1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Hello readers! Today I want you to think back to your childhood.  Do you remember listening to books at bedtime? What was your favorite story? I begged to hear Madeline over and over. I laughed at the sight of Miss Clavell dashing to prevent a disaster, and wished I could live in an “old house in …

47 years working for FRL

Fontana Regional Library is celebrating 75 years of providing service to Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties in Western North Carolina. Read the recent blog describing how the regional library was started, including fascinating histories of the region’s member libraries. However, here is a remarkable history of another sort: for nearly two-thirds of the existence of …

The Dog Ate my Homework

In my case, it was actually true once. I scotch-taped up the tattered remains of my worksheets (complete with muddy paw prints) and turned them in with this time-honored excuse - luckily, my teacher was both amused and forgiving, despite the missing sections! With school back in session, however, my daughter is already brimming with …

Libraries On Tap

Did you know that the brewing industry is the fastest growing industry in western North Carolina?  Well, of course it is!  That’s why Fontana Regional Library system is stepping out of the stacks to bring: “Libraries on Tap: Brewing Scavenger Hunt” to Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. “Libraries on Tap” is a collaboration between Fontana …

Guest Blog: Local author, Tyler Cook, reflects on Macon County Public Library’s Read Local Book Fair

As I reflect on the fifth annual Read Local Book Fair in Franklin, I can’t help but feel excitement, as if I’m attending it for the first time.  Each year brings a new experience, and a new group of customers gets to experience a new book, whether they buy mine or someone else’s.  For us …

Best-Loved Book

Welcome to "The Great Jackson County Read" Will you join us in finding Jackson and Macon County’s Best-Loved Book? Summer is quickly approaching. College graduation has happened, the flowers are blooming- my sinuses have alerted me fully to their beautiful presence- and the kiddos are almost done with school, even with all the days tacked …

Let’s clear the air: a Vulture is not a Buzzard

  Today’s blog focuses on the Turkey Vulture, another one of the most commonly seen birds here in the Southeast. Before we talk about identifying characteristics though, I thought we could dive into the semantics of the terms vulture and buzzard, because it can be pretty confusing. Before researching this topic, whenever I heard the …

Libraries Lead

This past week, April 8th to 14th, was National Library Week! Hooray! We hope everyone celebrated appropriately with books and movies borrowed from your library. If not, don’t worry, Governor Cooper has declared this month as Library Appreciation Month!  National Library Week was first officially sponsored in 1958, making this the 60th anniversary! This week …

What’s your story?

By Amy National Library week is April 13-19th and we want to hear about how the library affects you! What's your favorite activity at the library? Is there a program you come to every week? Do you have a book addiction that would empty your bank account if you had to buy books out-of-pocket? We want to hear …

Spring Break? Time for an Adventure!

By Erika What do monkeys, monasteries, and banana milkshakes all have in common?  They are all part of my most memorable travel moments.  Whether it's a last-minute weekend camping getaway or a more extensive planned out affair, travel feeds my adventurous heart.  Each year I anxiously await the arrival of Spring - the season of spring …