Odds and Book Ends features activities and events in the area related to libraries, books and authors. Submit your events at www.News-Herald.com/Calendar, and check back to The Book Club every week for upcoming events and activities at your local library.

---

This week

The Monday Night Book Discussion meets the first Monday of each month from October through June, with the next meeting slated for 6:30 to 8 p.m. June 6 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. For this month's selection, contact librarian Barb Hauer at 440-255-8811, ext. 210. The library provides books, and refreshments are courtesy of the Friends of the Library.


The Willoughby Area Support Group of the Lupus Foundation of America Inc. Greater Cleveland Chapter meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. June 7 at Willoughby Library, 30 Public Square. Details: 440-717-0183.


The Mentor Multiple Sclerosis Support Group will meet from 10:30 a.m. to noon June 8 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month. Those with MS or affected by MS are welcome to attend.


Mentor Police will offer important safety tips for the summer from 7 to 8 p.m. June 8 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. The entire family is welcome. Details and registration: 440-255-8811, ext. 215.


One World, Many Stories summer reading program kicks off June 9 at Henderson Memorial Library, 54 E. Jefferson St., Jefferson. Register June 9 at the library and pick up a reading log and complete details for the reading contest, as well as a list of programs to travel with the library to Africa, Mexico, Japan, America, Scotland, Australia and China. The program is open to all children and families. Details: 440-576-3761.


Paranormal University: Ghosts and Hauntings will be 7 to 8 p.m. June 9 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Explore all things paranormal with Willoughby "Ghost Lady" Cathi Weber. Identify spirits, types of hauntings, paranormal terms and much more. Details: 440-255-8811, ext. 215, or www.mentorpl.org.


Geauga Park District Executive Director Tom Curtin will discuss Observatory Park at 7 p.m. June 9 at Burton Library, 14588 W. Park St. The new 1,100 acre park is under construction and will be home to the Oberle Observatory. When the park is complete, it will be one of only three dark-sky parks in the United States to receive the designation as a certified International Dark Sky Preserve. Registration: 440-834-4466.


In conjunction with "A Fine Romance" exhibit, the movie "Carousel" will be shown at 2 p.m. June 10 at the Bainbridge Library, 17222 Snyder Road. The film features Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones and the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs "If I Loved You" and "June is Bustin' Out All Over." The event is free and open to the public. For reservations, call 440-543-5611.


Perry Library, 3753 Main St., will host a Free Shred Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 10. Xpress Shredding will perform the free collection in the library’s rear parking lot. Patrons and staff can drop off up to five storage boxes of paper, which will be loaded into locked bins on a secure truck. The truck will be attended at all times by Xpress Shredding staff then taken to the company’s secure shredding facility.

Coming up

Cartoonist Jenny Campbell will be featured in a program at 11 a.m. June 13 at West Geauga Senior Center, 11414 Caves Road, Chester Township. Campbell is a children’s illustrator and the author of the nationally syndicated cartoon strip "Flo & Friends." She will talk about her career, background and inspiration for the cartoon strip. For reservations, call 440-729-2782.


Reel Talk-Book and Movie Discussion Group meets at 2:45 p.m. the second Monday of every month - with the next meeting slated for June 13 - in Meeting Room B of Morley Library, 184 Phelps St., Painesville. Books and DVDs are available at the check-out desk on the main floor. Details: 440-352-3383 or
www.morleylibrary.org.


Friends of the Morley Library, 184 Phelps St., Painesville, has planned a book sale in the Morley Library Book Cellar. A Friends preview will be 5 to 8 p.m. June 16, and the sale will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 17 and 18. Details: 440-227-6581.


Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd., will host "Sidewheel Treasure and Tragedy" at 7 p.m. June 16. Georgann and Mike Wachter will highlight several of the ships that traveled the Great Lakes and compare them to two floating museum paddle wheel steamers. The program includes a discussion of the G.P. Griffith, which burned and sank off Willowick's shore. To register, call 440-942-7880.

Ongoing events

The Geauga County Public Library Board of Trustees is anticipating a vacancy on the board beginning July 1. The volunteer board establishes the policies and budget for the Geauga County Public Library. Responsibilities include attendance at monthly and selected meetings throughout the year. Applicants must be registered voters. To nominate yourself or another individual, complete the application form available at any Geauga County Public Library location or at the library’s administrative center. Deadline for applications is June 11. The board will review applications and make a recommendation to the Common Pleas Court judges, who are the appointing authorities. For more information, call Director Deborah O’Connor at 440-286-6811, ext. 101, or email deborah.oconnor@geaugalibrary.info.



Middle Ridge Gardens, 6559 Middle Ridge Road, Madison, is hosting a Combo Pot Contest as a fundraiser for Madison Library. Participants may design their own planters or purchase a package from Middle Ridge Gardens. Categories for entries for children are ages zero to 6, ages 7 to 9, and ages 10 to 13, with the topic of KIDS Bicentennial. Adult categories will be Edible, Madison Bicentennial, Creative Containers and Corporate. Entry tickets are $5 and available at Madison Library, 6111 Middle Ridge Road, or Middle Ridge Gardens. The planters will be judged June 8 at a Combo Pot Potluck dinner, with live music in the main greenhouse at the garden center. The event will be 6 to 8 p.m., and everyone attending is asked to bring a beverage and dish to pass. Winners will receive $50 gift certificates to local businesses. A 50/50 raffle so will be part of the evening. Details: Madison Library at 440-428-2189.


National Candy Month Contest at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave., will be May 16 through June 16. June is Candy Month. Check out books from the children's area and receive one chance at guessing how many candies are in the jar. The person with the closest answer wins the jar. One guess per child, per day. The winner will be announced June 17. Details: 440-255-8811.


Tours of the Penfield House, a local home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, will take place at 3, 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. June 9. Because of the popularity of this fundraiser for the 2011 Summer Reading Program, registration will be done by a random lottery. To be entered into the lottery, call the Willowick Library at 440-943-4151, ext. 3. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. May 21. Be ready to rank in order a preference of tour times. Cost of the tour is $25 per person. Transportation will depart from the Willoughby Hills Library, 35400 Chardon Road in Willoughby Hills.


Bainbridge Library, 17222 Snyder Road, Chagrin Falls, will host the traveling exhibit "A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs 1910-1965" through July 1. Only 55 libraries across the U.S. were selected to host the exhibit, which is composed of eight colorful double-sided panels filled with text and photographs highlighting the spirit of the musical era. The Bainbridge Library is offering a variety of free programs to enhance the exhibit experience. On June 3, Bill Rudman will present the grand opening for the exhibit with "Jewish Songwriters United: Their Impact on the American Musical" as an after-hours special event at 7:30 p.m. Larry Sheir, cantor at the Westside Temple Beth Israel, will present the grand finale "From Tin Pan Alley to Broadway" at 7 p.m. June 28. Also, the library will show movie musicals that showcase the songwriters included in the exhibit at 2 p.m. on Fridays in June. For more information on the event, call 440-543-5611.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl