One Book, One Community

One Book, One Community aims to promote reading and community togetherness through a variety of activities including book discussions, guest speaker presentations, film nights and more.

Three titles have been chosen for this program including Winterdance by Gary Paulsen, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner for elementary-aged readers and Incredible Life of Balto by Meghan McCarthy for our youngest readers.

Upcoming events relating to sled dogs, arctic adventuring and winter sports are below.  Sponsored by the City of New Brighton, Ramsey County Library and the Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries.

Skijoring with Kristine Zellmer and Sir James Caird
Wednesday, January 18
6:30 p.m.
RCL - New Brighton

Learn about the dog sport of skijoring with instructor and competitor, Kristine Zellmer and her dog, Sir James Caird. Originally a means to exercise her dog, Zellmer has now been practicing the sport for 13 years and has instructed hundreds of skijioring newcomers. Zellmer is on the board of directors at Skijor USA and has placed in competitive races including 3rd in the 2008 City of Lakes Loppet Skijoring Race. 

Kristine will discuss the history, equipment, techniques and dog training of skijoring, as well as upcoming events.

Polar Exploration with Will Steger
Tuesday, January 24
7 p.m.
RCL - New Brighton

Hear Will Steger discuss his legendary arctic and Antarctic explorations. An adventurer for more than 45 years, Steger has traveled tens of thousands of miles. He was the first to lead a dogsled team across the Antarctic and to the North Pole without resupply. His numerous expeditions earned him the Lifetime Achievement award from National Geographic Adventure Magazine in 2007. 

Steger is the author of Crossing Antarctica, Saving the Earth, Over the Top of the World, andNorth to the Pole.

Arctic Afternoon
Saturday, January 28
1 - 3 p.m. - DNR & Boy Scouts
3 - 5 p.m. - Movie
RCL - New Brighton

Join the Minnesota Department of National Resources and Boy Scout Troop 106 to learn about winter safety, camping, ice fishing and what happens to amphibians in the cold. After learning how to keep yourself warm, help your dog or cat do the same by making a set of booties to keep their feet warm. Stick around for a showing of a Disney movie inspired by Gary Paulsen’s Winterdance. 

Afternoon Details:

Winter Dog Booties Craft
Make booties for your dog, cat or stuffed animals to keep their feet warm in the cold, snowy months.

Boy Scout Troop 106
Winter camping can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Boy Scout Troop 106 will demonstrate their winter camping gear and discuss how they survive the Minnesota cold.

Enforcement 
When winter temperatures drop, staying warm and safe can become a challenge while playing and enjoying the outdoors. Thephong Le, DNR Conservation Officer, will provide information on safety in cold weather including the signs of hypothermia. He will also bring along his snowmobile to spend time outdoors talking about Snowmobile safety if weather permits.

Parks and Trails  
Winter is the perfect time to read stories created by animal tracks in the snow. Join Jenni Webster, a Minnesota State Parks and Trails Naturalist, as she reveals which animals leap, bound or waddle through our wintry world.

EWR (Ecological and Water Resources)    
Minnesota has a wonderful variety of native reptiles and amphibians, come visit some live and in person! Hear from Erica Hoaglund, a DNR Nongame Specialist, how our states snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, salamanders and turtles cope with the deep freeze of Minnesota’s winters!

Fisheries  
Ever wonder what it takes to go ice fishing? Get an up close look at equipment and hear about the hot spots where you can go Fishing in the Neighborhood.  Presented by Jim Levitt, DNR Fisheries.

These programs are funded with money from Minnesota's Art and Cultural Heritage Fund.