The New Year always gets me thinking about end-of-the-year routines and New Year’s resolutions. The days leading up to the new year bring childhood memories of sitting with my family, writing thank you notes, discovering the joys of new toys and the pleasure of an empty and clean new calendar. So many days to fill with adventures, holidays and birthday parties!

As I grew older, new year’s came to represent chores: updating the address book, taking down all those decorations, and announcing (again) that this year I was keeping my resolution. What I’ve come to learn, though, is that resolutions are much harder to keep if they’re boring. It’s really not likely that I’m going to successfully commit myself to an hour a day on my treadmill, staring at the cement block of my basement.

Instead, I’ve been inspired to find resolutions that are fun, therefore I might keep them, therefore lead a better quality of life. CCPL’s “New Year’s Resolution @ the Library” series coming in January seems to fit in exactly with what I’m looking for!  Learning to Line Dance at Rising Sun Branch is an excellent way to burn off all that Christmas cheer I drank, while having a few laughs at the same time. And self-defense at the North East Branch – I plan to take a friend, kick my bad habits and learn to protect myself!

The January/February issue of CCPL’s Library LINK has some interesting book suggestions for ways to live the next year, which could be fun, too. Living like the movie “Julie & Julia” could be delicious, although counter-productive to my line-dancing workout – and “So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading” by Sara Nelson may help me to whittle down the ever-growing pile of books I want to read and just haven’t yet.

Around this time every year, I’m usually determined to organize and declutter, so I borrow a bunch of books on the subject and find them in a pile of clutter two weeks later! I think Elkton Central Library’s Tackling Paper Clutter will be one of my first entries on my brand new calendar….

What are your resolutions and how do you plan to make them stick?

Are you craving funnel cakes, spinning rides, and cool prizes? It’s that time of year – get ready to journey to the Cecil County Fair, July 20-28 at the fairgrounds. After you’ve cruised the ag barns and viewed the prize-winning 4H entries (and maybe sampled a few deep-fried Oreos), be sure to stop by the Cecil County Public Library booth. We give away free books for all ages, plus we offer fun contests and a craft for the kids. This year’s booth highlights the Smithsonian’s exhibit “Journey Stories” and the many programs that will be offered at Cecil County Public Library through October.

July 23 is Children’s Day at the Fair.  At 11 am, bring the kids and enjoy a lively storytime performance on the main stage with our fun and talented staff.

We’re also running a special contest at the Fair this year – you can win restaurant gift certificates to Fair Hill Inn, Daddy-Os, or even local wines from Dove Valley Winery.  To enter, visit our booth at the fair, pick up a Journey Stories postcard and return it to your favorite branch library before August 15th.

What’s your favorite part of the fair?