A beautiful Elk Rapids puzzle
“Sledding at the Island House Library” watercolor by Joani Braun. Courtesy of the Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library and the Braun Family. Photo by Mark McAlpine
By Mark McAlpine, Contributing Writer
The Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library is not new to fundraisers. Supporting the needs of the library is their primary mission. Fundraising to provide that support is their goal each year and comes in the form of bakes sales; Glamour, Glitter & Glitz sales events; Fall Flannel & Friends nights at Townline Ciderworks; book sales through the Book Cellar; author events; and more. This October, they will flip the page to introduce a new fundraiser twist by offering for sale a beautiful, limited edition wood puzzle featuring the “Sledding at the Island House Library” artwork by Joani Braun.
The 520-piece, one-quarter-inch wooden jigsaw puzzle will be produced by Liberty Puzzle, based in Boulder, Colorado. The company has been producing classic wooden puzzles since 2005. All the Liberty puzzles and pieces are laser cut with unique whimsical designs. This allows the company to replace pieces if they are lost or damaged. Using special art works by local artists is standard practice by Liberty and is used to enhance local interest for fundraising groups. One of the many watercolors from local artist Joani Braun was chosen for this special project.
Lauren Dake, Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library chairperson, was quick to point out that the choice of the Joani Braun library watercolor was an easy decision. “As the library moves from the Island House into the next chapter,” Dake stated, “we have been thinking a lot about the people who helped bring so much life and love to the library over the years. One of those people is Joani Braun, whose beautiful watercolors captured the library in such a special way.”
Braun was more than just a well-known local watercolor artist. According to her daughter Lindy
Bishop, also a local artist, Braun was dedicated to serving the community in a variety of ways after the family moved to the area. “When we first moved to Elk Rapids,” she reminisced, “she was the Harbor Master for a few years. My Mom took her job as Harbor Master very seriously. One night, when I was young, I remember being woken up in the middle of the night as a storm was moving into the area. On our way into town to secure the harbor before the storm, we stopped by one of the gas stations to pick up spare tires. Mom had us tie those tires to the docks to protect the boats through the storm.” Through the years, Braun served on the National Ski Patrol for over 30 years. She volunteered for the Elk Rapids Rescue Squad, worked as an EMT volunteer, and give her time and energy at a variety of non-profits in the Elk Rapids area.
Braun was just as dedicated to capturing life in Elk Rapids with her art. “My Mom was a chronicler of everything in town,” Bishop said. “She would paint every building in downtown. She painted the library at least a dozen times. It was always a nostalgic and iconic place for her.” Many of her paintings were shared with the community through the years as reprints in the Elk Rapids News. After her passing in 2021, her family and the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids hosted a 2022 “Gift of a Lifetime” retrospective exhibition of her life’s work with all proceeds from the exhibit donated to support art education in Elk Rapids. As the puzzle project developed, Bishop, along with her sister Jenny and father Jim Braun, represented the family in sharing the sledding artwork and assisting with the layout for that project.
Since its formation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2015, the Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library has been a consistent funding partner for the library’s operational needs and recent new building campaign. Their nonprofit status allows the group to receive individual donations and donor fund grants in the name of the library. Those funds and grants are then provided to the library in the form of grants for operations and recently as part of the fundraising for the new library construction. Through their efforts, contributions to the new library campaign from Friends exceeded $400,000 in calendar 2025. The funds were helpful to the library reaching their Phase I and Phase II funding goals before construction began this year. Phase III fundraising for the reading porch and landscaping has begun and the Friends are committed to assisting the library in those fundraising efforts. “We have committed for $25,000 for the next phase of the new library,” Dake stated. A portion of the funding we raise goes to programming.”
The Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library hopes the “Sledding at the Island House” puzzle will become a cherished family table activity for those living in the area. At $160 each, the price for the puzzle will be higher than most puzzles, but according to Dake, $60 of that price will be earmarked for library operation expenses. The balance will be used to cover the low-volume production and packaging costs for the puzzle. A sample of the boxed puzzle is on display at the library entrance for all to see. “The library was one of Joani’s favorite things to paint,” Dake explained. “It is an honor for Joani. It will be a chance for the community to take a piece of the Island House history home to family and friends.”
The Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library is not new to fundraisers. Supporting the needs of the library is their primary mission. Fundraising to provide that support is their goal each year and comes in the form of bakes sales; Glamour, Glitter & Glitz sales events; Fall Flannel & Friends nights at Townline Ciderworks; book sales through the Book Cellar; author events; and more. This October, they will flip the page to introduce a new fundraiser twist by offering for sale a beautiful, limited edition wood puzzle featuring the “Sledding at the Island House Library” artwork by Joani Braun.
The 520-piece, one-quarter-inch wooden jigsaw puzzle will be produced by Liberty Puzzle, based in Boulder, Colorado. The company has been producing classic wooden puzzles since 2005. All the Liberty puzzles and pieces are laser cut with unique whimsical designs. This allows the company to replace pieces if they are lost or damaged. Using special art works by local artists is standard practice by Liberty and is used to enhance local interest for fundraising groups. One of the many watercolors from local artist Joani Braun was chosen for this special project.
Lauren Dake, Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library chairperson, was quick to point out that the choice of the Joani Braun library watercolor was an easy decision. “As the library moves from the Island House into the next chapter,” Dake stated, “we have been thinking a lot about the people who helped bring so much life and love to the library over the years. One of those people is Joani Braun, whose beautiful watercolors captured the library in such a special way.”
Braun was more than just a well-known local watercolor artist. According to her daughter Lindy
Bishop, also a local artist, Braun was dedicated to serving the community in a variety of ways after the family moved to the area. “When we first moved to Elk Rapids,” she reminisced, “she was the Harbor Master for a few years. My Mom took her job as Harbor Master very seriously. One night, when I was young, I remember being woken up in the middle of the night as a storm was moving into the area. On our way into town to secure the harbor before the storm, we stopped by one of the gas stations to pick up spare tires. Mom had us tie those tires to the docks to protect the boats through the storm.” Through the years, Braun served on the National Ski Patrol for over 30 years. She volunteered for the Elk Rapids Rescue Squad, worked as an EMT volunteer, and give her time and energy at a variety of non-profits in the Elk Rapids area.
Braun was just as dedicated to capturing life in Elk Rapids with her art. “My Mom was a chronicler of everything in town,” Bishop said. “She would paint every building in downtown. She painted the library at least a dozen times. It was always a nostalgic and iconic place for her.” Many of her paintings were shared with the community through the years as reprints in the Elk Rapids News. After her passing in 2021, her family and the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids hosted a 2022 “Gift of a Lifetime” retrospective exhibition of her life’s work with all proceeds from the exhibit donated to support art education in Elk Rapids. As the puzzle project developed, Bishop, along with her sister Jenny and father Jim Braun, represented the family in sharing the sledding artwork and assisting with the layout for that project.
Since its formation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2015, the Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library has been a consistent funding partner for the library’s operational needs and recent new building campaign. Their nonprofit status allows the group to receive individual donations and donor fund grants in the name of the library. Those funds and grants are then provided to the library in the form of grants for operations and recently as part of the fundraising for the new library construction. Through their efforts, contributions to the new library campaign from Friends exceeded $400,000 in calendar 2025. The funds were helpful to the library reaching their Phase I and Phase II funding goals before construction began this year. Phase III fundraising for the reading porch and landscaping has begun and the Friends are committed to assisting the library in those fundraising efforts. “We have committed for $25,000 for the next phase of the new library,” Dake stated. A portion of the funding we raise goes to programming.”
The Friends of the Elk Rapids District Library hopes the “Sledding at the Island House” puzzle will become a cherished family table activity for those living in the area. At $160 each, the price for the puzzle will be higher than most puzzles, but according to Dake, $60 of that price will be earmarked for library operation expenses. The balance will be used to cover the low-volume production and packaging costs for the puzzle. A sample of the boxed puzzle is on display at the library entrance for all to see. “The library was one of Joani’s favorite things to paint,” Dake explained. “It is an honor for Joani. It will be a chance for the community to take a piece of the Island House history home to family and friends.”
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