STAFFORD — Mrs. Meyer’s Second Grade class blessed us with a class trip Monday to learn about the history of their library. Eight excited-to-learn students sat on our new front steps and visualized buffalo grass and Indians in this area.
No trees, no houses or buildings. Then we went inside and crafted a timeline of the Stafford area from 4 billion years ago when we were underwater to the year they will graduate in 2035.
This area was underwater many different times in Prehistoric Kansas and on the back of the timeline they have an infographic table showing the different forms of life present, including mollusks. The class was excited to find mollusk fossils in the limestone window ledge of the library.
One of the interesting pictures they added to the timeline was the day the first tracks and train came to Stafford in June 1886. The Stafford City band was there to greet the train. One of the band members was Asa Gere, Miss Sandy’s Great Grandfather. We tried to help them visualize how many generations of their family have used the library in the 118 years of its existence.
Brenda Fuller donated a beautiful 7-foot wood and glass display shelf to the library. It was built by her brother Dave Turner to display items in Freund’s Flower shop. Roger Blew, Richard and Shelly Brensing formed a crew to get the shelf moved to the library and into the east room. Watch for a display of our new books on this great addition to our library. Thank you Brenda for thinking of the library and thank you Roger, Richard and Shelly for getting it moved.
I made a visit to Stafford Elementary Friday morning, inviting students to come to our summer reading program. Stafford Recreation and our library are again teaming up to provide summer fun for Stafford’s kids. Information should be on the classroom Facebooks and on flyers around town.
Here’s an FYI to what is going on in other libraries in Stafford County. (We are proud of the great libraries in Stafford County!):
• Macksville Library will be having an Author Talk at the Macksville City Library on Sunday, May 25 from 4-4:45 p.m. and, enjoy the library’s 90th Birthday celebration from 3-6 p.m. Cheryl Unruh, featured author, grew up in the tiny town of Pawnee Rock in central Kansas.
• Ida Long Goodman Library in St. John will be having an adult reading class this summer starting in June. Call the library for further details.
Stafford County is fortunate to have three great libraries with many great book collections, learning opportunities and activities for their patrons.
Coming up
• Monday Mornings 10-11 a.m. - Preschool Story Hour
• Every Wednesday except 3rd Wednesday - ESOL with Rachel Sandoval - 6 p.m.
• May 1 - August 1- New book Challenge
• May 26 - We will be closed for Memorial Day
• May 27 - 5:30 p.m. - Recently Read book group.
• June 6 - 6-8 p.m. - Barry and Meta West, Community Cookbooks From the Past.
• “Color Our World” Summer Reading program will be in June and July.
• Next Board Meeting: June 11
Gerry Hildebrand is the head librarian for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library. Phone 620-234-5762, email larabeelibrary@gmail.com or visit Facebook at Nora Larabee Memorial Library.
