“Beacon of Light…Anchor of the Community”
Library News:
September was Library Card Sign-Up Month. Why should you have one? Card holders can check out more than just books. By using a card, patrons save money on entertainment, such as books and streaming services for audio-books, videos and music. These are just a few of the great benefits of possessing a library card.
Reading is FUNdamental! Plus, when you sign up, you are helping demonstrate that YOUR library is important for future funding. Simply take a look at the new arrivals: books and DVDs.
Take note of the business hours and contact information listed below. Librarian Michelle Marlin is ready to accommodate your needs. POC Library Hours:
Sunday – Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Phone Number: 361-983-4365
Friends of the POC Library:
The Friends of the POC library is a support group and welcome all who would like to join this hardworking organization in supporting the POC Library.
Donations are accepted year-round and can be dropped off at the library. No need to wait until end-of-the-year gifting season.
Libraries are certainly different than they used to be. Not only are they valued for the books on the shelves but are also valued for experiences and spaces. The POC Library and The Friends partner to utilize the library and Multipurpose Room to provide a sense of community, such as meeting spots and venues for events and lectures. Thirty-one children attended September’s Children’s activity sponsored by the Friends of the Library. How exciting! With the generosity of the community, events are planned and many are well-attended.
Please mark your calendar for the following weekly events as well as the specific dates. Members and visitors are always welcome. Please join us!
Weekly Events:
Wednesdays: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.- “Coffee and Conversation”
Take a few minutes to visit with your “coffee mates” and neighbors over a hot cup of coffee!
Thursday: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Bridge
Fridays: 1:00-3:00 PM- “Mahjongg”
Specific Dates for POC Multipurpose Room:
October 11- Hooked on Books Club meeting
October 19 – Bingo 9:30
October 27 – Riders of the Orphan Train at 6:00 PM
(see info below)
November 28 – Wreath Making
Riders of the Orphan Train
Few people today know much about the largest child migration in history. Between 1854 and 1929 over 250,000 orphans and unwanted children were taken out of New York City and given away at train stations across America. Children were sent to every state in the continental United States; the last train went to Sulphur Springs, Texas in 1929.
This “placing out” system was originally organized by Methodist minister Charles Loring Brace and the Children’s Aid Society of New York. His mission was to rid the streets and overcrowded orphanages of homeless children and provide them with an opportunity to find new homes. Many of the children were not orphans but “surrendered” by parents too impoverished to keep them. The New York Foundling Hospital, a Catholic organization, also sent out children to be placed in Catholic homes. This seventy-six year experiment in child relocation is filled with the entire spectrum of human emotion and reveals a great deal about the successes and failures of the American Dream. Source: (ridersontheorphantrain.org)
The one-hour multi- media program combines live music by Phillip Lancaster and Alison Moore, video montage with archival photographs and interviews of survivors, and a dramatic reading of the 2012 novel “Riders on the Orphan Train” by award-winning author Alison Moore.
Although the program is about children, it is designed to engage audiences of all ages and to inform, inspire and raise awareness about this little-known part of history.
Local relatives and acquaintances of Orphan Train Riders are especially invited to attend and share their stories with the audience.
