Mother's Day in the time of COVID-19

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us to not take people for granted. We’ve learned to appreciate every minute we get with our loved ones.

Mother’s Day may look different this year due to the pandemic, especially for those Mom’s in assisted living sites. We may have to come up with unconventional ways to let Mom know how much we care. The staff of the Detroit Lakes Public Library wishes area Moms a Happy Mother’s Day.

“Llama Llama Mother’s Day Present, by Anna Dewdney. Look out, world--Llama Llama is a TV star! The beloved character, made famous by Anna Dewdney's best-selling picture books, is the star of his own original series, now airing on Netflix. In this episode-based 8x8, Llama Llama is determined to make Mother's Day as special as possible for his mama. Your little llamas will love relating to their favorite picture book character as he faces new and challenging situations.

“The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames: a Memoir,” by Justine Cowan. The story begins when Justine found her often volatile mother in an unlit room writing a name over and over again, one that she had never heard before and would not hear again for many years – Dorothy Soames. Thirty years later, overcome with grief following her mother’s death, Justine found herself drawn back to the past, uncovering a mystery that stretched back to the early years of World War II and beyond, into the dark corridors of the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children. Established in the eighteenth century to raise “bastard” children to clean chamber pots for England’s ruling class, the institution was tied to some of history’s most influential figures and events. From its role in the development of solitary confinement and human medical experimentation to the creation of the British Museum and the Royal Academy of Arts, its impact on Western culture continues to reverberate. It is the reason we read Dickens’ Oliver Twist and enjoy Handel’s Messiah each Christmas.

This spring Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) invited students in grades 4-12 to participate in a poetry contest honoring a local football legend. Participants submitted original poems inspired by Adam Thielen's football legacy for a chance to win an autographed Adam Thielen football donated by Choice Bank, an Adam Thielen jersey donated by the Minnesota Vikings organization and other great prizes.

Lake Agassiz Regional Library is pleased to announce that the following students are winners of the contest:

Grades 4-9

• First Place: Lewis Johnson, Fosston, Grade 7
• Second Place: Gabe Leff, Detroit Lakes, Grade 7
• Third Place: Jakob Rudie, Ada, Grade 7
• Fourth Place: Evan Rogness, Moorhead, Grade 4

Grades 9-12

• First Place: Gracie Rouland, Climax, Grade 12
• Second Place: Nicholas Santo, Ada, Grade 11

Participation was open to students in the following counties served by Lake Agassiz Regional Library: Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Norman, Polk, and Wilkin. To read the winning poems and view an eBook with all the poems submitted visit larl.org/poetrycontest .

Storytime: Wednesday, May 12 at 10:30 am. Virtual storytime at the Detroit Lakes Public Library’s Facebook page. If you enter before 10:30 a.m., just refresh until the storytime begins.

Library Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Sunday.