Looking for something to do this fall? Think ahead to the Mushroom Festival! The 24th annual Mushroom Festival will be held in September on the 12th and 13th in Kennett Square.

Here you can taste soups and wines made from mushrooms, watch cooking demonstrations, or enter your child in the “Cute as a Button” photo contest!

For more information click here.

Ever since Otto has been in the library countless mothers have asked where he came from and where the best place to get a pet reptile of any sort would be.

The first thing you should know about buying a reptile that as a general rule 99% of reptile keepers stay as far away from pet stores as possible. Not only are the reptiles and the supplies WAY over priced (for example 50-100 mealworms cost around $3 at most pet stores but if you buy them from a supplier it’s around $8 for 1000. A normal leopard gecko in a pet store is usually priced between 55-95 dollars and you can get a baby from a breeder for $15) but they also tend to be unhealthy. Pet stores often keep reptile in the wrong conditions and give wrong care information.

The best place to get a reptile is at a reptile expo. There are several in our area but the largest is
The Northwestern Berks Reptile Expo : http://www.pythons.com/hamburg/
This is the largest reptile expo in the east coast and many breeders travel over 8 hours to sell their animals. It is also a great place to get any supplies you may need for your future pet at a lower cost.
There is also a newer smaller show near Allentown PA : http://www.garexpo.com/

You can also go to websites such as kingsnake.com and search through breeder adds to select an animal or you can google breeders. Reptiles can be shipped overnight to your door! Kingsnake.com also lists all reptile expo’s in the country and the date they are on.

Always remember to discuss your reptiles exclosure with the breeder to make sure you have everything just right! Be sure to look over your new pet carefully and notice if there are any missing limbs, bites, stuck sheds, or wounds.

In order to celebrate this years Summer Reading theme of “Get Creative” the library had several volunteer artists come in and paint the windows on the children’s floor! Their efforts resulted in some fantastic windows!

This window shows the beauty of nature.
This show’s how creative people can be when building a building!

This window show’s how creative dancers can be.

So stop in during the day and look at our newest art work while the sun shines through them!

It’s June 1st – also known as “National Go Barefoot Day”!

Although many people don’t realize it, almost every day of the year is associated with some sort of “holiday”. For example June 2nd is not only “National Bubba Day” but also “National Leave the Office Early Day” (I hope my boss reads this before tomorrow night!).

A complete list of all the holidays can be found here : http://www.holidays.net/dailys.htm

Not only that, but each month is also assigned an “observance”. June has several : Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, Fireworks Safety Month and National Soul Food Month being a few of them.

So kick off your shoes and enjoy “National Go Barefoot Day”!

This morning the library gecko “Otto” was caught in the act of shedding! In this process the leopard gecko’s outer layer of skin becomes very loose and it almost looks like a bubble is formed around the body. The gecko becomes very dull in color and because the old skin is itchy, starts to rub against objects in his tank. Slowly the old outer skin rips and the gecko continues to rub and use his feet to pull the old skin off. Usually as pieces of skin fall off the gecko eats them.
During this process the gecko is stressed out and handling should be kept at a minimum.

Here are a couple pictures of Otto in the beginning of the shedding process!
Here you can see where the old skin has torn and is no longer connected to the body. See how dull the old skin is compared to the new skin underneath?

Here is a picture to illustrate how the old skin “bubbles” around the body. You can see that underneath the old skin has started to rip down the middle almost like the zipper on a coat!
The process can take several hours to a day to complete and Otto will feel happy and refreshed when it is finished!

Weddings can be extremely wasteful from the fuel used to transport all the guest to the amount of paper used in invitations. A theme that has become more popular recently among the newly engaged is planning for a “Green” wedding. Going green can also help to save on wedding costs!
A few of the more popular idea’s include :

• Grooms wearing Hemp suits
• Brides finding vintage dresses

• Asking for eco-friendly gifts such as a solar cooker. There are even Eco-Friendly gift registry’s such as Viva Terra and Branch.
• Recycled and “tree free” invitations
• Ordering organic food and beverages
• Finding wedding rings that have been mined in an eco-friendly fashion. For more information on rings check out GreenKarat.
• To cut back on transportation and fuel usage, couples try to pick places where guest have to travel the minimum distance or use public transportation.
• Find a location where the wedding and reception can be decorated naturally – usually outdoors!
• Give eco-friendly favors such as seeded paper to plant at home later or natural soaps.

Check out these sites for more green wedding ideas!
10 Steps to a Green Wedding
How to Go Green
Green Elegance Weddings

In almost every available space that you look at in the library, there is a work of art hanging on the wall. These paintings and photographs come in every shape size and color! The most common theme is the library itself. Above and below are a couple examples of paintings that can be seen at WCPL.

“Chief Halftown” is the newest addition to the artwork in the library and can be found next to the circulation desk on the children’s floor! Chief Halftown was a famous TV show host known for this opening line “Ees-da-sa-sussaway”.

A beautiful painting of three of man’s best friends.
Art can not only be found in paintings and photographs on the walls, it can also be found in the windows! WCPL has some beautiful examples of stained glass windows.
So the next time you are in the library keep an eye out for our beautiful artwork!

As many of you already know from the last post to the blog, Literacy Heroes was held last Friday! Literacy Heroes took place in Longwood Gardens and the setting for the event could not have been more perfect. Since the event itself has already been described in detail, the purpose of today’s blog will to be to share pictures!

This is the entrance into “The Conservatory” a large greenhouse where Literacy Heroes was held.

This beautiful scene is was directly behind the tables where guests came to sign in. What a way to start the morning!

Guests arriving at the Conservatory! It was a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine – although outside was a little chilly!

Finally, the ballroom where the event itself took place. Who is that up at the podium? Its Dick Vermeil the former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles!

It has been several months since the library got a second pet for the children’s department, a male Giant Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko. Since then we named him Otto and he has been an absolute joy and source of entertainment for the children! At first he was VERY shy and hardly ever came out but everyday he gets a bit more adventuresome and he wanders out of his cave into his tank to check things out! Almost every patron that comes in asks about him.

He has shed and grown a bit since his last photoshoot making him more handsome then ever (if that is possible!) Here he can be seen riding around on Miss Meg’s shoulder and on some of the lovely flowers donated to the library.

A new creature has joined the staff of West Chester Public Library – and he’s cold blooded! A three month old male Giant Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko has made his home in the second floor of the library. He came from RyVal Geckos, a breeder based in York, PA. He joins his new pal InkSpot (a male Betta) in helping to educate children about cold blooded animals!

This handsome fellow has yet to be named – however anyone who visits the children’s section is welcome to write a suggestion on a slip of paper and put it into the glass jar next to his home! A name will be chosen on December 18th.

Leopard Gecko’s are native to Asia, and are very easy to care for. They require food (mealworms or crickets), water, belly heat (provided by an Under the Tank Heater), and places to hide! Leopard Gecko’s are curious and like to explore their surroundings. They are calm geckos and make great pets! Information on Leopard Geckos can be found in books or by contacting a breeder online.

Our Leopard Gecko is housed in a glass aquarium, with paper towels as a substrate, a rock hiding place, a water dish, food dish, and a vine with leaves to provide a comforting environment where he can come out and explore! He will take about a week to adjust to his new home.