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8 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | APRIL 2024 | Library Committee "April showers bring May flowers"… and new books to read in your Four Seasons Library! There usually is an influx of new books and puzzles at the beginning of a new year after residents have finished reading/ working their holiday gifts. Thanks to many of our residents, donations continue to be received throughout the year. Because of space limitations, however, we're only able to accept hardcover fiction books copyright dated 2015 to the present right now. For paperbacks, the current acceptable date range is 2020 to the present. Since our paperbacks storage area is almost always full lately, it will soon be time to go to 2021 as the start date. Then there are the puzzles. Not only does the library now have four puzzle cases, they're always full of 300 to 1,000-piece puzzles. Newly donated puzzles come in at about the same rate as new book donations; puzzles are popular with our friends and neighbors. It's no wonder that the Library Committee has spent several months visualizing ways to find more space for materials! Discussions are ongoing with the committee's liaisons to the HOA Board concerning adding new shelving in some strategic locations in the library and possibly elsewhere. Besides extending date ranges, we get requests to stock older books, including series of popular authors. They set the stage for the continuing adventures of the characters in newer books. Some whole series have been donated to the library, but we've only had space to retain books that fit into the current date ranges. Residents also inquire why we display some duplicate books; they're popular. Other residents visit the library only to find that categories of their favorite specialty books — like cookbooks, how to books, travel guides — aren't available. We value these requests, but we are space challenged. We also would like to openly display all the informative and fascinating nonfiction books, biographies, and existing specialty books (large print, classics, health, religious) which have been housed behind the usually closed doors under the paperbacks. Please know that you can open those doors and check them out! Other good news to share is that the HOA Board approved the 2024 library office supplies budget to keep us busy processing new books and puzzles! We're always looking for new resident authors to feature in the library and share their experiences through authors' talks. The library is a busy place; come visit! ~ Betty Crase Casino Royale: On Sat., April 20, in the Four Seasons Ballroom, the Social Committee presents an evening of fun, excitement, and chance where everyone is a winner, Casino Royale. Professional dealers will entertain games of craps, blackjack, poker, and the spinning wheel at the roulette table. Tickets are on sale for $25 per person that gets you $500 of play money and with luck you can increase your chance to win fabulous prizes. A complimentary dessert bar will be present to indulge your satiating pleasure. This is a BYOR event. Additional play money can be purchased throughout the evening. The proceeds from these sales will benefit My City Youth. My City Youth Center is an incorporated 501C(3) non-profit organization in the City of Hemet. This organization provides a safe place for at-risk youth offering free programs in art, guitar lessons, dance, computer programming, gymnastics, and basketball training. My City Youth also have a teen parent program offering support, encouragement, and parenting classes along with the Mommy Shoppe for teenage mothers to earn the ability to purchase diapers, and baby clothing. The Social Committee is actively seeking donations and prizes to be raffled at the conclusion of the evening festivities. Please contact any member of the Social Committee. Vernal Equinox (First Day of Spring) It is one week since the recognized First Day of Spring, March 19. Usually, it's March 20 or 21, but because this is a leap year and February gets an extra day, the season moves up in the calendar. (Yeah, it is one of those leap year adjustments.) So, for triviality, the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is on March 20, 2024 at 3:06 UTC, or March 19, at 7:06 pm, Hemet time. You say, so what? Because, it is the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. The season commences on March 20-21 with "batter up" in Seoul, Korea, when my San Diego Padres play a two-game series against the favored Los Angeles Dodgers. Imagine that, going to Korea to play the first two games when both teams are only 120 freeway miles from each other. Let's go Padres! Scavenger Hunt 2024: You can always learn more about the Four Seasons community when you participate in Scavenger Hunt 2024, Sat., May 18, from 10 am to 1 pm. This anticipates to be a fun, free outdoor event where participants search for locations and objects from a list of clues all within the confines of our community. (Okay! Tell me where is that elephant-hair ring?) Coming soon: (April 3, 10, 17, 24) Wednesday Bingo Nights, (April 5) First Friday TGIF - Karaoke, (April 16) Music on the Plaza: Big Revenge, (April 20) Casino Royale, (April 25) Open Session Board Meeting, (April 26) Bistro Special, (April 27) Shred Day. Social Committee