Thank you!

Twenty people pledged $1,325 to the John Trigg Ester Library from their Permanent Fund Dividend through the Pick.Click.Give. program this year, and that means a LOT to us! We know the choices were harder this year, and so we appreciate each donor that much more. Thank  you.

Here's why one person supported the library through the PCG program:

I like the convenience of walking to a neighborhood library rather than going downtown or to the bookstore. A bookmobile doesn't replace that community center feel that a library has, and I want that for our village. The Pick.Click.Give. program gave me a convenient way to donate to a cause I believe in.

Berry list!

Berry season, folks, and it's time for pie and some great local music!

Date & Time: Saturday, August 25, 2 to 10 pm
Location: Golden Eagle Saloon, 3630 Main Street, Ester, Alaska
Cost: $15 donation requested at the door, $5 donation requested per slice of delicious, homemade pie! 
Pie contest entry fee: $2 per pie (savory and sweet categories, no limit on number of entries, but all must be homemade and include berries)
Pie registration: noon to 1:30 (don't be late!)
Pie judgeship seat auction: 
Reason: good fun, good music, good pie—and raising funds to build a library! 

Here's the scoop:

• PIE THROWDOWN: Bring your homemade pie with berries in it to the Golden Eagle Saloon between noon and 1:30 pm, pay your $2 entry fee and register your pie (and bring your recipe for publication in the Throwdown Cookbook!). Winning pie makers receive FABULOUS prizes, and the top pies are auctioned off to the audience. Awards are presented between 3:30 and 4:30 pm (we hope the judges can finish that fast!) and then the other pies are sold by the slice ($5 donation requested per slice). And if you'd rather just eat pie, one of the judge's seats is up for auction, too, so get there early to have a chance at tasting every pie entered! 
• BERRIES: Most people know what berries are: blueberries, cranberries, etc. But did you know that things like strawberries or raspberries aren't actually berries, botanically speaking? And that avocadoes, watermelons, tomatoes, bananas, and lemons are? Pies submitted for the contest must have berries in them, but the berries may be either by the botanical definition or those fruits commonly thought of as berries. The pie judges will be the final arbiters of what constitutes a berry for purposes of the contest, so be prepared to sweet talk them if necessary (large donations to the library sometimes help in this matter).

• MUSIC FESTIVAL: music starts at 2 pm and goes until 10 pm, with some really incredibly good local bands and performers, including Ptarmagin, Zingaro Roots, Tim Robb, Almost A Minyan, and many, many more. 

Donations for the 2011 Lallapalooza

Letters have gone out to potential donors to the 7th annual Library Lallapalooza & Book Bash, and the results are quite encouraging. A few items so far include:

• A basket of delicious artisanal bread made by Putt Clark (she did this last year, too—the bread was DELICIOUS)
• A night's stay with swim passes for two at Chena Hot Springs Resort
• A gift card from College Coffeehouse
• Tax preparation gift certificates from BB Tax Services
• Books from the University of Alaska Press
• Gift certificates from the Riverboat Discovery & El Dorado Gold Mine
• An engraved birch bowl from the Great Alaskan Bowl Company
• Books and a gift certificate for The Ester Republic from the Ester Republic Press

And this is just the beginning!

Looking for librarypalooza volunteers!

The 7th annual Library Lallapalooza and Book Bash is coming up on Sunday, February 27, from 2 to 5 pm at the Annex. As usual, this fundraiser has several aspects.

• the music: Monique Musick and Bob Huebert are rounding up volunteers to perform at the librarypalooza. We'll have live background music throughout the afternoon.
• the Pastapalooza: Ken Bluhm is organizing the lasagne feed. If you would like to help him with this or want to take a spell serving pasta to the public, contact him at 978-8089.
• the auctions: this year, there will be an outcry auction as well as the four silent auctions. If you'd like to donate an item for the auction, or help close tables or work the payment booth, contact Trey Simmons at pacotrey@gmail.com or call Jeff Rogers at 474-1694.
• the fashion show: Amy Cameron is once again curating a fashion show, and needs runway models and fabric artists to convert library t-shirts into pret-a-porter items or one-of-a-kind fashion statements. Contact her at badwhitedog@gmail.com or 388-9183 if you'd like to join the JTEL Sewing Consortium or walk the library strut at the 'Palooza.
• not last and not least, the desserts: We'll be featuring fabulous desserts during the outcry auction. If you'd like to contribute a dessert, please contact Melinda Harris at 378-6744.

2011 Library Lallapalooza needs help!

The 7th annual John Trigg Ester Library Lallapalooza & Book Bash is coming up! This fundraiser for the Ester library will be held Sunday Feb. 27 from 2-5 PM at The Annex, and features a silent auction (2-5PM), lasagne feed (3 PM), and outcry auction (4 PM), and, of course, fabulous entertainment and fashion!

If you are interested in performing at the Librarypalooza, please contact Monique Musick at 388-4784. Spots are limited, so please contact us early!

Details on the dessert auction will be posted here soon. Melinda Harris is coordinating this event, and may be reached at 378-6744.

Donations for the outcry and silent auctions are needed! If you're interested in donating or volunteering, contact organizers Nancy Burnham (the__annex@hotmail.com, 457-6668) or Trey Simmons (pacotrey@gmail.com, 452-0518).

An office for the library

The latest project for the Ester library is obtaining an office where we can keep our records together, have meetings, and work. Right now the records for the library are scattered across at least three computers and seven households, plus a few offices. One board member may have certain office records, but those records aren't accessible to the rest of the board unless special arrangements are made. It's just not a good way to try to work or coordinate events, meetings, and construction. Volunteers who would like to help catalog titles or work on events have no central place they can go to find the information or resources they might need. An office will make the work of the board and volunteers easier and more efficient.

So, the JTEL board has put out a call for office sponsorships! The board is weighing two potential locations in the Ester area, both of which rent in the range of $250 to $300 a month, and have high-speed internet access. With telephone charges, etc., we expect the cost of an office will be around $300 to $350 per month. We've already gotten so many sponsors that the amount still needed is only $135 per month! The response has been wonderful. The library's regular funding events and even the state appropriation could pay for the remainder, but that means that money won't be available for construction or design work.

The office will only be needed for a limited time, until the library building is complete. Before we move the books, we will move the office, so we expect that the duration of office sponsorship will be from two to three years. We are asking sponsors to commit to one year, if they can, and to pay in advance six months to a year if possible. However, sponsorships need not be large: we have sponsors who can only afford $5 per month up to those who have committed to $50 per month. Every bit helps, and is greatly appreciated.