Westview Promenade and FCPL partnered to provide summer fun each Friday at Westview Promenade, Buckeystown Pike at Crestwood Blvd. The events have been so successful and kids have been having such a great time that the partners have decided to extend the event into October.

Drop by on the first Friday of each month for a variety of story time, music, games, and crafts. If the weather is inclement, the event will be held inside the former Twisted Twill shop, next to Chico's.

Monthly on 1st Friday, 10-11:30 am

August 2 - Baseball: Look for Keyote of the Frederick Keys!

September 6 - Apples and Back to School

October 4 - Pumpkins and Fall

No need to sign up; just drop by and enjoy the fun.

Did you hear all that buzz about the 2013 Spelling Bee? Are you hoping to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee like Jared Remsberg, the 2013 Frederick County winner? Wondering how to get involved?

If you want to participate in the 2014 Spelling Bee, get started

N-O-W. First, find out if you school participates in the Frederick County Spelling Bee. Why? This is how the bee program works:

1. From late-August through mid-October 2013 elementary and middle schools register with the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
2. In the winter, participating schools hold school level spelling bees.
3. On March 15, 2014, winners of school level bees at participating schools compete at the Frederick County Spelling Bee at the Frederick Community College.
4. In May 2014, the winner of the Frederick County Spelling Bee participates in the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee, a week-long event in Washington, DC.

If your school does not register with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, no one from your school will be eligible to compete in the Frederick County Spelling Bee. How can you get your school involved? Contact your school administrators and teachers and let them know that you want to participate in the bee program and need for your school to enroll. You and your school can get more information by visiting: spellingbee.com or by contacting Caroline O'Connell at coconnell@frederickcountymd.gov.

We hope to see Y-O-U at our 2014 Frederick County Spelling Bee!

Submitted by Caroline O'Connell

Jon Lewis (a.k.a. Mr. Jon) is the resident rock star at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Downtown Frederick. Known to preschoolers, parents, and kids of all ages as "The Guy with the Guitar," Jon loves to combine his passion for music with his people-centered personality to entertain patrons, program attendees, and coworkers alike. He was kind enough to answer some questions and share some of his insights about life in the library surrounded by children and music.

When asked about what he likes most about working in the library, he was quick to answer. "Working with people and especially kids," he said. "I love kids. And being able to interact with them in storytimes, at the desk, and throughout the branch is just about the most fulfilling job I've ever had."

For those of us who know how much Jon loves to be among people and how much he loves to read and spend time among books, it was a little surprising to find that his earliest memories of the library are drastically different from what he now knows to be true. It seems he never dreamed about being a librarian. "When I was growing up, librarians were always cranky old ladies who told you to be quiet and shushed you if you looked at them the wrong way," he explained. "It wasn't really until I started working in a library that I realized how awesome librarians are, and then I was so glad to be in their company!"

Pinning him down on his favorite book from childhood was a bit challenging. He loved Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson. "Seeing Harold and the world he created as he went along was very exciting as a little guy," he said. This excitement for fantasy led him to read all of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum and then move on the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. "As a boy I loved the idea of whole new worlds and being the character as you read what they do and see and experience," he explained. "To be honest, I still love those sorts of stories. Hmmm maybe it's time to revisit the world of Oz again."

Although Jon took his time coming to his job as a librarian, he recognized his other passion--music--from a very early age. Although, honestly, even that path wasn't entirely free of bumps. "I grew up around music, listening to my dad's Simon and Garfunkel records, singing in choirs, taking piano lessons, and dragging my feet on the way to trombone lessons, too," he remembered. "My dad played the trombone, my big brother played the trombone, and my parents asked, 'What would you like to play'? I said, 'How about the clarinet'? The parents said, 'How about the trombone?' I said, 'uh...OK'. So, music was always a part of my life in some way or another."

While in high school Jon discovered acting and musical theater. "I took to that like a fish to water," he said. He participated in the shows at high school and then in college, and he even spent some time working with community theaters. It was during his freshman year of college that he discovered his love of writing music. "Two friends and I sat down and tried to write a  song... and we did," Jon said. "I'm sure it was awful, but it was so much fun! I'd never done anything like that before. That led to a brand new world of songwriting and performing that came gushing out of me like a geyser. I experienced this new world of expressing yourself through your own lyrics, melodies, and music, and fifteen years later I haven't been able to turn that geyser off." Now, working with his wife Carrie on their second CD, we're very glad he has yet to find the shut-off valve. Not only that, but we've seen the videos that prove Carrie and Jon are bringing their little son Zander into the mix. He now plays music with his parents, too!  

For those of us who work with Jon, we found some surprising results when we asked him to share some things that others might not know about him. We weren't surprised to find that he's an ordained minister, since we've seen the pictures of wedding ceremonies he's performed, but we were just a bit surprised to discover he can breathe through his eye. "You'll say, 'No way!'" he said. But, he'll reply, "Just give me a pool, and I'll show you the eye bubbles I can make! Then you'll say, 'Uh, you're gross.'" Since Jon grew up just an hour from the Jersey shore, he spent lots of time underwater as a kid, discovering many joys besides eye-socket breathing. He still considers the beach to be his favorite place on earth. "I love the ocean!" he said. "For me, any place where I can see the ocean is where I am happy. You have a beach house I can borrow? I am in! And a good L. Frank Baum book to go with it of course."

So, whether you're looking for a great fantasy to read or a minister to marry you, stop by and have a chat with our very own Mr. Jon.

Submitted by Deb Schepp