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Rain drenches Stafford; good for landscaping
larebee-blinds
The Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library in Stafford is pleased to announce that new blinds have been installed. “We’ve been blinded and now we see!” said librarian Gerry Hildebrand. South Central Community Foundation in Pratt got the project started by awarding the library $5,000 for blinds in the Children’s Room and the windows by the check-out computer. “They were purchased from Miller’s of Claflin and we are really enjoying the reduction in glare and ease in use,” she said. “Thank you South Central Community Foundation for making our space more enjoyable!”

STAFFORD — We woke up Sunday morning and found we are now owners of Lakefront Property! We were planning to go to the lake Memorial Day, but we hadn’t planned on the lake coming to us! I heard that morning from our son who works at Ground Water Management that it was around 3 inches of rain so far this weekend with more to come. A Drought Busting weekend? Maybe.

The landscaping at the library that was put in last year is coming to life and looking beautiful. It’s the finishing touch to all the work that has been done. Everyday it greets me and says “Somebody Cares Here.” Thank you building committee.

FYI getting a good lawn of buffalo grass mix is a three-year project that will be worth all the work the volunteers have put in.

If you think they are done – think again. The committee has always envisioned a tribute to our country as a part of our landscape. They planned ahead before they put in landscaping and buried a conduit for electricity to light up a flag and lamppost for the northeast corner of the library property. We have been wanting this final touch for quite some time and realized this project would be a great way to use the memorial money given to the library in memory of Tim Dye.

Tim was at the library daily reading books about our American Heroes. If we didn’t have the information on American history he wanted he would use the computer to find out more, sometimes singing along with songs and hymns he would find. We miss Tim and wanted to use his memorial money in a way that would be present everyday for the community to enjoy and celebrate the country Tim loved.

If you are interested in helping with this memorial and addition to our community, check out the great Facebook post or the library website. Better yet stop by and see what’s happening at your library.

Larabee Library is often mistaken for a Carnegie Library. I’ve been enjoying a website called Unstacked, “a newsletter for library lovers, by library lovers.” This issue celebrated Andrew Carnegie and his reason for supporting free public libraries around the world. He built and gave to communities 2,500 libraries; 1,700 are in the United States. In our area alone Great Bend, Sterling, Hutchinson, Lyons, Kingman and many others were funded by Carnegie in the early 1900s. It is an interesting life story of why Carnegie felt the need for free public libraries.

Many people have voiced their excitement for the next First Friday, June 6. Having Alums Barry and Meta Newell West present a program on the history of Stafford as found in local cookbooks is a unique look at our community. This event is all about something near and dear to our heart: Food and Stafford. Win! Win! Come join us. June 6th, 6-8 p.m.


Library calendar

• Monday Mornings 10-11 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 Recently Read book group.

• June 6 - 6-8 p.m. Barry and Meta West, Community Cookbooks From the Past. We’ll take a look at how community cookbooks can provide insight into people, places and time periods. Using Stafford cookbooks that span a time frame from 1926 to 1985, Meta and Barry find out how cooks of the past (many whose surnames you will probably recognize) not only filled a cookbook with recipes, they also preserved a record of their collective efforts to fund a new Stafford church in 1926. Meta, with assistance from Barry, will share ads from that same cookbook – testaments to the booming businesses that were thriving in Stafford. Feel free to bring any of your Local/Family cookbooks. Sue Griffiths will have a display of aprons and potholders. Core will provide food for purchase.

• “Color Our World” Summer Reading program will be in June and July: Monday Mornings 10-11 will be our Preschoolers, Tuesday mornings 10:30-11:30 will be K-2nd, and Tuesday afternoons 1:45-2:45 grades 3-5. Save the dates! We will again partner with the Summer Rec Program. More information later. Plan on “Oceans of Fun! Hint! Hint!

• June 9 - 10-11 PBS will open our Summer Reading for Preschool with a video, crafts and a free book for each child.

• July 1 - The Kansas Wetlands Education Center will present “Wetland Art Adventures!” Join Chomps, the KWEC Painted Turtle, at this vibrant event where nature and creativity come together. Explore the colorful world of Cheyenne Bottoms through stories, nature art projects, and meeting live animals.

• Next board meeting: June 11.


By Gerry Hildebrand and Sandy Gere


Gerry Hildebrand is the head librarian for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library, 108 N. Union St. in Stafford. Phone 620-234-5762, email larabeelibrary@gmail.com or visit Facebook at Nora Larabee Memorial Library.