Places of Enchantment

Perhaps it is a bit on the nose to mention “enchantment” less than 100 miles from Walt Disney World. 🐭 But even before the parks in California and Florida opened their gates, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote in her seminal novel Cross Creek: “I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.” Do you agree? What is your place? Mine used to be Albuquerque, New Mexico – I went to high school there and I still miss the mountains and sunsets. As a matter of fact, New Mexico’s slogan is Land of Enchantment. But Rawlings’ descriptions of old Florida reminds me that enchantment reverberates all around us here too, in many places great and small… as large as a grove and as petite as a paragraph on the page of a library book. Join us in August as we celebrate MKR’s works throughout the month. PHL will always endeavor to be the place that everyone can turn to…

To  enjoy the writings and themes of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings works, consider attending one or more – or all! – of the following:

• 8/11 – PHiL’s Book Club: Short Stories
• 8/12 – Let Us Cook [recipes from Cross Creek Cookery]
• 8/13 – DIY@PHL [inspired by FL’s ecosystems]
• 8/14 – DIY@PHL with Micaela Lydon [shadow boxes inspired by Old Florida]
• 8/14 – Ales & Tales Book Club: Cross Creek
• 8/16 – An Afternoon with Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• 8/30 – The Sounds of Cross Creek – Celebrating Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings through Music, Poetry, and Prose

You can find many titles by and about MKR right here at PHL:

• For kids – The Secret River
• For older kids/teens – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and the Florida Crackers, The three Marjories,  The Yearling
• For adults – Blood of My Blood, Cross Creek, Cross Creek Cookery, Invasion of Privacy : The Cross Creek Trial of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Short Stories, 
• Documentary – From Novel to Movie: The Yearling in Florida

Rawlings work can also be found in eBook and eAudiobook format via our online library. You may already be familiar with Libby and Hoopla. But have you tried CloudLibrary? We provide many titles via CloudLibrary that are not available on the other eBook platforms. Start by downloading the mobile app onto your smart phone or tablet if you have one – or you can use the web browser on your computer. Then login with your library card number and pin. Be sure to check out the Featured lists when you are there for easy browsing.

As the summer winds down, it may give us pause to think of Florida’s expanses as majestic when we are battling the formidable heat and the ever present threat of severe storms. But of course we know there is beauty in the topography and human-made structures, old and new. Rawlings addresses this duality poignantly, just below her statement about enchantment: “Across the lake, visible the four miles only on a clear day, is the tower of the old Samson manse, decaying in the middle of the still prosperous orange grove. From the tower itself, decrepit and dangerous, is a sight of a tropical world of dreams, made up of glossy trees and shining water and palm islands.” Once again, books show us the way(s)!

~Matthew

Matthew David, Palm Harbor Library Director

A July to Remember

How has your summer been so far? Are you like me and you are just now getting around to Spring Cleaning at home? Well, that second living room (your local public library) has a much easier to-do list for you to enjoy! Have you attended a library event yet this season? If not, stop by and pick up the summer guide with details for events through August. This month, on July 14 and 15, we will join the Palm Harbor Main Street Association and celebrate 100 Years of Palm Harbor with special events here at PHL and several other spots near and dear to local Palm Harbor life. And if you want to continue your history deep dive, check out the library’s digital edition of the New York Times, which goes all the way back to 1851 (not to mention free access to their additional features such as recipes and games). The movie Jaws recently celebrated 50 years 🦈 and you can watch it with us on July 3. Or perhaps you want to look into your own history and ancestry with the Suncoast Genealogy Society, also here for you at PHL. And the list goes on…

July marks month two of summer reading! Kids, teens and adults can still sign up for the reading initiative. PHL will be closed on July 4th for the Independence Day holiday, but when the last firework has lit up the night sky, why not curl up with a good book or film to honor the historic date? Kids can read about the Declaration of Independence. Teens can grab a biography of the declaration’s author. Adults can check out one of our many books on American history, or perhaps opt for one of our documentaries on DVD. And if you want to keep the celebration going, join us on July 28 for Pizza and a Movie – we will be screening the classic picture Yankee Doodle Dandy.

A century ago – July 15, 1925 – our town of Sutherland was renamed Palm Harbor. Now the community is coming together to celebrate this milestone. On July 14, PHL will host Countdown to Palm Harbor at 5:00 p.m. The lineup of speakers is not to be missed, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Adults may also raise a glass and toast the occasion with wine and cake, not to mention hors d’oeuvres and even coffee for those who crave an early evening boost. 🎉 The evening will be complete with an exhibition from Palm Harbor Museum, live music, and giveaways.

On July 15, PHL will host Palm Harbor Centennial Family Day at 3:00 p.m. This is a chance for the whole family to take part in the festivities with multiple activities, selfie-spots, and even a costume contest. Need costume ideas? Think 1920s, or even more specific to Palm Harbor: orange groves or post offices. Dress up as a citrus, or a postal worker, or a stamp… we can’t wait to see what you dream up! And it wouldn’t be a party without sweets and snacks. 🧁 For more area events honoring 100 years of Palm Harbor, visit the Palm Harbor Main Street Association website.

When it comes to the busy-ness of summer and the craziness of life, we are all in the same boat. Here at PHL we are delighted to live in that ocean of possibilities for recreation and respite you can traverse every summer. And given how immensely strong the rip current of resources and services can pull, there is simply no other way to say it: we’re gonna need a bigger boat! 🛥️

~Matthew

Matthew David, Palm Harbor Library Director

Summer Reading 2025: Color Our World

Every June and July – and the beginning of August – the Palm Harbor Library (PHL) joins libraries nationally to celebrate the summer reading initiative. This year’s theme set by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is Color Our World. 🎨 Art is intrinsic to our mission. And given the wealth of creativity in our community, this theme is a perfect fit for all of us! When you visit PHL, you will see two designated spaces for exhibitions, related books and media onsite and online for all ages, collections of cameras and musical instruments to check out, a creative makerspace for kids, and even a Little Free Art Gallery outside in our garden. Look for activities, programs, and events which incorporate the arts in numerous ways. I invite all to discover – or rediscover – the myriad spaces, services, and resources we have to offer through special activities, giveaways, and reads. The Suncoast boasts great outdoor experiences, but when you are ready to beat the heat, the world continues inside the library!

What is Summer Reading? Simply put, it is an effort to incentivize and inspire reading and engagement with your local library. We do this with book benchmarks, themed events, and multiple methods of participating – not to mention giveaways and prizes. New readers can be energized, and those of us who have not read anything in a while can reignite that spark. 🌟 This initiative is for all ages, and PHL has something for everyone. Reading choices can be wide ranging, but for those wanting to fully embrace the theme, relevant titles are easy to find. Here are just a few fiction and nonfiction options:

• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (for younger kids)
• Who was Frida Kahlo? by Sarah Fabiny (for older kids)
• Salvador Dalí and the Surrealists: Their Lives and Ideas, 21 Activities by Michael Elsohn Ross (for teens)
• My Name is Asher Lev (for adults)

To make the most of the summer reading experience, visit PHL and pick up a Summer Guide to see the rich list of experiences we have planned for all ages. Beginning May 31st, registration will be open for many of the reading clubs and events scheduled June through August. Parents and caregivers can stop by the Children’s room to pick up reading logs. Teens and adults can stop by the info desks to pick up achievement and activity sheets. 📋 Many programs fill up fast, so don’t wait!

Summer reading programs began in the late 1800s as a way of helping children develop good reading habits when school was not in session. Reading goals help to address summer learning loss; according to the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), students can lose 17 – 34% of knowledge gained in the school year. Recreational reading combines the need for fun and escape with the benefits of lifelong learning and enrichment. 📚 Nowadays, the focus has expanded to include teens and adults.

Salvador Dalí wrote sage advice for any individual who wishes to both learn and do in the fine art world: “Begin by drawing and painting like the old masters. After that do as you see fit – you will always be respected.” What book about art will you read this summer? What art fair or museum will you visit? And then… what will you create? Or help others to create? 🖍️ Maybe you will celebrate when the youth in your family learn to color inside the lines – or be astounded when they advance to doing as they “see fit” by illustrating something truly unique. At every stage, the library will be here to support those journeys: in reading, in art, or the next blank canvas of your choice.

~Matthew

Matthew David, Palm Harbor Library Director