Books in Bloom

Books in Bloom is a unique event that represents and illustrates a book, media, and other resource material within the library through floral arrangements and artistic expression.
Each display is sponsored by an individual or friends/family for $500, which goes directly to the library endowment.
The bloom is created (and paid for) by professional florists and flower enthusiasts. Other expenses are covered by our generous sponsors.
The event is held the first weekend in May every other year and is free and open to the public. Over 500 guests have viewed approximately 20 blooms each event. Over $100,000 has been raised for the library from Books in Bloom.

Books in Bloom 2024

May 3 -5, 2024, Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library

Friday May 3
3-5 p.m.

Saturday, May 4
10a.m. - 4 p.m.

Noon - 3 p.m. Memorabilia display from the College Archives with Associate Archivist Adrianna Darden

1 p.m. Fika and Flowers - "Braiding Sweetgrass" book discussion and design by Mim Kagol and Bert Ledder

Sunday, May 5
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Featured in 2024:

Book/Film/Journal, Author
Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are, Heather Wolf
Freight Train, Donald Crews
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, Hayden Herrera
I Am a Cat, Soseki Natsume
It's Not the End of the World, Judy Blume
Little Blue Truck's Springtime, Alice Schertle
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren
The Big Friendly Giant, Roald Dahl
The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune
The Keeper of the Bees, Gene Stratton-Porter
The Lamb of Latvia: Growing up During Nazi and Soviet Occupation, Jane Boldenow
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
The Quiltmaker's Gift, Jeff Brumbeau
The Seed Keeper, Diane Wilson
Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne

Books in Bloom 2022

Books in Bloom Slideshow

Books In Bloom Program 2022

Books in Bloom 2021

This year we are very pleased to offer a virtual event, which features Saint Peter business-owner Sara Nett, owner of Sweet Alice Floral and Art. Sara is passionate about environmental sustainability and will be designing via Zoom a bloom that interprets the book Drawdown, by Paul Hawken.

Watch this year's event here:

Books in Bloom
Introducing Sara Nett, Sweet Alice Floral and Art:
"Join me to explore the impacts of sustainably focused floristry on local communities and a world threatened by climate change.
Sustainability is a complex topic, touching every aspect of my business. I’ll share with you the way I choose materials and flowers, the impact of refrigeration methods on climate, flower transportation, the positive impact local flower farmers are having all over the world, and how large floral farms are advancing sustainable practices globally.
I’ll share my solutions to some of floristry’s most pressing environmental challenges, and how the floristry community as a whole is tackling these problems. I hope you’ll join me!"