Sunday Classics Series
at the Y-Steak House
August 28

LouAnn Shepard Muhm, Jen,
and Kathryn Kysar

Indie Bound 'Round Bookstore Shop Hop!
August 18 to 21

Book lovers took to the road during our first ever Shop Hop! Participating bookstores were Beagle Books & Bindery, Sister Wolf Books (Dorset), Cherry Street Books (Alexandria), and Bookin' It (Little Falls).

Each store had a goodie bag for shop hoppers, and we all had authors signing. Shop hoppers who visited all four stores were entered in a drawing for our fabulous prizes. Prizes were provided through generous support of the event from our publisher friends.

The event has received national attention! Read about it on Bookselling this Week. 

Here is the grand prize, with the lucky shop hopper who won it...

...and here's the lucky winner of another of the Shop Hop prizes.

5th Annual July 4th Pie Contest

$746: that’s how much money we raised at the 2011 Pie Baking Contest & Auction fundraiser for the Park Rapids Library! A record number of 27 pies were entered. THANK YOU to the bakers and the buyers. Unfortunately, John Michael Lerma, the chef who gave birth to this fundraiser five years ago, was unable to join us this year. John Michael is battling stomach cancer and his chemotherapy treatments made travel from his home in the Twin Cities to Park Rapids impossible. This year’s pie champs are…………….

Double Crust: Carol Kragenbrink (3 Berry Pie)
Single Crust: Bev Johnson (Chocolate Raspberry Cake Pie)
Custard or Cream: Diane Wallace (Baked Chocolate Cream)
Juvenile: Lauren Bakke & Katie Laxson (Key Lime, Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust)
Best in Show: Diane Wallace

Beagle's favorite dog getting McPats while lining up for the 4th of July parade.

Nate Jorgenson Signing
Saturday, May 28

Nate Jorgenson is the author of Waiting for White Horses and Mulligan AND A Crooked Number

Jorgenson books

Arts Downtown
Thursday, May 19

The third Thursday of every month is Arts Downtown in Park Rapids. Downtown businesses host a variety of artists, from music to wool spinning. This month, Beagle hosted Jess Lourey, one of our favorite mystery writers!

Lourey books

Arts Downtown
Thursday,
April 21

Good-Bye Party for Cindie
Monday, March 14

Cake, coffee, stories, and a fond farewell.

Arts Downtown at Beagle Books
St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17

Kathy Belt demonstrated the Irish tradition of spinning wool.

Arts Downtown

February 17

Beagle Books hosted
high school poets
reading their work.

Third Annual Night–In

Saturday, January 15

Book group members and would-be members mingled with folk from other book groups, got prizes and book group suggestions, sipped wine and cider and nibbled on cheese, and generally had fun. One happy guest (who traveled 200 miles to attend!) emailed this description:

I want to thank you for a wonderful evening of goodies and books, and prizes. I was delighted to have my name drawn to pick out a book during the evening, and then overwhelmed when my name was drawn for the grand prize. I felt like it was Halloween night when I came home with my bag of goodies, in fact I poured all the books out on the bed and sorted the books as to which I will read first and which ones do I want to treat myself to later. All the while savoring all of them! My first pick was Tinkers which I devoured the first half last night and finished this morning while sipping my morning coffee. Next will be Will Weavers today, so I may bring it home and share it with my sons and husband. I am so thankful that Park Rapids has Beagle Books, I believe it is a vital part of not only the retail establishment but the community in that it offers a great selection of books, book clubs and a staff that are pleasant and well read.

Thank you again,
Melinda K.