2013 Minnesota Teen Video Challenge

The 2013 MN Teen Video Challenge has been announced. It is a national video competition for teens to get involved with reading and the library's summer reading program. Here's the gist of it: teens make a 30-90 second video interpreting the summer reading theme "Beneath the Surface" and they could win $275.00. Click on the links for entry form and model release form (for the actors/actresses in the film). Check out these links for rules, video creation resources, and prizes.

Civil War Soldier at the Grand Rapids Library

Life as a Civil War Soldier
Saturday, December 8, 10:00 am

Civil War soldiers had it rough, when they got hungry, they’d dip their worm-infested hardtack into a tin cup of coffee — coffee made by putting stale coffee beans inside a sock that hadn’t been washed for four months and pounding them with the butt end of a musket.
 Dressed as a Union soldier, Arn Kind talks about the Civil War so kids understand the soldiers' experience in this tragic war.
Kind is a member of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an authentic re-enactment group that has appeared in many documentaries and well known feature films.

The Civil War soldier who visited us on November 15th talked about hard tack as one of the rations for soldiers during the Civil War. If you want to try making the authentic version, or some variation of it, there are recipes and instructions at the Wikimedia cookbook and Wikihow and a great description and history and links to other resources in Wikipedia

Try making a batch and bringing it to the upcoming program with the soldier from the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment on December 8th!