Library Lines: Explore the rich world of quilting

March is just around the corner and for local quilting groups that means the Community Quilt Show is soon to be on display at the library! Many quilters look forward to participating as well as viewing the various styles, techniques and beautiful fabrics used to create these works of art. Are you a quilter or is someone you know talented in the craft? We encourage you to share your artistic talents with the community by bringing in your quilt(s) to be displayed throughout March. Quilts will not be judged and prizes are not awarded. The reward is simply sharing your craft with the community. The quilt show is free to participate and free to enjoy. You may drop off your quilt at the library through Feb. 28. Please complete a simple registration form available at our front desk. Sharing the quilt’s history is encouraged. We will securely store your entry until the show is set up in our Gallery. Quilts will be available for pick up promptly after the show concludes at the end of March. We appreciate all our local quilters who participate to make the Community Quilt Show a success.

If quilting with fabric and thread is not your speciality but you’d like to be involved with our community quilt show, here’s how you can be involved. Stop by the library lobby where you will find a large pink paper quilt on the wall waiting for submissions. Blank self-stick 4 by 6 pieces of photo paper are available in our programming brochure rack to take home and create your “quilt square.” Decorate a quilt square with pens, markers, crayons, ribbon, yarn, anything really, and add it to our quilt or bring your creation to our front desk and we can add it for you. All ages are encouraged to participate. Get creative and let’s have some fun with it.

An additional American Sign Language class has been added on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to make up for the class canceled in January due to inclement weather. This will be the final class for this six-week session. Do you have a particular interest in learning a new skill? Are you currently working on learning something new but would like to meet up with others for support and tips. Let us know and we may be able to offer classes on the subject or skill you are interested in learning. We can also provide space for groups to gather and learn from one another. Simply submit a room use request found on our website cheboyganlibrary.org and we will check our calendar to see if we can accommodate your group.

A Blood Drive will be noon-5:30 p.m. Thursdsay, Feb. 22, on our lower level in partnership with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. Donating blood is one of the most generous acts we can do for others and our community. Regular donors help keep our nation’s blood supply stable, someone needs blood everyday. There is no substitute for blood donations. Any one of us may need blood at some point in our lives. Donating is simple and easy and can take as little as 45 minutes, but can make a lifelong difference for someone in need. To make an appointment for our drive, please visit our website cheboyganlibrary.org and follow the link on our Calendar of Events to register or call us 231-627-2381. You may also call Versiti Blood Center of Michigan at 866-642-5663 to set an appointment. Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins are welcome, too. When you give, others live!

We are excited to welcome Andrea Miehls, communications associate from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) along with her collection of live sea lampreys for an informational and interactive presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6. Sea lamprey are parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean. They invaded the Finger Lakes of New York and then Lake Ontario during the mid-1800s via artificial canals. Andrea will share information about the incredible research efforts at the USGS Hammond Bay Biological Station that led to the discovery of multiple tools to control sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet and hold these invasive species. Visit the interesting sea lamprey display on our main level across from the circulation desk. Find out more about this invasive species by attending this free presentation. All are welcome!

— Paula Jewell is program director of the Cheboygan Area Public Library.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Library Lines: Explore the rich world of quilting