February library news

By Mari Slaughter

Mauney Memorial Library has the following events scheduled during February. Mauney Memorial Library is located at 100 S. Piedmont Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC 28086. The library will be closed Saturday, February 18 and February 20 in observance of Presidents’ Day. Be sure follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Technology Assistance

Make an appointment 704-739-2371

Library Storytime in Person (preschoolers)

Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30-11:30 am, Mauney Library Community Room

Come to the library to enjoy a story, music, and a take home craft with Miss. Anne.

Learn Grow Play (preschoolers)

Fridays 10:00-11:30 am, Mauney Library Community Room. Play in centers, then enjoy a story, music, and a take home craft with Miss. Anne.

Cancer Education Class (Adults) (Registration Required). Monday, February 6th 10 – 11 am, Library Community Room. Levine Cancer Institute is hosting this free cancer education on tumor types, early testing, and prevention. Attendees can receive a free blood pressure and glucose check.

Book Club: “Educated” by Tara Westover (Adults) Monday, February 6th 6:00– 7:00 pm. Join the Mauney Library book club and meet with people every month to discuss popular books. Contact info@mauneylibrary.org to join!

Movie Showing: Respect (Adults) Monday, February 13th 5:00 – 7:30 pm, Library Community Room. Enjoy a showing of the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect while eating free popcorn!

Small Business Success (Adults) (Registration Required) Wednesday, February 15th 10:00-11:00 am, Library Community Room. Join local businesswoman Nakisha Wenzel, owner of Big Red’s Café, to hear her journey to success, and learn some essential tips for small business. Light refreshments to be served.

Lego Club (ages 6-12) Third Thursday of every month 3:30-4:30 pm, Library Community Room. Free build and participate in group projects, snacks provided.

President’s Day Observance February 18th through February 20th, Houseplant Propagation (Adults) (Registration Required), Tuesday, February 21st 2-3pm. Join Master Gardener Judy Ford to learn how easy it is to propagate many popular houseplants. Bring in your own houseplant if you’d like to share a part of it with others.

Understanding Personal Finances (Adults) (Registration Required), Wednesday, February 22nd 10:00 am – 2 pm

This course presents essential knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about real world financial decisions. Students will understand strategies to achieve financial success. Some of the topics that will be included in this class are:

Knowing How To Manage Your Money, How To Pay Your Debts, How To Save Money, How To Avoid Poor Financial Choices, Money Strategies and Goal Achievement.. Presented by Cleveland Community College. This continuing education class is free if you meet one of the four following criteria:

• Are unemployed • Are being laid off • Are working and are eligible for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit

• Are working and earn at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines

Please pick up a class fee waiver at Mauney Library. You will need to bring it to class.

Zoom’N On-Line Book Group

(Adults) (Registration Required) Read. Relish. Recap. Read a book of your choice and share with the group. Fourth Wednesday of every month 4:005:00 pm Register: info@ mauneylibrary.org event calendar. Event URL will be sent via registration email.

“The Spirit of Harriet Tubman” (Adults)

Thursday, February 23rd 4:00 – 5:00 pm. The spirit of freedom is alive in Diane Faison, who retells the Harriet Tubman story and refuses to let the lessons of history fade from memory in this onewoman play. Learn more about Diane Faison at her website https://www.dianefaison.life.

Jewelry Class: Bird’s Nests Pendants (Adults) (Registration Required), Tuesday, February 28th, 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Make your own bird’s nest pendant with wire and beads in this fun, hands-on workshop. Participants will be sharing a set of tools with a partner. If you own your own jewelry crafting tools, please bring them to class.

Kalashja is a ninth grader at Kings Mountain Middle School and was inspired by her aunt Cynthia Stitt to write her first book. “My aunt inspired me to write this book and with the encouragement from my parents, Barbara, and Trent Dillard , I finished it in three months. My aunt is an author, and she knows the process of publishing through Amazon. Once I finished writing and illustrating the book, she took it from there.”

“To The Mountains We Go!” is a story written for children between 5-years and 10-years-old. The main character, Lay is an adventurous little girl. She is excited about her trip to the mountains. She spends time there fishing, hiking, and camping. While there, she gets sad. According to Kalashja, the moral behind this story is, “Your destination stops when you do.” The book asks readers, “Would you like to see the amazing things to do in the beautiful mountains? If so, let's take a trip to the mountains with Lay, ‘Here we go!’"

“I didn’t find the publishing side of the book too hard. It took three months to write and illustrate the book and two months to get it published. The book went on sale Amazon on August 7, 2022. So far, I’ve sold about 250 books. I am grateful for the support of my family throughout this process.”

“I want to tell others not to let your age get in the way of things you want to do. Once you set your mind to do something, you can do anything,” Kalashja said. She has begun work on her second book in this series titled, “To The Beach We Go!” Who knows what adventures Lay might find there?