For some, the New Year is only an arbitrary moment to take stock of one’s progress, while for others, setting resolutions is a vital part of the yearly cycle.

For those, like us, in the middle of a fundraising effort, the end of the year can be a time of holiday generosity, and we were very fortunate this season. The end of year donations we received from our patrons were truly heartwarming.

If you made a donation recently, your tax receipt will soon be in the mail. Thank you!

We are ready to go full steam ahead towards the completion of our fundraising campaign in 2020, but first we wanted to take a moment to thank Hri Neil and Natalie Piper for their work organizing and manning the Wintermarket, a pop-up holiday market that hosted the Library over Christmas.

These two were instrumental in bringing our Renew art auction to life last year, and working with them was just as much a pleasure this time around.

It was fun being part of such a varied group of vendors, at what must have been a prime spot for Christmas shopping. Hri and Natalie made this such a painless process for us and we were able to bring in over $700 in Library merchandise sold to put towards our expansion campaign.

Some of you may have received a Library mug or water bottle in your stocking, and you can be sure that those dollars are going towards a good cause. In addition to our merchandise (not to mention, of course, the books, dvds and more that make up our collection!) there’s another way you can bring the Library home with you.

You may have seen our Love Your Library signs on some of your neighbours lawns. These are given to patrons who make a donation or more than $5, and are a great way of showing your support. We are hoping to give out a record number of these signs in the month of February, and hope you’ll consider making a donation to help us make the Picton Library expansion a reality. Every person who sees a lawn sign is one more person who might want to learn more about the project, make a donation themselves, or simply get a Library card and become a new patron.

Finally, we’re looking forward to An Afternoon at the Movies, an organ concert at the Picton United Church. The proceeds of this fundraising event will go to the hospital’s Back The Build Campaign and our Time to Renew expansion campaign. Join us on Sunday February 16, 2020 at 2:30pm to hear Quinte Symphony’s Murray Baer playing music from popular blockbuster movies. Think Titanic, Chariots of Fire, James Bond, Gone with the Wind and many more theatrical hits. Joining him on guitar and vocals will be Craig McRae, a resident of Toronto who regularly plays in the County. He will be playing songs that almost everyone will know and (hopefully) will sing along to!

As a Flashback February Event, there will be a “behind the scenes” tour of the church and light refreshments after the concert. Tickets are $20 and are available at Ticketscene.ca and at the door.

-Halliday Reynolds