The Summit County Library’s Lost Gems of Sundance Film Series wraps up this season with an Encore — a free showing on April 1 of the documentary “Wordplay.”

The screening is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch, 1885 W. Ute Blvd. Admission is free.

The film, directed by Patrick Creadon and premiered in the Documentary Program of the 2006 Sundance Festival, focuses on Will Shortz, who’s been the editor of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle since the 1990’s.

His devoted fan base includes former President Bill Clinton, Senator Bob Dole, Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns and Comedian and Program Host Jon Stewart.

The latter says that Shortz doesn’t fit the nerdy image you might be expecting — “He’s the Errol Flynn of crossword-puzzling.”

The second half of the film shifts gears to show the riveting competition of the annual American  Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which was founded by Shortz in 1978.

The competitors are a cross-section of personalities — a tournament veteran, a philosopher, a young prodigy and a perennial also-ran — but they’re drawn together by a love of community as much as the contest.

The Sundance Film Festival program in 2006 said the film’s “masterful execution produces the same satisfaction as completing a particularly ingenious and challenging puzzle.”

The Lost Gems Film Series is dedicated to the film festival’s 45-year history in Park City.

While the vast majority of the entries have faded into obscurity, organizers Rick Brough and Destiny Grose are asking members of the community to recall the special films that impacted them.

“Wordplay,” rated PG, will be introduced by Scott Iwasaki, who has been the Scene Editor of the Park Record since 2010. Before that, he was the music and dance editor at the Deseret News for nearly 20 years.

The Lost Gems Series will return this fall.

Lost Gems of Sundance: ‘Worldplay’

• When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 1
• Where: Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch
• Cost: Free
• Web: thesummitcountylibrary.org/calendar

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The Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch offers children and their adults programs that promote literacy, creativity and fun.

These free activities provide the community a chance to get out of the cold and cozy up with books, puppets and rhyme times.

The following is a schedule of events for the rest of December and into January.

• Legos at the Library! — Thursdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Kids can drop in any time and find Legos for the big kids and Duplos for the little kids. 
• ¡Abejitas Activas! Busy Bees Bilingual Library Time — Every Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. This program features songs, rhymes and libros — en Español and English. The event is designed for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers.
• Library Play Time — Every Tuesday, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This drop-in, open-play time is for children ages 0-5. It features all kinds of toys to build and create that inspire imagination and play.
• Library Rhyme Time — Every Thursday, 10:30 a.m. This program features singing, dancing, laughing and rhyming for children aged 3 months to 3 years and their caregivers. Siblings are welcome, too.
• Friday Library Story Times — Every Friday, 10:30 a.m. This weekly session includes picture books, fingerplay, puppets and a simple craft for preschoolers, ages 3-5, their older siblings and caregivers.
• I Survived Book Club — The club will hold four sessions from Thursday, Jan. 11 through April, and the discussion will be about Lauren Tarshis’ 2010 book, “I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912.” The club meets at 4 p.m., and there will be snacks and STEAM activities for grades 4-6. Registration is required, and can be done by visiting tinyurl.com/2tnkhes9.
• Flashlight Reader’s Book Club — Thursday, Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m. This is a parent/child book club for readers in 4-6 grades and their grown-ups. The discussion will cover Aisha Saeed’s 2022 middle-grade novel, “Omar Rising.” And there will be “bookish snacks.” Kids can sign up in advance by visiting tinyurl.com/cbthfnnr.
• Whiz Kids Junior Book Club — Thursday, Jan. 25, 4 p.m. This is a book club for readers in grades 1-3. In January the club will have all kinds of Parisian fun with Mo Willems’ 2015 beginning-level novel “Diva and Flea.” Advance sign up is required, and registration can be found at tinyurl.com/2yndn6nm.
• Neuro-Academy Caregiver’s Workshop — Wednesday, Jan. 25, 11 a.m. to noon. This event for parents and caregivers for kids ages prenatal to 5 meets at the Summit County Health Department, and attendees learn how to boost children’s learning capacity and awareness of the world.

Parents should make note that the book clubs fill up fast. If the sign-ups are full, email Kirsten Nilsson at knilsson@summitcounty.org to place a child on a waitlist. 

All book club books are available for check-out at the main circulation desk. Also, the library will be closed on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

For information about these programs and more, visit thesummitcountylibrary.org. 

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With the current public health issues in mind, the Summit County Library Kimball Junction staff and administration would like to reassure the community that they are making a concerted effort to keep the library as clean as possible.

Staff wipe off all of the books as they’re checked in; they disinfect our soft blocks in the children’s area every day; and, the building is professionally cleaned every morning.

The library staff is also making the following changes:

It has removed the smaller toys in the children’s area

It has canceled the Friday afternoon open Lego Play Time until further notice

Lego Play Time is one of the library’s favorite programs but with the kid’s close proximity to each other and all the small Lego pieces, the staff is more comfortable discontinuing the program, for now. It hopes to start up again when the summer programs begin, so please stay tuned.

Now for some good news.

The Summit County Library’s other children’s programs will continue. For the safety of everyone, the staff and administrators encourage parents and children to stay at home if they show any signs of illness.

Here is a schedule of continuing programs:

• Preschool Story Time–Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. For children age 4-6. Siblings are always welcome to join us. There will be no Story Time during Park City School District’s Spring Break on Tuesday, April 7.

• Coding Club for Kids—Tuesdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m. The new after-school Coding Club is a big hit in the community. The program is self-directed so kids can join whenever they’d like. However, all participants must be 8 years old or older. Sign ups can be done by visiting .thesummitcountylibrary.org/events/coding-club-kids-kimball. There will be no Coding Club on Tuesday, April 7.

• Baby Rhyme Time­­—Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. This program is for babies, up to age 2, and their grown-ups. Siblings are welcome, too. The sessions include singing, dancing, laughing and playing, with all kinds of early childhood library fun. This program generates a pretty good sized crowd, so those who prefer a smaller group, might want to join the 11:30 a.m. session with the slightly older kids. There will be no Baby Rhyme Time on April 9.

• Busy Bee Toddler Time—Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. Busy Bee is for toddlers, age 2-3 and their grown-ups, and siblings can always attend, too. Sessions include dancing, singing, puppets and rhymes, with lots of giggles and fun for busy bee toddlers. There will be no Busy Bee Toddler Time on 9.

• Monthly Mother/Daughter Book Group—Thursday, March, 19, 6:30 p.m. The Book Group is for For 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls and their moms, or another grown-up. This month the group will discuss Celia C Perez’s middle grade novel “Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers.” April’s meeting is Thursday, April 16, and the group will discuss “Lalani of the Distant Sea” by Erin Entrada Kelly.

• Preschool Story Times—Fridays, 10:30 a.m. These sessions are filled with books and fun

• Monthly Friday Afternoon Kid’s Movie—Friday, March 20, 3:30 p.m. The film will be Disney’s “Frozen II,” rated PG.

The library also has e-books, e-audiobooks, children’s films and TV programs that are accessible from home. The library offers Kanopy Kids or Acorn TV, free services to library card holders, by visiting summitcounty.kanopy.com.

The Kid’s programs can also be found at summitcout.rbdigital.com/service/browse/acorn.

For information, visit thesummitcountylibrary.org.

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