There was magic in the air as Baffling Bill the magician amazed a sold-out audience at the HERTH on Thursday evening. The Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library hosted an outstanding Magic Show and dinner for the community. The Friends committee chair Cathy Walle, with Mary Allender and Linda Bell Smith, and the help of library staff and graphic designer Melanie Knight of MK Designs, carried out a wonderful, well-planned evening of entertainment. Underwritten by the Friends, the ticketed event was free; however, many guests made generous donations.

We are grateful to the many business and personal sponsors who joined the Friends with financial gifts to help defray the cost of the event:
Alden State Bank; All Smiles Family Dentistry, Paul Brink, Cherry Suites Assisted Living, Cone Corral and Pizzeria, Covell Funeral Home, Edward Jones/Tom Shelder Financial Advisor, Elk Rapids District Library, Elk Rapids Golf Club, Elk Rapids News, Elk Rapids Tire Alignment, Elk River Marina, Grace Lutheran Church of ER/Rev. James C. Redmann, Fitzpatrick Insurance, Harbor Antiques/Steve McClain, Harbor Point Chiropractic, Pine Hill Nursery, Riverside Title, Rob Ford, Schumacher Dental Lab, TJ Charlie’s, Vacation Village, Village Market, Norman Veliquette, and Write Now Editing and Copywriting.

The Baffling Bill Magic Show marked the final event in a very successful year for the Friends. Our spring and summer membership campaign garnered 75 new Friends.  We were able to give financial support to the summer reading program and the Harbor Days Knights and Princesses Party. We held a very successful raffle of a John Goss fish sculpture. And donations to The Book Cellar broke new records. 




Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. 

Chicken Mulligatawny Soup Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 1 1/4 pound (570 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
• 2 cups (475 ml) chicken stock
• 2 cups (475 ml) water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon sea salt)
• 1/4 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 2 tart apples, cored, peeled, and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/4  (60 ml) cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) plain yogurt for garnish
• 1 Tbsp minced chives for garnish

Method

1 Sauté onions, celery, carrots in olive oil and butter, add bay leaves, curry powder: Heat butter and olive oil on medium high heat in a large (4 to 5 quart), thick-bottomed pot. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes until just starting to soften. Add the bay leaves. Add the curry powder and mix to coat.
2 Add chicken, stock, salt: Add the chicken thighs and stir to coat with the curry mixture. Add the stock and water to the pot. Add the salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
3 Remove chicken, let cool to touch: Remove the chicken pieces from the pot. (They should be just cooked through. If not, return them to the pot for another 5 minutes or so, until they are cooked through.) Place on a cutting board and allow to cool to the touch.
4 Add rice, apples: Add the rice and the chopped apples to the soup. Return to a simmer on high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through.
5 Shred the chicken, return to soup, add cream: While the apples and rice are cooking in the soup, shred the chicken, discarding any tough bits. Once the rice and apples in the soup are cooked, add the chicken back to the pot. Heat for 5 minutes more. Then stir in the cream.

Serve with yogurt and chives.


FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE


AUTUMN LEAVES 
by EVA CASSIDY