Bucks County Kids Can Win $500 for Selling Lemonade

Bucks County Public Libraries encourages children ages 7 - 12 to run a lemonade stand for the chance to win prizes.

It's always a fun afternoon activity for children to set up a lemonade stand to make a few bucks during the summer months. But Bucks County Public Libraries is making selling lemonade more than something to do on a sunny afternoon. The library is awarding $500 to the person with the best stand. Until Aug. 5, any child between the ages of 7 and 12 can enter the contest. Participants are free to choose their location, design their stand, pick a selling price and do what they want with their profits. The winner of the $500 prize will be selected by a panel of independent judges and the decision will be based on creativity of design, how well the child ran the lemonade stand and the best business plan. Runner Up and Honorable Mention prizes …

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Southampton Free Library Plans for the Future

Board members of the Southampton Free Library met to discuss future library events, fund-raisers, and to outline the upcoming month's schedule.

During an hour-and-a-half-long meeting Monday evening, the Southampton Free Library's Board of Trustees discussed the results of their latest fund-raising efforts, plans for fundraisers later this year and ideas on how to properly spend what money they have acquired.   The library’s "High Tea" event, held last week, met with a great deal of success. Earnings from the door tickets, raffle, and personal donations totaled $1,052.   With budgeted funds of roughly $9,000, the board unanimously decided to spend a considerable chunk of the money on the procurement of new computer desks. Library Director, Kim Ingram, plans to show samples of potential desks to the board in the very near future.  She estimated the cost to be somewhere in the …

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Library Kicks off Adult Programming Series with 'Stimulating' Discussion

Coffee will be just one of the items featured during a lecture and discussion on various stimulants at the Southampton Free Library Tuesday.

The Southampton Free Library kicks off a new season of adult programming with the Penn Museum lecture Sweet, Delicious Stimulants: A Brief History of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate tomorrow evening. The slide lecture will discuss the introduction of coffee, tea, and chocolate into the Western world and the establishment of rituals and specialized utensils for preparing and drinking them. Dr. Jill Furst will present illustrations of these rituals and implements from art from the 17th to 19th centuries. Furst is a lecturer for the Penn Museum as well as Professor of Art History at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She received her Ph.D. in Pre-Columbian Art from the University of New Mexico, and has taught courses on food history …

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Southampton Free Library to Receive Garden Grant

Bucks Beautiful named the Southampton Free Library as one of several recipients of the its 2011 garden grant program awards.

The group behind the sunny yellow daffodils decorating the Rt. 611 Bypass near Doylestown is at it again. Bucks Beautiful has awarded grant money to 14 groups across Bucks County. The grants, which total $7,050, will help the groups plan projects that further the aim of the nonprofit organization - "to beautify Bucks County with lush gardens." The garden grant program encourages groups to plant community gardens which can be viewed by the public throughout Bucks County. The grant award is a 50/50 cash match up to a maximum of $2,000 per host each year. To qualify, a garden project must be viewable from the road. Grant money may be used only to buy annuals, perennials, flowering ornamentals and mulch; in-kind services or labor do not …

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Make Tonight Ladies Night

The Southampton Free Library is holding a fundraiser featuring refreshments, door prizes and a variety of vendors at Stackpole Elementary School this evening.

Need a break from the everyday? Grab some friends and head over to Stackpole Elementary School this evening for the 2nd annual 'Girls Night Out' fundraiser to benefit the Southampton Free Library. The $5 admission price includes light refreshments, a chance to win numerous door prizes and access to vendors selling everything from clothing, accessories, spa treatments, skin care to pottery and crafts, and much, much more. There will also be 50/50 and raffle tickets on sale, with all proceeds benefiting the Southamtpon Free Library. Doors open at 6:30 and the event will run until 9 p.m. in Stackpole's cafeteria and gymnasium.

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From the Stacks

Folk Songs, Fairies and a Writing Contest

Youth Services Librarian Lora Terifay details all the fun events for children happening this week at the Southampton Free Library.

This week children can enjoy Irish songs and folk stories as Nancy Schill presents a lively program for children ages 4 – 9 on Wednesday, March 9 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Limber jack puppets will be available as well for each of the children in attendance to use during this program. On Saturday, March 12 children ages 4 and up can enjoy a visit with the “Storybook Fairy” from Barnes and Noble. The Storybook Fairy will be wearing her fairy costume with purple wings, colorful layers of skirts and vests, jewels, and a delightful Mad Hatter-ish headpiece and of course, a magic wand. She will be telling stories of “fairy” lore from Ireland based on her recent trip abroad. Now in its 9th year children can participate in the Southampton Free Library…

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From the Stacks

Reader’s Advisory at Your Library

Reference Librarian Kristin Hawkins gives some tips for finding the perfect read at the Southampton Free Library.

Libraries are a place to learn new things, but they are also a source for entertainment.  In this economy, everyone is looking for a way to save.  With the average price of a new hard-back book hovering at around $25.00, libraries are a great place to get recommendations for good books to read, and to save money when doing so.  Maybe you’ve just finished a book that you simply couldn’t put down, or you’ve read everything by James Patterson and would like to discover another author who writes similar stories.  The Southampton Free Library provides you with lots of options.  Stop by the Reference Desk and we can offer a suggestion based on your interests.  You can also refer to our Read-a-Likes book list, which is kept at the Reference Desk…

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From the Stacks

Finding IRS Forms Doesn't Have to be Taxing

Tax time is upon us. Southampton Free Library Director Kim Ingram tells how your local library can help.

It’s that time of year, time to deal with the gloomy task of our taxes. What do taxes have to do with your local library, you say? First off, we are one of the few places you can pick up actual paper forms. We carry most of the commonly used Federal, State and Local forms, and if we don’t carry them, our reference staff is more than happy to help look up any forms online. Secondly, if you need help filing forms, AARP has supplied us with volunteers to help with filing tax forms. Their focus is on patrons with middle to low income and who are over 60 years of age. They are available Thursdays from 10-2 until April 7th. Appointments are required. For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact our reference desk at 215-322-…

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Hometown Hero: Kim Ingram

The Director of the Southampton Free Library enjoys helping patrons and works hard to keep everyone in the township "on the same page" when it comes to the library.

To some, the library may just be a place to go to borrow books or to use the computer.  But to Kim Ingram, director of the Southampton Free Library, a library is so much more. Serving as director of the township library for nearly three years, Ingram began her studies at Temple University and received her Master’s in Library Science at the University of Northern Texas. Before becoming a librarian, Ingram worked as a travel agent and in sales—which—collectively were not her cup of tea. After working at the circulation desk at the Glenside Free Library, she realized she really enjoyed library life. Later, she became the branch manager at East Cheltenham Free Library of the Cheltenham Township Library System and worked her way across the …

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