This Month in Lambton - January 2023

The January 2023 edition of This Month in Lambton includes the following news, service updates, programs and events:

• Lambton County Library spreading the love for Valentine’s Day
• Upcoming events at JNAAG
• Get Outside and Celebrate Winter Walk Day!
• Oil Museum of Canada hosts first Virtual Talk of 2023
• Winter Sports Fun PA Day Event at Oil Museum of Canada
• Discover the International Oil Drillers
• One Book Lambton
• Winter Reading Challenges
• Clash of the Classrooms
• Drinking Water Interruptions

Lambton County Library spreading the love for Valentine’s Day

During the month of January, everyone is invited to visit their local library and write a Valentine’s Day greeting to a local senior citizen. All valentines completed in the library by Tuesday, January 31, 2023 will be delivered to residents of the County’s long-term care homes – Marshall Gowland Manor, Lambton Meadowview Villa, and North Lambton Lodge.

All 25 Lambton County Library locations will provide blank valentines for this program during operating hours.

For full details on locations and hours of operation visit lclibrary.ca.

Upcoming events at JNAAG

Family Saturdays

Families are invited to join us in the art studio every Saturday afternoon beginning January 28 for engaging, art-based programming.

Drop-in anytime between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. for a short, artist-facilitated studio activity inspired by current exhibitions. New activities will be offered every month, with the same activity running weekly for the entirety of that month.

Upcoming Family Saturday dates include:

Circuit Trees
January 28, February 4, 11, 18, 25, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Take inspiration from Sky World’s celestial tree in Skawennati’s machinimagraph She Falls for Ages. Learn about electronic components that can be used to make a paper circuit and create your own illuminated tree.

For details on upcoming Family Saturdays, please visit program and events page on the JNAAG website.

TNT Afterschool Program

JNAAG is inviting youth aged 9 - 13 to take part in the Try New Things (TNT) afterschool program. These free, two-day programs, led by local artists, are filled with a variety of creative experiences that will allow youth to discover new passions. Taking place on select Thursdays and Fridays, program participants will develop their creative skills, make new friends, and explore their community.

Registration is required and space is limited. To register, please visit the program and events page on the JNAAG website.

Upcoming TNT dates include:

Poster Design Studio with Kennady Rayn
February 2 & 3, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Take inspiration from current and historic artists alike and experience the art of poster creation. See how artists use elements of design to express a message. Participants can experiment with a variety of media to create their own poster.

Diary of an Artist with Lauren Davidson
March 2 & 3, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Art provides an outlet to creatively express experiences and world views. Explore journal topic ideas and page layouts using a variety of materials and techniques. These methods are designed to bring everyday experiences to life on the page and encourage participants to begin their own art journaling practice.

Art & Ideas

This series of presentations complements the current exhibits by drawing connections to themes found in the exhibition and by featuring discussions with specific artists and experts. The Art & Ideas series is redesigned each season to entice creative thought and encourage new perspectives. Registration is required and can be completed through the Art & Ideas page of the JNAAG website.

Upcoming Art & Ideas dates include:

Imagining Indigenous Futurism with Grace L. Dillon
Thursday, January 26, 7:00 p.m.

American academic and author Grace Dillon will join us virtually to discuss Indigenous Futurism; a term she coined to describe the movement consisting of art, literature and other forms of media which express Indigenous perspectives of the past, present and future in the context of science fiction and related sub-genres.

In Conversation with Skawennati
Thursday, February 23, 7:00 p.m.

Join multidisciplinary artist Skawennati for a discussion about the inspirations behind her exhibition From Skyworld to Cyberspace.

Get Outside and Celebrate Winter Walk Day!

Winter Walk Day is a Canada-wide initiative that celebrates physical activity outdoors and winter walking taking place on the first Wednesday of February. 

On February 1^st join students and families from across Ontario for Winter Walk Day. Bundle up with friends and get active – learn more and find suggestions for fun outdoor activities at https://ontarioactiveschooltravel.ca/celebrate-winter-walk-day/.

Oil Museum of Canada hosts first Virtual Talk of 2023

Oil Museum of Canada, National Historic Site, will host their first Virtual Talk of 2023 with a guest speaker from the Canadian Energy Museum on Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m.

On a cold February day in 1947 excitement was in the air near Leduc, Alberta. What felt like a big gamble was about to pay off and begin a legacy for a growing young province looking for an identity and a place within post World War Two Canada. What they found 76 years ago birthed an industry still going strong today and created a worldwide identity for the province. But how did Alberta get to this point and why was Leduc No.1 known as the “Last Chance Well”? How did this discovery change Canada and the relationship Alberta has with the rest of the provinces? What is the legacy of Leduc No.1 76 years later and what does that legacy mean for the rest of Canada?

In Virtual Talk: Last Chance Well, participants will hear all about one of the most important energy discoveries in Canadian history.

Virtual Talks are free, and preregistration is required. Learn more about Virtual Talk: Last Chance Well and register online.

Winter Sports Fun PA Day Event at Oil Museum of Canada

Looking for some fresh air and a way to enjoy the outdoors? Drop in at the Oil Museum of Canada for their Winter Sports Fun PA Day Event on Friday, February 3 between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Visitors can borrow a pair of snowshoes provided by the Lambton County Library and go for a stomp around the snowy museum grounds. Inside, visitors can enjoy a cup of hot apple cider, view a display of historic winter sports artifacts from the museum collection, or participate in different sports-themed crafts.

Regular museum admission rates apply for this event. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and students, $3.00 for children and $15.00 for families. Children three and under are free.

Snowshoeing activities will be dependent on the amount of snow on the ground. For more information visit the event page here.

Discover the International Oil Drillers

2023 marks 150 years since the first International Drillers left Petrolia in 1873 to search for oil. To celebrate the milestone, Oil Museum of Canada’s January Facebook and Instagram platforms have been “taken over” by International Driller Edward Winnett, sharing posts inspired by his diary entries in 1897 about his travels abroad. His story, and the stories of more than 800 other International Drillers, can be found on the Oil Museum of Canada’s virtual exhibit website: internationaloildrillers.ca.

One Book Lambton

One Book Lambton, an initiative aimed to unite people around Lambton County by reading the same book, is returning for another year with an engaging Canadian mystery.

Lambton County Library is excited to announce the selection for One Book Lambton 2023 is Still Life by Louise Penny.

Penny, a Canadian author living in Quebec, is known for her New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.

Still Life is a fictional traditional mystery novel following Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators who are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. The locals are certain it is a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

Still Life is available to borrow by using the online catalogue at lclibrary.ca, through the Iguana Library app, or by calling or visiting a Lambton County Library location to reserve a copy. eBooks are also available to borrow through Libby using your Lambton County Library card.

One Book Lambton encourages residents of Lambton County to read the book and participate in programs and events that explore themes of the book, between January and April. 

Visit onebooklambton.ca and follow @LCLibraryca on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on upcoming programs and events.

Winter Reading Challenges

Lambton County Library is encouraging kids and teens to read this winter with its annual Winter Reading Programs – Bundle Up With A Book and Teen Freedom to Read. The programs are designed to incorporate literacy activities through interactive programming in addition to reading challenges to earn prizes.

This year, kids and teens are invited to register for the challenge using the Library’s Beanstack app at lambton.beanstack.org. Participants will need to sign up for Beanstack before they can join the challenge. Registered participants will be able to join the challenge beginning January 2, 2023 and begin tracking their reading starting January 9, 2023.

Between Monday, January 9, 2023 and Sunday, February 19, 2023, participants can complete activities in the Bundle Up With A Book – Winter Reading Program Challenge to earn badges and be eligible for prizes.

Teens who wish to participate can register for the Freedom to Read Challenge using Beanstack. Teens can log the number of minutes they read and earn badges for reaching different reading milestones. Teens will win book prizes when they earn their 200 Minutes Badge, 400 Minutes Badge, and 600 Minutes Badge.

In addition, teens are encouraged to learn about intellectual freedom and the important role libraries play supporting it. Teens are encouraged to read books from the Freedom To Read challenged works list found at freedomtoread.ca/challenged-works/ to earn their Freedom to Read Badge.

Any book read, bought, or borrowed, counts toward your total. Books can be borrowed at your local library or by using eLibrary platforms such as TumbleBook Library or Libby. To learn more about Lambton County Library’s eLibrary, visit lclibrary.ca.

As part of the Winter Reading Program, Lambton County Library will be offering programming in branches throughout the County. Registration for all programs is available through Lambton County Library’s online calendar at lclibrary.ca/wrp.

Clash of the Classrooms

Chatham-Kent and Lambton County elementary and secondary school classes and homeschool groups are invited to participate in the Clash of the Classrooms Reading Challenge, hosted by Lambton County Library, in partnership with Chatham-Kent Public Library (CKPL). Through this program CKPL and Lambton County Library aim to strengthen students’ love of reading.

Online registration for Clash of the Classrooms opens Monday, January 9. Educators can register their classes and groups for the challenge through Beanstack, a web-based reading tracking service that enables individuals and groups to easily track their reading progress.

From February 6 to March 10, educators can use Beanstack to report their classes’ reading progress. Classes will earn badges for reaching reading milestones and completing activities. Any time students spend reading in and outside of class during the challenge can be added to class reading totals.

Two elementary classes and one high school class from each municipality will win a pizza party for the most minutes read! As well, one elementary school, one high school and one homeschool group from each municipality will win a cash prize for most collective minutes read. Sign-up today and get reading!

For more information on Clash of the Classrooms visit lclibrary.ca.

Drinking Water Interruptions

Has your household made plans for a possible interruption of drinking water?

A number of scenarios could lead the Medical Officer of Health to issue a Boil Water, Do Not Consume, or Do Not Use advisory for your community.

Make sure you are subscribed to emergency alerts so that you can receive advisories directly to your email, text messages, or by phone.

Prepare in advance by stockpiling 72 hours of drinking water, allocating four litres per person per day. This amount should provide enough water for drinking, cooking, washing, and brushing teeth.

Visit EmergenciesLambton.ca to learn more.