Eat your words
Fundraising event to feature auction of cakes, art
At the Cape Breton Regional Library, we love April Fool’s Day and this year we are going all out to celebrate this silliest of holidays.
On April 1, we are holding All Fool’s Night at 8 p.m. at St. Theresa’s Hall, Sydney, with Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison hosting. Joining Bette and Maynard on stage will be Jordan Musycsyn, Alicia Penney, Aaron Corbett, Don Munro, and Lindsay Thompson. This evening of fun and music will help the library raise much-needed funds for its programs and services.
The show will be lots of fun and there will be added amusement during the evening. Altered book art and Books2Eat will be on display throughout the evening. Local artists have been busy over the last while creating altered book art. Altered book art is what you get when you take a used book and artistic inspiration, making something creative and different. The art that is created from old books is only limited by the imagination of the artist.
April 1 is Books2Eat Day which gives an opportunity for creative local home cooks and chefs to feature their artistic talents by creating food shaped like books, inspired by books, or related to books, all in celebration of April Fools’ Day. This is the perfect day to eat your words. The altered book art and the Books2Eat will be auctioned off during the evening at a silent auction, with all proceeds going to the library.
“He who laughs, lasts.” Mary Pettibone Poole. Laughter can be good for your health because it relieves stress and reduces strain on the heart. This evening of fun will not only help the library, it may make you healthier. Tickets are $25 each and available at the McConnell Library or the Cape Breton Curiosity Shop. You must be 19 years of age or older to attend.
On a more serious note, you may wonder why the library
needs to do fundraise? Public libraries are a public good. While the Cape Breton Regional Library receives funding through the Province of Nova Scotia and the municipal units it serves (Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Victoria County), the library board is required to raise three per cent of its operating budget.
Over the past seven years,
public libraries in Nova Scotia have only had one, very small, increase in funding. With the rise of the cost of living each year, funding levels for public libraries are falling behind. The book budget, which is one of CBRL’s major expenses, is significantly less each year, requiring the library to find creative ways to raise money to buy new materials.
Besides events like All Fool’s Night, the library raises funds through used book sales, Adopta-Book campaigns, memorial donations, basket draws, and many other events throughout the course of the year.
So, please come out on April 1 to support the Cape Breton Regional Library, while enjoying the fun and laughter of April Fool’s Night. This event is being made possible by artists volunteering their time and creative efforts to help the library. http:// cbrl.ca/all-fools-night/