Visit the Libarary part 3

Betsie Bay, Frankfort, Michigan

Imagine getting your favorite novel and going out on a deck facing the bay. The boats are coming and going from the marinas. You might see a wedding taking place across the bay. You may spot the eagles flying over. The fragrance from flowers may waft by. It is beautiful.

It isn't just in your imagination.

I became friends with the Benzie Shores District Library when I was studying at Baker College. I didn't have internet, so this was one place I could complete online homework and research. (The other was the McDonalds in Benzonia, but that is another story.) The staff is so helpful! 

And of course, there was recreational reading to be done. I really enjoy the variety of large print books that are available here. I met quite a few new-to-me authors, such as Alan Bradley, who has a great series of mysteries that feature a young heroine named Flavia De Luce. (I still read books by the armful!) The staff also helped me to sign up with my Kindle and enjoy even more books. Though I prefer the old book in hand, there is a certain handiness to the Kindle.

It is the Benzie Shores District Library that put  the old newspapers on a digital database so we can all enjoy them. The advertisements are a riot! From Lydia Pinkham to other miracle cures to car dealerships through the ages and grocery store prices, it is amazing! There are lots of interesting stories included too: Letters from solders in World War I to home, mysterious finds like an ox shoe embedded in a tree, the awful tornado in the 1950s and the Coho fishing tragedy on Lake Michigan. Great source of history! Plus, the gossip section had to do with family and friends coming from different cities to visit home and friends, weddings, school gatherings, church gatherings, barns burning down and more. There is a lot of basic humor and human nature included in these little snippets. They are the thing I miss most about our local newspaper these days.

The Benzie Shores District Library has wonderful displays in this window box. There was an amazing one of clocks of all sorts, another of antique toys.This is vintage shoes. Suitable books accompany the displays.

There is a magnola tree a the window, in full bloom right now. 

The library is available to the whole of Benzie County and to our summer visitors who come by boats or by car to cottages around the lakes. In the summer, the Frankfort Farmer's Market is right next door in the park on Saturdays. 

Who wouldn't love this chair??? 

Children's and preteen books

There is a children's reading times and sometimes puppet shows! It is fun to listen to the stories right with the children.  There is a lot of community involvement with this and our other local libraries.

There are cubicles for those who need a quieter place to study. The painting features the Royal Frontanac.