Save the Date: 'Saturday Splash' Returns Oct. 11

MALF is excited to announce the return of our popular Friends of the Library "mini-conference" for 2025. Save the date for Saturday, October 11, when MALF will convene Friends from across Minnesota online for our fifth annual SATURDAY SPLASH (10:00 a.m. – approx. 12:00 p.m.).

If you’re new to MALF you’re likely asking yourself: Why do we call this event Saturday Splash –– beyond the obvious fact that it’s always held on a Saturday? It’s because our half-day itinerary will include a splash of this, and a splash of that! As the connecting thread, every component of this program will celebrate Friends' work or offer value learning opportunities to further it.

Full itinerary will be released later this summer, but we have one big announcement to share right away: our keynote author and program emcee.

Emcee Announcement: Cary J. Griffith

Cary J. Griffith is an award-winning author known for his compelling narratives that delve into the natural world, both through nonfiction and in the form of popular, propulsive fiction.

Griffith’s acclaimed Sam Rivers mystery series, featuring an intrepid special agent for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, blends thrilling suspense with a keen understanding of Minnesota wildlife and natural landscapes. Rattlesnake Bluff, the fifth and latest entry in the series, hit shelves on June 10.

In addition, Griffith’s natural histories illustrate keenly that truth really can be stranger than fiction. Standout publications spotlight cave systems in southeastern Minnesota (Opening Goliath, 2009), historic forest fires in the Boundary Waters (Gunflint Burning, 2019), and bizarre meteorological events in the Arrowhead region (Gunflint Falling, 2024).

As an author, Griffith routinely presents at libraries across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

“Over the last year alone I have spoken at more than 50 public libraries,” he estimates. “When visiting, I am reminded again and again about how great it is to be a Minnesotan, where we support and fund our public libraries so they can continue to evolve to address the needs of the communities they serve.”

Griffith recognizes that grassroots Friends of the Library groups are an important part of that equation.

“I write about people who find themselves in dire wilderness situations and, when called upon, act in unexpected and heroic ways… so, I know a bit about heroism. Let me tell you: Anyone who is willing to be a volunteer in a Friends of the Library organization does so out of a sense of altruism, selflessness, generosity, and with a determination to support our libraries and make them better. Your commitment may go unnoticed, but it is deeply appreciated and – in every sense of the word – heroic. Thank you.”

You can pre-register for Saturday Splash – and be among the first to learn when MALF announces further details around this free online event – by clicking HERE.