ABOVE: Croix and Basil Bell make holiday-themed crafts during a previous Grinch Movie and Craft event at the Martin County Library in Fairmont. Both the library and Community Education and Recreation have many activities planned over the upcoming winter months.

FAIRMONT — There’s plenty to do in the Fairmont area over the winter months thanks to organizations like the Martin County Library and Community Education and Recreation. Both groups put a special emphasis on indoor activities over the cold winter months.

The Martin County Library in Fairmont has a lot in store for the community this season.

“[Plans for] the children’s’ events are all set in stone,” said Librarian Michele Nelson, who plans and leads them.

Events for youth and adults respectively include Mini Mondays, Cuddle Buddies, Play Café, Pokémon Card Club, Teen/Tween After Hours, mini golf, seasonal, craft and STEAM/STEM events, Books and Brews Morning Edition, Chair Fitness, Crafternoon, Sign Language Basics, live musical entertainment, play area and more.

In the catalog of events, the library strives to hit the mark when it comes to targeting participant interests.

“I enjoy finding the activities and seeing what I can come up with. A lot of times, once I have an idea of what I want and look at some of the different things that we have here, I can come up with stuff that coordinates and goes together. It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I do all kinds of things. I try to rotate what type of activity, just to kind of keep things different and have a variety of stuff.”

Regarding new offerings, Nelson is pleased to introduce three opportunities for youth, including a four-week Arcade Crimes Mini Mysteries, putting the investigative skills of children ages 8 to 12 to the test by confronting a different crime case per week, an Olympics event in honor of the Winter Olympics throughout February in Italy and, in an effort to inspire children to create, the non-organized program, Maker Cart, which includes several supplies, giving visitors full creative freedom.

“We want to be able to give people something to do. It’s really nice to be able to offer things that people can get out of the house and do, especially in the winter,” Nelson said.

She said that many individuals- local, visiting or new to Fairmont-have flocked to the Martin County Library to explore and take advantage of the library’s events and atmosphere.

To date, the events at the library have been generously attended. For Nelson, seeing the positive reception is rewarding and helps determine what events will be held at the library in the future.

“It’s enjoyable. You know, we like to reach as many people as we can,” Nelson said. “And I just enjoy seeing how excited the kids are when they come and seeing a lot of the same kids again, when they get to know me and they’re excited to come and show me what they made. And, a lot of them know my name and they’re comfortable with me. So it’s really fun to be able to see them.”

Looking ahead as the season progresses, Nelson shared that she hopes to add any events that interest or are in demand by library visitors, and prepare for the forthcoming months. Presently, she encourages individuals to visit and participate in library events.

“Come check it out and see what we have to offer, there’s always something for everybody,” Nelson said.

Fairmont Community Education and Recreation (CER) recently published its winter catalogue. CER Director Stephanie Busiahn said this is a relatively new feature of theirs, as before 2023, they had a combined fall-winter catalogue. By shifting to this method, Busiahn said they have gotten positive feedback.

“The instructors appreciate additional lead time for sure,” she said, “It allows us a lot more flexibility in putting in classes, in courses, and we can actually add very easily classes that have come in after the deadline.”

In the winter they have adult and youth programs, general interest and health and wellness, among others. New and returning programs that have generated some buzz include phone photo rescue and the truth about estate planning.

On the youth side, Busiahn said in addition to their classes and activities, they have snowshoes that can be checked out for those looking to take advantage of the snow now or in the future.

“We have kept a lot of our activities indoors, especially in the winter,” she said. “We do have a fast-break basketball league in February. A great opportunity for boys and girls, which is new this year; it used to be just boys, and we’ve added girls, a great chance for kiddos to burn some energy.”

Because of potentially changing weather conditions, Busiahn said they don’t offer a lot of outdoor activities in the wintertime. In fact, she said it is the time when they have the fewest number of youth programs. Regardless, she said they look at gym space availability to get as much in there as possible.

Overall, they have 74 activities and classes, which is similar to previous years. The demand level has been steady and pretty good, but Busiahn said time will tell if they stay at their current numbers.

“It’s not uncommon to see some of those later programs happening in February, early March, to not have real robust numbers at this point,” she said. “We have transitioned to kind of a last-minute society. People are definitely waiting longer to register for things. Schedules are full, which we understand.”

As the new year gets underway, Busiahn said they have a pretty consistent goal they’re carrying over from last year into this year.

“Find ways to connect with our community and figure out what they want,” she said. “We can spin our wheels internally all day trying to come up with programs we think are going to be the best programs ever. Until we hear from our community in terms of what they’re looking for and what they want, that’s when we really move the needle.”

Numerous classes are still open for registration. For more information and to sign up, visit fairmont.k12.mn.us/o/cer or call (507) 235-3141.

Martin County Library schedule of events can be found by viewing the Fairmont Area Community Calendar at fairmontcommunitycalendar.com, the library’s website at martincountylibrary.org or by contacting the library directly at (507) 238-4207. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.