The La Conner Swinomish Library, covered in silver insulation, looks like a jewelry box and adds sparkle to Morris Street.

Tiger Construction is doing a great job. Have you noticed how tidy the worksite is? This may be the first public building in Washington state constructed using all cross laminated timber (CLT) for walls and ceilings.

Vaagen Timbers manufactured CLT for the library using locally sourced wood from Sierra Pacific Industries in Washington.

The La Conner Library Foundation, under the guidance of Susan Macek and her band of volunteers, continues to raise funds for furnishings. The foundation received a Solar Moonshot Program grant to support a rooftop installation of solar panels. Along with other donors, 84% of the goal has been achieved.

Daffodil season is winding down and Winter Reads Bingo will end March 31st. If you haven’t turned in your bingo sheet yet, do it soon. Entrants who read 5 in a row for a bingo will receive a coupon for Stompin’ Grounds or Beaver Tales coffee. Completing a bingo blackout will give entry in the raffle for a gift certificate for Seaport Books. We will announce the lucky winner in April. Please return your bingo sheets to the library by 5pm April 1st.

March is also Women’s History Month. We pulled out books about women for easier access. A few on display are Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; A Women of No Importance by Sonia Purnell and the autobiography by Anita Hill, Speaking Truth to Power. For those who want quicker reads of accomplished women, I find junior and picture books very practical.

Looking ahead to April, it is National Poetry Month! La Conner Library is again offering residents the opportunity to submit their original poems. Send us your limericks, haiku and free verse. In honor of Shakespeare’s birthday on the twenty-third, someone might send us their latest sonnet. We’ll post as many as we can in the library window. At the end of April, we’ll randomly pick winners from each age category to be rewarded with a $5 gift certificate to La Conner Coffee Company.

Bring your entry to the library, and feel free to use the book drop. You can also send us your poem by email at [email protected].

Poem length/size must fit on one side of an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper. Please include your name, phone number or email, and age category you are in. Children and teens age 0-17, or adults 18 and older. Feel free to call with questions at 360-466-3352. We look forward to your creative submissions!