Travelin' Man Band performing free concert at MPL's Headlands Branch

The Travelin' Man Band will perform a free show Wednesday at Mentor Library's Headlands Branch.

Are you ready for a good time?

Travelin' Man Band will perform a free and family-friendly concert at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Mentor Library's Headlands Branch.

They perform hits from the 1950's, 60's and 70's—from Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan, the Beatles to Chuck Berry. So if you're eager for some Eagles and ready for some Redding, they've got the tunes for you.

They also play the best from CCR and CCN.

Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for the outdoors concert. We'll bring the band. (By the way, we owe a special thank you to the Friends of the Mentor Public Library who are generously sponsoring the concert.)

And that's not our final free show of the summer.

On Wednesday, July 29, folk duo Simple Gifts will perform at our Read House. Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon play 12 different instruments between the two of them and perform everything from Irish jigs and American reels to Gypsy melodies and Balkan dance music.

So are you ready for that good time now?

Cassie kicks off her shoes during a free concert at Mentor Library's Headlands Branch.

Recycling Story Time at Mentor Library

Bonnie and Beth talk about recycling during their Community Hero Story Time on Thursday.

Our Local Hero Story Time series continued Thursday with Bonnie Rice from the city of Mentor and Beth Bollas from the Lake County Solid Waste District. (You may remember them from our Trashy Tuesdays.)

They talked to the kids about recycling and read them Michael Recycle and I Stink (which is about a garbage truck, not an odoriferous person.)

Then, the kids made necklaces using recycled wood and glass beads.

Kids pick which beads to put on their necklaces.

Join us for more Community Hero Story Times. Each week, we’ll be joined by a different local hero:

• Policewoman Marilyn, July 16
• Naturalist Leslie, July 23
• Yoga instructor, July 30

If you can’t join us Thursday evening, we also offer several other story times at all three of our branches.

Annabelle threads the recycled beads onto her necklace.

And there's still time to join the more than 1,400 kids who have signed up for our summer reading program at Mentor Public Library.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Preston shows off his finished necklace.

For more photos from our Community Heroes Story Time, check out our Facebook page.

Meet the Minions at Mentor Library

Claire makes a minion while dressed as a minion during our Minions program at Mentor Library. (It's a motif.)

If you have a child or grandchild younger than 12, there's a good chance that you already know about the upcoming Minions movie.

We're even getting caught up in the Minions-mania at Mentor Library.

Minions-in-training descended Wednesday upon our Read House to practice their mischief-making. If they completed six not-so-evil tasks, evil mastermind Gru would accept them in his employ.

The tasks included bowling...

Teagan tries to bowl the minions over...

Singing the Banana Song...

The kids accompanied themselves with some party horns...

Making minions of their own...

Lillian and Ross show off their finished minions...

...and more.

If the completed all six tasks, they received a Certificate of Achievement as well as the sweet spoils of minion-hood.

Trenton shows off the aforementioned sweet spoils.

By the way, there’s still time to join the more than 1,400 kids who have signed up for summer reading at Mentor Public Library.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Annaliesse celebrates after completing all six tasks.

For more photos from our Minions program, check out Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Mentor native visited Mike Fekete discussed and demonstrated American Folk Guitar music Monday evening at Mentor Library.

He talked about his influences—from John Fahey to Leo Kottke—and how he was able to work on some of the same Imagionational Anthem compilations as his heroes.

He also explained the differences between the subgenres of folk guitar like American Rural Guitar, American Primitive Guitar and Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. (In short, American Primitive, which is Fekete's style, blends the reach of contemporary classical with the roots of country blues.)

Most importantly, he brought his guitar so he could play the music he loved. He performed 15 songs including genre classics like Fahey's Poor Boy, spirituals like "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" and original compositions. (To hear Fekete play, watch our video from his program.)

If you love music, Mentor Library is hosting a pair of concerts in July. On Wednesday, July 15, the Travelin' Man Band will perform a free show at our Headlands Branch.

Then, on Wednesday, July 29, folk duo Simple Gifts will perform at our Read House. Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon play 12 different instruments between the two of them and perform everything from Irish jigs and American reels to Gypsy melodies and Balkan dance music.

Both shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m.

For more information on Fekete and his music, visit his Facebook page.

More Marvelous Mondays at Mentor Library

Jamison soaks villains during Marvelous Monday at Mentor Library.

It's hard to believe, but these sweet summer days are already waning.

There are only three Marvelous Mondays left! Then again, to phrase it more positively, there are three more weeks of Marvelous Mondays coming.

And you're invited to all of them. No registration is necessary. Just come to our Read House from 1 to 2 p.m. and have fun!

Each week has a different theme with different games, crafts and activities:

• July 13, Captain America
• July 20, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• July 27, Captain Underpants

Rowan shows off the Batman paper puppet she made.

And there's still time to join the more than 1,400 kids who have signed up for summer reading at Mentor Public Library.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Vincent (with some help from Maria) plays a matching game, trying to pair heroes with their archnemeses.

For more photos from Marvelous Mondays, visit Mentor Library’s Facebook page.

Become a Library Champion this summer

Become a Super Reader like Kyle during our summer reading program, Every Hero Has a Story.

You probably noticed our Library Champion signs popping up in yards in and around Mentor this summer. And when you saw them, you may have thought, “That’s a snazzy sign. How can I become a Library Champion?”

The bad news is that these signs aren’t for grownups. However, the good news is that, if you’re a kid, you already possess the innate potential to be a Library Champion.

Every child that signs up for our Summer Reading Program and reads (or is read to) for 15 hours gets a Library Champion yard sign.

And that's just one of the prizes you can get for participating in our summer reading program, Every Hero Has a Story.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

And when you get your awesome Library Champion sign, take a photo of yourself looking heroic with it and share it with us.

Patriotic Party at our Lake Branch

Kids celebrated the Fourth of July with patriotic crafts, including red, white and blue pencil wands.

We threw a birthday party for the United States on Thursday (admittedly a day early) at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

Kids made patriotic crafts including birthday-candle bookmarks and red, white and blue pencil wands.

Then they decorated cupcakes with—what else?—red, white and blue frosting.

Avery, Eli and Cheyenne put the finishing touches on their bookmarks.

For more programs and events at our Lake Branch (or any of our branches,) check out Mentor Library's event calendar.

And while you're at the library, you can sign up for our summer reading program.

For every hour a child reads or is read to, they receive a raffle ticket that can help them win one of dozens of cool prizes—from telescopes and microscopes to Lego sets and Superhero Barbie. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

If a child reads 20 hours by Aug. 1, they will be entered into a special raffle to win one of two $50 gift certificates from Toys ‘R Us.

Mentor Library also has a summer reading program (and prizes) for teens and adults, as well. For more information about summer reading, call 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Birthday cupcakes!