What's Christmas like in Sweden?

One of the library’s book clubs was reading A Man Called Ove by Swedish author Fredrick Backman. Since it’s close to the holiday season, they were wondering how Ove and the other characters would be celebrating. We found the answer on Sweden’s official tourism website and in The Folklore of World Holidays by Margaret Read MacDonald, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas by Gerry Bowler, the Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year’s Celebrations by Tanya Gulevich, and a tongue-in-cheek article about Swedish Christmas traditions by Emma Löfgren for The Local.

The Christmas season begins with St. Lucia’s day on December 13. Families may celebrate by having one of their daughters get up early and serve coffee and baked goods while dressed in the traditional St. Lucia costume of a white dress, red sash, and a wreath on her head with seven lit candles. Towns and schools elect their own Lucias, and a national Lucia is chosen and announced on television.

Swedes celebrate many customs that Americans would be familiar with, such as setting up a Christmas tree and exchanging gifts. It used to be that the gift-giver would write a short verse about what the present contained, but this doesn’t seem to still be widely done. A tradition that has held is the Disney Christmas special, broadcast at 3:00 PM nationwide every year since 1959.

As everywhere, food is an important part of celebrations. A classic Christmas smorgasbord (or julbord) includes herring, sausage, ham, meatballs, rice pudding, and lutfisk, a dish made of lye-soaked dried fish.

Decorations vary from family to family, but often involve candles, Advent calendars, fresh flowers such as hyacinths, and the Christmas goat, or julbock, often made of straw. The julbock is thought to have originated with the goats that drew the Norse god Thor’s chariot. At one point, it was the julbock and not Santa Claus that delivered the gifts. Though Santa has taken over, the goat remains a part of the season. Since 1966, the town of Gävle has built an enormous straw goat at the beginning of Advent, but it’s an irresistible target for vandals and has been burned down nearly every year.

The Christmas season doesn’t officially end until St. Knut’s Day on January 13, at which point the tree is taken down and everything is put away until next year.

Our patrons can see Frederick Backman’s own take on the holidays in his recently published novella, The Deal of a Lifetime.

How do I get a flag on my relative's grave for Memorial Day?

“I recently found out that one of my relatives fought in the Civil War. How do I make sure that he gets a flag on his grave for Memorial Day?”

Our patron’s relative was not buried in Newton Falls, but we were able to easily locate the rules and regulations for the cemetery where they were buried on the internet. The rules stated that the Memorial Day flags were property of the township and would be displayed for “a reasonable time.” We decided that our most straightforward option would be to contact the township directly, so we called the cemetery sexton, who had listed his phone number on the website, and he was able to solve the problem. We also could have called the local chapter of the American Legion.

According to Holiday Symbols and Customs, edited by Sue Ellen Thompson, Memorial Day, first called “Decoration Day,” originated as a day to honor Civil War soldiers. The first official observance was in Waterloo, New York on May 5, 1866, though other towns were decorating soldiers’ graves before then, including women in Columbus, Mississippi, who gathered on April 25, 1866 to decorate the graves of both the Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

The first nationwide Decoration Day was held by the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Army veterans’ group, on May 30, 1868. As Union Army veterans were the first to mark the day, several southern states felt that it was only for them, so states instituted their own Confederate Memorial Days on different dates ranging from late  April to early June. This custom mostly ended after World War I, when the American Legion took over planning the holiday.

When did Macy's start having balloons in their Thanksgiving Day parade?

Though it can be hard to think about November with the spring weather we’ve been having, the question came up in one of our library book discussions. Brad Ricca, in his book Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – the Creators of Superman, mentioned the Superman balloon in the 1939 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. One of our patrons wondered how long the big balloons had been part of the parade.

According to Kathleen Curtin and Sandra L. Oliver’s book Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie, Eliza Berman’s article on Time.com, and Kate Hogan’s article on People.com, the first giant balloons appeared in 1927 – most famously, the cartoon character Felix the Cat.

The Macy’s parade began in 1924, but the custom of Thanksgiving parades in New York dates back to the 1780s, according to Curtin and Oliver. “Fantastical companies,” as they were called, were groups of working-class young men dressing in costume and carousing in the streets on Thanksgiving morning. The Macy’s parade itself may have originated with the company’s employees, immigrants who wanted to celebrate with a European-style parade including clowns, floats, and zoo animals.

In the parade’s early years, officials had no plans for deflating the balloons. They set them free and offered a reward if people could bring them back. This practice ended after a balloon nearly brought down a plane.

For more information, America’s Favorite Holidays by Bruce David Forbes and All around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life by Jack Santino are available for checkout at the Newton Falls Public Library, along with Melissa Sweet’s picture book biography of Tony Sarg, Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade.

Can I ship cookies to Australia?

“Can I ship gingerbread cookies to Australia?”

With the holidays coming up, one of our patrons was planning how she’d send her Christmas cookies to her friend overseas. She wanted to know if they’d last the trip and if they’d be able to clear customs once they arrived.

We checked the Australia Customs and Border Protection website and found that there shouldn’t be any need to pay taxes or duties on the cookies, since they wouldn’t be worth more than AUD1,000. The prohibited imports list includes porpoises, certain novelty erasers, and radioactive material, but cookies are in the clear.

They should also still be fresh by the time they arrive. According to Nancy Baggett’s The All-American Cookie Book and Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie, gingerbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container for three to four weeks. Christmas Cookies Are for Giving by Kristin Johnson and Mimi Cummins cautions bakers that crispy cookies like gingerbread break more easily in transit. Johnson and Cummins recommend baking the cookies in small geometric shapes (cutout circles, for instance, will be more likely to make it in one piece than cutout reindeer) and packing them carefully.

Fortunately, Christmas Cookies Are for Giving and the Land O’ Lakes website both have tips on how to pack the cookies so that they survive their journey. Our patron will need a rigid container (such as a tin), bubble wrap, plastic wrap or tinfoil, and another large box for shipping that allows for at least two inches of cushion all around the cookie container. First, use plastic wrap or tinfoil to wrap together similarly-sized cookies in packages of four to six. Line the container, putting bubble wrap in the bottom and a piece of plastic wrap or tinfoil on top of it that will be big enough to cover the cookies once they’re all packed. Layer the cookies in the container, separating the layers with more bubble wrap or crumpled up tissue paper. Once the cookies are all in, cover them with a final layer of bubble wrap and wrap the extra lining over them before sealing the container. Put the container inside the large box and surround it with packing material (either more bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or crumpled up newspaper). Tape up the box securely and be sure to mark it perishable, and the gingerbread cookies should be able to make their journey.

What Information Can You Give Me About Christmas Crackers?

"What information can you give me about Christmas crackers?" One of our patrons was interested in making her own Christmas crackers for a party favor, and wanted to be able to give her guests some information on their history.

We found several websites with the information we needed, including http://www.absolutelycrackers.com/historynew.html, http://www.tomsmithchristmascrackers.com/, http://www.christmasarchives.org/crackers.html, http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/crackers.shtml, and http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/12/a-very-british-christmas-crackers/. Invented by Tom Smith in 1847, Christmas crackers are popular in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries. The crackers are made from a cardboard tube wrapped in paper and filled with small prizes. The tube also contains a small strip of chemically treated paper so that the cracker makes a small "bang" when pulled apart. Smith was inspired to add the sound effect after hearing the crackle of a log on the fire. He originally called his creation "Cosaques," because the sound reminded him of Cossacks cracking their whips.

While avid Harry Potter fans may remember the "wizard crackers" present at the Hogwarts Christmas dinner, containing elaborate hats, enchanted chess sets, and pet mice, most crackers contain a paper crown, a printed joke, and a small toy. However, luxury crackers have also been produced, filled with jewelry and gold coins. The crowns are said to hearken back to either the Magi or the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.

For more information on Christmas traditions, "The World Encyclopedia of Christmas" by Gerry Bowler, "Encyclopedia of Christmas & New Year's Celebrations" by Tanya Gulevich, and "Christmas! Traditions, Celebrations and Food Across Europe" by Stella Ross Collins are all available at the Newton Falls Public Library. 

When Did Newton Falls Begin Having 4th of July Fireworks?

“When did Newton Falls begin having 4^th of July fireworks?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff found this to be a very timely question.

We searched through the History of Newton Falls by Ella A. Woodward [Revised 1977 Edition].  In the section about the Sesquicentennial (p. 188) it describes the activities which occurred from March through July 4, 1953. “The festivities were climaxed with the 8^th Annual Veteran’s Homecoming Fireworks Display.” That would have made the first display in 1946, the year following World War II and the return of the veterans.

This year’s celebration will be held on July 4 at 10 p.m. at the Community Center. There is also an interesting Facebook page showing past displays, which can be accessed by going to Newton Falls OH 4th of July Festivities .  The Newton Falls 4th of July Committee also has a page at  www.facebook.com/NFJuly44444.

Why Is It Called Good Friday?

“Why is it called ‘Good Friday’? It doesn’t seem like it was a very good day.” The Newton Falls Public Library staff thought this was a very timely question and began the search in the 2011 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. The entry about Easter describes each of the days of Holy Week including Palm Sunday, Maundy or Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday but does not explain how each became so named.

The staff were surprised they couldn’t find the answer in The New Interpreter's Bible: general articles & introduction, commentary, & reflections for each book of the Bible, including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books or The Encyclopedia of Religion. The Oxford English Dictionary: being a corrected re-issue with an introduction, supplement, and bibliography of a new English dictionary on historical principles founded mainly on the materials collected by The Philological Society defined good, as it relates to this day, as “a day or season observed as holy by the church.”

We then expanded our search to online resources. The site, ChurchYear.net says the Eastern Catholic Churches call this day “the Great Friday . . . The name ‘Good Friday’ possibly comes from ‘God's Friday,’ although the exact reason for the current name is unclear.”

Charlie Dean, the lead pastor of Imago Dei Church [www.imagodeichurch.org], defines the term in this way: “After 40+ days of penitence, it’s time for relief!  On Good Friday, we contemplate  . . .   Generally, Good Friday is marked with communion, and, depending on your faith tradition, a Good Friday service can end with a triumphant note, or it can leave you feeling unsettled. . .”

At Google Books [www.books.google.com] we found the The American Cyclopaedia: a popular dictionary of general knowledge, Volume 8. As defined on page 101, “It is only in England that the ‘good’ is applied to this feast. Its ancient title was Holy Friday, or the Friday in Holy Week. The Saxons named it ‘Long Friday,’ both because of its long religious services and of its rigorous and protracted fast. The Germans term it sometimes Stiller Freitag because bells and organs are silent on that day, and sometimes Char Freitag from an old meaning penitence.”

How Do You Catch a Leprechaun?

This reference question came up several years ago when a local teacher used to send her students on a leprechaun hunt, but is still timely. “How do you catch a leprechaun?” The question had the Newton Falls Public Library staff thinking about how handy it would be to have a pot of gold.

Carol Rose’s book, page 196 of Spirits, fairies, gnomes, goblins: an encyclopedia of the little people, describes leprechauns as fairy shoemakers who like to play pranks on humans and have a reputation for guarding crocks of gold. In the book, Leprechauns and Irish Folklore by Mary Pope Osborne, they are described as the bankers and richest of the fairy folk, originally hiding their gold from the Vikings. It is an Irish legend that they hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows, keeping very busy always moving it around. If a leprechaun is captured, he will supposedly promise to give you his gold for setting him free. Once coins are given and he is free, the silver returns magically to his purse and the gold turns to ash. People will try to trap them in boxes in gardens. Beware that you don’t nab the wrong one; they have similar appearing cousins named clurichauns who move into homes, drink all the wine, and refuse to leave.

An online search revealed numerous suggestions for catching the tricky wee folk. Traps are baited with money, shoes to be repaired, or poteen, an Irish alcohol usually made from potatoes. Some suggest using nets to catch the leprechaun. Others fear that the expansion of cities is causing them to go underground, reducing the likelihood of seeing one. While many legends and tales speak of the unfortunate consequences that often resulted in capturing a leprechaun in the past, none of the sites tell of any recent, successful catches.

Why is Turkey the Traditional Thanksgiving Meat?”

“Why is turkey the traditional Thanksgiving meat?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff does not often get asked about commonly accepted customs such as this.  Discovering the answers to questions like this is always interesting.

The Folklore of American Holidays has an extensive section about Thanksgiving and harvest celebrations including the origins and customs.  Under Thanksgiving Dinner and What it Means [p.466], the basic menu of turkey, dressing, cranberries, potatoes, and pumpkin pie are listed, but not the reasons for the selections.  We extended our search online and found http://www.foodtimeline.org/ with information about Historic American Thanksgiving dinner menus.  In 1621, a contemporary description of the three day Plymouth Colony celebration lists waterfowl, turkey, and venison as the meals’ meats. It appears that until the mid 1900’s, a variety of meats were commonly served for this dinner.

Searching the OhioWebLibrary.org/ebsco we found an article which appeared in Highlights for Children [Nov2010, Vol. 65 Issue 11, p6-7, 2p] A Turkey at the White House! author, Jeannine Q. Norris, relates the story of the pardoning of the turkey by President Lincoln.  His son, Tad liked a turkey that was given to the president for Christmas dinner and begged his father to pardon the bird.  Thus began the custom of pardoning the White House turkey.

In The Making of the Domestic Occasion: The History of Thanksgiving in the United States by Elizabeth Pleck [Journal of Social History; Summer99, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p773, 17p].  Ms. Pleck states, “In early nineteenth century New England Thanksgiving day might begin with a morning church service, followed by the large meal in the afternoon.  Before or after attending church, men, musket in hand, might take aim at a wild turkey in the fields, or at paper targets.  The winner usually won a turkey as his prize for good marksmanship.”  In the 1920s, teachers began teaching about the holiday and decorated their classrooms with . . . pictures of Pilgrims and turkeys.  One wonders if this early childhood association with the holiday and turkeys helped to cement a lasting connection between the holiday and the menu.

We informed our patron, while we could not find a definitive reason it seems to have become customary to serve turkey due to common practice.

What is a Cake Walk?

“I’m new in town and I keep seeing articles about the Halloween Cake Walk. What is a cake walk?” This is one of Newton Falls’ most interesting community events, and one in which some of the Newton Falls Public staff have enjoyed participating.

We were able to inform the new resident that the cake walk is sponsored every year by the Kiwanis Club, it follows the community Trick or Treat, and is held on Broad Street between Canal and Center Streets. Participants purchase tickets and then walk through arches while music is playing. When the horn blows, those under an arch may select a cake from the many donated. The cakes are supplied by community groups who receive a percentage per cake of the evening’s proceeds for their organization. During the event, the Newton Falls High School Tiger Marching Band entertains and prizes donated by businesses and groups are awarded for costumes.

This question intrigued the library staff who began to wonder more about a cake walk. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles (pg. 241), a cakewalk was “Orig. a parade or walk-around, poss. by Negroes, in which the reward for the fanciest steps was a cake. Now a walk in which those participating pay for the privilege of walking to music on a numbered floor, each one hoping that when the music stops he will be on a lucky number and thus receive a cake as a prize.” There is also more historical information online on the subject, but not much is readily available about specific community cakewalks.

To discover more about our local cakewalk, we contacted a member of our local Kiwanis Club and our Local History Room volunteer. The member informed us that the Newton Falls club began in 1924 and he thought their cake walk began around 1930. In searching the old volumes of the Newton Falls Herald, no mention was found before 1926. The headline on the front page of the October 28, 1926 edition announced Big Community Hallowe’en Celebration Saturday. That event was to be held on October 30, 1926, making this year’s celebration the 85th one. The article announced that there would be music by the Newton Falls Band under the direction of L. E. Price, cakes, costumes and “fine” prizes. Besides cash awards of $1-$3 for the best of certain costume types, there were also product prizes. This list included: Best George Washington, 1st prize – vacuum windshield cleaner and 2nd prize - rear view mirror donated by W. C. Liber and Son; Fattest Man, 1st prize - 25 lb. sack of sugar and 2nd prize - 24 lb. Occident Flour donated by O. C. Bedell; and Best Made-Up Man, 1st prize - 24 lb. sack of flour and 2nd prize - 6 bottles of catsup donated by Jack Davis.

In the October 16, 1930 Newton Falls Herald, the Kiwanis decided to hold their annual cake walk on the evening of October 31 at the location where the event is presently still enjoyed. Proceeds were to be donated to the Kiwanis Club fund for the care of underprivileged children. In the October 30 paper, one would assume due to the effects of the Depression, the club decided to devote the monies raised for the relief of the needy in the community. The cakes would be on display at the Bate Brothers real estate office on Broad Street.

For individuals interested in participating in this year’s event, the library has some wonderful resources to inspire a cake baker. Fantastic party cakes: 20 fun cakes to make and decorate by Allison Wilkinson has the Masquerade cake and A Walk on the Wild Side which has tiger stripes draped over it. If decorating a large cake seems daunting, try The Artful Cupcake: baking & decorating delicious indulgences by Marcianne Miller. For those wishing to encourage children to participate, the book Birthday cakes for kids: dozens of fun & creative cakes has Boo the Ghost, Jack-O-Lantern, and Webster’s Web, all which are sure to be Halloween crowd pleasers.

To have a chance to win a prize, Cake Walk participants might wish to investigate the library’s collection of Halloween costume books. Adults can be creative with The Halloween Handbook: 447 costumes by Bridie Clark and Ashley Dodd, teens might find the perfect one in The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book by Jim and Tim, the duct tape guys, and parents will find a variety of easy children’s’ costumes in FamilyFun Tricks and Treats by Deanna F. Cook

Valentine Cards for the Troops

“The presenter for our church’s next ladies group meeting had to cancel and we need someone to take her place. We are also making Valentine cards for the troops as part of the program. Can you help us?” The staff of the Newton Falls Public Library, schedules permitting, can present programs to local groups. This event offered an opportunity to share some interesting books available at the library.

Letters are an important part of the lives of the men and women in the military. The books Letters Home, the Ohio Veterans Plaza compiled by Daniel A. Meeks and David E. Aldstadt, A Tribute to Military Families: letters of thanks from our nation's children, and War Letters: extraordinary correspondence from American wars all revealed how those serving our country depend on word from us at home. The letters in the latter book were especially compelling; covering correspondence from the Civil War through the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Bosnia. Additional information was often included with these letters, giving the reader insight into what else was occurring at the time the letters were written and what happened to the writer. Some are very heartrending, including one in the section of World War II letters by Rabbi Alex Goode to his wife, Theresa; written merely hours before his embarking on the USAT Dorchester. It is the last letter he wrote to her. History respectfully remembers him as one of the four chaplains who gave up their life preservers when the Dorchester was sunk by a German torpedo in the North Atlantic on February 3, 1943.

Along with the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, military love letters enjoyed by the ladies, the library staff brought a sampling of our greeting card craft books for ideas. The selection included The Card Book by Susan Attenborough and Simply Cards by Sally Traidman. The card makers found inspiration in the poetry found in the Valentine’s Day edition of Ideals. When making their own cards they took quotations and tweaked them to appropriately recognize the sacrifice made and service given by those in the armed forces.

The History of New Year's Resolutions

“I know everyone says they are making New Year’s resolutions; but why do they? What is the history behind it?” The Newton Falls Public Library has a wonderful resource for looking at this question and others related to this holiday season. The Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations: over 240 alphabetically arranged entries covering Christmas, New Year's, and related days of observance, including folk and religious customs, history, legends, and symbols from around the world; supplemented by a bibliography and lists of Christmas Web sites and associations ... by Tanya Gulevich is a fascinating book to thumb through, covering diverse topics from Adam and Eve Day to Zagmuk. Adam and Eve Day is a feast day on the Sunday before Christmas. Zagmuk is an ancient Mesopotamian festival resembling Twelfth Night and the Twelve Days of Christmas.

According to Gulevich, there are many activities connected to New Year’s. In 567, Church officials ordered “Christians to fast and do penance during the first few days of the new year [p.550].” In the 1500s the Puritans felt that New Year’s Eve should be spent in self-examination and prayer. Devout Protestants in the 1800s also wanted to celebrate the holiday in a quiet manner, to sing, pray, worship, and to begin the upcoming year by forming spiritual and pious resolutions. Modern resolutions began in the early 1900s when people stopped resolving simply religious improvement, and began to look at other areas of self-improvement.

Several sites including http://www.wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm date the tradition back to the early Babylonians, whose most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. The founder of New Year’s Resolution Week, Gary Ryan Blair in his online article, The History of New Years Resolutions [http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-New-Years-Resolutions&id=245213] traces the tradition back to 153 B.C. when Janus, a mythical Roman king was put at the head of the calendar. He was pictured as two-faced, looking both back to the past and forward to the future, and thus became the ancient symbol for resolutions when many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies.

Wherever it began, making resolutions is still very popular. USA Gov [http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml] lists some popular resolutions such as manage debt, drink or smoke less, reduce stress, lose weight, eat right and get fit and links to how to successfully fulfill them. A Wall Street Journal poll released on February 7, 2008 reported that fewer people were making resolutions. The top three that people attempted were to exercise more frequently, lose weight, and eat a healthier diet.

Out of curiosity, we expanded our online search to find some unusual resolutions. A particular favorite from the many sites available was “10 New Year's Resolutions for My Cat” [http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/509837/10_new_years_resolutions_for_my_cat.html?cat=60] where the first one is, I will no longer sleep on my owner’s head. . .

Halloween costume

“I’m going to a Halloween party and I need a really cool costume; one that isn’t too complicated.” The staff at the Newton Falls Public Library is always willing to assist with party ideas. The Halloween Handbook: 447 costumes by Bridie Clark and Ashley Dodd is filled with easy to create costumes. You can select from 14 different chapters of costumes including: Movie and TV Characters, History in the Making, Literature and Art, and Odds and Ends. My personal favorite was Play with Your Words which has ‘Chick Magnet’ (attaching small marshmallow or fluffy novelty chicks to a shirt) and ‘Pointless’ (fastening unsharpened pencils all over your clothes while spending the evening making meaningless statements). Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys Present The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book includes very unusual costumes, but also some very creative ones such as a knight in shining armor using cardboard and silver duct tape. If you need a last minute costume for your child or even yourself, Child's Play: quick and easy costumes by Leslie Hamilton is a good choice.

Creating costume effects without a mask can be done with Create Your Own Stage Make-up by Gill Davies and Decorate Yourself: cool designs for temporary tattoos, face painting, henna & more by Tom Andrich. These are especially useful when seeking to disguise yourself without obscuring your vision; just be careful if you are planning to bob for apples.

If you are hosting the party or are staying at home waiting for the trick or treaters, and are personally more of a trickster than a ‘treater’, consider Give Them a Real Scare This Halloween: a guide to scaring trick-or-treaters, and haunting your house, yard, or party written by Joseph Pfeiffer. Not all the ideas in this book are gross or scary; some are just plain fun like the ‘Jack-o-laugh-tern’ talking pumpkin head. There are also costume and makeup suggestions. CDs Andrew Gold's Halloween Howls and Spooky Favorites will make the evening sound creepy. Halloween: 101 frightfully fun ideas is also filled with suggestions to make the night memorable. And what would a holiday season of any type be without Martha Stewart and the Martha Stewart Living book, Halloween?

Looking for some ghoulish Halloween treats? Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl will be useful for a dinner party requiring Wormy Spaghetti, Hot Frogs, and Stink Bugs’ Eggs. Consider the delectable choices in The Fear Factor Cookbook by Bev Bennett, which are accompanied by “WARNING: Not recommended for weak stomachs Eat at your own RISK.” You could complete your party with Blood and Bile Cocktail and Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cakes.

A properly carved Jack O’ Lantern is an important ingredient in the day’s celebration. The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons has suggestions for carving. There are some great online resources which include information about pumpkins and carving templates. Try Pumpkin Carving 101 [http://www.pumpkincarving101.com/] and Family Fun [http://familyfun.com/] for ideas. After you finish your carving, enter your pumpkin into our annual Harvest Fest’s carved pumpkin contest on Monday, October 27 at 5:45 p.m. The Harvest Fest has become a library tradition and will be held from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. There will also be costume contests for kids, teens and adults, refreshments, craft and story times. Judging will begin at 6:00 p.m.; winners will be announced at the conclusion of the event.