There are all sorts of myths about how the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day came to be. The timing of the celebration on Feb. 14 may, according to some scholars, be related to Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival. Of course, the name of the holiday is something else. There are many historical figures who were called Valentine, but there is no single Valentine who can be verified as the day’s
namesake. The only thing that can be agreed on is that our St. Valentine very likely martyred himself for love. Ah! How romantic!

Regardless of the origins, the tradition of lavishing tokens of affection on one’s amour is deeply engrained in America’s popular culture, but truly, it can be kind of nice to be the recipient of a lovely gift in the middle of a dreary Maine winter.

Personally, I don’t know very many women (and even a few men) who wouldn’t be thrilled to be given a lovely bouquet of flowers, especially in the middle of winter, and even the holiday aside, the month of February is going to be a great time to give the gift of flowers.

This month, Libby Memorial Library was selected as the beneficiary for Hannaford’s Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet. For every bouquet purchased during the month of February at the Saco Hannaford, Libby Library will receive $1. We shouldn’t need a reason to buy ourselves flower, but if we think we do, there isn’t a much better one than supporting the library. I just may treat myself. And why not?! It’s a win/win situation. Pamper myself some beautiful flowers and show some love for my library!

February is, after all, Love Your Library Month. In keeping with that theme, for the month of February, we’re inviting all of you to express what you love about Libby Memorial Library. Ask for a paper heart at the circulation desk, write a little blurb about what you love about the library, and get a kiss! A Hershey’s™ Kiss, that is!

If that’s not reason enough to stop by, we have a whole slate of events and happenings at the library during February, Saturday, Feb. 10 is STEAM Saturday. This month the focus will be on birds. I don’t know about you, but I am always amazed (and a little surprised) by the sheer number of birds that spend the whole winter right in my yard! I love the brightly colored Cardinals against the stark white of a newly fallen snow, but my favorite little guy is probably the Tufted Titmouse. Bird watching can be a really fun hobby, and even here, in February there are lots of feathered friends to learn about.

Saturday, Feb. 17 is for family fun. Visit the library’s Family Escape Room. We’re confident that you’ll make it out, and we’ll even give you a treat when you solve the problems.

The week of Feb. 20-23 is school vacation week. From 3 to 4 p.m. each day that week will be a fun activity for the kids in our Community Room.

February may be the shortest month of the year, but here at Libby Library, there’s no shortage of fun and adventure! As our favorite aardvark says, “Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card!”