The fourth annual Harvest Moon Champagne and chocolate Gala will be held Friday, Oct. 19, from 6-8 p.m. at the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library, 1303 W. Third St., Farmville. This fundraiser, sponsored by the Friends of the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library, supports children’s programming at the Buckingham and Prince Edward branches. Tickets are available at both libraries. Marcus Pendergrass is performing.

Proceeds from the 2017 Gala helped fund a Lego® Club, an interactive magic show to kick off the summer reading program, prizes for Teen Book Bingo, a music-infused “Night Before Christmas” puppet show, professional storytellers, sprucing up the teen and children’s areas, and a set of six Ozobots.

According to Megan Almond, the Youth Services Specialist, “Lego® Club made an amazing addition for our school-age patrons, and support for the summer reading program has allowed us to really make a splash and bring interesting programs to the community. Teen Book Bingo was my first foray into teen-specific programming, and although it didn’t generate the buzz that I hoped for, I got to connect with local teens and talk about books and the library – that’s still progress.”

The Ozobots are a great introduction to STEM for children 8 and older. Almond “found that programs that allow the kids to explore a topic on their own, like the Ozobots or a ‘lab’ program—we’ve done slime and paper airplanes, go over really well because they have some freedom to take things in different directions.”

The leadership of staff and volunteers and support from the community for the gala have made significant contributions to getting children into the library and getting books into their hands.