BALSAM LAKE – For the second outing of the “Wildwood Labs” on Jan. 16, the Balsam Lake Public Library took a trip up the street to the Polk County Museum, where they explored the history of North-country winters through the artifacts of the local museum. While the first week of activities at Wildwood Labs didn’t attract much attendance, the program’s group roughly tripled in size for this following week. “Blizzards and Blackouts,” as this Thursday’s after-school event was titled, brought a trek of young leaners into a deep dive of interesting local history and served as a fun and educational experience for youth around the area. Guided by Balsam Lake Library Youth Services Librarian Sam Linder, the aspiring historians traveled from room to room, observing each piece of history and how it might apply to our own local weather history. In each exhibit that they explored, Sam had every student identify one item that they’d hope to have with them if they found themselves in a blizzard of their own. One child creatively concluded on an Eagle as his selection of choice, as he said it would hunt him food and keep him company. At the next installment of the Wildwood Labs on Thursday, Jan. 23, the kids will learn how to craft their very own ice luminaries.
