Many children had their bedtime story and snack at school one day a few weeks ago. The annual PWES Literacy Eve was held Wed., Jan 23 in rooms throughout the school. Parents and students had the opportunity to listen to a variety of stories shared by readers from within the school, the community and beyond. Library tech Janet Newton read Teammates and The Librarian of Basra; Lorna MacNeil came out of retirement to read Tea with Milk and The Stranger.
Mark Pound, a former PWES student teacher, returned with stories about Hurricane Juan: Ross and the Big Happening supported by excerpts from Hurricane Juan: the story of a storm.
Acadia University students have always been supportive of PWES events and the Literacy Eve was no exception. Julie Stewart and Kate Kooka, cross-country runners, teamed up to read Knuffle Bunny Too and Edwina: the Dinosaur who didn’t know she was extinct. Fellow student Haley McKee was in another room reading Pete the Sheep-Sheep and Russell the Sheep.
Readers from the community included Louise Gillis from the AVRL reading Wild About Books, which was very appropriate as it is the story of a public librarian who took her bookmobile to the zoo.
RCMP school liaison officer Constable Byrne and his selections from Robert Munsch attracted lots of children. Hockey fans were drawn to Peter Goucher and his reading of Brady Brady and the MVP.
Lorraine Miner shared a newly published book by local hockey historian and writer Garth Vaughan, Tommy’s New Block Skates. Lorraine even had a pair of block skates to show to the children.
Not surprisingly, Mermaid Theatre’s Struan Robertson was very expressive in his reading of the classic Goodnight Moon and Eric Carle’s Firefly. The evening ended with milk and cookies in the lunchroom.
Sometimes my mini-stories are longer than can be printed in the paper so they’re published online. My story about Ruth Blenkhorn’s participation in the 12th Annual International Adopt-a-Highway Association Conference in Nashville, TN can be found online by going to
novanewsnow.com and putting Port Williams News in the search box. When the list of columns comes up, click Jan. 12 to see the photo and story.
The February event of the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Murdoch C. Smith Memorial Library will be a Babies and Books Jamboree! It will take place at the library Wed., Feb. 27 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Please register in advance (limit 15 babies) by calling 542-3005 or through the library website
www.valleylibrary.ca). The program is designed for babies up to two years, but older siblings are welcome to attend. Juice and cookies will be served and every baby will be given a new book.
February is Food for Fines month at the Annapolis Valley Regional Library! For every item of non-perishable food donated to the library, up to $5 in overdue fines* will be forgiven. Food donations will go to a Feed Nova Scotia member agency food bank serving that library’s community.
*For fines only. This program does not apply to lost book fees, damaged materials or other miscellaneous fees such as printing or photocopying.
The Port Williams Recreation Committee invites families to come skating at the rink on Saturday nights during February (9, 16, 23) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Music will add to the enjoyment and free hot chocolate will be served.
For more information, or to volunteer, call Ted Fraser at 542-0229. All dates are weather permitting. No hockey sticks please.
The next meeting of the Port Williams Health Auxiliary will be held Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. downstairs in the Port Williams Baptist Church. After the business meeting, an auction will be held with monies received going toward the Pain Pump Fund.
Members are encouraged to bring in any items that they wish to donate; it could be something received at Christmas they don't need or any other item they have at home that they think might be of interest to other members. Baking is always a good seller too! Everyone is invited to come and join in our fun.
The Port Williams Seniors Club is having an RCMP officer speak on the topic of being safe in your home. It will take place in the Multipurpose Room of the Community Centre Tues., Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. All interested are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.
The next Soup and Chowder Luncheon at the United Baptist Church will be held Wed., Feb. 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu includes corn chowder and hamburg soup, rolls, tea, coffee and dessert. Freewill offering. Sponsored by the Loyal Workers. Take-outs will be available by calling 542-3012.
EMS: The next meeting of the PTSA will be Feb. 6 in the library from 7-8:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
If you have any questions, call Karen Davidson at 679-1992.
Anglican Church: On the first five Sundays of Lent, Choral Evensong will be offered at 4 p.m. at the church, followed by a reception at the Rectory.
On the First Sunday in Lent, St. John's Choir will sing Evensong with the choir of St. James' Church, Kentville, under the direction of John Scott, who is also the music director of the Acadia Chapel. Archdeacon Lynn Uzans, the rector of St. James, will preach.
Baptist Church: The WMA will meet Tues. Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ladies’ Parlour and James and Tracy Churchill will be their guests. The couple will talk about the Posho Mill Project in Kenya in which they were involved.
