Book Banners Roil Front Royal

"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame."
~ Oscar Wilde

A group of so-called religious parents are threatening the funding of Samuels Public Library. They insist that books that they deem unsuitable for children must be removed, and the board of supervisors is listening to them, and may withhold funding that the library needs to continue operating.

When I lived in Warren County, I used that library frequently. It is a very nice modern library, and I still drop in there occasionally.

Another group has formed to save the library without banning books. The library staff has done their job in evaluating all the children's books to make sure they are wholesome enough for the intended age group. They want all children to feel welcome, so they included selections such as a book telling the true story of a baby penguin who was adopted by two male penguins. Zealots fear this story might "groom" children to accept same-sex couples. 

Local Article: royalexaminer.com/warren-county-holds-library-funds-amidst-book-collection-controversy/

The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/02/virginia-public-library-defund-republican-lgbtq-books

One advocate for the library pointed out that in Virginia, “Pornography in libraries is illegal… if they find pornography in the library, they should take their evidence to the sheriff’s office and have the librarian arrested. But they won’t do that because there is no pornography in the library.”

You may remember that I recently told the story of how Front Royal got the nickname Helltown long ago,  due to the brawling and other misbehavior that broke out when boatmen came ashore for whiskey and entertainment. Today this mostly charming town suffers from culture clash. It is on the edge of the northern Virginia suburbs, and old-timers feel the threat of over-development and some recall the displacement suffered by their great grandparents when they lost their homes so the national park could be built for city folks. Add to that the discomfort that many people feel when faced with social change and the unending friction of religious differences, and you wind up with disagreements.

I believe that the library will survive. Most people in Warren County appreciate the library. County supervisors need to refuse to be bullied by narrow-minded people. 

Another Quaker Meeting House

Herndon, VA

This building is currently used as The Herndon Friends Meeting, but it was once the home of a women's club which established a library here. That group was called a fortnightly club, which was apparently a popular name used by women’s clubs in the 19th century.

A town historical marker tells the story. 

“The Herndon Fortnightly Club was founded in 1869 by eleven women interested in studying literature, art, science, and the popular interests of the day. Early on, the Club decided to start lending books. By 1900 they had collected over 1000 volumes. Much of the collection was lost in The Big Fire of 1917. In 1927, the Club constructed this Greek Revival building to house the new collection. It became the Herndon Fortnightly Library, the first lending library in Fairfax County.”

Across the street from this building is the fire department, formed in 1917 after that “Big Fire” devastated the core of downtown.

Five More Pictures from Edinburg

Shenandoah County Library

Town Office

Here we have Virginia bluebells and two views of the North Fork of the Shenandoah. The pink trees are redbuds.

Near Little Washington

Last weekend I drove to the village of Washington in Rappahannock County. Oh, first I took Charlie for a run in a dog park so that he would be calm during the ride. After he burns off extra energy, he relaxes and often naps. 

The Rappahannock County Library has a large classical-style building plus a book barn for used book sales. It also has a nice view of farms and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Don't be fooled by the rural appearance of Rappahannock County. A lot of wealthy people live there.

I happened to see the new post office. Although it lacks the charm of the old one that was in the town of Washington, it is larger and more modern. 

Weekend Recap

I had a busy weekend and I'm tired. But first, let me wish all the dads a Happy Father's Day!

On Friday I made an unscheduled trip into Fort Valley on behalf of Lynn, who had injured her ankle and could not go out to pick up an antique radio that she won in an online auction for $8. It wasn't that far for me and the location was a nice old farm. And as a bonus for my good deed, I saw a bald eagle flying over Fort Valley Road. It's the second time I saw one there and again it was not possible to get a picture.

After that I did some shopping in Herndon, which is a fairly long drive from home. I had tried to avoid it but could not get the items online.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Basye taking pictures of an event at the library. I used to do this ten years ago when we lived up there, but after moving to Waterlick it was too far away. Now that I live closer, I was glad to accept Mona’s invitation to do this again.

She had not conducted the children’s programs during the worst of the pandemic but at long last she organized a special event: members of the college league team from New Market came to share their love of baseball with kids. 

The ballplayers read some baseball stories to the children, went outside for some kid-size practice, and enjoyed snacks. It was great fun!

Then today I helped to staff a table at an event in Strasburg. I helped the Friends of Seven Bends State Park give away stickers and brochures and publicize classes. Fortunately it was a beautful day. Next to us was an exhibit for North Mountain Animal Rescue, and their exhibit was very popular, for they had animal ambassadors to show to children.

Rescued Parrot

Fanciful Critters in the Snow

This winter mural is in the children's section of the Shenandoah County Library. Note that Mr. Deer has a scarf to keep warm.

Monday Murals

Yesterday snow began to fall around mid-day and at night it turned to sleet and ice. We got about five inches of snow with a hard crust of slippery ice.  I was glad I did not have to go anywhere, although by afternoon a mail truck showed up with a package. He also picked up a box that had been delivered here by mistake on Saturday. I was surprised that he knew about it already because I had left a message after the post office had closed on Saturday and today was a holiday. 

 I was curious about why the Postal Service goes the extra mile on packages until I read that they actually make money on package delivery while they lose money on first class letters. Also, they have a contract with Amazon for every-day delivery of “Prime” packages based on the extra steps that the huge retailer takes to label, sort, and deliver packages to local post offices. 

 

A Glimpse of Caledon State Park

On Monday we drove to Virginia's Northern Neck, a region between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. Frank had a real estate settlement there on Tuesday and I felt the least stressful plan was to spend the night.

On the way back, I made a detour to visit Caledon State Park. I'd never visited this park and wanted to take a look. It is known as bald eagle habitat, but we did not see any eagles. 

Caledon Plantation was established in 1659. 

I drove to the picnic area where I ate my protein-bar lunch and walked around. Frank had a doughnut left from breakfast.

 Next to the flag pole is a monument to the memory of Percy "Buddy" Fines, one of the founders of an event for disabled veteran hunters. Note the carving of a wild turkey.

Near there is the entrance to the Natural Play Area for children. I walked down the steps to document the features since a play space is being developed at our local park and ideas are welcome. 

Signs 2 / My Corner of the World.

I liked the simplicity of a game on a tree stump. I saw two music-makers: bamboo poles suspended from a rope for percussion, and cowbells on ropes. 
 

There is a free library but it is closed for the pandemic. 

Agents of Change

Edinburg, Virginia.

 

Signs, Signs.

 The Shenandoah County Library has an exhibit on influential women in Virginia. 

The panel on Chief Anne Richardson caught my eye. She is the first female Indian chief in Virginia since Cockcoeske became ruler of the Powhatan Confederacy in the mid-1600's. 

 

Signs, Stickers, and So on.

This is a post with lots of pictures and they aren't in quite the order that I envisioned but Blogger has changed and made it more difficult to move images around and format them. I used to do much of that in HTML but now that it doesn't show spaces between the images, it takes way too long to do. I already made a suggestion but so far the problem persists.

The first image shows a couple of stickers that came in the mail with fund raising letters. I haven't put bumper stickers on my car since chrome bumpers went out of style, and I don't make donations in response to unsolicited merchandise. (How many stickers, calendars, and address labels can a person use anyway?) I like the messages so I took a picture before throwing them away.

The second picture is a sign I saw in a West Virginia store. I imagine you know the song.

That store is the Lost River Trading Post and that is where I have some photos on display through this week. So we see two of them behind me and in between them is a space where my covered bridge picture hung before it sold. Yes! I'm thankful that one of mine sold. 

Thankful Thursday / Signs, Signs

That store sells collectibles and coffee as well as art. I think Uncle Sam looks cool next to this Obama Inauguration Display!

Also in Wardensville is the white barn with a barn quilt. Behind the fence you can see a little pond. Across from there is a farm market with a green pig on the pergola.

I went into a discount store and found children's masks sold as a day-of-the-week set. 

Back in Virginia, another farm market has a sign letting customers know they are required to wear a mask. Almost every store has a sign posted requiring masks. Some enforce it more than others. 

There are still people who won't wear masks. I suspect they deal with fear by pretending it doesn't exist. "Fight or flight" is a complicated thing. Ignoring a threat may be a form of flight. Personally I prefer to face it and deal with it intelligently.

The sign in the next photo is on a home in Strasburg. The person who posted this Patrick Henry quote wrote in "masks," apparently thinking they are a form of chains and slavery. (You can't see me but I'm rolling my eyes.)

Meanwhile, when I dropped off a book at the library in Front Royal, I noticed that it will be quarantined for five days. That seems like more than necessary, but I understand the desire for safety.

I'm still photographing post offices. This one is in Mt. Jackson.  

And last of all, a sign in Winchester. We were there for an appointment Frank had with the ENT doctor (for his stopped up ear). I recalled that Apple Valley Veterinary usually has a funny sign so I drove down that road to see. 

Wildlife in the Library and on the Lake.

Saturday's Critters.

Today the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center brought some rescued animals to the Samuels Public Library for a presentation about what animals do in the winter. A crowd showed up including eager children excited to see the animals.

Like many of those kids and their parents, I took cell pictures of the animals, which included a wood turtle, a screech owl, an opossum, and a fox. There was also a tiny bat and a squirrel in a cage.

Unlike the other animals, the beautiful white fox is not native to Virginia. It's an Arctic Fox that was removed from a hoarding situation by animal control and taken to the wildlife center because they are one of only a handful of places qualified to take in wild animals.

Although this gorgeous fox looks very friendly, it's rather shy and was happy to go back in a crate.

Meanwhile, Back at the Lake.

The Bird Depot.

From our deck I can just barely see the great blue heron when he's standing by the dam. When I zoom in using my old Nikon, I see him better.

These images are not only zoomed, they are also cropped. It's a good zoom but not this powerful.

Weekend Reflection.

By the way, there was mist rising from the lake. It really dimmed the zoomed-in shots. I made it disappear by making a duplicate layer in Photoshop and choosing a blending mode that cleared our view of the heron and his duck friends.