Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! Join us in celebrating the freedom to read what you choose during Banned Books Week (Oct. 1-7). Check out our awesome display explaining why certain books have been banned or challenged over the years. Consider picking up a banned book to take home and read.

We want to extend a huge thank you to the Great Bend Fire Department for coming to the library and reading to the kids for story time this week! Kids got to see and learn about the different parts of a fire truck and the process of donning firefighting gear. We appreciate everything our fearless firefighters do to keep our community safe each day, and we look forward to the next story time with them.

As for upcoming events, let’s take a look at what our Children’s Department is offering. Come practice reading out loud to our pet partner Luna on Thursday at 4 p.m., or just stop by and say hi. Next week, kids in kindergarten through fifth grade can create a colorful Day of the Dead art piece during Messy Art Monday at 4 p.m. We’ll also have our regular Story Time on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and Read to Luna again on Thursday at 4 p.m.

For teens in sixth through 12th grade, we’ll be jamming out with the Rock Band Franchise from 3:45-4:45 p.m. on Friday. The teen running our Tabletop Teens D&D Adventure will also be available starting at 3:30 p.m. to help with character sheets for anyone interested in joining the first miniseries session next week (sign up online at greatbendpl.info/teens). Next week, join us for the first Tuesday of Terror at 4 p.m., where we’ll watch a scary movie and eat popcorn.

Interested in learning how an air fryer works? We will have a special guest speaker to show you how to use this convenient appliance during our Air Fryer Class this Thursday at 6 p.m. Afterwards, join us for this month’s meeting of the Silver Screen Society at 7 p.m, where we’ll enjoy popcorn and a movie, followed by a discussion about the film. If you haven’t had your fill of popcorn or movies by Friday, come at 7 p.m. for our October Adults’ Night Out Movie. If you’re feeling crafty, come to our Adult Craft on Thursday, Oct. 12, where we’ll be making Scrabble Coasters at 6 p.m. To close out the week, join us for a viewing party of the annular eclipse Saturday, Oct. 14, starting at 11 a.m.

To see what else we’re up to at the library, visit our Facebook page and our website, greatbendpl.info. You can also message us on Facebook, email us at gbcirc@gmail.com, or give us a call at 620-792-2409 for any questions about our programming or services. Hannah Grippin is outlook manager at the Great Bend Public Library.