cooking programs

Ahhh, Valentine’s Day. Whether your heart beats fondly for this love-focused holiday or goes ice cold at the thought of it – I think there’s one thing that we can all agree on – that we do adore our Library!

Did you know that Americans were expected to spend $18.2 billion expressing their love on Valentine’s Day in 2017 (according to the National Retail Federation)? But what if I told you that this year you could save a lot of that cash by spending Valentine’s Day with us.

From fun and free “date nights” to DIY gift making programs to romantic (and non-romantic) movies you can stream at home, we have everything you need to make this year’s Valentine’s Day something to remember. So get ready to fall in love…at the Library!

Ideas for Adults

Color Me Calm
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6 p.m. | Birmingham
Join us for an evening of adult coloring and make a masterpiece together as a couple, or create something to give to the person you love!

Fall in Love with Sugar Scrub
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. | Washington
Looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift or a fun and unique evening? You’ll fall in love with our sugar scrub program! Learn how to make a natural sugar scrub with good for your skin ingredients. Registration required.

Poetry Speaks: African American Poetry Read-In
Feb. 14, 2018 | 6 p.m. | Main Library
Poetry is full of passion and therefore a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day! Join us for an evening of some of the most renowned African-American poets of our time. Pick a poem to read to your loved one as a surprise! Register here to read a poem.

Movie Night at Home
Pick up your (and your partner’s) favorite snacks or cook dinner at home and snuggle in for a warm and romantic movie night. Check out hoopla’s special Valentine’s Day movie collection. Hoopla is now available for streaming on Amazon Firestick, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku.

Ideas for Kids

Get Ready for Valentine’s Day
Feb. 7, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Lagrange
Make a few special cards for your favorite people.

Sweets for the Sweet
Feb. 12, 2018 | 3:30 p.m. | Locke
Get ready for Valentine’s Day! Today we’ll share lovely stories and make chocolate candies that you can keep for yourself or give to someone special.

The Great Candy Race
Feb. 13, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. | Oregon
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with us during the Great Candy Race. Use candy hearts to participate in races and games.

Valentine Science
Feb. 14, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Washington
You’ll fall in love with chemistry with our fun Valentine’s Day themed experiments. Grades 1-5.

Ideas for Teens

3D Printed Adventures
Feb. 9, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Oregon
Ready to show some love? Why not make your loved one something a little extra special this year? Design a custom valentine for printing on our 3D printer.

Valentine Zumba
Feb. 9, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Toledo Heights
Develop a “love” for Zumba with instructor Elaina Hernandez. She will get you moving and grooving to some great music, and maybe even play a game or two!

Finding Cupid (Escape Room)
Feb. 13, 2018 | 4 p.m. | Oregon
Where in the world is cupid? With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it is up to you to trap him so that he doesn’t strike everyone, causing them to fall in love. Watch out, he is a sly one!

Ideas for Anti-Valentine’s Day’ers

Rock Out with the Anti-Valentine’s Day Tribute

Borrow the Anti-Valentine’s Day Tribute album from hoopla and rock out to some amazing music by Lady Antebellum, Eminem, Beyonce, Def Leppard, Alanis Morissette, Kayne West and more!

Movies that Say “I Don’t Love You”

I love macabre movies and could certainly offer a big list here, but for this purpose I’ll stick to five movies that serve up a healthy dose of romantic relationships which leave me saying “nooooo thank you!” and leave it at that:

American Beauty (Rated R, DVD), The Break-Up (Rated PG-13, DVD), Eyes Wide Shut (Rated R, DVD), Gone Girl (Rated R, DVD) and The Shining (Rated R, DVD).

Schemes, Scams and Ripoffs

Feb. 14, 2018 | 6 p.m. | West Toledo

Being scammed is decidedly unlovely if you ask me! What better way to spend an anti-Valentine’s Day than to join Dick Eppstein with the Better Business Bureau discussing scams – how to spot them and how to protect oneself from them.

2018 Drop-In Programs (held during library hours)

BASH! Valentine’s Day
Feb. 12 – 17 | Heatherdowns

Blind Date with a Book
Feb. 12 – 17 | Reynolds Corners

Captured Hearts, Guess How Many
Feb. 12 – 16 | Toledo Heights
Feb. 12 – 17 | Waterville

Count the Kisses
Feb. 5 – 10 | Holland

Create a Valentine
Feb. 12 – 14 | Waterville

Live, Love, Laugh on the Bookmobile
Feb. 5 – 14 | Bookmobile

Win Our Hearts, Take a Guess
Feb. 5 – 17 | Heatherdowns

For current events, check out our Events page at ToledoLibrary.org/events.

Library Cooking Programs: January-April 2018

Family Programs

Campfire Cooking:
Spice up your world with campfire cooking. Discover different recipes, tools and techniques for delicious trail cooking. You will actually get to sample some food at this program!

Apr. 4 | 4 p.m. | Holland Branch

Adult Programs

Cooking for 1 or 2:
A cooking demonstration offering heart-healthy options as well as shopping tips and tricks for prepping smaller portions.

Jan. 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Sanger Branch
Feb. 2 | 10 a.m. | Holland Branch
Mar. 6 | 6 p.m. | Lagrange Branch
Mar. 14 | 6 p.m. | West Toledo Branch
Mar. 26 | 3 p.m. | Toledo Heights Branch

A Pinch of This…A Dash of That Cooking Club:
Pick a dish, make it, and bring it with you to the meeting! It’s that easy! Enjoy a variety of dishes, as we discuss how we made them. Cookbooks will be available one month prior to each meeting.

Jan. 10, Mar. 7, May 16 | 7 p.m.| Waterville Branch

Season Slow-Cooker Meals:
Get the slow-cooker out to make easy and tasty meals. Join OSU Extension Educator for food safety and cooking tips. You’ll make the most of your slow-cooker meals.

Feb. 20 | 3 p.m. | Toledo Heights
Mar. 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Washington Branch
Apr. 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Point Place Branch

Teen Programs

Taster’s Choice:
Join us monthly to express your unique taste as you infuse customized after school snacks with your personal zest.

Jan. 9 | 4 p.m. | Oregon Branch
Mar. 20 | 4 p.m. | Oregon Branch
Apr. 26 | 4 p.m. | Lagrange Branch

What’s Cooking:
Want to know what’s cooking? Visit Oregon Branch to find out. We’ll explore cooking basics, as well as practical tips for purchasing and preparing great food.

Feb 24 | 2:30 p.m. | Oregon Branch
Apr. 28 | 2:30 p.m. | Oregon Branch

Children Programs

Snack Hacks:
Dive into an after school snack that will get your taste buds tingling. Hannah Halfhill from Toledo GROWs will show you some simple, quick snacks for you to make at home. Taste-testers needed!

Jan 23 | 6:30 p.m. | Oregon Branch
Mar. 13 | 4 p.m. | Heatherdowns Branch
Apr. 12 | 4 p.m. | Kent Branch
Apr. 14 | 2 p.m. | Holland Branch
Apr. 16 | 5:45 p.m. | South Branch

Tasty Treats:
Healthy snacks can also taste good! Join us as we make apple rings.

Feb. 21 | 4 p.m. | Lagrange Branch

Originally posted at http://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/get-cooking-at-the-library by Toledo Lucas County Public Library blogger Heather H.