Please provide a brief narrative explaining what the grant was used for and its outcomes.
Our library held a Solar Eclipse Party in partnership with another CLRC member, the Oneida Community Mansion House, on Monday, April 8 from 1:30pm – 4:30pm. We funded some programming and activity options through our own programming and outreach budgets, but several key offerings were made possible through the generous funding we received from CLRC’s Solar Eclipse Mini-Grant.
The additional funding made three additional program offerings possible for our event, and we had nearly 80 people in attendance for our watch party. Megan Peters, a Haudenosaunee consultant to OCMH, hosted a “show and tell” station to educate visitors on the significance of the eclipse to the Haudenosaunee people, and CLRC’s funding allowed us to offer Megan an honorarium as a thank you for her generosity. CLRC’s funding also allowed us to offer a station for attendees to create their own eclipse drum, which are central to Navajo eclipse culture, and these were a huge hit with all ages. This funding also enabled us to offer a sweet treat for attendees, with astronaut-food ice cream sandwiches available to celebrants.
Thank you to CLRC for their generous support of our program, it is very much appreciated by both our library and our community.
Bill Loveland, Sherrill-Kenwood Free Library
