Guests at the Library

A week ago on Saturday, the kidlets and I found ourselves in Moorhead, Minnesota with time to spend. We drove to Moorhead to take YaYa to participate in Double Reed Day at Concordia College, and we needed to find things to do to occupy the day. The options were a little limited because The Banana is still in a cast and at that point was mostly using crutches, plus the weather was chilly and rainy, and casts and rain don’t mix well at all.

First there was breakfast and second breakfast at the hotel. The Kidlets ate their weight in free waffles and muffins. The boys went for a short swim in the hotel pool, and then we checked out and did some shopping at Target for various things I knew we needed to get. We had a special lunch with Grandma Gin, and then she accompanied us to visit the Hjemkomst Center, which was an excellent way to spend several hours. We had never visited there before, and really enjoyed seeing the Viking ship replica. I really enjoyed the special exhibit showing the work of a photojournalist from the Red River Valley throughout multiple decades. It was so fun to examine the photographs and see how perspectives and techniques changed with time, and it was also interesting because I recognized many of the photographs from the eras of my childhood from looking at my grandparents’ newspapers. (It also made me feel sort of old). There was also a fantastic and very interesting large display on World War I and how it impacted the local region. The display was so well put together, and I learned so much.

We had a few hours to spare still after leaving the museum, so we decided to head across the bridge and hang out at the Fargo Public Library. It was perfect because by then The Banana needed to rest her ankle, and there were comfy chairs and footstools, and my crew is more than happy to hang out at the library for a chunk of time. I’ve never been to the Fargo Public Library, and to be honest, I never made it out of the children’s section, which was large, lovely, and inspiring. Just walking into the room made my heart swell! The space was so well designed, so friendly for kids and families. The colors and displays were so inviting and engaging, that I just wanted to read every book I touched! There was a great reading corner, so we all collected piles of books and had a wonderful time waiting.

Visiting such a fantastic reading space made me so happy, and I realized just how good design can really make a library visit so much more engaging. We obviously love our local library and especially our neighborhood branch, but our buildings are very functional, and, well, sometimes they feel a little bit drab, hastily thrown together to make things work. It was so fun to spend time in a space that just instantly made me feel joyous and creative.