The Lower Macungie Township Library will be closed Aug. 31 and Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day.

The Lower Macungie Library Book Club will meet 10:30 a.m. Sept. 4 to discuss “My Dear Hamilton” by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamole. The book for Oct. 2 is “In the Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden” by Kathleen Cambor.

There will be a Teddy Bear Bedtime Storytime 6:30-7 p.m. Sept. 9. Come in pajamas with your teddy bear and celebrate National Teddy Bear Day.

Creation Station for ages 2 years and up will be held 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 16. There is a different project every month.

There will be a jigsaw puzzle tournament 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21. There will be two, four and six member teams in student, adult and family divisions, respectively. There is an entry charge; the reservation deadline is Sept. 10.

Board game lovers can “Get in the Game” 6-8 p.m. Sept. 23.

Members of the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Elder Abuse Task Force will present “Defining Elder Abuse” 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 25.

Many programs have limited registration and require advance registration. Contact the library for more information.

Children’s storytimes are ongoing. Contact the library for times.

For more information, call the library at 610-966-6864 or go to the library website, www.lowermaclib.org.

The next Friends of the Lower Macungie Township Library meeting is 10 a.m. Sept. 21 in the library. The library is now accepting book donations. Due to space limitations, no textbooks, VHS and cassette tapes, encyclopedias, magazines, condensed books, outdated medical and travel guides and books in poor condition can be accepted. The fall book sale will be held Nov. 22-23.

The Lower Macungie Pool is open daily noon to 7 p.m. through Aug. 25. The pool will be closed Aug. 26-30 and will re-open noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2 for Labor Day weekend. For more information, check the website www.lowermac.org.

Island Time (summer music Jimmy Buffet style) will play 6-8:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at Hills at Lockridge Park.

The Lower Lehigh Lions Club will hold its annual fall flea market and garage sale 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 7. For more information or to reserve a spot, call Betsy at 484-764-7858 or go to www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/lowerlehigh/contact.php.

The Parkland Art League will meet 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. Mosaic and clay artist Laurie Franzo will be the guest presenter. For more information, call 610-533-5345.

The Lower Macungie Garden Club will meet 1 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Lower Macungie Township Community center. Master Gardener Fred Buse will discuss Japan’s flora and gardening methods. Guests are welcome.

The Lower Macungie Senior Citizens Club meets noon Sept. 16 at the community center. After a business meeting, members play bingo or card games.

Lower Macungie Township has organized a bus trip to Baltimore National Aquarium and Baltimore Inner Harbor Oct. 12. The deadline for reservations is Sept. 9.

There will be a Father-Daughter Dance for girls 4-12 years 7-9 p.m. Oct. 5 at the community center. To register, go to the community center 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 610-966-6924.

The community center offers a number of activities. Adult classes include belly dancing, card making, fiction writing, baking, Latin partner dance, guitar lessons, string art and tennis lessons. Youth classes include cooking, Kindermusik, Minecraft, multi-sport skills, parent’s morning out, robotics, soccer, tennis and cooking. There will be a safe sitter class offered 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 for ages 11 years and up.

For more information, contact the community center at 610-966-6924.

A new Saturday open gym time will be offered 10 a.m. to noon for children ages 10-15 with a parent. Family open gym time is 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays for ages infant through 10 years with a parent. Proof of residency is required.

The summer yard waste hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Yard waste permits are required for dropoff.

Life doesn’t always work according to plan. We had just returned from a wonderful vacation to San Francisco and I had almost caught up with the laundry. I was looking forward to some trips to Dorney Park, taking Ben to the pool and catching up with some friends. And then my body rebelled. After a morning of testing in the emergency room, I was told my appendix was coming out! So much for my plans. Now I can’t even lift a laundry basket for a couple weeks. So I’m counting my blessings: I was home and not in California; it was a simple procedure; my family and friends have taken good care of me. As one friend told me: “Consider it a staycation. Prop up your feet, read a book and have some drinks with little umbrellas in them.”

The next township column will be published Sept. 18; copy deadline is Sept. 12.