Coming Soon to a Park, Pool & Bike Path Near You

Meet one of our Little Free Libraries.

You're going to see more of them soon at parks, pools and bike paths around Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake.

The idea behind the Little Free Library is simple but brilliant.

We can call it "brilliant" without sounding arrogant because it wasn't our idea. The idea came from Todd Bol -- a Wisconsin man who wanted to honor his mother, a school teacher and avid reader. It has since spread to all 50 states and 40 countries.

LFLs work like community book exchanges. When you see one of these around the community, you can take a book from it, read it, keep it if you want and bring it back if you don't.

If you want, you can donate a book simply by leaving it inside one of our LFLs.

Couldn't be easier. You don't even need a library card. (But you really should have a library card so you have access to all the other cool stuff we offer.)

The books we use to stock the LFLs aren't part of the library's collection either. Most of them are donated.

If you are a community member, organization or business and would like to steward one of the libraries, we welcome your participation. To be clear, stewards wouldn't have to donate money or books. They would have to just give a little of their time to make sure the LFLs stay stocked.

We have plenty of books for restocking purposes available at our Read House. Stewards would just have to pick up books from the Read House and take them to their LFLs.

And where are these Little Free Libraries going to be, you may ask.

All over! We want to make sure that they are where you are. That way they're readily accessible.

So here's a list of places where you'll see LFLs very soon:

Mentor-on-the-Lake locations

• Overlook Beach Park (corner of Reynolds and Salida roads)
• Adult soccer fields at MOL City Hall (Andrews Road)
• Mentor Beach Park (Andrews Road)

Mentor locations

• Mentor Dog Park (Hopkins Road)
• Mentor Lagoons
• Wildwood Cultural Center & Park (Little Mountain Road)
• Morton Community Park pool (Rosemary Lane off Corduroy Road, Headlands)
• Eleanor B. Garfield Park pool (Mentor Avenue)
• Eleanor B. Garfield Park playground
• Civic Center Park pool (Hopkins Road)
• Civic Center Park amphitheater
• Edward R. Walsh Park (Bellflower Road)
• Commemorative Rose Garden (corner of Mentor Avenue & Hart Street)

(Special thanks go to the cities of Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake for all their cooperation.)

If you are interested in stewarding one of these locations, please call Sue Fram for more information at 255-8811 ext. 233.

So those are our Little Free Libraries. They're coming to your neighborhood soon. We hope you love them as much as we do.

They're just one more way we're trying to serve you.

11 Things I Learned About The Cleveland Mafia From Rick Porrello

Rick Porrello is the author of "The Rise & Fall of the Cleveland Mafia," "To Kill The Irishman" and "Superthief." He's also the chief of the Lyndhurst Police Department and used to play drums for Sammy Davis Jr.

Rick Porrello -- the man who wrote "The Rise & Fall of the Cleveland Mafia," "To Kill The Irishman," and "Superthief" and also oversees AmericanMafia.com -- spoke about the history of the Cleveland mob at the Mentor Public Library on June 25.

He also talked about the 13-year process of turning "Irishman" from a book into a film starring Ray Stevenson, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken.

Porrello's a great speaker and a class act. He hung around late to sign books and answer questions.

Here are 11 things I learned from him at the library:

1. You don't have to be a mafia buff to have heard of The Commission -- the governing body of the American mafia, formed by the heads of each family.

However, even some mafia experts don't realize the first Commission meeting occurred at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland in 1928. (Most recognize a 1929 meeting in Atlantic City as the first gathering.) But the Cleveland meeting was raided by police, and the failed gathering was viewed as an embarrassment for the Porrello family that hosted it.

2. Yes, that Porrello family.

Rick Porrello's grandfather, Raymond Porrello, and his six brothers were involved in the beginnings of the Cleveland Mafia. They provided corn sugar to bootleggers who were circumventing prohibition.

However, the Porrello family got out of the business after Raymond and three of his brothers were murdered.

Rick Porrello's interest in the local mafia began when he was trying to learn more about how his grandfather and great-uncles died.

3. While the Porrello brothers were in business, their turf was East 110th and upper Woodland. Lower Woodland belonged to the Lonardo brothers.

The two families were cordial until Black Sam Todaro, the Lonardo family's business manager, began working for the Porrellos and instigated the Corn Sugar War.

Eventually what remained of both of these groups would be absorbed by the Mayfield Road Mob, which was led by John Scalish.

4. Danny Greene was the head of the Celtic Club -- or, to put it another way, the Irish Mob in Cleveland.

He drew the ire of the Cleveland Mafia after he killed Shondor Birns, a powerful mobster (who was played by Christopher Walken in the "Irishman" movie.)

Greene was ahead of the times in a lot of his way. Many of his subordinates had business cards -- complete with their pager numbers. (And this was back in 1978!)

5. Greene was never a member of the Italian Mafia. Instead, he had his own thing. However, he did partner with Italian mobster John Nardi.

Both he and Nardi waged a bloody war with the Cleveland mafia where the weapon of choice was car bombs.

Once, the mafia tried to kill Greene by blowing up his house near Waterloo & East 158th. They blew up the house but Greene and his girlfriend somehow survived.

There's now a parking lot where Greene's house used to stand. Behind it, there's a mural that says "KABOOM!" in big emblazoned letters.

6. Rick Porrello's father was not involved in the Mafia. He was a musician and the head of the musician's union.

However, by coincidence, he was in the area when the Mafia blew up Nardi and his car.

Porrello remembers his father coming home that day and telling his mother about it.

7. After several failed attempts, the Cleveland Mafia finally killed Danny Greene while he was visiting his dentist in Lyndhurst in 1977.

By coincidence again, Rick Porrello had been working for the Lyndhurst Police Department for about three years when he started researching mafia history. Now, he's their chief.

8. Both the Mafia and the Celtic Club used a lot of car bombs during their war.

But even Porrello admits that the sheer amount of car bombs may have been exaggerated in the movie "Kill The Irishman."

Porrello's words: "I am blessed that the film got made. And no film gets made exactly like the book; but if I were to criticize one thing, it's that there were too many explosions. They made it look like there was a bombing everyday."

9. Porrello is working on a new book about Shondor Birns. He says progress is "coming along slowly, but well."

10. Rick Porrello said libraries were invaluable to his research. Without their archives of newspapers and microfilm, he could have never written his books.

"The libraries in the Cleveland area were where this all started for me," he said.

11. One final coincidence: Rick Porrello has the same dentist as Danny Greene.

Building Catapults and Confidence at Mentor Public Library

Before you read any of this, you should watch this video first.

Those kids made catapults.

They made catapults and used it to shoot tiny gnomes at a scoreboard on the Mentor-on-the-Lake Library branch's lawn on June 24.

How cool is that?!

Rachel Sumrada prepares to fire her team's catapult.

The idea came from Lyndsey Gvora, one of our library associates at the Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch of the Mentor Public Library.

She wanted to host programs where kids actually built something with their own hands -- something cool. And had fun while doing it.

That idea became the Excavation Station series.

"I started this series because I think a kid who knows how to build things has a much higher confidence level than a kid who doesn't," she said.

"I think -- with America's move to college education -- we lose the emphasis on trades and the importance that has in our society, and I want to bring that back."

Brandon Barton launches a tiny wooden gnome across the lawn of the Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch of the Mentor Public Library.

The kids who go to the Excavation Station series have already built catapults. Later this summer, they'll also make sculptures out of dismantled electronics and racetracks out of ordinary household materials.

And it's fun -- a lot of fun, actually. But it also teaches the kids science and math (without them even realizing it.)

It also teaches them about their own potential. All of the teams who participated Monday designed and built their own working catapults. They had the help of some wonderful volunteers and the oversight of Lyndsey; but it was the kids who made the catapults work.

Jude O'Toole fixes his team's catapult with duct tape when one of its crossbars suddenly breaks.

And (as Lyndsey explained) if you can build one thing, then it also builds confidence.

"I hope at least some of these kids say, 'wow, I never built that before and now I think I can do some other things,'" she said.

By the way, if your child is between fourth and eighth grade, he or she can join the fun also. They can register by calling our Lake Branch at (440) 257-2512 or by visiting the Mentor Public Library's web site.

Seriously, how cool our catapults?

Paws to Read: Never Doubt the Power of a Cute Dog

I love a lot of the programs and events we hold over at Mentor Public Library; but, if I absolutely positively had to pick a favorite, it would be Paws to Read.

Morgan Kristo reads to her sister, Bridget, and trained therapy dog, Kody, during a Paws to Read session June 19 at Mentor Public Library.

Some kids are shy about reading. It's completely understandable. Reading can be difficult. (Adults forget this sometimes because we've been doing it so long.) And it can be intimidating to read in front of strangers.

So how do you get a reticent reader more comfortable?

Like most problems in life, this conundrum can be solved by adding puppies.

Diva listens as Leah Reamsbottom reads to her.

With our Paws to Read program, we pair shy readers (between the ages of six and 12 years old) with therapy dogs who are trained to be good listeners.

The dogs help the kids relax so they can get used to reading to an audience.

And what do the dogs get out of it? Ear scratches, belly rubs, the adoration of grateful children. Pretty much everything a dog wants. (Maybe add a squirrel to bark at.)

Sophia Kiggins reads "Jack and Jill and Big Dog Bill" to Hannah.

If your child can read independently but is shy about doing it in front of other people, I recommend trying Paws to Read. (Especially if your son or daughter also loves dogs.)

The next session is slated for July 17 at our main branch at 8215 Mentor Avenue and registration for it begins on July 3.

Registration fills up quickly, so contact the children's department at Mentor Public Library soon if you think you child could benefit from Paws to Read.

There is often a waiting list for the program once registration begins.

For more information on Paws to Read and other children’s programs at Mentor Public Library call (440)-255-8811, ext. 221 or log on to www.mentorpl.org.

Sometimes, reading to a dog can be a bit distracting. Here, Diva interrupts story time when she decides that she wants a kiss from Leah.

The Party May Be Over But The Fun Has Just Started

So you missed our Summer Reading Kickoff Party last week?

That's OK. I mean, it was a lot of fun -- I especially liked the kids who sang "Who Let the Dogs Out?" -- but it's not like the fun stops just because the party ended.

You can still sign up for our summer reading programs at any of our branches. (And I mean "you" in the ustedes sense. It doesn't matter if you're a kid, teen or adult. We have a summer reading program for you -- complete with prizes.)

The library has some cool programs coming up, as well.

Outback Ray and his cadre of exotic animals helped us kick off our Fun Day Monday series earlier this week.

And now Cassady Gammons can tell everyone she has a hat made from chinchilla.

Every Monday this summer we'll have a different fun game, craft or activity on the lawn of the Read House, which is next door to Mentor Public Library's main branch.

We also have our Tiddlywinks Song & Story Time for the youngest of the young'ns every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. (The program is for kids from birth through 36 and they need a caretaker with them. No registration needed.)

Here's a video from one of our Tiddlywinks sessions, if you want a taste.

It's always that adorable, by the way.

We have programs for adults too.

Rick Porrello -- foremost expert on the Cleveland underground and author of "To Kill The Irishman" and "The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia" -- is giving a free talk on the history of the Cleveland mob on June 25. (You can register here.)

And our Summer Concert Series continues June 26 with a performance by the Hollywood Slim Band over at the Read House.

We launched our concert series earlier this month with a show by the Sunset Country Band. (Yes, we have video of that too.) They specialize in music from the 1930s through 1960s.

So check our event calendar and I bet you'll find something fun to do at the library.

And now -- for no particular reason -- here are some more photos of adorable kids holding, petting and, in a couple of cases, wearing Outback Ray's animals.

And Rhea Sahoo can say she wore a snakeskin necklace.

Ayden Gorecki receives an enormous hug from Spongebob, an albino Burmese python.

Katelyn Zitrick meets Zombie, a hairless guinea pig.

Kevin Xue pets a meter-long blue tegu named Mr. Kipling. (Mr. Kipling, by the way, is a female. However, they didn't figure that out until after they named her.)

Pergola Construction With Boy Scout Troop 280

This is another one of those posts where we have people to thank.

(What can we say? People keep doing awesome things and they deserve their kudos.)

On Saturday, several members of local Boy Scout Troop 280 (with help from their parents and a few other generous volunteers) built a brand-new pergola outside of the Headlands Branch of the Mentor Public Library.

The construction was spearheaded by John Antalovich as part of his Eagle Scout project.

While the construction took about eight hours – which, in itself, is no small sacrifice on a beautiful summer's day – John has been organizing this project since the beginning of May.

John will be a senior at Lake Catholic High School this fall. He said he took the project on because he wanted to help the community.

He gave the sweat off his brow building the pergola, his time organizing the project and he also made sure to  give credit to everyone who pitched in Saturday.

“I’m happy, John said once the pergola was standing. “It’s up and everybody worked together. It was great teamwork.” 

That's John with a drill in his hand. He was never without it on Saturday.

Boy Scout Troop 280, which is stationed out of Mentor United Methodist Church, is not finished helping the Mentor Public Library. Its members also intend to build Adirondack chairs and benches, which will be placed beneath the pergola, so patrons can read outside.

(The troop does a lot of great work around the community. Scout Bryan Daly recently renovated the pumphouse in Mentor Municipal Cemetery as part of his Eagle Scout project.)

The Mentor Public Library wants to thank John, as well as all of those helped him, for their time and generosity.

So stop by our new pergola, check it out and – if you love it as much as we do – make sure to thank John and the rest of Troop 280.

Ain't No Party Like A Summer Reading Party Because A Summer Reading Party Don't Stop

In 11 days, more than 600 children and about 250 teens and adults have already signed up for the summer reading programs at Mentor Public Library.

But we want more. We want to get as many people as possible excited about reading. So we're throwing a soirée.

The kickoff party for our summer reading programs will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 14, in the backyard of the Read House, which is next door to the library’s main branch at 8215 Mentor Ave.

Everyone's invited to sing karaoke, take snapshots in the photo booth, play Wii and check out previews for upcoming kids’, teens’ and adults’ programs.

Many of the activities at the party serve as a preview for library programs that are happening later this summer. For example, people can make an origami craft at the party in anticipation of a special presentation by the Ohio Paper Folders on July 8.

We'll have the Wii out as an appetizer for our Wii Wednesdays, which will give teens a chance to relax and play video games at the library. (There's nothing wrong with taking a break from summer reading.)

Even the karaoke serves as a preview for the many concerts the Mentor Public Library’s Main and Mentor-on-the-Lake branches will host this summer. (For a sample of our concert series, watch this video of the Sunset Country Band performing at the main branch earlier this month.)

And -- of course -- children, teens and adults can all sign up for our summer reading programs during the party, as well.

Kids who are entering the sixth grade or lower can register for the children’s Dig Into Reading program.

For every hour children read or are read to, they will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the library’s awesome grand prizes. Plus for every five hours read, up to 15 hours, children will receive a prize. After completing five hours of reading, children will earn a free Lake County Captains baseball game ticket. Fifteen-hour readers will receive a “Library Champion Lives Here” yard sign (one sign per family.)

If a child reads 20 hours, they get a golden ticket for a chance to win a $100 Toys “R” Us gift card. Champion readers will also have the opportunity to have their picture posted on the library website.

Likewise, teens and adults can sign up for the our Beneath the Surface summer reading program.

For every book they read or library program they attend, adults and teens will receive one raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the library’s grand prizes – a Nook e-reader – or to redeem at the Mystery Box, which is filled with gift cards and coupons from local restaurants and other businesses.

(By the way, I need to pause here and thank all of our wonderful sponsors. We sincerely could not do this without you.)

Children, teens and adults can still sign up for summer reading programs at any of the Mentor Public Library’s branches up through and until, Saturday, Aug. 10. Grand prize winners will be posted at the library’s End of Summer Carnival at the Read House on Thursday, Aug. 15.

For more information on programs and events this summer at the Mentor Public Library, call (440) 255-8811 ext. 247 or visit www.mentorpl.org.

See you at the party!

10 Things I Learned About Jane Austen During Jane In June

Our Jane In June series concluded Monday night with a wonderful talk by Amy Patterson (of JaneAustenBooks.net) on modern interpretations of Jane Austen's work.

During the last ten days, we featured programs on Austen herself, her writing and how her novels continue to resonate with current audiences.

And, while I don't have time to list everything I learned about Austen this month, here are ten of my favorite Jane in June facts:

1. Jane Austen never finished her basic schooling. She and her sister, Cassandra, stopped going to school during a Typhoid outbreak and never returned.

2. Austen never married. However, she was proposed to by the brother of a friend and even said "yes." But after sleeping on it, she changed her mind and rescinded her acceptance.

3. While several people have gotten rich off of the Jane Austen cottage industry, Austen was not one of them. She received 110 pounds for writing Pride and Prejudice and 150 pounds for Sense and Sensibility. Even taking into account inflation, that's still a paltry sum considering the popularity and influence of her work.

4. Austen wrote anonymously because some still found women writing unseemly during her lifetime. Sense and Sensibility had the byline "by a lady" and Pride and Prejudice was credited "to the author of Sense and Sensibility." Her brother outed her as an author after she passed away at the age of 41 when he posthumously published her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

5. Jane Austen died at 41 and her exact cause of death has never been identified. Some think she died from Addison's Disease, a failure of the adrenal glands. Others suggest she may have died from arsenic poisoning. (Before she died, Austen wrote a letter that described some symptoms that fit arsenic poisoning -- specifically, discoloration. Of course, they fit other things, as well.)

6. Not much of Austen's personal life is known from Austen herself. In part because Cassandra, her sister, burned a number of the letters she and Jane wrote to one another before she died.

7. When Austen died, she left behind an unfinished novel called The Waltons. Three Austen family members have since tried their hands at completing it. Catherine Anne Hubback, her niece, used it as the basis for The Younger Sister. Then Hubback's granddaughter, Edith Brown, wrote another version: also called The Watsons. Finally, in 1977 another version of The Watsons was released -- credited to Jane Austen & Another. This "another" was distant relation David Hopkinson.

8. Several famous authors have also tried their hand at revisiting Austen's work. A. A. Milne, the author behind Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too, wrote Miss Elizabeth Bennet: A Play from 'Pride and Prejudice' in 1936. Then, in 1940, Aldous Huxley of Brave New World fame cowrote a Pride and Prejudice movie.

9. This latest Austen revival saw a distinct uptick in 1995: the year of Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility and the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. In the pre-Colin Firth era, publishers released about 10 Jane Austen-centric books (either revisions, unauthorized sequels or books with Austen as a character) per year. In 2012, there were more than 100 published.

10. Austen's prodigous influence essentially stems from six novels -- the aforementioned four, as well as Emma and Mansfield Park -- which were published from 1811 to 1817. These have spawned hundreds, even thousands, of books, articles, films, plays and more. For example, Stephanie Barron has written more novels starring Jane Austen as a detective (11) than Austen wrote in totality.

If you want to know more about Austen, visit your local library. We have her books, biographies, movies and more.

Story Time with the Sterling Morton Kindergartners

Once a month, the kindergartners from the nearby Sterling Morton Elementary School walk to our Mentor Headlands Library branch for story time.

Then, one our children's library associates -- this week, it was Judy Schulz -- reads to the kids and leads them in songs and dances.

Now, I could write 1,500 words describing how nice it is to watch the kids enjoy reading or I could just post the photos. And the photos are really cute.

I assume you would prefer to see the photos:

Trisha Schock from Sterling Morting walks the kids to the library.

Trick question. Before reading the kids "The Day my Mom Came with me to Kindergarten," Judy asked the children if any of them were in kindergarten.

In the aforementioned book, the mom answers a question with "Dinosaur!" I think "Dinosaur!" is a pretty good answer for most questions.

For example: "How are you feeling today?" "Dinosaur!"

Judy also read the kids "Again!" (which stars a cranky, princess-eating dragon) and "Princesses on the Run." (In "Princesses on the Run," Rapunzel decides to bob her hair so it's easier to manage and Sleeping Beauty improves her energy levels by doing yoga.)

And, then, the kids hopped on one foot.

The kids dance along to a song where they are instructed to spin around...

And then freeze like a statue.

More story time? Sounds fun.

Kindergartners pretending to sleep while standing up, cute. The girl on the left's "Voted Most Lovable" shirt, even cuter.

The kids were told to hide. One child tried harder than the rest.

Yeah, this seems like an appropriate way to end this photo gallery.

Building to Greatness... or, at Least, a Lot of Fun

If cuteness can sometimes be its own justification, so can fun.

Once a month -- usually on the afternoon of the last Saturday of the month -- Mentor Public Library hosts a program called Kids @ Work.

It doesn't require a lot of rhetorical gymnastics to explain what Kids @ Work is. It's children playing with Lego and Duplo blocks.

Sometimes, they build something based upon a monthly theme. Other times, they build whatever they want.

There aren't a lot of rules. Kids younger than 8 need to have an adult with them; and, as with any library program, we ask that you be kind to the other patrons. But, in general, it's just kids playing with Lego. (Legos? Legoes? I'm not certain how to pluralize Lego.)

So why do we do it?

Well, for one, Lego are a fun way to stimulate the brain.

They have been used to teach everything from engineering to English as a second language.

Arthur Gugick, a math teacher at Beachwood High School, builds Lego replicas of monuments and uses his techniques to teach calculus.

But we also host Kids @ Work because it's fun for the kids.

They have a good time while building amphibious cars and medieval castles and chapels that might even impress Arthur Gugick.

Occasionally, the kids build friendships too. (It warms my heart to watch the kids share blocks and ideas.)

So, yes, the Kids @ Work program may be the starting place for some future engineers and architects; and that's awesome.

But, if nothing else, it's still a place where kids can play with Lego and have fun.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Kids @ Work is taking a break for the summer. However, it will return on Saturday, Sept. 28.  For more information on children’s programs at Mentor Public Library, call (440) 255-8811 (ext. 221) or visit www.mentorpl.org.

... Thanks To The Generous Contribution Of Readers Like You

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, then you've probably heard us mention our sponsors. As in, "Sign up for our summer reading program at any of our branches; and, thanks to our sponsors, there are coupons and prizes just for registering."

We can't say enough good things about these businesses and organizations that support us. They give generously and altruistically.

Also, all of these donations were made at a local level, which tells you how awesome our community is. Simply put, Mentor Public Library is fortunate to be surrounded by businesses who care about lifelong learning and want to support their community.

They make all those cool prizes we give away during our summer readings programs possible. The toys for the kids -- them. The gift certificates for the teens and adults -- them too.

Let's be clear here, reading is its own reward; but it's nice to be able to give people something as an incentive to get started.

And, while the brevity of the average Facebook or Twitter post doesn't allow us to thank each donor individually, that is what they deserve. So, with your permission, I have some businesses and organizations I want to thank.

We had about two dozen sponsors who donated to our summer reading programs.

The Atlas Cinemas at Diamond Centre, the Chik-Fil-A at Great Lakes Mall, Great Harvest Bread, the Lake County Captains, McDonald's (specifically, Mandovi Enterprises,) the Simon Kidgets Club at Great Lakes Mall, Taco Bell, Yours Truly and All Occasions Limo all sponsored our children's summer reading program.

Fredon Corp., Gallery One Art Gallery, the Barnes & Noble in Mentor, Melt, Zoup!, Match Works Tavern, Rue21, Chop-It Salad Company, Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza, Francesca's Collection and Tryst Salon and Spa sponsored our teen and adult summer reading programs.

Last but not least -- there's no "least" in lists like this -- the volunteers of The Friends of the Mentor Public Library continue to give us phenomenal support.

Each business and organization had its own reason for giving. Lindsay Murch of Melt said her first job was at the Mentor Public Library. Jamie Buzzanca of Zoup! said his kid has always used the library.

But, regardless of their reasons, each of their donations and sponsorships have one thing in common.

We couldn't do it without them!

P.S. We never lose sight of the fact that our biggest sponsor is all of you. We're so grateful for the support you provide us; and we do our best to make sure that, whatever it is you need, you can find it at the library.