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October 2024 - September 2025 Update

Melissa Webb, Vice-President, reports that so far during this term, the following eight individuals joined our Friends group:

• Lisa and Beth - November 2024
• Janice - January 2025
• Peter, Amanda and Janelle - March 2025
• Kathleen - June 2025
• Marilyn - August 2025

Welcome to you all and thank you for your support.

Board Officers for 2025-2026

Nominating Chairperson, Sandy Granich, will present a slate of Board Officers for approval at the upcoming September 18, 2025 Monthly Board Meeting. Officers will be elected at the meeting by the members present.

The Bylaws (rev. 8/24) established staggered terms and election requirements. The President, Secretary and one Co-Treasurer positions are open for two-year terms beginning on October 1, 2025.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Sandy (360-909-7520). Attend the September meeting and exercise your voting privilege! Thank you.

Saturday, September 27, 10 am to Noon - All ages welcome - Free admission

The Fourth Annual TEEN 5-Minute Film Festival will be held this year at the state-of-the art Battle Ground Cinema, 1700 SW 9th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604

Eleven films were submitted. To qualify, a film must be at least 3 and no more than 7 minutes in length, and be written, directed, and edited by persons in or entering grades 6–12 AND 19 years of age or younger.

The audience selects the winners for Best Comedy, Best Drama, Best in Show and Audience Favorite. Join the fun and excitement of watching the festival films on a BIG screen with good sound.

After the premiere the festival will be available for viewing on the FVRL youtube channel.

View the 2024 premiere 

View the 2023 premiere

October 16, 2025, 5:30 PM at Hilton Vancouver

The Foundation invites you to their annual A&I (Authors & Illustrators) gala fundraiser event: a silent auction, an evening with featured best-selling author, Robert Dugoni, and dinner with library supporters from all over the district. Click to REGISTER, NOW. Join the fun. Meet and be with other Friends of CPL. 

The event also directly benefits Friends groups who donate auction items. FoCPL will create five irresistible gift baskets and receive the proceeds from the winning bids. 

Highlights of Board Actions - August Monthly Meeting

Rachael Ries, Branch Manager Librarian, expressed appreciation to the Friends of CPL and Battle Ground Library for renting the Battle Ground Theater for the the Teen 5-minute Films Festival. Excitement has been building in anticipation of watching the films in a proper theater instead of the Library Community Room.

Friends were pleased to cover the expenses for food, supplies and presenters for a variety of  well-attended summer programs and workshops including Birdwatching for Beginners, Mini-Horse Storytime, and the SAYL Science Heroes.

Voters pass Proposition 1 Library Levy 54.33% to 45.67%

The election on August 5th was a tough day for Cascade Park Library staff whose jobs felt endangered. To help get through the day, Friends provided cheer and distraction with a Day of Levy Lunch. Happily, by the day’s end, a win was a virtual certainty. See the Official results released on Aug 19.

Several FoCPL members participated in the Foundation’s OwlPAC Levy Lift campaign by tabling, phone banking and sign-waving and more. Stephanie Sanchez (Co-Treasurer) regards “Marching in the North Bonneville 4th of July Parade as the most fun - handing out candy and literature at the same time!”

She and new member, Janelle Faber, report having a good time tabling at Esther Short Park Farmers Market, pictured in the photo, meeting friendly dogs and people. Julie Nakao (Communications) was part of a small but determined sign-waving trio on Chkalov and Mill Plain. “Our spirits were uplifted by the show of support - honking, shouting, thumbs up.”

Friends Board Members Quarterly Zoom Meeting

A huge sense of relief was unanimously expressed by all who attended the August 15th Quarterly Zoom Meeting, convened by Jenny Wilkerson, Executive Director of the FVRL Foundation. Campaign volunteers offered feedback on what they felt did and did not work. There was consensus that OwlPAC signs and banners needed strong, action-oriented slogans and FVRL branding to be  more effective. (See above photo)

Jenny recently initiated the Quarterly Zoom Meetings. Both the Foundation and Friends groups look forward to build on the partnership sparked by the campaign. 

Enthusiasm for the Future

OwlPAC’s Field Director, Tyler Troelson, whose  enthusiasm and energy were irrepressible, agreed to respond to some questions for this newsletter. "As a kid, I always signed up for the summer reading program. The smell of Three Creeks Library brings me back to my childhood.” Now as a young adult, he's an avid user of e-books and audiobooks.

He recalls the campaign kickoff in May as a special moment. “...we weren’t sure how many people would show up, and then over 100 supporters packed Heathen Brewing! The energy was electric and it felt like we were all part of something bigger than ourselves. That night gave me a lot of hope …” 

We know that the levy will need to be restored again, sometime in the future, and will again depend on getting out the library supporters' votes.

To the question, how to grow steadfast Library supporters, Tyler replied: “Keep being the heart of the community. Libraries already do so much. They’re spaces for learning, creativity, and connection. The more we highlight the wide range of resources and services they offer, the more people will see just how valuable they are. And let’s be honest: everyone loves saving money, and libraries are one of the best deals around! … Once you hook someone early on, they’ll likely be a supporter for life.”

Tyler's responses provide a great context for all that Friends do by supporting programs and resources to hook people young and old: film festival, book groups, musicians, mini-horses, goats, used books and more. The challenge is to keep our energy charged.

Library Matters - Fun with Trashion - May 17th, 2025

From the perspective of current and former Board Member, Sandy Granich:

Last year, I had the honor of being a judge for Cascade Park Community Library’s Trashion Show. It was so much fun that I decided I wanted to actually participate. So, I immediately began collecting things that had reusable, fun potential: old packaging — Amazon sleeves, bubble wrap, old pretty lipstick tubes, and rolls of all sizes and origin from things like tape and toilet paper. 

Of course, I already had a collection of “stuff” as well, just waiting for the inspiration to creatively recycle. Among this treasure was our stock of “Lifetime Membership” cards for the Friends of Cascade Park Library, deemed no longer needed or wanted!  SO MANY of them - such a pity and a waste to simply discard. I just HAD to somehow use these cards. Linking them together didn’t work out, but what a lovely fringe they made by stapling them to my Amazon mailer skirt.  

But what to do with the toilet paper rolls? Hmm. Giant earrings? A hat? Both, too unwieldy. Then I thought of curlers!!! Worked beautifully with large hairpins. So why not curls of all sizes using the lip stick tubes and other rolls. Running out of space on my head, I decided to pass out the extra rolls to the audience. After all, decluttering is a goal of mine, too. Win-win all the way. 

Thanks for a fun show! Can’t wait to see what we all come up with next year. Fun challenge! Happy Conscious Consumption everybody!

(Enjoy the entire Trashion Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTJ6B2bEwiw)

Part of the Bookstore’s suspense is the unpredictability of the quantity of donations. Book buying is steady so our stock can occasionally run low and the shelves can look sparse.

Recently, a woman came in three days in a row donating nothing but paperback novels. She was clearing out a lunchroom.  We'd been low on these paperbacks all year so it was an outstanding win-win situation.

We are thrilled when donors oblige us by delivering books, a bag or small boxful at a time. This creates an ideal workflow for the Bookstore volunteers and makes the most of our limited space. Thank you for being considerate and for keeping us busy this summer.

There's something for everyone. Here's a sampling of programs over the next two months. Don't forget and don't miss out - mark your calendars NOW!

September 3, 2025 - Wednesday - 6:00 to 7:00 - Saving Seeds: A Beginner's Guide

September 6, 2025 - Saturday - 10:00 to 11:30 - Meet the Mentor

September 10, 2025 - Wednesday - 2:00 to 3:15 - Adult Creative Crafts: Basic Acrylic Painting Techniques

September 10, 2025 - Wednesday - 6:00 to 7:30 - Teens and Adults Pizza and Politics: Local-State Civics 101

September 13, 2025 - Saturday - 2:30 to 4:00 - Adults Skills for Disagreeing Better 

September 18, 2025 - Thursday - 6:00 to 7:00 - Monthly Friends Meeting at Cascade Park Community Library Family Room

September 20, 2025 - Saturday - 1:00 to 2:30 - Master Gardener Series: Mason Bees

September 23, 2025 - Tuesday - 5:30 to 6:30 - A Space for Black History 

September 24, 2025 - Wednesday - 5:15 to 7:00 - Representation, Our Federal Government, and the Constitution 

September 27, 2025 - Saturday - 10:00 to 12:00 - Teen 5-Minute Film Festival Premiere 

September 27, 2025 - Saturday - 2:00 to 3:00 - Adult Creative Crafts: Jar Lights 

October 11, 2025 - Saturday - 2:00 to 3:00 - Forest Under Siege: the Story of Old Growth After Gifford Pinchot 

Check the CPCL online calendar for a complete listing.