Lemon Hill and others ramping up bookish activities this summer
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Books & Fancy Pants Burgers Farm Table Dinner at Lemon Hill Café & Bookstore in Montesano
Lemon Hill’s first time doing burgers and fries. But make no mistake … they will be fancy. This will be a three-course Farm Table Dinner. Tickets will be required, $58 plus tax per person. This includes gratuity, but not beverages. Every guest gets to bring a grocery bag of books you no longer want. Books will be set out and everyone can take new-to-you books home with them. All remaining books will be donated. Saturday, Aug. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Deadline for Fair’s creative writing contest for kids approaches
The 2026 Grays Harbor County Fair’s Fine Arts contest includes a children’s Creative Writing category. The contest is open to all children ages 6 to 16. All entries are due to the Pavilion Annex this Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. or on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Each entry is limited to two pages, double-spaced. Complete rules can be found here: https://cdn.saffire.com/files.ashx?t=fg&rid=GraysHarborFair&f=2026_Exhibitor_Book_-_(O)_Fine_Arts.pdf&cb=a45dabb2
Aberdeen Timberland Library holding listening sessions
Help shape the future of the Aberdeen Timberland Library. The community is invited to help imagine the next chapter of the Aberdeen Library during a series of Community Listening Sessions held in the Rosalie Spellman Meeting Room on:
July 31 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Aug. 22 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sept. 26 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Take a look at preliminary floor plans, learn about the upcoming $4.3 million remodel, and share your ideas for spaces like youth and teen areas, local history collections, artwork, and more. Your feedback will help create a library that better serves our community for years to come.
The remodel is expected to begin this fall and will include updated lighting, flooring, furniture, meeting rooms, public spaces, accessibility improvements, and more — all made possible through dedicated capital improvement funding.
Ocean Shores Public Library’s 2026 Local Author Fair accepting applications
The Ocean Shores Public Library [OSPL] Local Authors Fair is set for Saturday, Oct. 3.
The OSPL is calling all local authors to apply for an opportunity to showcase their work. At the Author Fair, writers will have the opportunity to sign and sell their books at a shared table, introduce themselves and their work to local readers, and network with other writers in the community.
Spots are limited so apply early. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Aug. 3.
Visit the OSPL website to find out how to apply: https://www.oslibrary.info/programs/local-authors-fair.html
Celebrating Disability Pride Month
According to the Center for People with Disabilities, every July, “Disability Pride Month invites us to celebrate a powerful truth: people with disabilities may have different abilities, and that is something to honor and celebrate.
It’s no coincidence that this celebration happens in July, the month we commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On July 26, 1990, this landmark piece of civil rights legislation changed the legal landscape for accessibility and inclusion in the U.S.
The staff at Timberland Regional Library [TRL] has curated booklists for adults, teens and kids. Visit the TRL website at https://trl.org to learn more.
Timberland Regional Library Summer Library Program in full swing
Timberland Regional Library’s Summer Library Program runs until Aug. 31 and is open to all ages — from babies to adults and everyone in between. Discover new books, movies, and more, and come enjoy exciting free events happening across all TRL. Stop by your local Timberland Library to sign up for the Summer Library Program. Learn more: https://trl.org/blogs/post/slp-2026/
Upcoming Ocean Shores Public Library Summer Reading Program events
Children
Potato Derby — Thursday, July 23 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Start your … spuds?! Get ready to mash the competition! A kit containing wheels, axles, a potato and a derby rule booklet will be provided after registering.
Teen
Make Your Own Buttons Craft — Friday, July 24 from 3 to 4 p.m.
Get together with your friends and make one of a kind, custom buttons to take home.
Teen Summer Reading Program Finale — Friday, Aug. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Teens who read at least 500 pages over the summer will be in entered into a drawing for grand prizes from local businesses. Everyone can enjoy karaoke, pizza and video games.
Adult
Plant A Seed, Read! For every 100 pages that you read, black out a book on the tree. Attend any library program or bring in two non-perishable food bank donations to black out a root. Receive an entry into the end of summer drawing for every five books or every two roots that you black out. Finish the entire tree to get a special entry.
Aberdeen Library in the Parks runs through Aug. 28
The Aberdeen Timberland Library has partnered with the Aberdeen School District, Aberdeen Parks and Recreation and the Grays Harbor YMCA for its 2026 Library in the Parks Program. Programming, including crafts, outdoor activities, books and more, takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesdays: Peterson Playfield
Wednesdays: Finch Park
Thursdays: North End Playfield
Fridays: Garley Park
UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS
Author Talk: Elizabeth Flanders
Saturday, Aug. 1 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Naselle Self-Service Library
Elizabeth Flanders shares her new book, Sam, Maddie, and the Mirror Dragon, about two inspired teens and their quest to discover Mother Earth’s secrets. This story for all ages brings nature alive.
Author Talk: Sue DeMarinis
Thursday, Aug. 13 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Ilwaco Timberland Library
Join author Sue DeMarinis as she discusses her book, The Station Master’s Wife, a historical fiction novel set in the San Francisco Bay area and the Oregon Coast, telling the scandalous tale of a woman of exceptional resourcefulness.
Local Authors in Fleet Park presented by Lemon Hill Café & Bookstore
Saturday, Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fleet Park in Montesano
Come meet some of your local authors. Browse their books, grab an autograph or two, eat some cake, and see all the wonderful things the community has to offer. Lemon Hill has invited a couple dozen writers to visit and is taking over Fleet Park to do so. There will be music and so many books.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY USED BOOK SALES
Aberdeen
Thursday, July 23 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Friday, July 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 28 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 30 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Friday, July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Hoquiam
Thursday, July 23 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 25 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 28 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 30 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
WRITERS GROUPS
Hoquiam Writers Group
Harbor Books
Thursday, Aug. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Ocean Shores Writers Group
Calling all writers. The Ocean Shores Writers Group’s maiden voyage is set for Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Ocean Shores Public Library. This initial meeting will include a discussion of group goals and they’ll leave time for writers to read. Bring a poem or part of an essay and a notebook and pen for a timed writing session.
BOOK GROUPS AND CLUBS
Harbor Books — Hoquiam
Flights of Fantasy Book Club
Monday, Aug. 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Flights of Fantasy is a monthly book club for lovers of Fantasy and Magical Realism that meets the second Monday of each month. August’s read will be Indexing by Seanan McGuire. Copies available for purchase at Harbor Books (purchase not required for participation).
Ocean Shores Public Library
Book Group
Monday, Aug. 17 from 3 to 4 p.m.
August’s read is The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. Book Group meets on the 3rd Monday of the month. The Friends of the Library purchase 10 copies of each title that can be checked out for two weeks. Books are kept in the work room, so ask the staff at the circulation desk for a copy.
BYOB [Bring Your Own Book]
Wednesday, August 19 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Share what great books you have been reading with other book lovers and get ideas for your TBR pile.
TRL PageTurners Book Group
Westport — Saturday, Aug. 1 from 3 to 4 p.m.
TRL Sponsored Offsites
McCleary Book Club: Off Site Event at McCleary Museum and Event Center
Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. to noon
This library-sponsored event is occurring off-site at 426 S 3rd St. in McCleary. Join community members and library staff for a monthly book discussion. Copies of each month’s selection are available at the McCleary Library service desk during regularly staffed hours while supplies last.
STORY TIME
Ocean Shores Public Library — Saturdays from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
Timberland Regional Library Family Storytime
Aberdeen
Birth to Five Storytime: Off Site Event at North End Playfield
Thursdays from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
This library-sponsored event is occurring off-site at North End Playfield, 1509 Young St. in Aberdeen. Participate in stories, music, movement and rhymes that help develop your child’s early literacy skills, followed by an activity or play time. Older siblings are welcome to attend but this program is designed for early learners ages 0-5.
Aberdeen and Montesano — Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Elma — Fridays 10 to 11 a.m.
Westport — Wednesdays 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
McCleary — Wednesdays 11 a.m. to noon
Hoquiam — Fridays 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Raymond Book Babies — Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
OLYMPIA LITERARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Romantic Roots
Julia Lovely’s The Sapphire Sailor’s Tale book launch and signing — Saturday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Megan Elizabeth’s Secrets Shared book signing — Saturday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ashley Montoya’s The Dark Coronation book launch party — Saturday, Aug. 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
Storytime every Saturday at 11 a.m. featuring a different picture book each week.
Browsers Bookshop
Story Time — first Saturday of each month from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
[Nearly] Silent Writing Club — Thursday, Aug. 6 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Hosted by Star Wuerdemann.
Orca Books Cooperative
Women’s Liberation Book Club — Friday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. Femina by Janina Ramirez
