BY SOPHIA YOUNG
Hays Public Library
Fall programs at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main, will entice a bit of culture with the “Passport to the World” theme starting this month. To mark the beginning of all the festivities, elementary students shared their traveling stories during Tuesday’s afterschool program, “Been There, Done That.”
“I went to Leo’s place. It is like Chuck E. Cheese but way better,” said Calvin Moore, fifth grade. Moore took a trip to visit his grandparents in Idaho Falls, which is a thousand miles away, he said.
Tony Ariel, fifth grade, traveled to see his family in Thailand. Ariel enjoys Thai food more than American because it’s “more of a spicy-sour.”
Receiving two-dollars on a dare, Gilda Allen, fifth grade, did a front flip off the diving board during her summer adventures.
Crispin Vick, fifth grade, “just went all over the place” with his grandmother in England.
Nicole Dreiling, fifth grade, went on an amusements park marathon in Kansas City, spending her vacation at Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun and the Great Wolf Lodge.
Jumping for hours on trampolines at an indoor trampoline park in Omaha, fourth grader Lacey Jacobs’ traveling adventure was probably the most tiresome.
Guest speakers from the community will share their adventure stories on Mondays to elementary students who attend the afterschool program. Fort Hays State University President Dr. Mirta Martin will share about life in Spain on Monday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. Other speakers this fall are from countries such as Chile, China and Ecuador.
German story time is every first Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. Regular Story times are Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m. and Lapsit story time for infants are Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
The young adult department plans cooking activities with a cultural theme this fall. During “Feed Your Mind, Feed Your Body!” students will make UK Welsh cakes, sushi, Dia de los Muertos sugar skull candies and Brazilian brigadeiros.
The September Concert Series starts with Kora player Sean Gaskell in the Schmidt Gallery on Friday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The Kora is a traditional West African instrument that resembles a harp.
Other performances during the September Concert Series will have a folk vibe, which include:
Adam Miller on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
Otter Creek Duo on Monday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
Kerry Grombacher on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
All concerts are free and for all ages.
More activities and programs to check out at www.hayspublib.org are: Parent’s Night Out, a chili cook-off, Worlds Fair, book clubs, Read2Reel, Crafternoon, League of Legends tournament, mindfulness, computer classes and ESL classes.