Plan first, then celebrate the holidays stress free

The holidays can be a stressful time, but a visit to the library can help you manage it. Not only is the library a great place to locate numerous resources for planning and managing this busy time, but it is a wonderful oasis for enjoying some of the simpler joys of the season.

First, organize your time. Fauquier County Public Library has holiday books, music CDs, cook books and guides for entertaining and decorating that will help you plan the season’s gift-giving, decorating, cooking, and music. If you are traveling, a stop at the library to check out books on tape or CD prior to leaving will make your road trip or airport waits more enjoyable. See this list of Family Listening favorites.

The library is also offering a service that could take the worry out of some of your holiday shopping. Staff members have prepared lists of current best-selling books ideal for purchasing as gifts this holiday season. The lists feature titles for children, teens, and adults. Ask for a copy of the list at any library location.

If you do decide to purchase books for loved ones, or if you're ordering anything online from Amazon.com, consider starting your online shopping using this Amazon link. If you do, Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchases to the library at no extra charge to you. It is a simple way to support the library, and you can use this link year-round, not just during the holidays.

The most important part of the season is celebrating with family and friends and most people appreciate traditional events held right in their own communities. All Fauquier libraries have special events planned for their communities this year.

Warrenton Library staff will be offering free cocoa and cookies at the library's Winchester Street entrance during Olde Town Warrenton’s Main Street Christmas parade again this year. Everyone is invited to stop by the library from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, for this perfect winter pick-me-up.

After the parade, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., families can visit the library’s children’s section to make a Christmas craft. The refreshments and the crafts materials are free; registration is not required. Call (540) 349-1128 for more details about the crafts.

The Bealeton Library will host the lighting of the community Christmas tree, which resides in front of the library year-round, though, admittedly, in less regal trappings most of the time. Join the festive caroling beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, then stay for the tree lighting around 7 p.m. Families are then invited to stick around and hear holiday stories while waiting for Santa and Mrs. Claus to arrive.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will also visit the other Fauquier libraries: 4:30 p.m. Tues., Dec. 8, at the John Marshall Library and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at the Warrenton Library. Seeing Santa at the library sure beats trying to get a glimpse of the old guy at a crowded mall, and you get the bonus of seeing Mrs. Claus.

The Bealeton Library is also hosting an open house after the Bealeton community Christmas parade on Saturday, Dec. 12. The parade starts around noon, and afterward everyone is invited to stop by to enjoy refreshments and an awards ceremony. Children and their families are invited to participate in a post-parade Christmas craft program, too. (Call 540-439-9301 for more details on the parade.)

The Friends of the Fauquier Library, a nonprofit organization supporting the library, is sponsoring all the library’s holiday events. Proceeds from the Friends member ship dues and from the Book Cellar, a used book store with fiction and nonfiction for all ages, benefit the library making programs such as these possible.

The Book Cellar is a great place to shop for stocking stuffers and inexpensive last-minute gifts that “keep on giving.” There are weekly specials and a special Christmas section will be featured throughout the season. Don’t miss the large selection of coffee table books on a variety of topics, popular authors in hardback, travel-ready paperbacks, movies on VHS and DVD, music CDs, and much more.

Once you've gotten all your errands done, settle down with a selection from the Christmas Reads for adults list available at all Fauquier libraries.

Bealeton depot renovations on track

Long-awaited renovations to the Bealeton depot will finally begin in November, 2009. Fauquier County received notification in October 2009 that construction could begin on the Bealeton Station depot, part of Fauquier County Public Library, Bealeton Library complex. Once completed, the depot will be used as a library program room and community meeting space.

Huge book sale to benefit library

The Friends of the Fauquier Library is hosting a two-story book sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14, at the John Barton Payne Building.

Prices for hardcover books and oversized paperbacks will start at 50 cents, regular paperbacks will be sold for 25 cents each or five for a $1, and music albums and cassettes will be priced for as little as 10 cents.

The Friends Book Cellar, which is considered by some as Warrenton’s best kept secret, will also be open during its regular store hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Book Cellar is located in the basement of the John Barton Payne Building.

The library accepts gifts of new and used books in good condition, audio recordings, DVDs and similar materials. Items not added to the library’s collection are given to the Book Cellar, which continually restocks its shelves with bargains. If you have more than one box of items to donate, please make arrangements in advance by call (540) 349-1928.

Currently, anyone joining the Friends or renewing their membership will receive a coupon for a tote bag redeemable at The Book Cellar or at any Fauquier library. Membership forms are available at all Fauquier libraries and at the Book Cellar. Call (540) 439-1939 for more information about the Friends or to volunteer in the Book Cellar.

Two genealogy programs coming up

Family research marathon hosted by library
The library will host a family research marathon from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Warrenton Library. Librarians and researchers will be available to help participants research their family histories, and light refreshments, provided by Friends of the Fauquier Library, will help marathon participants keep their strength up.

The marathon is free, but advanced registration is required and registrants must be 18 or older. Call (540) 347-8750, ext. 6, to register. The library’s online databases, including HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition from Ancestry.com , will be used by marathon participants.

Ancestry Library Edition, only available for use in the library, provides a wide range of resources for genealogical and historical research. It includes records from the U.S. Census, military records, court, land and probate records, vital and church records, directories, petitions for naturalization; passenger lists and more. Ancestry Library Edition is only available in the library.

Beginning genealogy research workshop slated
Those beginning or about to begin family history research or those just curious about genealogy can learn basic research steps and get information on recommended Web sites and other information sources during a free workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Bealeton Library. The workshop includes an introduction to online databases, including those mentioned above.

Good 'Friends" appreciated

This month Fauquier County Public Library is honoring the Friends of the Fauquier Library, a nonprofit organization that provides funding for library services, equipment and programs for children, teens and adults, by highlighting the group’s many contributions.

Friends donations expand and enrich the library's regular budget by helping provide programs, training and equipment that would not be possible to fund otherwise. The summer reading programs for children and teens; Wii equipment and games used by all ages, including seniors; children’s room furniture; and staff development support are just a few examples of how Friends donations help the library.

“I don’t know where we would be without the Friends,” says Library Director Maria Del Rosso. “They helped sponsor hundreds of library programs every year that would not have been possible through funds normally available for library operations. I think most patrons would be surprised to learn how many of the services and programs they enjoy are supported by the Friends.”

Friends donations are raised primarily through membership dues — which start at $15 — and proceeds from the Book Cellar, a used book store in Old Town Warrenton.

Book Cellar volunteers, most of whom are Friends members, are crucial to the operations and vitality of the Friends of the Fauquier Library, but there are rewards for volunteers, too.
“The library has always played such an important role in my life and in my family’s life,” said Friends president Tina Ross. “I truly enjoy being able to give something back – and being an active member of this group is fun!”

Currently, anyone joining the Friends or renewing their membership will receive a coupon for an attractive, heavy duty tote bag bearing the Friends logo. Coupons are redeemable and membership forms are available at all Fauquier libraries and at the Book Cellar. Call (540) 439-1939 for more information about the Friends or to volunteer in the Book Cellar.

Teens celebrate Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos, is a festival traditionally celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries in November.

Teens are invited to get crafty, Latino-style, to decorate calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls), make papel picado (cut paper banners) and play Lotería (Mexican bingo) on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at two Fauquier libraries.

The free event is open to students in sixth grade and up.

• 4:30 p.m. at the Warrenton Library, (540) 349-1128


• 6:30 p.m. at the Bealeton Library, (540) 439-9728

Registration is required. Call the library by Oct. 31 to reserve your spot.

See more teen events and teen services at the library. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Fauquier Library.

Ghosts of Fauquier outed

The author of the popular Ghosts of Virginia series, L.B. Taylor, will talk about accounts of spectral visits in Fauquier County, the Shenandoah Valley and northern Virginia during a free event hosted by the Bealeton Library at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.

Mr. Taylor’s research for the 1983 book Haunted Houses, stimulated his research into psychic phenomena and led to the publication of 21 Virginia ghost books, including Civil War Ghosts of Virginia, The Ghosts of Fredericksburg, The Ghosts of Williamsburg, A Treasury of True Ghostly Humor and the 13 volumes, to date, in the Ghosts of Virginia series. He has authored more than 300 national magazine articles and more than 40 nonfiction books.

Mr. Taylor will answer questions and sign copies of his books after the program. Call (540) 439-9728 for more information.