Gaming Workshop



Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or any of the other role playing games that are out there?  If you've ever been intrigued and wanted to give it a try, today is your chance.  Come on down to the library at 10 AM on Saturday, January 14th  and see what gaming is all about.  SCCS teacher, Matt Bancroft will be leading a group of gamers and the role playing fun will continue until the library closes at 3 PM.  

This event is free and open to all teens ages 10-18.  Free lunch provided.

Questions?  Call Alyssa at 364-8178.



Christmas in Aurora - the Results




The Library


Jane Morgan's Little House

Bet the Farm

The Masonic Lodge

It was a fun and delicious Saturday morning at the Library.  Thanks to all of our planners, and thanks especially to Man in the Moon Bake Shoppe for all of their amazing work.   Visit our Facebook page to see more photos!

Community Build - Gingerbread Style



The Teen Advisory Group is excited to be working with Man in the Moon Bake Shoppe to provide a gingerbread house decorating workshop for local teens (10-18) during Christmas in Aurora on Saturday, December 10th. 

Participating teens will work in teams led by local artists (Felicity Miller, Jim and Meg Hauptfleisch and others) to design and decorate several large scale gingerbread houses.  A cake decorator from Man in the Moon will be on hand to guide participants and offer suggestions in decorative technique.  Candy toppings for the houses are provided with the help of several local businesses including the Aurora Arts and Design Center, the Aurora Shoe Co., Miller Tilling, and more.


The workshop is free and includes a pizza lunch for all participants.  Come on out and enjoy some good old fashioned Christmas fun!


Aurora Free Library
December 10th
10:00 am - 1:00 pm


Spilling Ink with Anne Mazer

In early November the Aurora Free Library was pleased to bring in Ithaca based author, Anne Mazer to work with 7th grade students from Southern Cayuga Middle School.  The creative writing workshop was made possible by a generous grant from the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund and was well received by the students.  Those of us who were lucky enough to witness the workshop were impressed with the creativity that Mazer inspired and the writing pieces that were shared.  



Mazer, who co-authored a book for aspiring writers, titled Spilling Ink:  A Young Writer's Handbook asked students to bring in a "memory item" to inspire their first piece of writing. For the second, they took the piece they had just written, and narrated it from a different point of view. For the final writing exercise, students randomly picked a "starting sentence" written by one of their classmates, and used it to start a story.

Below are some of the products of this wonderful workshop.  Please take a look and enjoy!



Memory Item by Matt Signor

I have a very special friend. His name is Clover. Clover was my favorite friend when I was just about two years old. I can remember when my mother gave me Clover. I thought he was the best thing I have ever seen. I would take him wherever I would go, and that led me to many good times. Clover in my mind was real and I would treat him with respect. Not like most kids, I would not like to throw him up and down because I thought it would hurt him.

He would also lead me into doing the right thing. I remember when I really wanted some candy laying where I couldn’t reach it. This candy I wanted more than anything else, but for some strange reason I didn’t take it. Clover was the one who stopped me. I knew if I took the candy he would have been upset with me.

Clover looks now about half of the size it did when I got him, but even when he is not near, I still can see him.

By Collin Walker

In the Alaska snowy mountains there was an Arctic cat pro climb plowing through powdery snow. Stalking its prey slowly, carefully. Waiting for the right moment to pounce. Right out of the corner of his eye spotting two hikers thinking of them being an even more delicious meal to eat. Yet again the Arctic cat stalking his new prey ready to pounce.


By Olivia Van Orman

It’s Christmas morning and I’m stuck in a box. I wish Olivia would open me soon so I can play. I shook the box so she would open me next. Olivia finally opened the box and I was happy to meet her. My first words were “Howdy Partner!” Olivia and I play for hours. It was a wonderful Christmas.


By Mark Larsen

Once upon a time there was a boy who lived at the end of a long, long lane. He had two sisters, a brother, and a mom and dad. He also had a pony. This pony was not any normal pony. It was pony he loved. Every day, all day long. He brushed and rode and had fun all around. But one day while he was playing, the pony didn’t act as it used to. And he asked his mother what was wrong. Her face soon turned to one the boy had never seen. Sadness. The mother had the boy sit down, and started to tell him that the pony had to leave soon. And would not be returning. The boy was puzzled, but returned to play with the pony. Months later, in winter the boy got up. Put on his clothes to play with the pony as he normally did. But’ when he went out to play before the bus, the pony was gone. He looked all around, and could not find the pony. Finally, he found the pony. Laying down in the corner of the barn. They boy thought the pony was sleeping, and went over to wake the pony up. But the pony didn’t move and the boys got scared. He went in to his mother. She had him sit down, as she did months before, and told him that the pony had moved on, and was now with Pegasus.

This story is true, and that boy is me.

By Mika Woollett-Thibs

I was sitting on an unstable white shelf, packed with other old, smelly books. Suddenly I was wrenched from the shelf with a forceful pull, and naked in the arms of a young, freckly girl, with lots of hair. She kept nagging another girl to read me, as if she could. I’m Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, NYT bestseller! Not just any little child can read me! But with defeat, I was pried open and read corner to corner with joy, when she put me back on the shelf.  I was suddenly walking away with the girl, being prodded by another woman, put in a bag and thrown in a car! And here I am sitting on another shelf in a cream colored room. I’ve been eaten on, left outside, rained on and thrown across the room. But I have to admit I’m loved by this little girl. She has read me six times, cried when I cried, and smiled at my funny lines. I was just sitting here on this bookshelf when I was thrown in a box. But I haven’t been read in a while, her little sister read me too, but the days get lonely just being a book.


Memory Item By Jayde Lyon

When I entered 3rd grade, I was very nervous. I heard that my new teacher, Mrs. Williams was very strict. Those rumors were wrong. Mrs. Williams was very nice, generous and helpful. She was very open to us and to new ideas. She understood our problems and wanted to help us in every way possible. She was very funny and wanted to reward us. She created these “dollar bills” that were paper dollar bills with her face on it. She handed these out to us when we did something good. One we got enough we could get a prize. These prizes included: a piece of candy, an object from the treasure chest, getting to work with a friend for a day, or getting to have lunch with her. We got to do many skits on different subjects and do other creative things. She tried to make every subject fun. At the end of 3rd grade I was sad because I was going to have to move.

To my surprise I didn’t have to move yet. I was really excited when I learned Mrs. Williams was going to loop with us. The 4th grade year was still very fun and a lot like the 3rd grade year. I loved my class and everyone was nice. She loved to golf and shared many stories with us. Fourth grade was a little awkward though because we watched “the movie”.  But she was still very nice. She wanted to make sure we excelled in life and she cared about us.

Rewrite of same piece from another point of view

It was the first day of school. I couldn’t wait to meet all my friends and Mrs. Williams. I heard that she is very nice. At the end of the day, I realized these rumors were true. Mrs. Williams was very nice and had a lot of similarities with me. We both love to golf and we’re both obsessed with cats. Over the year I learned many things in a very fun way. I loved that she allowed us to work with friends and have lunch with her. I was sad at the end of the year. When I found out my fourth grade teacher was going to be Mrs. Williams I was ecstatic. She was still really nice and helpful. For a couple of days it was awkward though. I love to help people and I learned a lot from her. I can’t wait to visit her again.


By Catherine Reynolds

I wake up and realize that today is Saturday and there’s no school on a weekend. I’m free! A week of school. Done. I can do whatever I want for two days and I’m not going to let anyone tell me I can’t.

There are so many things I could do! I could go to a friend’s house, or ride my bike, go for a walk, play outside, go on the computer or a bunch of other things! What should I do first?

I don’t really want to ride my bike because I did that yesterday. Plus it’s too cold. I don’t want to go for a walk or play outside when it’s too cold outside.

If I went on the computer, what would I do?  I can’t think of any fun games to play on the computer and odds are there’s nothing to do on TV.

I’m completely bored. I can’t wait until Monday.

Memory Item By Marea Warren-Hernandez

When I was 6 years old I visited my granddad in Texas. It was the first time I had met him and I was very excited. When we got off the plane, my dad took me to his parents’ house. He had lived in New York City for most of his life. He came to this area when he went to Cornell and met my mom. My grandparents moved to Texas while my dad was in Cornell. My grandmother mostly only knew Spanish, so it was hard to communicate with her. Once my grandfather and my dad left me alone with her while they went grocery shopping. She was doing the laundry and she dropped a pair of socks and she couldn’t bend over to pick up the socks. She asked me to help her but I couldn’t understand what she was saying so I walked away.  Me and my dad visited the ocean when we were there, but right after we got in I saw a crab and it scared me so I got out of the water. We went to a little shop nearby and that is where I got this little shell turtle. I’ve kept it in my room since then. After we got back we found out that my grandfather had a cancerous tumor on his head. He went through radiation and he was fine, but the radiation did do some damage. He mouth can’t make saliva anymore so he has to drink water all the time. That is the last time I have seen my grandfather and probably the last time I will see my grandmother. They just moved to Florida and I hope I will be able to visit them there.



By Teddy Brill

I never knew this would be how I would end. At 12:00 this afternoon I died. I am at peace now up in this place that I think is heaven. Not sure though, I believe I died in a horrible accident on my way to work preparing a meeting for our company. I was running late, it was already 11:30 and I needed to be at work at 12:00 p.m. When I go to work I usually take the subway under the city of Manhattan to get to my job. That day I was dressed in a dress shirt, dress tie, with dress pants, shoes, socks, jacket and a belt. I was used to being dressed up to go to work every day. When I entered the place where the trains usually stop, I noticed a little girl out on the tracks and a whistle warning everyone that a train was coming. I soon pushed my way through the crowd, shoving everyone out of my way. I leaped down on the tracks trying to avoid the 3rd rail. I saw the lights of the sub train coming at me. I grabbed the little girl in my arms and tried to guard her from the coming train. She was crying and weeping. I held her and the train came. This is how I died. I do not know if the girl survived, I hope she did.  

Join Us!


The Aurora Free Library Teen Advisory Group has been made possible by a grant from the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund.  Our group consists of local teens, aged 10-18 who are interested in making a positive difference in our community through teen programming and events.

We're always interested in welcoming new members.  We hold monthly meetings on Friday evenings from 7-8 PM at the Library.  We also hold more frequent planning meetings and are considering holding these at Southern Cayuga MS/HS. 

For more information, please contact our Group Coordinator, Alyssa Binns Gunderson at alyssabinns(at)yahoo.com.