny,” among other works. Porter’s daughter, Margaret Worth Porter also became a writer. William Sydney Porter died of cirrhosis of the liver, in 1910. He was buried in Asheville, North Carolina.
In conclusion, if you’re interested in experiencing the Americana of over 102 years ago, you won’t find a more entertaining guide than the author known as O. Henry!
Carey Chaney, Library Assistant, Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library
We wrapped up our live events with back to back movie nights at Dearborn Street Plaza with great attendance. Your support makes future events like these possible. On Friday we were joined by Mac Martin all the way from Arcadia, producer of the film we screened, “Cracker: The Last Cowboys of Florida”.
Thank you to the Foundation for Art and Music in Education (FAME) for lending us the screen, Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library for funding the equipment and permits, and Englewood CRA for allowing us to use their space.
Most of all thank you for attending our Lemon Bay Fest events, watching the presentations on the website, submitting your recipes, going on scavenger hunts, and sharing your personal thoughts and memories about our town. You truly were the center of this year’s Lemon Bay Fest and together we not only celebrated history, but made some ourselves.
If you would like to view any of the virtual Lemon Bay Fest activities, or submit a lemon dessert recipe, please do so through the website (bit.ly/LBF2021).
-Marcus Gilfert, Librarian at Elsie Quirk Public Library
Yesterday was another great day of Lemon Bay Fest. Dr. Katherine Clements gave a wonderful look at how Lemon Bay has evolved since its settlement and the creation of the Intercoastal Waterway. I knew of course, that the area had been developed greatly in the past 100 years, but I didn’t know the extent of the damage caused by the dredging of the waterway. Thank you also to all the Sarasota County Parks employees who helped with the presentation.
If you missed the program in person, I’m happy to say it will be available on the Lemon Bay Fest website (bit.ly/LBF2021) later this month. Happily the website will remain active throughout February so you can view any of the video programs or go back and enjoy them for a second time.
Want to get out and explore our area a little more? Explore Your World backpacks were created just for that purpose. You can read about them here:
While the Cracker Fair will not be going on live this year, the Lemon Bay Historical Society has provided a treasure trove of photos from previous years. Here are a few samples, click on the link below to see them all.
I hope you enjoyed our Sumptuous Book Club today, featuring the book, “The Lemon Grove” by Ali Hosseini. As always it was followed with a brief cooking tip, this month with a lemon flair. The Sarasota Library System has many virtual book clubs for many ages that may interest you. Check them out on our upcoming events page.
Speaking of cooking, thank you to everyone who has submitted their lemon recipe so far. If you haven’t done so yet, you can pick up a submission form at either Elsie Quirk or Englewood Charlotte Library, or you can download a fillable .pdf right from our website (bit.ly/LBF2021). Thanks to the Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library, three randomly selected entrants will receive a lemon themed cooking prize. We will also use these entries to create our community recipe book that will be available for checkout at both libraries. There is no limit on the number of entries, but each participant is limited to one prize.
The first is on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 11 a.m. and features Dr. Katherine Clements. Find out more about Dr. Clements here. By taking a virtual field trip she will show “historical land usage, human impacts, and how we can continue to protect our valuable natural resources for future generations.” Registration is available now https://scgovlibrary.librarymarket.com/events/lemon-bay-fest-ecology-englewood-zoom
If you’re familiar with Zoom technology you can join the meeting directly.
Zoom Meeting ID 881 2700 8220, Passcode 424965
We also have two drive-in movie events. These will be held at Dearborn Plaza on Friday (2/12/21) and Saturday (2/13/21) night. Thank you Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library and Englewood CRA for making this possible.
Want more outdoor action? Don’t forget about our photo scavenger hunt that takes you around Englewood. Hint: a short stroll down historic Dearborn Street will allow you to locate five of the locations and make you a winner. Of course there’s no reason to stop there. Find all the locations and have Zesty bragging rights. Pick up your clue book at the Elsie Quirk Library, Englewood Charlotte Library, or on the Lemon Bay Fest website (bit.ly/LBF2021). Submit your answers at either library or email them to mgilfert@scgov.net for a prize!
-Marcus Gilfert, Librarian at Elsie Quirk Public Library
You can’t have a lemon without a lemon tree. With this in mind Elsie Quirk Library has two tree themed activities. Start by posting the “Zest thing about Englewood” on our “tree” near the audiobooks.
Next step into the Golden Garden where we ask you to share your favorite Englewood memory. Personal history is a vital part of our celebration this year, and we’d love to hear what your best memory in the community is, whether it’s your first year in Englewood or your one hundred and first.
While you’re at Elsie Quirk check out half of the series of photos provided by the Englewood Camera Club spotlighting our local residents in a Still Life Cracker Fair. You can hear many of their stories in their own voice on the website as well (bit.ly/LBF2021).
While you’re gearing up for Steve Koski’s talk on the Hermitage site, you might be interested in a fun fact about the location. When the petition for preservation of the site was made with the Department of the Interior as a National Historic Place, the identification of the site as a nudist resort played a role in cementing its importance.
-Marcus Gilfert, Librarian at Elsie Quirk Public Library
It’s finally here! The Sarasota County Commission has proclaimed the upcoming week to be Lemon Bay Fest – Englewood History with Zest. Lemon Bay Fest has once again come to Englewood, and this year many of its activities can be attended around the world. Find out about all the activities on the website: bit.ly/LBF2021.
Starting at Saturday, February 6th celebrate by entering the photo scavenger hunt. You can pick up the clue book at the Elsie Quirk or Englewood Charlotte Library or find it online on the website. Decode the literary clues provided by the Suncoast Writers Guild, take a photo of yourself at the location indicated and send the results to Marcus from the Elsie Quirk Library, mgilfert@scgov.net. Get at least five correct and win a prize. If you aren’t able to get a photo, just send the locations. You can also share your results at either library for the prize thanks to Mango Bistro. Plus, if you email your photos, you just might see yourself in lights as part of our blog.
You can also join the community lemon recipe book. Submit your recipe online or at either library. Three random entrants will win a prize, and entries will also be used to create our recipe book that will be printed and available for checkout at both libraries. Again, if you submit your recipe early, you may find it showcased right here. Thank you Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library for funding the printing of these books.
This year we’re focusing on you and your memories of Englewood. Check out our Still Life Cracker Fair, a series of photos and narratives from Englewood residents. Artists, crafters, story tellers, and swamp cabbage highlight our displays. See a small sample and hear many of stories online, and visit Elsie Quirk and Englewood Charlotte Library to see the full size participants. Thank you to the Englewood Camera Club for providing these awesome photos, and our local residents for your amazing stories.
We want everyone to get involved, so please come by the Elsie Quirk Library, and share your memory on our memory tree in the Golden Garden.
Plus hear some great stories with a Latin flair starting Saturday, February 6th from Carrie Ayvar. Her stories can be found on the website, bit.ly/LBF2021.
Thank you for keeping our community tradition alive!
-Marcus Gilfert, Librarian at Elsie Quirk Public Library
It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by and Lemon Bay Fest 2021 starts this Saturday, February 6. This year has been challenging, and forced us to adapt, but we aren’t giving up. While we can’t all join together this year for our traditional festivities, we can still experience them and our community will emerge as strong as ever.
As we approach the launch of Lemon Bay Fest you can kick it off with a fun start for all ages at Elsie Quirk Library.
Children can take the about you quiz in the children’s area, fill out a lemon with their answer, and post it for all to see! We’re hoping to paper these ends with lemons, so please help us.
Marucs Gilfert, Librarian
mgilfert@scgov.net
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library- Elsie Quirk
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library
Books on Historical Englewood and the surrounding area in Florida for Lemon Bay Fest
When Life Gives You Lemons Library Display
Paper and pens at Elsie Quirk scavenger hunt.
Signs for the scavenger hunt!
Signs for the scavenger hunt!
Signs for the scavenger hunt!
Display Boards on the History of Elsie Quirk Library- Wellington Quirk
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