2-6-2026
Residents of Walworth, Rock, and Racine Counties have six opportunities this spring to have a Whale of a good time.
Kate Davis, of PLLS and Spice Club fame, has organized a cooperative program involving a life-size 56-foot, inflatable grey whale. Inside is a passageway participants can enter to see the internal organs. Outside will be related bones and artifacts and information about this amazing species. Kate’s publicity material reads, “Explore fossils and evolution through time, learn how human activity impacts marine environment, and uncover the surprising connections between the world’s oceans and Wisconsin’s own natural history.”
Between the size of the whale and the cost of the program, this event can’t take place in all 22 PLLS libraries. Six libraries, two in each of the three counties, organized a venue and staff for multiple events open to all. The Walworth County events will take place on March 14th at Williams Bay Elementary School and April 11th at Elkhorn Agility Center. I’ll be at the Elkhorn event if you want to look for a familiar face. Other dates will take place in Edgerton, Evansville, Burlington, and Union Grove. Ask at the library for specific dates. All will take place from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Given the number of events Kate has arranged, Dave Daniels owner and chauffeur for the whale has agreed to a naming contest running February 1-21. Participants of all ages are welcome to submit their suggestions. Participants under 18 must ask for parental permission first as the winner’s name and contact information will be shared with Kate. Names must be appropriate for all ages, easy to say, spell and remember, and avoid copyrighted or trademarked names. An additional guideline states it should, “Reflect literacy, nature, community, and/or our shared histories.”
Winners, of course, receive bragging rights as well as VIP treatment on their visiting day, swag from WonderWhales and libraries, and public recognition.
PLLS libraries have print entry forms and/or a QR code to an online entry. It can also be found from the PLLS website (prairielakes.info/whonderwhale/).
At the end of 2025, there was a little money left in our A/V budget. I looked for new items to try out. That included the Memory Kits and a toddler kit of educational/developmental toys. It also included three devices called a WhaZoodle! Made by the creator of LaunchPads, these devices are similar in that each has pre-loaded content on a specific topic. Ours are space, big cats, and music. Described as speaker sidekicks, they differ from LaunchPads in that they are screen free. Content falls under three categories: Explore, Recess, and Relax. Users learn, move and wind down. So far, all have been a big hit.
Reading Now: House Rules by Jodi Picoult (February book club selection)
Listening to Now: Still True by Maggie Ginsberg (Wisconsin Reads selection on Libby)
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