The Blueberry Barn Dance is returning this year as part of the Blueberry Festival festivities. It will be held at the Montrose VFW, with an cash bar beginning at 6pm on Friday, August 6th. Enjoy an old-fashioned barbeque (chicken and ribs), and country music by Hickory Rose Band. There will also be a special raffle: a set of four tickets to the pre-season opening game at the new Giants Stadium on August 21st (Giants vs. Steelers). Dress will be "casual blue."

The cost will be $40 per person. Space is limited, so if you plan on attending, please register as soon as possible by calling 570-278-7050. That is also the number for questions. Please call any county library for general information. Proceeds benefit the Library & Historical Society.

Make a Splash--Read! is the theme for this year's Summer Reading program, which runs through July 30th (story hours at the Main Library will continue until August 12th). Check the Summer Reading section of the website for details. Registration is open now. It's free and it's fun!

Early in 2004, the Blueberry Festival Committee was worried that the tradition of a special quilt raffled off at each Festival might end. The group of Library and Historical Society volunteers who quilted every year had dwindled and finally disbanded. "The Crazy Country Quilters stepped in and saved our tradition," says Susquehanna County Administrator/Librarian Susan Stone. "Thanks to them, we've had seven years of amazing quilts." The quilting group has designed and created a unique quilt each year at no charge. The spectacular designs are displayed in a gallery at the bottom of this article.

This is the last year the Crazy Country Quilters are doing the Blueberry Festival quilt, and they've outdone themselves with a Variegated Nine-Patch pattern. The group assembled in front of the Library in early June to be honored with certificates and pose with this year's quilt.

The Crazy Country Quilters with the 2010 Quilt
sitting: Marie McAvoy, Peg Calby, Ada Hess, Stephanie Stopka, Sue Magnotti standing: Catherine Novitch, Cathy Probasco, Genevieve Corwin, Miriam Detwiler, E. Anne Farringer, Jean Rose, Phillipa Follert, Mary Lewis, Joanne Bledsoe; not in photo:Barbara Brennan, Ellie Johnson, Lou Petrak
We also thank Mary Ann and Naomi Sue Yoder for their hand-quilting skills, and Joanne Cronk for donating the blueberry fabric.

The Library and Literacy have big plans for the fourth year of our community reading program. Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, a short but powerful novel set during the Civil War, has particular resonance for our area. Here are the special events currently in the works for October (details may change, of course):

• Saturday 10/2 & Sunday 10/3: Civil War Living History weekend in conjunction with Old Mill Village
• Monday 10/4: Bus Trip to Gettysburg, including guided tour, visitor's center admission, lunch, and talks. Cost will most likely be $65. We cannot take reservations yet--we will publicize the date signups will start.
• Saturday 10/16, 10am-1pm: From Wrath to Tranquility, a workshop on post-traumatic stress disorder to be held at the Readiness Center in New Milford with the participation of the Pennsylvania National Guard
• Friday 10/22: Showing of the movie The Red Badge of Courage at St. Paul's Hall
• Monday 10/25 (tentative date): Panel Book Discussion at St. Mark's Hall

WPEL will once again broadcast readings from the book; that's scheduled for September to help build excitement. To keep up with our plans, please join our email list; if you are not already receiving Susquehanna County Reads email, simply send us an email requesting to be added (address at the bottom of every page).