The library is hosting its annual cosplay event on Monday, July 27, and it is one of my very favorite programs.
Cosplay is a contraction of the words costume + play. It is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. These characters can come from anywhere: movies, comic books, video games, cartoons, or an original character. Cosplay was born from the love of fandoms in the 1960s, but it has grown in scope.
Our cosplay contest will be fun and low-pressure, but there are people who spend a lot of time and talent on cosplay. Some have even made a career out of it. Whether they work in cosplay construction, photography, or paid work at convention booths, there is the potential to make money.
There are cosplay contests held all over the world. But it’s not just about how good your outfit looks. How accurate is it? How much of it did you make yourself? And there is the performance aspect: do you walk and talk and interact with the crowd like your character would?
Cosplay is fun for all ages, from the tiniest baby Spiderman to the older, wiser (?) Ms. Frizzle. We have four age categories, a group category, and tons of great prizes. Registration begins at 6:00 p.m., and the runway show and judging will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Photo by @alex.ryan.hunter
You may already know that this summer we’ve been unearthing all kinds of stories for Summer Reading 2026.
(If you somehow didn’t know Summer Reading has been happening, as perhaps you have been living under a rock and intentionally not unearthing anything whatsoever 🪨🙃, never fear! You have until August 2nd to finish your tracker to redeem a free mini planter and a chance to win big in our grand prize drawing. 📚📝🤓🆓🪴🎇🎁)
For many of us in #libraryland, we have been taking this year’s theme quite literally, focusing our decor and programming on what lies unseen beneath our feet. In particular, we have been focused on the fossil record and the awe-inspiring remnants of our world’s ancient past — like DINOSAURS!!! — although the geologic past holds tiny treasures, too, many of which you can find in the creeks, rivers and bluffs of Missouri’s own state parks system. Continue reading “Urban Fossils 🐚🌆”
There’s still plenty of time to celebrate Pride!
If you’re looking for a new, queer read, I’ve got a list for you, no matter which flag you fly.
Continue reading “Reading With Pride, Again”
It’s time for summer reading and at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, we’re going to Unearth a Story.™ Whether you love dinosaurs and history, gardening or genealogy, there’s definitely a way for everyone to dig into the fun this summer.
For teens, the Summer Reading Challenge will consist of reading 15 hours, sharing three book reviews and doing seven activities. You can read anything you want, but if you’d like some ideas, take a look at our summer booklist!
Beginning July 1, teens who finish all the tasks can claim a free book or a dinosaur planter and be entered into a drawing for local gift cards. Continue reading “Unearth a Story™ This Summer at Your Library!”
I’ve always had a HUGE sweet tooth and have my mother to thank for this: as the family lore goes, when carrying me to term in the summer of my birth, she devoured an entire peach pie by herself. #GoodForHer #HappyBelatedMothersDay 💖🍑💖
But a very unwelcome bodily change hit me around my early twenties: though I LOVE candy in all its sugary forms, I can no longer digest most of it. While I’ve since made peace with my body’s dietary shift, there is still a part of me that is always searching for a lil treat to fill the sour gummy worm hole in the dirt cup that is my heart. On my journey into alternative candies, I’ve been delighted to discover that candied citrus peel 1. doesn’t upset my tender digestive disposition and 2. is actually pretty easy to make yourself via a little kitchen witchery! Texturally, the candied peel is wonderfully chewy (but not tacky) and both tastes and looks quite vibrant all on its own. Moreover, if your own dietary journey requires less sugar, since you’re candying the peel yourself, you get to decide how much sugar to add &/or whether to use a sugar-substitute, like sucralose or stevia.
After consulting a few recipes available in DBRL’s vast cookbook collection (which can be found at the nonfiction call number 641.5 in the Children’s, Teen and Adult areas!), I landed on a quick, straightforward version from Marie Asselin‘s “Simply Citrus,” which is currently available as an eBook on hoopla. Let’s get into it!
The flowers are blooming, the weather is getting nice, and it’s time to get outside! Or maybe read books about being outside! Or both!
Whether you’re outdoorsy or outsidey, we’ve got a book for you!
Continue reading “The Wild Outdoors”
Happy Spring! While I am more of a #winterwitch myself, I will begrudgingly admit that there is something lowkenuinely pleasing (and grounding and cleansing) about the re-greening of the world that happens every March-April-May. And I do adore how the woods and fields transform into live-action seek-and-finds with the sudden blooming of the first wildflowers and flowering weeds, like dead nettle and dandelion and wild sweet william and false rue anemone. So, to celebrate the arrival of spring, which is also the survival of winter, I have a really simple, yet stunning botanical craft to share with you. Consider this your introduction to Nature Printing 101! Continue reading “Nature Printing 101 🌸🎨”
At the Daniel Boone Regional Library, preparation for March Madness began in the early winter months when we announced our list of 16 of our most popular young adult books. The tournament got heated as those titles were seeded and faced off in head-to-head competition. Each week in March, teens voted to narrow down the list of contenders until a single title emerged as the Mid-Missouri teen book champion!
Thanks to everyone who participated! If you voted, winners of the prizes will be contacted next week!
After months of voting and some major upsets, the title to emerge as the 2026 champion is…
Continue reading “2026 March Madness Champion Announced!”
At the Daniel Boone Regional Library, preparation for March Madness begins in the early winter months when we announce our list of 16 of our most popular young adult books. Now the tournament heats up as those titles are seeded and face off in head-to-head competition. Each week in March, teens vote to narrow down the list of contenders until a single title emerges as the Mid-Missouri teen book champion!
Each round you vote, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win cool prizes. March Madness is open to all teens ages 13-18 who live in either Boone or Callaway County, Missouri.
How it Works:
Round 1: Voting completed for the Elite Eight.
Round 2: Voting completed for the Final Four.
Round 3: Voting completed for the Top Two.
Round 4: VOTE NOW through March 27 for the book tournament champion.
March 31st: The champion is announced!
Each round that you vote, your name is entered into our prize drawing! Limit one ballot per person, per round.
Through months of voting and some major upsets, the two books battling for the championship title are…
Continue reading “March Madness – Top Two Announced!”
At the Daniel Boone Regional Library, preparation for March Madness begins in the early winter months when we announce our list of 16 of our most popular young adult books. Now the tournament heats up as those titles are seeded and face off in head-to-head competition. Each week in March, teens vote to narrow down the list of contenders until a single title emerges as the Mid-Missouri teen book champion!
Each round you vote, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win cool prizes. March Madness is open to all teens ages 13-18 who live in either Boone or Callaway County, Missouri.
How it Works:
Round 1: Voting completed for the Elite Eight.
Round 2: Voting completed for the Final Four.
Round 3: VOTE NOW through March 16 for the top two contending titles.
Round 4: Vote March 17-27 for the book tournament champion.
March 31st: The champion is announced!
Each round that you vote, your name is entered into our prize drawing! Limit one ballot per person, per round.
And the Final Four are… Continue reading “March Madness – Final Four Announced!”
